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If there's a wildfire you try to make every possible effort to move your livestock. Animals can NOT take care of themselves in a wildfire, all they can do is run around in a panic. The only time you let them loose to fend for themselves is if you have exhausted all other possibilities and cannot move them and only have time to escape to save your own life. If you open their gates and let animals go they will most likely die in the fire anyway but at least they won't die because of being trapped and unable to escape from inside a burning cage or enclosure.
Moving animals in general - small livestock (including goats) must be herded into a small enclosed space where it is easier to catch them. Then you catch them and put them into livestock cages. Then the cages are lifted up and loaded onto your truck bed or trailer.
Larger animals like big hogs, horses, cattle that are too big to be physically picked up must be herded or led up a ramp into the truck or trailer. There is other protocol to attend to with large animals that are loaded onto transportation, as they must be secured in place so that they can't injure themselves or each other.
I think if you are serious about getting ANY animals of ANY kind (including pet cats and dogs) for your ranch that you need to do some intensive research about the proper care and handling and the feed and housing requirements for each type of animal BEFORE you acquire any of them. I'm not trying to be offensive but judging by the kinds of comments and questions you've been asking you sound like somebody who doesn't have a clue nor any natural intuition about animals or about keeping either domestic or wild animals and their extensive needs and care. You shouldn't own any animals until you have intensively researched and familiarized yourself with the care and needs of each species of interest to you.
Forums are handy but you aren't going to get all the necessary information you need from asking about it on internet forums. One of the problems with forums is while you can get some very valuable information from some truly knowledgeable, experienced people you will also end up getting a lot of conflicting and contrary information from other posters who may claim to be knowledgeable and experienced but actually don't have a clue what they're talking about. The only way you will know for sure what is correct is by doing your own research. That means reading books written by true authorities on the subject and by visiting locations where animals / livestock are kept so you can see for yourself.
Hi, Tamara -- I'm not trying to be a wet blanket here, just practical.
You live alone. If anything happens to you where a hospital stay is required, who is going to look after the animals? Do you have good enough friends and/or people you could pay to do that? What happens if you have a long-term injury and can't lift or move that well?
Chickens make sense because they can all be rounded up for "freezer camp" if something happens where you can't take care of them. Also, you don't need to be lifting large and costly bales of hay around for them in a drought year. It's also not that hard to find someone to come over and check their water if you are free-ranging them.
Geese and other fowl make some sense, as well. Geese also make good guardians -- no dogs needed. They sound the alarm and chase strangers.
Goats require a lot more care, as do pigs and daily cows. If mowing grass is really an issue, perhaps you can work out a labor exchange with someone where you will rent your pasture to them for the spring and summer and then they will butcher their goats in the fall (or something like that).
In general, people into the "homestead" lifestyle don't take "vacations," unless you count loading up the animals and going to the county and state fairs to show them!
If you still have wanderlust, I suggest finding other more temporary alternatives to having animals around the place. You could keep chickens for the summer, for several families, for example, -- the chickens would go to freezer camp in the fall -- and then you could travel in the winter.
Also keep in mind that you have a paying job off the ranch. Do you really want to spend the bulk of your spare time tending to animals/fencing/repairs and related issues? Honestly, for one person, the work is never-ending! If this is where your heart is leading you, fine, but I suggest starting really small, something temporary, like raising chickens for people one summer and see how it goes.
I think I've read enough of your posts to guess that you will like the idea of having livestock rather than the reality of all the work that goes along with them, which will get old fairly quickly. If you had a roommate or a family that was on board with these experiments, it might be a lot more doable.
Lastly, I lived on a "commune" back in the 1970s. I had a landlord who was into rescuing decrepit farm animals with one foot in the grave. Even they were tons of work, plus the sheep would die if anyone looked cross-eyed at them. I butchered one and buried the other two that summer: there were nasty-looking ulcers in their bodies . . . . sorry, topic for another thread. But my point (and I agree with other posters) is that you need a lot more hands on experience on other people's farms to avoid making some expensive mistakes.
There are just so many things you will not learn in books!
As far as the salad question, it depends on what you like in your salad. It also depends on how much of your time and resources you are willing to devote to producing those ingredients. Personally, I would think that beginning with a garden would be a logical first step. Maybe you ought to try and focus on getting that accomplished before you go off on any other tangents. You are shotgunning ideas when you really need to pursue one to completion first, while beginning to research the next logical one. Do you have a County Extension Agent? They'd be a great source of information and direction for you.
As far as producing cheese from "other" elements on the ranch, cheese is a dairy-based product. Try looking at countryfarm-lifestyle.com for tips on making cheese at home for some basic instructions; it's pretty informative.
It is always looking down the path, both for the next step and the next study.
I am fished based in my dietary requirements. I don't have meat in mine pastries (fish before meatballs), I don't have it in my salads.
Given that it takes 7 years for avocados to reach maturity, I think there is reason to look at many things at once, don't you?
It is always looking down the path, both for the next step and the next study.
I am fished based in my dietary requirements. I don't have meat in mine pastries (fish before meatballs), I don't have it in my salads.
Given that it takes 7 years for avocados to reach maturity, I think there is reason to look at many things at once, don't you?
It's fine to look years down the road, but you're literally all over the place. I've said several times that you should volunteer to help your friend out who has livestock. You haven't commented on that. You could volunteer to work at a farm sanctuary. The need for help is always there.
I'd start with lettuce! See how that goes long before I'd even give a though to avocados. You don't even know if you have the right type of soil for avocados. Do you live in the right climate? Have you gone to any classes/seminars at your local cooperative extension? That's a great resource and they know your area.
I would start with a good sized garden- plant onions, tomatoes, easy greens like arugula (will that grow in Texas? it likes cool weather but should be a site easier than lettuce to grow)...
you will have to have your garden fenced off, and well, or the animals will get in there and mess things up.
Fencing is a major consideration for goats.
We had a livestock guardian dog and a couple of house dogs, kept the critters away from the 2 acres around the house, so if you have a plan to have the goats herded into a barn (they will often go in themselves at dusk- my friends small sheep herd do so, accompanied by a guard llama) at night that may be enough.
I never had a ranch but that worked for us (we never even had a door on the barn, but the neighbors lost goats to a cougar, we did not and for the four years we were there)...
PS in terms of your vet queries- our goat vet also tended to the dogs, the vet comes to you and treats your animals, not sure about cats (dogs were included in goat care as there were so many livestock guardian animals involved, she would do their routine care/ shots as well).
Let me inject one other point: vet care can be very expensive or just not there, depending on where you are: you may have to learn to do a lot of it yourself.
While sick chickens might -- in theory -- be taken to a vet, most people treat them themselves, and the chickens either live or die. Sometimes they need to be put down. Good stock and proper food and conditions go far in preventing problems, but even experienced people can have problems. Losing a small flock of chickens isn't nearly as expensive as losing a flock of goats, and treating goats is more expensive, too expensive for some who put the animal down if they can't cure it cost-effectively.
Re: self-sustainable ranch -- really not doable with only one person. If you scale down your expectations to something like micro-greens, worms (eaten in China), and maybe 3 - 5 chickens, then you have a fun, manageable experiment.
Think in terms of the garden pool, only with a ranch:
As far as butchery, that is not likely to be me. A year or two ago when I was talking to a co worker, I said, "Oh, I don't think I could butcher a goat for mutton.". To which he said........
It depends upon what type of livestock whether it is branded, tagged, tattooed, or ear notched. You can chip, but it may migrate.
A few questions-
What part of Texas is your place located in? How close to farm supply stores? Ag operations? Population centers? Is there a county extension agent for your county?
How much acreage would be available for livestock?
What farm building exist now?
Is there live water?
Are there field crops?
What natural shelter exists?
What do the neighbors do with similar property?
What are your soil types?
How much annual precipitation?
What are monthly temps high& lows?
What grows there now?
Are there shade trees? What type fencing is in place?
Do you presently have pets?
If there's a wildfire you try to make every possible effort to move your livestock. Animals can NOT take care of themselves in a wildfire, all they can do is run around in a panic. The only time you let them loose to fend for themselves is if you have exhausted all other possibilities and cannot move them and only have time to escape to save your own life. If you open their gates and let animals go they will most likely die in the fire anyway but at least they won't die because of being trapped and unable to escape from inside a burning cage or enclosure.
Moving animals in general - small livestock (including goats) must be herded into a small enclosed space where it is easier to catch them. Then you catch them and put them into livestock cages. Then the cages are lifted up and loaded onto your truck bed or trailer.
Larger animals like big hogs, horses, cattle that are too big to be physically picked up must be herded or led up a ramp into the truck or trailer. There is other protocol to attend to with large animals that are loaded onto transportation, as they must be secured in place so that they can't injure themselves or each other.
I think if you are serious about getting ANY animals of ANY kind (including pet cats and dogs) for your ranch that you need to do some intensive research about the proper care and handling and the feed and housing requirements for each type of animal BEFORE you acquire any of them. I'm not trying to be offensive but judging by the kinds of comments and questions you've been asking you sound like somebody who doesn't have a clue nor any natural intuition about animals or about keeping either domestic or wild animals and their extensive needs and care. You shouldn't own any animals until you have intensively researched and familiarized yourself with the care and needs of each species of interest to you.
Forums are handy but you aren't going to get all the necessary information you need from asking about it on internet forums. One of the problems with forums is while you can get some very valuable information from some truly knowledgeable, experienced people you will also end up getting a lot of conflicting and contrary information from other posters who may claim to be knowledgeable and experienced but actually don't have a clue what they're talking about. The only way you will know for sure what is correct is by doing your own research. That means reading books written by true authorities on the subject and by visiting locations where animals / livestock are kept so you can see for yourself.
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