# Who eats meat/eggs/milk/cheese from their own farm



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

And how much of your total consumption does it make up?

I've always been kind of a "lazy animal rights" person. I've been buying "organic free range" eggs for years till I found out it's not really all we think it is. So I only buy eggs from my neighbors until my 10 chickens start laying.

I bought rabbits a few days ago so that I can have a supply of healthier meat. I've got the goats for meat and dairy products.

I want my goat to be that I provide 100% of my own meat, dairy and eggs. So I know where the animals have been, have eaten, have been treated for, etc over their whole lives.

Over the years we've been eating less and less meat the more and more we learn about the industry. Right now, My husband and I share a small chicken breast for dinner most nights with a large salad. I have my daughter eat a whole chicken breast because she is not keen on non animal protein sources for dinner.

Anyway, just curious who harvests what and how much of your diet it makes up.


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## KarmakeeFarm (Jun 3, 2012)

no meat-all milk and eggs though!


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

we use only our chicken eggs. We didn't do our broilers this year since we were moving and building pens. We will however this spring. But we do not have enough extra freezer space to get us all year. We did the rabbit 'thing' but I just couldn't get the flavor of the meat only what ever it was cooked in. We use all the milk, but when we're dry we have to resort to the store- yuk. I'm only doing soft cheese right now, so our cheddar and swiss comes from the store. We butcher goats and usually two lambs for red meat; but we still buy some beef from the store.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

We rarely buy eggs from the store; our chickens usually provide enough. Milk and meat we consume a lot of, so we mostly depend on the store for those. I would provide all our food if I could, but I don't think we have enough land.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I WISH we had a place big enough to raise our own meat & eggs. We've had one buckling as a home grown meat goat, but I just don't care for goat meat, hubby & kids do though.
I would love to raise our own eggs and chicken for meat too. But I refuse to put them anywhere near the goats, and again, our place just isn't big enough.

So I am envious of everyone that can raise their own food. We keep saying one day it will happen...


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## alpine_fan (Jan 6, 2013)

We raise our own beef, lamb, and pork...

We also tried raising our own broilers this year...didn't go so well lol
We usually don't have to buy any eggs, but they stooped laying due to the cold ad lack of sunlight...
So we mainly buy just what we can't get atm


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

All of our milk, eggs, and beef. Many veggies, fresh from the garden in the summer and then what we've canned and frozen in the winter. We have plans to do pastured broilers this year so we can quit buying chicken from the store - we do eat a lot of chicken.


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## sbaker (Nov 11, 2012)

We have chickens for eggs, and are raising pigs and rabbits for meat. My goats are a new venture, but any bucklings will probably be raised for butchering as well!


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

alpine_fan said:


> We raise our own beef, lamb, and pork...
> 
> We also tried raising our own broilers this year...didn't go so well lol
> We usually don't have to buy any eggs, but they stooped laying due to the cold ad lack of sunlight...
> So we mainly buy just what we can't get atm


Do you know why the broilers didn't work for you? maybe one of us can offer something for better success. 
As for laying in the lack of light, we add a timed light in their coop and they lay all year. I do however since they are laying all year only use them until they are through the 3rd year and retire them.


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## sunshinegoat (Feb 7, 2012)

We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat. We have goats for milk and meat and make most of our own cheese. We also grow an ever expanding garden and put away as much of our own veggies and fruits as possible.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

What a lot of great replies!

Yeah I had no problem getting lots of eggs in the winter in Alaska where it was dark all day long! I did have to keep a plugged in dog bed warmer and the chickens nested on that. Since sometimes it was many degrees below zero the eggs froze and cracked but I would thaw and use that same day.

Here in Hawaii I think the hens will just lay year round once they start.

I think that after my farm gets in full swing the only thing I'll be buying meat wise is pork. I'm not sure I'm ready to raise pigs (they are so dog like to me). I rarely buy beef (like less than once a month). We eat mostly chicken and raw veg.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Dayna said:


> What a lot of great replies!
> 
> I think that after my farm gets in full swing the only thing I'll be buying meat wise is pork. I'm not sure I'm ready to raise pigs (they are so dog like to me). I rarely buy beef (like less than once a month). We eat mostly chicken and raw veg.


Oh yeah I forgot the pork!  We use bacon on the weekend and in small amounts as an ingr. for cooking


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## AdamsAcres (Dec 3, 2012)

This is our first year homesteading and so far we have harvested 25 chickens, four turkeys, our first pig just today, have chickens for eggs, goats for milk and cheese, etc., and hope to get our garden started very soon. I've been thinking about rabbits, but I've never had rabbit so I'm struggling with the decision.

The food tastes so much better and I know what goes in it and comes out of it.

We'll never go back!!


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## BoerMomma (Jan 22, 2013)

We have two farms in the family so we raise and eat our own beef, pork and chickens. We use the eggs as well. But the chickens and cattle are on the other ranch, our goats are at our place about 40 km apart. My mother in law lives over there and has sheep but we do not eat them. We also eat fresh veggies from the garden and canning in the winter. We even have a fruit orchard here too! We eat very little from the store! We also purchased six jersey milk cows this year so might have to try out the milk as we go through TONS! My daughter is on **** milk. Never tried goats milk cheese or meat. Not really interested in it. Or sheep. We like our pork beef and chicken. I've heard goat is gross? No clue.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

AdamsAcres said:


> This is our first year homesteading and so far we have harvested 25 chickens, four turkeys, our first pig just today, have chickens for eggs, goats for milk and cheese, etc., and hope to get our garden started very soon. I've been thinking about rabbits, but I've never had rabbit so I'm struggling with the decision.
> 
> The food tastes so much better and I know what goes in it and comes out of it.
> 
> We'll never go back!!


I purchased 1 buck and 2 does (breeding age) so I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I'm doing a "chicken tractor" type of method for raising them.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Goat, be it milk, cheese or meat- depends on several factors. Meat- how old is the goat, is it a stinky buck vs a wether or doe, what it's fed and how it's prepared. If you've ever eaten elk or venison you probably know the taste can vary by what they eat that year. The goat to me is nothing like elk or venison ie gamey- but we feed alfalfa and grain them while they're growing; and we haven't yet butchered anyone over a year. I've found with cooking goat it's all about low and slow cooking and it's nice and tender. As for milk, different breeds can affect the taste as well as, again, what they're fed and who it's handled. The first time i tried goat milk, I was 'like yuk'. So I was hesitant when I decided to try my ND's. They're also fed alfalfa and grain while not 'dry', and I'm anal about procedure from goat to frig. I drank 2% from the store for over 15 yrs, but it was SO good I'm hooked.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Our eggs are from our chickens, and we will soon have enough milk to support our dairy needs. Our wethers will provide some meat, the rest we get from a local butcher whose meat is from free-range grass-fed animals. 

We try our best.


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## BlackCrowFarm (Jan 5, 2013)

Eggs & veggies for us at this time & hopefully milk,cheese & yogurt in the near future.


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## Maggie (Nov 5, 2010)

I wish we had some chickens! We raise meat goats and I am a vegetarian  And any milk we have gets frozen for bottle kids.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Maggie said:


> I wish we had some chickens! We raise meat goats and I am a vegetarian  And any milk we have gets frozen for bottle kids.


well no time like the present  get some chickens and more goats so you can have some milk too. Yeah that's right that's the excuse to hubby to get more goats.


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## BoerMomma (Jan 22, 2013)

I have never had rabbit either. My fiancée just informed me we are going to try lamb this fall. I'm nervous. Any feedback on how lamb is?


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

BoerMomma said:


> I have never had rabbit either. My fiancée just informed me we are going to try lamb this fall. I'm nervous. Any feedback on how lamb is?


We butchered two lambs at about 110 #, they were pasture raised only. Lamb is different than goat. It's my understanding when they are under a year they aren't considered mutton (which is where people get a bad rap I think) someone please correct me if I'm wrong. My husband is a fantastic cook so the lamb does have it's own taste but not strong/over powering or anything like that. He made a lamb stew the other night that was great.


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## alpine_fan (Jan 6, 2013)

clearwtrbeach said:


> Do you know why the broilers didn't work for you? maybe one of us can offer something for better success.
> As for laying in the lack of light, we add a timed light in their coop and they lay all year. I do however since they are laying all year only use them until they are through the 3rd year and retire them.


The broilers didn't work simply because we let them live too long, least that's what I think

While letting them have all the food they wanted and let them run around...the meat got tuff and stringy
We had a light on in their coop, but since they can come and go as they please they run off the the barn for warmth with the girls

With the broilers I also couldn't stand the smell of them for some reason...


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Oh I see. When we had broilers before the first batch we let get a little too big, they were waddling. The second batch we did sooner. They weren't confined like standing room only but the batch of 25 had about 10x20' I believe. 
I use the light in the coop, but they go in there at night since they don't have access to go anywhere else. (We can't free range too many predators- lost 5 to a **** one night).


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

We make our own cheese from the goats milk and drink mostly goats milk. We had and will soon have chickens laying all of our eggs. We have raised our own broilers. We bow hunt deer ont he property and that is the majority of our meat intake UNTIL our pigs we are raising are ready then we will have that meat also. We have lots of fruit trees planted but since we only moved to this property a few years back they are too imature to produce yet. Garden will be soon but we have not had a chance to really get that going yet; just a few tomatoe and pepper plants the last few years.


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## sunshinegoat (Feb 7, 2012)

clearwtrbeach said:


> Goat, be it milk, cheese or meat- depends on several factors. Meat- how old is the goat, is it a stinky buck vs a wether or doe, what it's fed and how it's prepared. If you've ever eaten elk or venison you probably know the taste can vary by what they eat that year. The goat to me is nothing like elk or venison ie gamey- but we feed alfalfa and grain them while they're growing; and we haven't yet butchered anyone over a year. I've found with cooking goat it's all about low and slow cooking and it's nice and tender. As for milk, different breeds can affect the taste as well as, again, what they're fed and who it's handled. The first time i tried goat milk, I was 'like yuk'. So I was hesitant when I decided to try my ND's. They're also fed alfalfa and grain while not 'dry', and I'm anal about procedure from goat to frig. I drank 2% from the store for over 15 yrs, but it was SO good I'm hooked.


I totally agree about the goats milk. The first time I tried it I thought it was gross.. it was from the store though... I was bummed bc I really wanted a goat! I got one anyway, lol! I'm glad I did bc I'm totally addicted !

As far as the meat goes my husband and I really enjoyed it when we tried it. We eat a lot of Indian food and this is how we prepared it. After that we decided to get meat goats. We have yet to butcher our first one but we will anytime..I'm actually making Indian food as I type this ( wishing there was goat instead of chicken on it)


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## ogfabby (Jan 3, 2013)

I do all of my own eggs, veggies, jams/jellies, goat, chicken, and wild game meats. I rarely buy from the store. I purchased two nubian cross doelings in the fall in hopes of eventually having my own milk. We also will split a cow and sometimes a pig with another family. I have big chest freezers and do a lot of canning. My grocery bill is minimal.


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

we do,goat,chooks,eggs sometimes our own beef(unwanted dairy bull calves reared on goats milk)or half share bought from neighbors,milk and I make yogurt and soft cheeses.I grow lots of Veg. in the winter months when its drier here and less bugs. Oh and we have 550 acres of ******* forest and other hardwood trees and only use about 80? acres for house, yards and dams and my Dairy goats and sheep,Teejae


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## DaisyMayFarm (Jan 19, 2013)

I don't have enough land to provide the majority of my food, but I do use only my chickens eggs and mostly veggies from my garden. I'll be using goat milk and cheese once the girls kid.


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

I would love to have rabbits but they are illegal to keep in Queensland,you can get big fines if caught.The stupid thing is there are heaps of wild rabbits and Hares!!  They are legal to keep in other states,crazy hey? Teejae


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## MollyLue9 (Oct 14, 2012)

Lemme see.... uh, THIS GIRL! hehe but it doesn't make up much for total consumption but hopefully one day it will when I have a few acres instead of a backyard and I just laughed 'cause I noticed that you said " I want my goat to be..." instead of "I want my GOAL to be..." I am laughing so hard now 'cause it's like these monsters are taking over our minds!!!!! lol


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## TwistedKat (Dec 28, 2012)

Since I can't eat processed anything...

We eat our own chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, soon goat milk products and veggies/fruit/berries. 

Working on grains, legumes and pork.

We try to harvest enough to sell/trade to offset the cost of farming. I LOVE IT!

I think its great the so many of you are also as self sufficient as you can be. I'm a firm believer in trade also (can't be an expert at everything).


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

We started with chickens. We butchered probably 10 chickens last year and 20 this year. They make great soup, pot pie, cassaroles and BBQ in the crock pot. Not so hot for frying though. We are sonsidering doing some broilers for frying/baking. The dual purpose breeds are awesome for eggs and some meat, they just don't really make an impressive meal when it comes to fried chicken lol! And we have hatched out a couple of our own batches! Want to do more in the future. We free range them in the summer, but grain them in the winter. 

We got nubian dairy goats 2 years ago, had our first kidding last year, and are eagerly waiting for our 2nd kidding! Right now we have 3 does, but 2 are too young to breed, so we will only have the milk of 1 doe. We all loved the milk, I was very nervous! I was PRAYING my husband would not hate it after convincing him this was the way to go. He and the kids and myself all prefer it over store bought cow milk now! 

We have not tried goat meat yet, but I do plan to. I heard that goat is a lot like deer and we all like deer meat. Depending on how many bucklings are born and if we can sell them will depend on if we try it this year. After 3 does kid next year though we most likely will try raising a wether for sure. 

Our cattle rancher neighbor leases the majority of our property and we get grass raised beef from him! We share with 2 other families and we all have beef constantly. Love beef! Just looking at store bought beef makes me want to gag! lol! Its been 10 years since we have had to buy beef. 

We have started our own fruit orchard, but I am afraid that the trees have been damaged form the droughts that we have been having. We have watered and watered, but it didn't seem to be enough  you just can't water they way God can lol! If all our plants survive we have 2 different types of apple trees, pear trees (need one more type for them to fruit), and grapes. We hope to plant peach trees and several different berries, but haven't yet because of the droughts. We also have strawberries and those are my absolute FAVORITE garden things, and SO EASY! 

I have kept a garden every year with my favorite things, but the last 2 years have broght us NIL becasue we couldn't keep enough water on it . . . we will not plant this year as May will bring us our own baby, and I just don't think I can handle everything we have on our plates and something must go, and since the drought is said to probably continue this summer there is no point in putting in all that work for no return! 

I make yogurt so far, and have made mozzarella cheese only once. I plan to do a LOT more with my milk. hubby bought me a cream seperator and I plan to do some butter, cream cheese, sour cream and other cheeses a little bit at a time! 

My goals are to provide as much for my family as I can, but I do have to be realistic as we are VERY busy people and are only getting busier. We both work 40-80 hours a week in ministry/missions work and do all the hobby farming on the side.

I want my goats to eventually pay for themselves. They need to give us enough to buy hay and grain and cover vet bills. (they give us part of that in milk, what we don't have to buy saves us, we will drink 3 gallon min a week even buying it) we started with babies, so we knew that it would take a few years. I kept both my kids from last year, the doeling is part of our herd, and the buckling will be for sale this year. The kids from this year will all be for sale as well, after the fair as my boys are wanting to take dairy doelings to show in 4H. I am hoping to be able to cover at least hay cost this year though.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

I'm starting my garden now so I can have veggies to can, freeze, and dehydrate. I bought 3 sheep (2 bred ewes and a young ram) for red meat. I'll be wethering male goats for meat unless something happens to my buck, then I'll keep the best for a replacement. The does will provide milk. I plan to start raising rabbits again (dogs got the last ones) for another source of meat. The only things I want to have to buy food wise will be flour, sugar, and a few essential items. Grocery prices are through the roof and its only going to get worse. I figure if I can raise most of my food it will offset the costs of hay and feed for the animals.


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## Sundancer (Jan 21, 2012)

We pretty much raise everything we eat except the staple food items (flour, sugar, salt, etc.)' My DW has an extensive organic garden that has provided us with more than we can eat as far as veggies, she uses a method called lasagna gardening which has really made a dramatic difference in our yields. We have 15 layers (and one very happy/exhausted rooster) which gives us more eggs than we can eat but the sales from our eggs covers the cost of feeding/keeping the chickens and about half the cost of the others. These girls are going on 3 years old so they will soon be gone to the freezer but new chicks will be hatched out sometime in late April.

We are not spring chickens ourselves but have done all of this in the last six years, so age is not a factor in what you want to do. My Mom, at 84 years old, thought we were insane for starting all this but since we have started benefiting from our endeavors she has seen the light.

Sooo......5 dogs, 16 chickens, 15 or so rabbits (haven't checked yet this morning), 2 porkers and 6 goats( with 4 preggo does due in March), and a rather large garden area we are able to keep our store bought items to a minimum.

We have goats that provide us with meat, milk, butter, cheese and yogurt....two pigs (Ham and Sandwich ) that put enough meat up every year...rabbits that provide a different protein source.

Although we have almost 10 acres, we only use around 2.5 of those for the critters and all, the rest is leased out to a local cattle farmer that we bartered with to get all our hay, some of his grain fed beef and some really good cuts of venison so between 3-4 of them surrounding us we trade different things and don't spend a lot at the store.

Our biggest expense is Celiac's, which means that flour and all (anything with wheat in it) is pretty expensive. Flour for us costs around $85 for a 25 lb. sack.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I'm curious about the lasagna gardening? I'm working on trying to come up with a really intensive garden style for here in Hawaii.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

ogfabby said:


> I do all of my own eggs, veggies, jams/jellies, goat, chicken, and wild game meats. I rarely buy from the store. I purchased two nubian cross doelings in the fall in hopes of eventually having my own milk. We also will split a cow and sometimes a pig with another family. I have big chest freezers and do a lot of canning. My grocery bill is minimal.


Two years ago was my first time canning, I only did tomato's. I'd like to do other veggies, and jams ( I didn't realize just how much sugar goes into jams!). I like being able to trade/split but nobody with pigs or cows around here is interested in goat.  I have one big freezer, and haven't got another yet, because I really want a generator first. I had two years ago and a power outage cost me two freezers worth of meat.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

teejae said:


> we do,goat,chooks,eggs sometimes our own beef(unwanted dairy bull calves reared on goats milk)or half share bought from neighbors,milk and I make yogurt and soft cheeses.I grow lots of Veg. in the winter months when its drier here and less bugs. Oh and we have 550 acres of ******* forest and other hardwood trees and only use about 80? acres for house, yards and dams and my Dairy goats and sheep,Teejae


OH MY 550 acres! I so wish!! and in Aussie to boot


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## LoweBow (Aug 27, 2012)

Eggs, will be slaughtering one goat closer to summer for a Greek Celebration at our house... and all wild game! Have a freezer full of elk rt now and no room for much else!


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## Marty1876 (Jan 12, 2013)

We provide most of our meat, and all of our milk (and most milk products) and eggs from our 2 acres of paradise. We keep Nigerian Dwarfs that are pretty heavy dairy girls, 16 chickens, 6 ducks, 12 geese, and 5 turkeys We eat the extra goat boys, and the occasional birds from all flocks. The ducks and chickens are both fine layers, and we get lots of eggs from them. 

We also garden (and dry, can, and freeze) the extra produce. 

When we go to the store, we buy bread, some cheese (no hard cheese are ripe yet - but we make our own yogurt and soft cheeses often), tortillas, pepperonis, and things like canned mushrooms and frozen pizza. I could have fresh bread items, but I manage a school kitchen and am pretty tired of bread baking in quantity. Maybe later.


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## HalfAChanceFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

We grow all our vegetables and fruits and then can them for the winter. We eat our own chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and all the rest of the animals we raise on the farm  
You will be surprised how much you depend on the supermarkets once you start being dependant on your own farm. Once you get hte hang of it, it is fun and enjoyable.


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## Bluere11e (Jan 22, 2013)

clearwtrbeach said:


> We butchered two lambs at about 110 #, they were pasture raised only. Lamb is different than goat. It's my understanding when they are under a year they aren't considered mutton (which is where people get a bad rap I think) someone please correct me if I'm wrong. My husband is a fantastic cook so the lamb does have it's own taste but not strong/over powering or anything like that. He made a lamb stew the other night that was great.


I am a huge fan of lamb. I like the gamey taste. I like goats milk, cheese and butter for the same reason. I raise my own chickens. Both kinds, layers and broilers. I even offer processing workshops in the spring and fall. I was into goats years ago. Got out of them because of a traveling job and then we moved. Now I am getting a few Oberhasli does in the spring. For milk. I have Everglades tomatoes taking over my five acre farm and I can go out and pick the tastiest tiny tomatoes pretty much year round. I have a lot of fruit trees too and am growing melons and squash right now.


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## Gertie (Sep 2, 2012)

We raise organic beef for our family, dairy goats for the milk, cheese, kefir and yogurt. Chickens for eggs and will add meat hens this spring. We will put a couple bucklings in the freezer. We put in a pretty good garden but will be bigger this year. We forage and gather and get fiddleheads that I freeze. I can a lot but just got an Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator so will be doing a lot of things in that plus make granola, apple slices for snacks. We go pick strawberrys which I freeze and make jam out of. We will add some blueberry bushes this year. We get apples from DH's brother that I make applesauce and slice up for pie and crisp. I barter some cheese for homemade cow's butter. I make all our bread and rolls. I would like to try making our own pasta. The only thing we buy and we buy in quantity is flour, sugar, maple syrup and baking supplies. This year I would like to be able to buy from a coop organic flour and sugar but it's very expensive. I also will be planting a lot of herbs this year and I would love to read up on gathering or growing mushrooms. Our goal is to be self sustainable and know where our food comes from and how it was fed. Like many, the food in the grocery store makes me gag! I don't even like to look at a MacDonalds driving by!! Also, like Sundancer said, we are not young but we are loving what we are doing and enjoying every minute of it. Thank you God for giving me a husband that walks beside me and I him. We both enjoy every bit of this homesteading life style. He even loves my GOATIES!! Now to teach him how to milk. :laugh: Awwww, look at my babies in my avatar..........they are so sweet!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I make my own pasta and once you get it down you never go back! It takes me just a few minutes to whip it up with my pasta cranker. I got the manual one, not the electric one in case the world comes to an end (or more likely lava knocks out the power supply).


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## alpine_fan (Jan 6, 2013)

clearwtrbeach said:


> We butchered two lambs at about 110 #, they were pasture raised only. Lamb is different than goat. It's my understanding when they are under a year they aren't considered mutton (which is where people get a bad rap I think) someone please correct me if I'm wrong. My husband is a fantastic cook so the lamb does have it's own taste but not strong/over powering or anything like that. He made a lamb stew the other night that was great.


It's considered lamb up to 18 months after that it is mutton
My family really won't sell anything past 12 cause buy then the bones have hardened and it is more difficult to cut through
I haven't had goat yet, but I have noticed when eating lamb (& not ram) that the meat itself is slightly sweeter
Though the fat can take on the taste of lanolin from the wool so I usually trim it off and feed it to the guard dogs


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## Gertie (Sep 2, 2012)

Dayna, thanks for that tip. I think I will get one. Hand crank like yours! Anything I can buy or do that I can do myself and not be dependent on electric or what ever the better I like it. Like you...........just in case the world comes to an end. I do think we are headed for a financial crash. In the documentaries it says if the trucks couldn't get to the grocery store in three days the store will be empty. Look at the mess NJ & NY was in with Sandy. Oh my, we certainly like to be prepared!


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

My family just calls me a hobby farm, but I hardly buy any animal products from the store at all! I call it (nearly) self efficient. 

We have all sorts of meat. Bear, venison, beef (we raise- and if needed I work on a dairy farm where I can purchase straight from the farm), pork (we raise), all different sorts of fish, chicken (we raise), lamb (we raise), goat (we raise). Anything in between. Summer sausage, hotdogs, etc. The next project is rabbits! 

Vegetables of course: corn, sunflower seeds for us and goats, potatoes, onion, carrots (chopped and frozen), green beans (frozen and canned), peas (frozen), kohlrabi (pickled canned), lettuce through the summer, spinach (chopped, frozen), pumpkins and squash (canned), tomatoes (frozen), cukes (pickles now), strawberries, rhubarb, blueberries, gooseberries, boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries, black raspberries (most grown, some wild picked. Some froze whole, others canned into jelly). My mother tried grapes, so I have numerous jars of over-sour jelly lol, also have wild pears, plums, choke cherries, apples all tucked away. 

As for dairy products, as for now we only do goats milk, but I have 3 upcoming family "cows" (all FF, show heifers currently) that should be calving within the year. So we'll also have cows milk. We take a couple gallons of raw milk off the farm we work at every other day also because buying/selling milk is illegal. We make butter, soft cheese (some canned in olive oil and spices), ice cream, buttermilk (frozen).

Have all the eggs I could ever use. I also bulk up for winter with one egg in each hole of an ice cube tray frozen, then put into a baggy just in case during molting/harsh weather.


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## Gertie (Sep 2, 2012)

mjs500doo! That is amazing! Hopefully we will be at that point. We eat what we have but boy, I sure would like all those berries and fruits. We will be expanding our garden this year with different things. I also would like to plant some asparagus roots so we can have them in a couple of years.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Boy, sounds like everyone is super busy! We raise our own turkey,duck,chicken ,goose and rabbits...we will now also have goat. I don't have much room for veggies sadly....but we have plenty of eggs around!


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

We haven't had a garden in years, and to have one now it'd have to be behind a "deer proof" fence. We have an old tractor tire with echinacea (purple cone flower, medicinal herb) that I have to pee around 2-3 times each week just to keep the deer from eating them off to soil level!

Bob


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Gertie said:


> mjs500doo! That is amazing! Hopefully we will be at that point. We eat what we have but boy, I sure would like all those berries and fruits. We will be expanding our garden this year with different things. I also would like to plant some asparagus roots so we can have them in a couple of years.


I, too have a small asparagus plot, just started last year. Unless the cursed rabbits an squirrels eat them, I should have a few spears!


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

mjs500doo said:


> I, too have a small asparagus plot, just started last year. Unless the cursed rabbits an squirrels eat them, I should have a few spears!


I'd love to have an asparagus patch but between the rabbits, squirrels, opossums, skunks, and other assorted wildlife I'd be better off planting in Fort Knox:shrug::shrug:


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## Gertie (Sep 2, 2012)

Awesome! I love asparagus! We are lucky and can get fiddleheads in the spring. They say fiddleheads are the poor man's asparagus. It would be nice to have both in the freezer for the winter!


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## Mrndly (Aug 16, 2012)

We havent bought eggs in a couple of years now always have more than we need.
Milk is coming this spring I can wait :yum: I plan on making cheese and yogurt.

Our garden is a work in progress lots of tomatoes. have tried spinach, beans cabbage and asparagus, but it is a neverending battle with deer


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

I've never tried personally, but one deer remedy (other than peeing on everything) is to beat a couple eggs into a gallon sprayer, then spray plants and greens with this. Deer supposedly won't have anything to do with the animal protein.

Bob


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## Macyllehub (Jan 6, 2013)

Well, we firmly support being as self sufficient as you can. That being said, we rent and it is not feasible at this time to purchase any reasonable property where we live. We pay about 1000$/mo as is to rent an acre!

But from this temporary home of ours, we have 26 chickens (layers and 2 roosters), a sizable garden, and now Nigerian Dwarfs  Considering we're surrounded by a subdivision on 3 sides (the 4th side being the road!), we are really pleased to be doing all we can with what we have. 

We do have everything for rabbit breeding but have no currently ventured that route but plan to add it to our array of items this spring with some New Zealands. We purchase garden goods from a CSA as well and use that as our canned goods. Usually I trade hand knit goods (think really fancy custom sweaters and blankets) for home grown beef. My husband wants to raise pigs, however I think our acre is capped out. Who knows. 

Given that we are both from Seattle (really. My husband never had a back yard his entire childhood!), we are immensely proud of ourselves and making the change to not blindly consume but to teach our children respect for the land and learn it ourselves. That said, I'm totally frustrated that I can't own about 20 acres to farm out of town....


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

We drink our goat milk, I have chickens for the eggs, venison that we shoot and the occasional holstein that needs made into hamburger.
I was 18 yrs. old before I realized that beef could be tender and something other than a pot roast. We always had to eat the old, tough dairy
cow that was past her milking age! My Dad never wasted anything! A friend of mine's son plucks chickens for people- so when my roosters
outnumber the hens, they become chicken noodle soup!


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## Mrndly (Aug 16, 2012)

Arkie said:


> I've never tried personally, but one deer remedy (other than peeing on everything) is to beat a couple eggs into a gallon sprayer, then spray plants and greens with this. Deer supposedly won't have anything to do with the animal protein.
> 
> Bob


I will definitely have to try the eggs. 
Thanks Bob


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