We had a lot going on this month on the homestead – but it was mostly just trying to get the addition to our house close to being done because winter comes before we know it up here!
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Progress on the House Addition
It was a month of trials, to say the least. We experienced a lot of lows as Landon worked hard every single day to make progress on the house. Most weeks it just seemed like nothing could go right or as we planned.
But, he was still able to make progress and the outside walls are going to be done in September! The inside of the house will just have to wait. But, that’s ok because it can be done during the winter months.
It’s not fun being a month behind on everything, but at least we will have the wood log siding done in time before the first snowfall!
Hay Fields
Our Mennonite neighbors up the road from us stopped by one day and asked what we were doing with our front pasture. We told them that we’d love to put sheep out on it, hopefully, next year!
They have tons of sheep themselves and need more hay for winter. They asked if they could hay our front pasture and pay us for the bales they get out of it. It was a great deal and we were happy to meet more neighbors!
Plus, we loved seeing hay bales every morning. We really feel like we are living that slow, simple life!
Side Hustles
I myself have picked up quite a few side hustle gigs while Landon works hard on the house and his regular day job. I’ve been dog sitting and babysitting mostly and it has kept me busy.
I’ve also finished pruning the apple trees finally and have been trying to finish my garden space up before the snow comes in a month or two. The farmer’s market has also been going well still!
Baby Chicks
We spontaneously picked up 61 baby chicks this month! It was actually super fun and we love them so much already!
It started about a week prior when our neighbors let us know that Tractor Supply was looking to get rid of their baby chicks for only a dollar each (usually $3-$5 each). We almost went for it then but decided to wait.
Well, when we happen to be in the store the next week the price was down to .50 cents each and it was negotiable they said because they just needed them gone! We took 61 baby chicks home for only .30 cents each that night!
We have 8 Mystic Onyx (all black), 25 Amber Link (all white), and 28 Buff Orpington (a golden orange).
Why did we take so many? They were straight runs, meaning they could be males or females and we just won’t know till they reach puberty or adulthood. We want a full coop’s worth of egg layers (about 25 hens) ready to lay when next spring hits. So, considering that about half are roosters, we have a good chance of keeping about 30.
Our current flock of New Hampshire Reds is going to be hitting their third laying season next summer. After three years production tends to drop so we will be butchering them next fall and putting them in the freezer!
Right now the chicks are in the utility room of our barn and it’s the perfect setup. Soon, we’ll be building a coop and getting them outside to free-range and prepare for winter!
Butchering Turkeys and Ducks
If you remember from previous homesteading updates, then you will know that we have two turkeys, a male, and a female, that our neighbors gifted to us and two ducks, a dad and a baby, that their extended family also gave to us.
It was so kind of them to give us these birds and it was honestly so fun having them on the homestead! The turkeys were very kind and easy-going, and we got eggs about 5 times a week. The ducks were perfect for our little pond and were so cute to feed on the shore and just watch!
However, we knew we couldn’t carry them through winter. The feed bill just doesn’t outweigh the benefits, so we had a butchering day one Sunday after church!
It was a great experience for us because it started us out slow to prepare us for what we were getting into. Next year we want to have 100 meat chickens out on pasture. We’ll butcher them in the summer and get them in the freezer for next year.
Now we have homegrown turkey for Thanksgiving and duck for Christmas and New Years Day!
Switching Churches
Unfortunately, we have decided to switch from the church we are currently at. We are still keeping our wonderful community and friends that we have made but if you could be praying for us as we look for another church, we would greatly appreciate it!
See you next month and feel free to leave a comment below!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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