Hi folks! I'm Emily, from Wake Forest, North Carolina. I have lived in NC my whole life, and don't plan to live anywhere else. My husband, 13 yo daughter, and 9 yo son are hoping to buy some land in the area within the next year so we can start a small homestead. I have my eye on a piece of property, and I just hope it doesn't sell before we can get our "stuff" together. Currently, we have a small flock of chickens (down to two at the moment), but at one point we had an egg business out of our back yard and had 39 chickens!!!
My dream is to have a small organic farm with dairy goats, maybe raise some pigs, have chickens for eggs and meat, and possibly even raise a cow or two each year. My daughter would like to have a horse, since she rides, but that is only a possibility if we come into a windfall of some sort! Horses are expensive keepers!
I have a background in landscape gardening, but I am a third grade teacher. I love teaching, and would love to have an educational farm eventually. My husband is in the landscape business, and we both enjoy being outside (as long as the weather isn't TOO bad!) Luckily we live in NC, and it never gets too awful here.
I'm here mainly for all of the educational opportunities at the moment. I like to learn as much about things as I can before I jump in head first. I like to have a plan, and learning as much as I can about dairy goats is part of that plan!
Replies
Julieanne, just random chickens for eggs. Right now I only have two. We have one Easter Egger and a Sarama (bantam) They're sweet. We have plans to get some chicks soon. We have to set up where they'll feather out though, so we're not ordering them until we are ready!
What kind of chickens did you raise?
Emily Cole said:
Hi Julieanne! I have a buddy here in Wake Forest who is from down that way. He is a big chicken guy, and helped me with my chicken fight with the town. Thanks for the welcome, everyone!
Thanks, Deborah! I've been reading everything I can get my hands on, and I was able to handle four baby alpine (I think) goats this afternoon. It was exciting to get a little bit of a feel for their body size and how they act. Two were about 24 hours old, and the other two were 3 days old. There was such a difference between them already - they must grow really quickly. I was also easily able to take a look and tell which were doelings (3) and which were bucklings (1).
Thanks, Kristi!
Glenna, Thanks for the tips! I have Deborah's books on order and can't wait to get them!
Welcome! This group is beyond wonderful. I found it and started reading it before I got my girls and am so glad I did. I started reading through the archives which are also searchable. It gave me a much better start to this wonderful adventure.
If you purchase only one book about goat raising, be sure to buy Deborah's book, "Raising Goats Naturally." I send it with my buyers when they pick up their kids, sometimes before when they put down a deposit.
I wish you the very best for your upcoming adventures!
Welcome to the group, Emily! I'm Kristi. We just moved to our small 1 acre farmstead and are raising chickens, rabbits, goats, chinchillas, and of course, dogs and cats. We use organic practices on our orchard and gardens, and are looking forward to having our own produce, milk, and eggs. I'd love a horse too, but I don't ride--though I'd love to learn.
I understand your desire to have an educational farm. I am a homeschooling mom of near 20 years, and teaching just comes easy when people come to the farm. It's fun to share about what is going on around here.
Good luck on your up and coming farming endeavor!
Howdy neighbor, I'm down in Catawba County. Nice to meet you!
Welcome to the group! It's always great when someone joins before they get goats. I always say that I should have done more research before I bought my first goats.