Farm Living ??

[rwjx2khsmj]

Our family is getting ready to relocate and have been tossing around the idea of trading a subdivision lifestyle in for a farm. We have a very little farming experience but enjoy learning new things and don't mind working hard and getting dirty. Have any of you made a similar change? How did it work out for you?

 

Or if you've always been farm livers, what are some things we should consider before we buy the farm, so to speak?

 

ETA: Thanks for helping me ask a better question, LibraryLover.

 

We are not planning to make a living from the farm. I hate the term hobby farm but I suppose that's what we have in mind. We've been gardening square foot style. We'd probably continue that. I want to keep bees. DH wants to have horses. DS thinks a goat would be a wonderful thing to have. We are looking at 10+ acres. Yes, we'd have a mortgage but not more than we have on the house we own now. We are moving to southeastern Ohio.

Edited October 3, 2010 by rwjx2khsmj

[LibraryLover]

What interests you? What are your goals/needs? You're asking a big old question. :) Do you want animals for pets, to feed yourself, or do you want to make a living? Where are you thinking of buying land? Will you have a large , small, or no mortage?

[TKDmom]

:lurk5:

[HoneysuckleSheepMom]

We have always lived in the "country", but didn't have animals other than domestic pets. When I resigned from my public school teaching job in order to spend more time with our three children and homeschool our nine year old son, we decided to get some sheep to eat down the grass on our two acres. We fell in love with the breed of sheep we had purchased and decided to get a few more. This is our third year breeding and learning about our Jacob Sheep. Everyone in the family loves this life. We now have a Pyrenees Mountain Dog to guard the flock as well as four geese and some laying hens. Our children have learned compassion for animals, some responsibility and the fun of educating and sharing with others about our sheep. My husband is getting into felting the wool fibers and our eventual goal is to create and market products from the wool. It is a lot of work, and yes, plenty of dirt! However, we would not trade this life for the old one. One thing that really helped the first two years was connecting with others with sheep experience. There is a large learning curve when it comes to caring for farm animals, especially ruminants as they have special biological needs and problems. It is very expensive in the beginning with ranch vet calls more frequent, but as you learn routine prevention and care and if you are willing to give vaccinations yourself, the vet will only need to come out for emergencies.

Best Wishes on your venture!

Family Farms make the world a better place*U*

Robin

[lakotajm]

I had a little farm/rural experience when young, then when I grew up I was mostly a small to medium town girl. Then I married a farm boy. We moved into an ancient farmhouse that required a lot of fixing up and tried to make a living off the farm. Neither project worked well. The faulty wiring led to a house fire that destroyed the 150 year old house.

 

We had to move in with relatives and started work on building a log house. This is still ongoing almost five years later, as my husband is doing most of the work and he had to get a steady job to pay the bills. He recently quit working after we sold some land so he could finish the house. We have been living in a smaller, somewhat ramshackle house on a separate property we own, since this Spring. We hope to eventually make most of our money off the farm. He probably will get a part-time job like driving school bus sometimes.

 

It was a bit of a difficult transition for me, at first-especially as the house needed much work. So, at first, no indoor plumbing, etc. I had to carry 5 gallon buckets of water from the pump and heat it on the stove. I am guessing your house would be better (sure hope so!) But farm life is till harder than city life. One thing I missed was the gym. The farm-town grocery store was limited in selection and stuff overpriced. I would run out of something and have to make do for a week until I could get to town. Same for library. PLAN AHEAD if you will be living more than 20 miles from a decent sized town. Don't know what to tell you if you suffer from withdrawal of amenities like my gym-sickness. I tried walking/jogging on the gravel road, but it just never was the same for me.

 

Good luck.

 

Lakota

[Audrey]

It's a lot of work. I've known people who buy a farm and say they don't mind hard work and getting dirty, but they didn't have a clue how much work it really was, and they didn't forsee that 2, 3 or 4 years down the road it would still be a lot of work. They become very resentful and bitter about it, or they just give up and sell out.

 

What I always tell new farmers is: start small and only do one thing at a time. If you want to have livestock, have a few of one kind of livestock for a couple of years. If you can handle that, add on one at a time or in small doses. Livestock can be expensive, too, so taking it on slowly will be easier on your wallet.

 

If you want to start working your land, start with something easy like alfalfa or barley or whatever grows really easily in your area. Don't buy more machine than you really need. A small farm doesn't need a Case 340 and a JD T670 (even though I have wild fantasies of having them -- oh boy!).

 

If you decide you're going to work your land, don't take "some guy's" word for how good the soil is. Has it been left unworked for a long time? Is it rocky? Sandy? Clay? High pH? Have it tested properly. Talk to your local ag office and see what they can offer for help and advice for your land. They're usually very helpful. You can usually ask them advice about livestock, too.

[livingnlearning]

We live what you're describing. We have ten acres with another thirty leased to graze. We have two cows-it will be three soon when the milk cow has her calf in the next couple weeks. We (well, the kids) milk by hand twice a day from fall to early summer. The other cow is a beef breed and we keep her calf to butcher or sell. We have eight horses, a goat, turkeys, ducks, chickens, rabbits, and a 2000 sq foot garden. We don't farm any of our land except when we need to work a pasture up, ie to re/plant it or harrow. We garden, hunt, can, preserve, and I cook on a wood cookstove all winter long-don't touch the electric. It's also the only form of heat we have in the house... we're busy people most of the time but to be honest I don't notice it. It's just a way of life.

 

DH and I both grew up like this and we used to live on the 2000 acre family ranch a few years ago so we don't know what other people do with all their spare time and money if they aren't sinking it into their place and animals! LOL In fact tonight I'm housesitting in town for my brother and all I have is one dog to take care of and I feel completely at a loss!

 

The learning curve on any one aspect of any of it is incredibly steep. But... it's life, you're interested, you have a passion for it, you learn like crazy, sometimes on the fly. Surround yourself with knowledge, dive into it. I read gardening boards, horse boards, homesteading boards, poultry boards, and I am surrounded by experienced people.

 

I agree wholeheartedly to start small. Get a place with good dirt and water-those two things are imperative. Make sure your rights are protected, ie zoning or covenants, ect. Then get thee over to the Backyard Chickens website or Homesteading Today website and start reading. Build a chicken coop, get some chickens and learn all you can about them. Start with chickens. Realize that ducks, turkeys and chickens are all different. Don't get one of each and think it will work out longterm. (the voice of experience speaks) Then do like I did and get a free goat on impulse and realize that goats are not at all as easy to care for as you think they are! LOL Read up on goats on the homesteading today board. I love my goat-after a lifetime of being told I couldn't have a goat he's turned out to be about my most favorite critter we have. You have an idea how to garden, jump into that with both feet after doing some research. It's easy to do and pays off huge if you work at it. Find out your zone info and do a soil sample before you plant-buy heirloom seeds and go nuts. Buy a little tractor that can brushhog, plow snow and prepare your garden area. You might be able to put up hay on 10 acres but we don't even bother-we buy hay in the winter and manage the pastures as best we can to provide during the summer. It's a lot easier than haying all summer, especially for just a few animals. If you can make a go with bees it's a great thing to do-very profitable and the bees need the help. Make sure there are wild flowers and water available in your area. Get to know a good vet and start a savings account to give to the vet when the time comes.

 

If you decide to get into horses please oh please get a very experienced horse professional to help you. Horses are a minefield of potential costs, injuries, mistakes, aggrevation and frustration. Of all the things you listed, the horse could be your worst nightmare! And people say goats are bad! Make sure you have a lot of guidance with the horse. The rest of it, do your homework and jump in. I think most people who live like this would tell you you're always learning, always. And if you're motivated and smart, you'll learn quickly. You'll make mistakes and bad things will happen-that never stops. But it's very rewarding. Or something... it seems like it's either in your blood or it isn't, whether you've grown up in the life or not.

 

Check out the Homesteading Today message board for sure, lots of information in one location. You might suscribe to the magazine too, it's really a good resource.

 

Good luck!

[happi duck]

"...is the life for me.

Land spreadin' out so far and wide

Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside." ;)

[kwickimom]

We have a small "farm" We raise whitetail deer (7 of em now), turkeys (i think 12), and chickens. We also occasionally raise ducks and are planning on a hog this year. We also breed labs.We have a big garden and grow our own clover hay and we have fruit trees.

 

It is HARD work and its costly and it is a pain to find someone to take over if we want to go on vacation, but we LOVE it.

 

A. You have to really like it, or you'll hate it LOL

B. start small and research like crazy

C. prepare to spend some money

D. make sure you have trustworthy help for when you are gone (this is a hard one)

E. be prepared to lose your animals no matter how well you take care of them (a dog killed our deer, hawks have taken turkeys, God knows what ate soem chickens.....

 

MANY MANY costs have popped up that we werent fully prepared for.

- Wildlife and dogs killing our animals causing us to buy some electric fencing and hopefully a guard dog

- not enough shade causing us to spend $600 on shade cloth for the dogs and deer

-meds for sick animals (man oh man can those add up)

-animals getting loose, causing us to need a dart gun to tranq $400

- etc, etc

 

:D We are saving to buy more land to get more animals!

Edited October 3, 2010 by kwickimom
typo

[Jeanne in MN]

I grew up on a farm-a working farm. My dh and I bought an acreage 4 years ago and moved back to town last year. We had ducks, but our dog kept trying to get into their pen and succeeded twice. We got rid of the ducks. We'd bought a used tractor that ran, but then didn't run and dh spent two years working on it before it actually ran right again. In the meantime we bought a walking snowblower to help move snow. We had the septic system go out on us, a van die for good and a transmission go out all within a few months of each other. We lived fifteen miles from town and I was on the road all the time running kids to town for stuff. Cut out some of my own activities because the driving wasn't worth it. The isolation about made me stir crazy. The kids didn't see friends any more and it was a pain running to town to get them and then take them home again. My dd would've loved a horse and it broke our hearts not to give her one, but they are hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year to take care of and we just couldn't afford it. It cost nearly $300/mo for gas money.

 

Loved our house, the deck, the fire pit area, the mulberry bushes, raspberry bushes, apple trees, the owls, lightning bugs, pine trees, maple trees and such, but we are happier back in town.

 

That is just our experience. Others wouldn't give their farms up for the world. I hope if you go for it that it's all you desire. :)

[Melissa in Australia]

We have 10 acres. we live a self- sufficient life, we have a house cow, grow our own pork and beef, have geese and chooks. A garden as big as a tennis court, and over 40 fruit trees.

The important thing I suggest is to add something new one thing at a time.

We really live the lifestyle. But you have to be prepared to never be able to go on a holiday, and have to do the same job over and over every single day forever.

[creekland]

We live on a small farm (23 acres now as we sold off some of the land) and thoroughly enjoy ourselves, but we don't earn a living off of it. Hubby works a real job (from home) and I substitute teach math/science at our local high school. Both of us were raised on similar properties.

 

We have 16 ponies (working on selling down), 19 chickens, a decent sized garden and a stocked 1 acre pond. We used to make our own hay and have a steer or pigs for our own consumption. Now we let our neighbor do the hay and keep a percentage and stick with deer or store bought meats. Hubby can make more at his job than we "save" by making our own hay - and no worries about the weather. When our ponies expanded (had up to 28 here), they needed the room where we used to keep the other stock. Hence, both of those changed to suit our needs. Our garden we've increased due to our love for fresh veggies and how much money it saves us.

 

It's been a great place to raise the boys, but it is a lot of work - both the farm and the old house. While hubby and I did all the work when the boys were young, these past 5 - 10 years we've gotten used to the boys helping us (and they can practically do it all themselves now - they have a ton of useful skills). So, as they move on to college, our plans are to sell the place and (hopefully) travel 24/7. Another young family will love getting this. It's a superb place. I can't imagine raising the boys in a suburb or city (remember, country life is how both hubby and I were raised and it's our preference - doesn't have to be everyones!).

 

Also... don't let anyone say you can't travel! Sure you can - if you have the right neighbors. When our neighbors travel we take care of their farm (pony, sheep, goats, chickens or cows/steers, horses, dogs, chickens - pending neighbor) and when we travel they take care of ours. One of our neighbors just got back from adopting a new son from China. The "farm" didn't keep them from traveling! The longest we've been away was 2 months at a time. We know everything about their place and they know everything about ours. That's what neighbors are for (besides the friendship aspect)! None of us exchange money, though we do bring back small gifts. We just got a nice Mahjongg game - authentic from a Chinese market!

[rwjx2khsmj]

Thanks so much everyone! I've got a list of pros and cons that is longer than I'd thought of on my own. You've also given me some great advice and sources for information. Please, don't stop sharing with me what has worked for you in your farming endeavors.

 

I'm so glad someone got the Green Acres reference. I'm no Zsa Zsa though.

[elfgivas]

hi -

 

 

we love the quiet, the outdoors, the freedom the kids have to run and play and explore, the responsibility they learn caring for other living creatures.

 

the things that took some getting used to are isolation, and getting used to going without water when the well breaks, which it does with a depressing regularity.

 

we live on 20 acres. we have a flock of 35 chickens. also various reptiles, rodents, fish, a cat and a dog. dh works full time as a scientist. (ie we don't make a living on a "farm"). two years ago we added in cherry trees, and are still learning how to make that work. the advice to add one thing at a time was very wise.

 

we travel by sharing animal care with friends, and occasionally paying for it, too.

 

we wouldn't trade it for anything, most days.

 

hth,

ann

[sparrow]

We have a small "farm" We raise whitetail deer (7 of em now), turkeys (i think 12), and chickens.

 

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'm so curious, I have to ask. How/why do you raise whitetail deer? I may be totally naive, because we are absolutely inundated with whitetail deer in our area. This will be the second year they'll have registered hunters come in and cull the herd in the CITY LIMITS of our town!

[hillfarm]

I, too, am curious about raising the deer. Please do go into more detail! I think it is illegal in our area to keep wild deer in a domestic setting, although it is not uncommon to see a young one wandering around with a pink or orange bandana around its neck, indicating that someone had tamed it but are still letting it roam.

 

Regarding the farming, we have 20 acres but also manage my mom's property next door, which is another 100 acres.

 

My main piece of advice is to NEVER bring home any livestock if you do not have proper housing and handling facilities already in place. I have seen many newcomers to our area get some great animals, but because they didn't have the facilities to handle them properly, soon became overwhelmed by all the extra work and ended up hating the animals and selling them at a substantial loss. For example, one new neighbor had always wanted a horse. Her DH found a couple and bought them as a surprise for her. They had to keep them in the garage (barn wasn't built yet) and hastily erected flimsy electric fencing around a small pasture. The bored horses began eating things in the garage, including the padded vinyl seat of their brand new John Deere tractor, racked up several expensive vet visits, they had to hand carry all their drinking water since the garage had no independent water source, and finally stray dogs ran the horses through the fence and one got hit and killed on the road and they sold the other one for 1/3 of what they had paid for him. Not surprisingly, they said they found they hated having horses.

 

However, if they had waited until they had a barn with a convenient water supply and good fencing, they could have done without the tractor damage, had many fewer vet bills, perhaps not had the dog problem since the actual pasture area would have been well back off the road, and the more sturdy fencing might have kept the one horse from getting killed. And perhaps they could have really enjoyed their horses.

 

The other thing is the isolation or distance. Everything my dd wants to do is at least a 30 minute drive from us. I have to factor in a serious amount of money for gas each month because the distances are so far. We don't do things like dance class or going to the movies or shopping very often because it is so far. I try to group all my errands to once a week, and once every two weeks if I can hold off that long.

 

And as others have mentioned, farm work is constant and never done. The animals still need fed and cared for when you have the flu, the garden produce is ripe for only a short while, and as soon as you master one season, then next one is upon you and you once again have a mountain of work before you. You begin to pay serious attention to the weather and realize that one bad season can really hurt your bottom line.

 

All that said, but I wouldn't want to live any other way. I love the privacy and self sufficiency out here. I love the interdependence that evolves among neighbors. I love living so close to nature. And I love being able to offer these things to my dd.

[creekland]

You don't have to live so far away to enjoy land. We live 8 minutes (not miles, minutes) from the school where I work or the post office/bank and 5 minutes from a decent grocery or hardware store. It takes me 15 minutes to get to a mall or department stores. Quite honestly, it took me that long or longer to get places when we lived in a big city - less distance, but more time due to traffic and lights, etc.

 

It depends on how far from amenities you choose to buy. Land tends to be pricier closer to amenities.

 

It does take my son 25 minutes to get to his community college classes... and it takes us an hour or two to get to the nearest big cities.

[JFSinIL]

http://www.countrysidemag.com/

 

I LOVE reading this - then I feel too tired to actually go out and live the life. But it is fun to read about it!

[Meriwether]

With farming, the work is never done. It is like house work it that sense. It is a great lifestyle for kids, though. If you have animals that need to be taken care of each day, you might be very tied down.

[Jackie in NE]

Our family is getting ready to relocate and have been tossing around the idea of trading a subdivision lifestyle in for a farm. We have a very little farming experience but enjoy learning new things and don't mind working hard and getting dirty. Have any of you made a similar change? How did it work out for you?

 

Or if you've always been farm livers, what are some things we should consider before we buy the farm, so to speak?

 

ETA: Thanks for helping me ask a better question, LibraryLover.

 

We are not planning to make a living from the farm. I hate the term hobby farm but I suppose that's what we have in mind. We've been gardening square foot style. We'd probably continue that. I want to keep bees. DH wants to have horses. DS thinks a goat would be a wonderful thing to have. We are looking at 10+ acres. Yes, we'd have a mortgage but not more than we have on the house we own now. We are moving to southeastern Ohio.

 

You've heard the one about the farmer who won the lottery, right?

When asked what he was going to do with the money, he replied, "Well, I guess I'll just keep farmin' until it's all gone."

 

One of the largest barriers to "farming" is the capital investment required. I would recommend lots of research and a detailed budget. Don't quit your day job, and best wishes.

[fairfarmhand]

We started a little farm about 8 years ago. Get the Carla Emery book, The Encyclopedia of Country Living and anything by Gene Logsdon. The first one is worth the purchase price to buy and have on hand, the Gene Logsdon books are good Library books to have around.

 

Both of these authors give an accurate picture of what life in the country is like.

 

Keep in mind that the country is not the city, or even a subdivision. If your dog is a nuisance (chasing livestock, or harrassing the neighbors chickens) it might get shot. Cows are big animals that can hurt people badly if those people don't know how to behave.

 

We have lots of people move to the country, don't train their dogs and kids to behave, and then they are shocked that we call the police.

 

Pretty much in the country if you leave people alone they will leave you alone and don't want to cause trouble; but horses and cows are big investments and nobody wants to be sued because your kid invaded our pasture and got stepped on. People must realize that a couple of dogs can maim or kill a young calf, and there goes several hundred dollars down the drain.

 

But really, I love it out here. It is a lot of work, but when those lovely calves start hitting the ground it is so worth it.

[fairfarmhand]

My main piece of advice is to NEVER bring home any livestock if you do not have proper housing and handling facilities already in place. I have seen many newcomers to our area get some great animals, but because they didn't have the facilities to handle them properly, soon became overwhelmed by all the extra work and ended up hating the animals and selling them at a substantial loss. For example, one new neighbor had always wanted a horse. Her DH found a couple and bought them as a surprise for her. They had to keep them in the garage (barn wasn't built yet) and hastily erected flimsy electric fencing around a small pasture. The bored horses began eating things in the garage, including the padded vinyl seat of their brand new John Deere tractor, racked up several expensive vet visits, they had to hand carry all their drinking water since the garage had no independent water source, and finally stray dogs ran the horses through the fence and one got hit and killed on the road and they sold the other one for 1/3 of what they had paid for him. Not surprisingly, they said they found they hated having horses.

 

However, if they had waited until they had a barn with a convenient water supply and good fencing, they could have done without the tractor damage, had many fewer vet bills, perhaps not had the dog problem since the actual pasture area would have been well back off the road, and the more sturdy fencing might have kept the one horse from getting killed. And perhaps they could have really enjoyed their horses.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

We put in water line after we planted the fruit trees. It would have saved hours of work if we'd done it the reverse order.

[Saille]

We went small. We have about three acres. We love it, but yeah, it's not our money-maker, so much as our money saver. Sometimes, it's not even that. This summer was good, though. We had lots of veggies, some from seed we'd saved last year. We have chickens who lay gorgeous eggs. We raised muscovy ducks this year and put seven in the freezer. Three we saved for breeding next year. I think we're comfortable enough with poultry to add turkeys and meat chickens next year. We've got fruit trees nearing maturity, but we have a horrible time keeping the deer away from them. I'm actually thinking about digging up our apple trees and moving them.

 

I agree that swapping animal care when you go out of town is the thing to do. The other thing I'd say is that, if you are going to need a tractor or a riding mower, get it immediately, along with a high-quality tiller or tilling attachments. If you're used to suburban weeding, when you break ground for your garden either lay down black plastic and/or mulch like absolute crazy. Strawberries? Raised beds with hardware cloth underneath. Deer mesh is the cheapest way to keep deer out of your garden, but it won't keep out groundhogs, so individually mesh things like broccoli and lettuce if you have a problem. I also find row cover and hoops to be enormously helpful for crops that are finicky about temperature, and hilly southern Ohio does have those funky little microclimates.

 

Not only do one thing at a time, but start *small*. Ten ducks were perfect for a first year. Next year, we'll do more.

 

Lastly, unless you're really dying to, don't do anything yourself that a fellow farmer is doing and selling at a reasonable price. For example, if we moved somewhere else, we might do dairy goats. But we've got a grass-fed dairy down the street that sells grass-fed milk, butter, cheese and ice cream for *cheap*. $2.50 a gallon cheap. OTOH, it's cheaper to raise our own ducks than to buy pastured, organically fed duck pretty much anywhere.

 

Near Athens there's a lot of locavore culture. Even if you're looking for heritage breeds, you could probably find all the young poultry you'd want locally in the spring using craigslist, and save a bundle. My dh and I both went to school in that area and loved it...good luck! It's beautiful country, and I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I grew up on a large cattle farm and though it was a good experience, I knew that's not the life I wanted to live. My dh is very techy and prefers to sit in front a computer or the t.v. When he wanted to buy several acres, I said, no way, I knew that I would be the one doing the upkeep. We have a 1/4 of an acre in a subdivision and I LOVE it! I feel very lazy now compared to my parents, but I don't care, this is the life that I chose and that's the life that they chose. I have a small garden and do what I can to save money, are my kids missing out, maybe, but maybe not. They can go to grandmas and get the experience, which they do several times a year. Good luck with your decision and if you dh is not the hands on, get it done, type, I would be very wary of attempting farm life.

 

Phlox

[Ottakee]

It can be a lot of fun but also a lot of work. We only have 5 1/2 acres but last year put up a barn and brought our 3 horses home. We also have a dog, 2 cats, 17 chickens and 3 rabbits.

 

I agree with not buying a lot of special equipment to start. We don't even own a tractor beyond our lawn tractor. I just call a neighbor and he comes down for $30/hour with any attachments I need and does what I need done---rototilling, seeding, digging fence post holes, flipping manure piles, etc. We give him a few hundred dollars a year but the cost of the tractor, upkeep and all of the attachments would be way higher than that.......and we would have to store all of it as well. He also has the expertise to do things the best way.

 

I would start small and work up. Join 4H or other groups to learn about the care of various animals---often you can join and learn the first year without even having to own the animal.

 

If you like to travel, it will take more planning. Depending on the number and types of animals you have you might need someone to come in twice a day or someone to stay at your place. If you become friends with neighbors you might be able to trade farm chores otherwise you will have to pay someone.

 

Talk to lots of people in the area and attend various little learning seminars, etc. Our local feed store hosts them occ. and puts up fliers about various events. Get farm catalogs and read them and you will learn a great deal about what it out there, what you might need or not need, etc. I learned so much from http://www.horsefencesthatwork.com about fencing and all the options and what is best for various needs, etc that it has saved us a great deal of money in fencing costs.

 

If you are going to build a barn, think through what types of animals you might want in the future and then go visit other barns with those animals to figure out what is needed, not needed, best set up, etc. It doesn't have to be fancy but the right design can save a lot of headaches later one.

 

Check the ZONING LAWS BEFORE you buy or build. Some areas you can do just about anything you want on 10 acres. In other areas you might be allowed 10 chickens but no larger animals. With our 5 1/2 acres we can do just about anything we want but the next township over you need at least 5 acres to have even ONE chicken.

 

We had the horses before we bought our land and built our barn behind our current house but if we were just starting out, I would suggest to start small, do it RIGHT the first time (cutting corners means it will cost more and take longer later), and maybe start with more fruits and veggies and maybe a few small animals and build up from there.

[kwickimom]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'm so curious, I have to ask. How/why do you raise whitetail deer? I may be totally naive, because we are absolutely inundated with whitetail deer in our area. This will be the second year they'll have registered hunters come in and cull the herd in the CITY LIMITS of our town!

 

We have a ton of wild deer down here too!

 

We raise deer for a few reasons:

 

One-we LOVE them. We bottle raise them and they are as tame as dogs. Two- we collect their urine and sell them to the hunters

Three- my husband is a taxidermist and they are his "live" models

Four- We have MANY people around here that ask for fawns for their herds which have led to us raising more than one.

 

So, we started with the cutest little doe in the world for a pet and our herd has grown. My husband has been addicted to Whitetails since he was little and it was his dream to raise them and care for them and learn all he could about them. That led to him starting his own taxidermy business and we are planning to one day maybe writing a book about them.

 

We are basically hobby deer farmers, but we do make some money off of urine and fawns. We live in Southern IL amoung major hunting areas. We also hunt. We personally dont raise the deer for meat because my husband and I both hunt for our meat. These animals are mainly our pets. It is illegal to get them out of the wild, even to rehabilitate, so we started with fawns from a breeder like ourselves. Our herd does grow because the bucks will kill themselves trying to mate, thus we must provide them with does. Deer more often than not have twins (our first doe had triplets) and so we end up with at least 4-6 fawns a year.

 

Some people also make money off of raising good genetic bucks to hunting ranches where hunters pay to go shoot big deer. We havent done that.

 

We also raise labs and are working on training antler hunting dogs. My husband loves to scour the woods and collect antlers. Labs can be really good at finding them and so by having the deer here our dogs are used to the smell of deer and sight of deer. Many antler dogs will chase the trail of a deer or a deer itself and so our dog is doing really well focusing on antlers because she is used to deer.

Edited October 4, 2010 by kwickimom
typo

[hillfarm]

WOW!!!

 

I want to know lots more, but don't want to hijack this thread so will start a new one about raising whitetailed deer. Please, pretty please, kwickimom, come over and tell me more!!!:bigear: