after a long time of looking and dreaming i finally found my dream place that can be afforded. i am moving to decatour county on a three acre mini farm. i have always wanted to live on a farm so this is exciting to me. for all you guys with experience with this what kind of advice do you have and what should i not get into? im thinking chickens and rabbits and possibly goats but dont have much knowledge on goats. i have a decent pasture and a mini barn that is turned into a stable. thanks for any advice. once i get moved in im going to go searching for hunting and trapping grounds.

Congrats on your new place!

thanks dp.

Congrats Billy!

NICE! Congrats! Buy some goats, and before a year is up, you'll put a bullet in their heads, and use em for coyote bait. Goats are devil's spawn, followed by horses as a close second!!! You need to get a game breeders license, and start raising skunks!!!! :p

thank you weedhopper. this is my first home with the family. where we live now is a roof over our heads not a home so its pretty cool to me. the land and barns are just a bonus.

Congrats Billy... your going to be busy....

Congrats PSE.

i think i will pass on the skunk thing. but with that being said im sure i will come across them. already have a cat infestation in my barn that isnt going to last.

That's awesome, PSE! Don't know if you have kids or not, but chickens are pretty darn easy. I've taught my kids from a VERY young age about budgeting money. (Pretty basic- giving, saving and spending) I used the chickens to teach them about business. Costs, profit, investing for the future, etc. They won't get rich selling eggs, but the lessons learned are priceless!

yes i have two girls so chickens will be a must. im not looking to get rich just want something to do as you said teach them values and responsibilities.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Yaz:
[QB] NICE! Congrats! Buy some goats, and before a year is up, you'll put a bullet in their heads, and use em for coyote bait. Goats are devil's spawn, followed by horses as a close second!!!

Hilarious! My wife wants a couple of goats bad but I keep putting her off because I end up being the one who takes care of ALL the "Baby" animals she brings home and gets tired of them after their no longer babies

Get a couple Guinea to go along with the chickens, they are great "watch dogs", anything gets near the pen they will let you know. Congrats on the house....

Thought about for some guard dogs gettin a couple chupacabra? What ya guys think?

Horses eat and s...t more than goats NO horses

Congrats !

I'd recommend a big garden and take up canning and freezing produce. You can over-run and tear up three acres pretty quick. I would recommend against four wheelers, as you will soon have muddy rutted up trails all over the place.

Don't mow it all, plant a couple rows of evergreens around the perimeters for a living privacy fence and wind break, and leave a little bit in habitat for the birds & bunnies.

If you don't have a nice barn / shop, put one on your to do list, and have a woodstove in it to give you a place to tinker and hang out in the winter.

Congrats on your minifarm. I didnt'see any advice I disagreed with except the skunks LOL. I'm not sure about the chubacapras (sp), we always had some sort of terrier on our farm. Great to get rid of vermin, a wonderful pet and they are not afraid of anything. I would especially encourage a small laying flock and a reasonable sized garden. A large garden can overpower you if you are not prepared to invest the time it will take. Best of luck.

thanks everyone for all the advice i really appreciate it. i have messed with gardens in the past so i have a little know how there but the animal thing is all new to me.

Chicken are good skunks are a no go. Barn cat are good for mice may want to keep them

miniature donkeys are also fun to have.

UT-Ohhhh….I see a battle-a-brewin' over the "livestock"!!!! :p Good luck PSE……. Welcome to Decatur County!

You'd be surprised what you can do with 3 acres. Plant apple, pear and persimmon trees, grow gardens, put in a little bit of wildlife habitat. Get a couple black and raspberry patches going. That is more than enough to grow veggies to sell at the farmers market, etc. You'll keep busy with it for sure!

thanks man. we are pretty exxited for sure. what part of decatour are you in? i am six miles from the decatour bartholomew line?

I'm on the North edge of Decatur, 2 miles from the Rush County line.

rabbits

we made more money off rabbits than anything. we raised cattle,sheep, horses,chickens. Rabbits paid for my college.

We had a barn full of show rabbits (about 300 at any time). good showers and breeders could bring over $300 each. lesser stock was butchered and sold. Doesnt take long to build a market for dressed rabbits

any suggestion of breed of rabbits. also how much do dressed rabbits sell for. i have never bought them so dont know.

we showed/raised and sold dwarfs and dutch. My uncle raised giant rexes and lops and was a very respected judge. Its really all personal preference. Dressed ones sell around $5.

https://www.arba.net/

Don't forget a BIG dirt pile at the back of your property for a back stop for target shooting. I got one and love just going out there and plinking when I want.

well finally got some animals today. got four pygmey goats one being pregnant. two pair of rabbits one pair mini lop and other new zealands. and ten chicks. this is so much fun already.

Just enjoy living in the country. Thats what its all about! You can take a whizz off the back porch and nobody cares!

i love it. i rarely see a soul out here not even the neighbors. i was hoping to meet them cause its all one family around me and they own most the woods but that will come with time.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shelby County Hunter:
Just enjoy living in the country. Thats what its all about! You can take a whizz off the back porch and nobody cares! [/QUOTE

Yep!! Sale the goats too.lol

agreed gundude.

i love the goats they are awesome. but i do plan on bredding and selling.

PM sent to ya Billy...

Well we had our first baby goat yesterday. That was a new experience but a awesome one. I love this life.

Get rabbits (very fun), chickens (Okay...make sure to get egg layers...don't have to buy eggs that way), some pigmy goats (awesome), and maybe cows (your choice)...stay away from donkeys, even though I have two...all they do is he-haw and want food