Five mistakes I made when starting my homestead...

Five mistakes I made when starting my homestead…

Listen, I’m going to save you hundreds of dollars when starting out “in your homestead era.”

I get it, you’re excited. You are brainstorming ways you can preserve your food, sow your own seedlings, make your own vanilla extract, and how many chickens are too many? 😉

When you’re a beginner, or even if you’re well seasoned, you may be inspired! You may want to get started right away. Although, I don’t blame you. It can be costly to get started. Which leads me to my next point…

1. Tossed all of my “bad” pantry items…. I went straight to the pantry & started reading food labels. That’s where I started. Sounds like a great idea, until you have to replace all of them. It’s likely you’ve been putting those ingredients in your body for the last 20, 30 or even 40+ years… If you have the extra to toss & buy brand well — everything… Go for it! Otherwise, I would replace as you run out.
   

   Resource: 15 Healthy Food Swaps (Eat this. Not That!)

2. “Winged it” with my chicken coop/plan… I bought our chicken coop from a local high school wood working class. I was grateful I didn’t have to build ours from scratch, but I wish I would have… It didn’t come with a run, so mine free range in the goat pasture. This isn’t terrible, unless you consider the fact that my chicken’s are open for predators. Prep your coop for predators, you don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night thinking about predators.
   
   Resource: Build a Chicken Coop for $50 and 1 Hour to Build

3.  Thinking I needed a herd dog… I fell in love with a Livestock Guardian Dog at an auction… $400 later she was mine.. Charley was going to protect my two goats and eight chickens. I came home from work that next day & found one of my chickens dead. W H A T. I thought predators for sure. Until I was loving on Charley & saw a chicken feather IN HER MOUTH. Devastated. She took out five more chickens before I could re-home her. I couldn’t dedicate the time I needed to properly train her. Make sure if you invest into a LGD, you can properly train them, or they are experienced with your animals.

   Resource: Training a Livestock Guardian Dog Basics

4. Starting too big… I didn’t dream of a farmstead when I first started… but I went overkill on the pasture for the chickens and goats. This year, in the Spring, I may take up some posts & move them in a little bit. I’d like to have a big garden this year.
   
   Resource: How to Layout Your Homestead So You Don’t Have A Dumpstead

5. Unrealistic Expectations… I grew up on a farm, 150 acres to be frank. I have no sense of distance, whatsoever. I now live on less than 3 acres, and I think I can have two miniature highland cows, twelve chickens, four goats, and the dogs. Not to mention the big garden I just mentioned, and kids 😂 I’m a dreamer, not a realist. I like to think of our little homestead as a micro-farm.
   
   Resource: Our 1 Acre Homestead - How We Micro Farm

I hope this saves you a few dollars, or maybe peace of mind. If you haven’t joined the following chats, you should join and make some friends!

• Daily Devotions & Encouragement

• Homestead Besties

• Military Homesteaders

• Seed Swaps

• Non-Toxic Natural Living

• Recipes

• Sourdough Thread

• Canning & Preservation Methods

Let me know if you have other topics you want to see!! Have a beautiful week, if no one tells you this week, I love you!

Xo,

Lex