Homesteading

[fastbilly1]

1/2 acre is going to be tight for anything thats not a bird. I mean you could get rabbits, but they are more likely to run off than stay. That and your kids would likely be mortified if they ate one.

As much as I love them, sheep are dumb and they will die. I had one die on me because of a thunderstorm. They just cant handle the stress. But Alpacas are a possibility 1/2 acre area so is a single pig based on codes ofcourse.

[dsheinem]

Did I do it right Dave?

Perfect

Or should I go and make fifteen topics about the things that could be covered under one topic titled with a word with a nebulous meaning - as stated in the opening paragraph.

Well because of that potential "nebulousness" the word gets applied in ways that are non-reflective of the term's history. I still don't see stuff like learning to change one's oil or putting a tomato plant on an apartment patio as "homesteading" practices. I get that you wanted a catch-all term, but this particular one is also en vogue and applied in ways that are sometimes troubling.

I could offer you other thread title suggestions if I felt you really wanted them, but I'm pretty sure that in doing so I'd probably just come across as a bigger asshole than I probably already have .

[fastbilly1]

I'd probably just come across as a bigger asshole than I probably already have .

Not possible

[Forlorn Drifter]

1/2 acre is going to be tight for anything thats not a bird. I mean you could get rabbits, but they are more likely to run off than stay. That and your kids would likely be mortified if they ate one.

As much as I love them, sheep are dumb and they will die. I had one die on me because of a thunderstorm. They just cant handle the stress. But Alpacas are a possibility 1/2 acre area so is a single pig based on codes ofcourse.

Sheep aren't dumb, just easily stressed. Sheep temperaments also depend a lot on the type of sheep- a fine wool is hard to kill unless you baby it, medium wools and long wools are poor choices in general, meat/leather sheep can be good or bad, breed plays into that in a lot of cases. Not to say you are wrong, fastbilly, I'm just quick to defend sheep, I love the stupid things.

@mj Rabbits could be done if you go with hutches of some sort, though there would be investment in that. A hog or alpaca, as fastbilly suggested, would be good options, although I personally hate alpaca.

[fastbilly1]

1/2 acre is going to be tight for anything thats not a bird. I mean you could get rabbits, but they are more likely to run off than stay. That and your kids would likely be mortified if they ate one.

As much as I love them, sheep are dumb and they will die. I had one die on me because of a thunderstorm. They just cant handle the stress. But Alpacas are a possibility 1/2 acre area so is a single pig based on codes ofcourse.

Sheep aren't dumb, just easily stressed. Sheep temperaments also depend a lot on the type of sheep- a fine wool is hard to kill unless you baby it, medium wools and long wools are poor choices in general, meat/leather sheep can be good or bad, breed plays into that in a lot of cases. Not to say you are wrong, fastbilly, I'm just quick to defend sheep, I love the stupid things.

Well stated. I love sheep aswell, despite my wife's dislike of them - Woolrot is a horrible thing to happen. I never thought about them as just stressed out, I always viewed them as dumb. It does not help that I have watched some repeatedly walk into walls. The more you know.

[mjmjr25]

1Alpacas are a possibility

We have 5 acres, but 3.5 is wooded, 1/2 an acre is the garage and playground, 1/4 an acre is garden, 1/4 acre is mound septic area (massive), so we are left with about 1/2 an acre of useable land. We had considered alpacas, but the startup cost is/was considerable more than many other similar animals - particularly knowing we'd want at least 2 and probably 3 as they need companionship (being herd animals). When we looked a few years ago males were $1,500 and females were $3,000-10,000...looking now the market has really come down. Will run the idea by the boss again...

[Forlorn Drifter]

Well, wool rot isn't much of a problem in my neck of the woods.

Stress is a huge thing with both sheep and goats, although goats to a much lesser extent if you stay away from certain varieties, especially Boer goats. Though it depends on the breeding lines in your area- Boer goats are highly bred for show stock where I live, and show stock should be avoided at all costs unless you are planning on showing.

And I've watched goats and hogs both repeatedly bash their head into things for no reason, along with people. I think that's just a personal quirk.

[mjmjr25]

Our kids are in 4H and would like something to show too, but that is an afterthought where mom and I are concerned.

[nullPointer]

I still don't see stuff like learning to change one's oil or putting a tomato plant on an apartment patio as "homesteading" practices. I get that you wanted a catch-all term, but this particular one is also en vogue and applied in ways that are sometimes troubling.

I'm undoubtedly a bit slow on the uptake here, but now I'm curious about the troubling ways in which the term 'homesteading' is sometimes applied. Is it the fact that homesteading is sometimes used to refer to the squatter movement? Or are there other nefarious shadow meanings that I'm failing to recognize?

Is it the epidemiology angle that's troubling?

[dsheinem]

I still don't see stuff like learning to change one's oil or putting a tomato plant on an apartment patio as "homesteading" practices. I get that you wanted a catch-all term, but this particular one is also en vogue and applied in ways that are sometimes troubling.

I'm undoubtedly a bit slow on the uptake here, but now I'm curious about the troubling ways in which the term 'homesteading' is sometimes applied. Is it the fact that homesteading is sometimes used to refer to the squatter movement? Or are there other nefarious shadow meanings that I'm failing to recognize

I'll spare everyone the derailment of bringing it all back up again, but I explained myself clearly (and with some links) a few pages back. If you want to know more, take a look there.