Glad we have horses!
Nana cant ride anymore guess I am just gonna have to trade a cow for a horse drawn wagon!
With the price of beef maybe i can get more than just a wagon!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdm...

I've been trying to find a donkey or burro or mule for about a year now... Used to be, you'd find folks giving them away, but not now...

Donkeys are selling for $1k - $4k now, Pffft! Folks must be thinking of them as "alternative transportation."

I really need a little "manure factory" for my Victory Garden, LOL.

Meanwhile, until that happens, I'll be visiting my neighbor down the road to shovel out their barn for composting & pick meadow muffins out of their pastures for immediate use.

Goat berries tend to scatter out; chicken takes a while to build up; pig manure has to be composted for over a year...

A llama as a livestock guardian may be the best choice; llamas always put their poop in the same place each day, usually next to a gate. It doesn't burn plants, so that may be an option...

The cost of fuel for that manure factory has gone through the roof - they DEFINITELY do not want us owning animals... it makes us independant.

3 years ago, a 3 string (approx 100lb) bale of orchard grass, was $21... now, $32...

My 1100 horse goes through 55 of those in 6 months.

He produces about 30lb of manure a day. (that all goes into the veg plot to be ploughed under).

He also needs his feet trimming ever 5 weeks - $60

The vet calls 2 times a year for his shots and check his teeth - $500 a year.

You will feed 2 - 3 times and shovel poop every. single. day. No matter what the weather is, or, what your plans are.

Livestock of any variety are a big responsibility, are time consuming, and expensive. But, you will love having them and, once you do, you will not be able to imagine not having them.

Your last sentence said it all. I'm practically a vet, have worked as farrier, I do all my own shoots & float their teeth myself. When one of our dairy goats her udder on a barbed wire fence, we cleaned it, approximated edges & stapled her back together. She still milked perfectly at her next freshening...

Already, my routine is up at 5, start prepping pig food at 6 (they get a hot mash 2x/day), prep dog food at 7, then feed all at 7:30... Fill bathing places & water tubs, yadda, yadda...

The way you describe it sounds like expense & work, but if you're used to doing it all yourself, without vets, once you no longer have stock, you don't know what to do with yourself.

I’ve got 6 hens and I love caring for them. Their eggs are a blessing.

Aren't they great!

We've just managed to build our chicken house, what with lumber selling 600% higher than normal with this 7% inflation...

Our Buff Orpingtons will be ready for us to bring home next month... A lovely lady here in our community breeds chickens & hatches to order! Ours will be 5 months old & just about ready to start laying! I can't wait.

I love those bright orange yolks that stand up in the pan. So fresh.

No storebought egg can compare, since they've been in cold storage for 4-5 months already. If one were really grading for quality, they'd be fit only for dogs...

I'm hoping we get couple of hens that lay double-yolked eggs! Those are so awesome for baking!

I used to sit out there on a bucket during the morning cackle & lay sessions, checking to spot the hen that laid double-yolk eggs... LOL.

My Delaware hens turn a year old April 14. I had my husband convert one end of our shed into a coup and attach an enclosed run. I’ve used the deep litter method inside the coup all year. I’ll remove the litter outside into a compost pile in May.

Lovely run.

I'm trying to get my wife enthused about having chickens (city girl). This season is already started and most of the prefab coops are sold out. No time to build one and too many predators to not have a protected run.

I realize most people built their own but if anyone has a recommendation on a prefab manufacturer, please chime in.

Thanks.

Try looking on Facebook Marketplace for used or new coups people are selling. I've seen coups created out of former play sets, pallets, etc... Where there is a will there is a way.

My poor husband agreed to build ours but didn't realize whaat I had in mind! LOL We did save money by converting one end of pre-existing shed into the coup. He framed in one end of the shed. Built a lightweight door added a threshold to keep over 12 inches of litter in the coup. Then covered it with 1/4 hardware cloth. We don't have electricity so I hung solar party lights inside with a sensor in the window to provide light in the evening when I check on the hens. I taped the remote control inside a ziplock baggie by the door to act as a light switch.