Here's the hay on the truck.
We found a snug little cave where something had made a home in the straw.
Here's one pile of straw.
Alfalfa on the right and straw on the left.
Timothy (and there's more!)
I also got some 16 percent protein horse chow for the goats. All that hay and feed sure makes the barn smell wonderful! I just love the smell of horse chow. It's grains mixed with molasses and minerals, and it smells so sweet.
One on the things I'd like to do with this blog is help others to see how much it costs to raise livestock of different kinds and what can reasonably be expected as a return. Of course, there are returns that cannot be measured financially, like fresh air, exercise and satisfaction. However, I know that for myself, I tried so hard to find some clear information on how much it might cost to keep the goats, and how much feed and hay I would need, and it was oh so hard to find anything. I finally found an equation that would help me to get a rough estimate on what I would need for hay. I hope to share what I'm finding and what I discover along the way with anyone interested in trying to figure it all out. So, my next post is going to be a description of what I've purchased and the cost, and an equation to help anyone else who's trying to figure this all out. As I go along with all of this, I'll report on the outcome of the decisions that I made. See ya next time!
I am eagerly awaiting all the info you can give! On the farm where I grew up we raised about 60 sheep, and I have no illusions that one can earn lots of income doing small scale livestock, but you are right about the exercise and satisfaction and the joy one gets from doing so! I am hoping to learn as much as I can so I won't go IN the hole LOL, and breaking even financially plus the benefit of meat for our family will be enough for me. Love the photos, you definitely have a leg up already having that nice building!
ReplyDeleteErin-
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you feel you'll find this helpful. I would love it if more people could get info like this. I sure would have loved to! The woman that I am getting my goats from said that I could figure on about $100/yr. per goat. I don't think that's accurate at all so far, but then again, I'm so far from anywhere as far as buying hay and feed. I'm sure that the way I found to get hay was more expensive than some people could find it. Maybe as time goes on, I'll learn about some of those deals too. Hopefully in time for you to gain from it when you get here! :)
What a wonderful feeling to have all that feed including hay and straw stashed away in the barn so early in the year! Almost as good as having the pantry and freezer stocked in the house. I know you're going to enjoy your milk goats so much. Granted it would be nice to have some part of the homestead earn some cash, but maybe the most important thing is to be able to provide the necessities for the family.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! I am certainly not planning to earn money from the goats. I only meant the return in milk and possibly meat. That's definitely the important thing here. Being able to provide us all with that milk!
ReplyDeleteYes, it feels good to have the feed and hay ready for them. Now I just have to wait for the goats to be ready for us! I feel sure I'm going to love having them too. I honestly can hardly wait to see the babies frolicking around! I pray everything goes well with kidding. I am a bit nervous about that!