How to Plan a 6-Acre Homestead For Maximum Production

[@earlinemcgahen3931]

Put sheep after cows and chickens after sheep , that breaks the parasite cycle, Kune Kune pigs are grazers instead of rooting pigs.

[@deancooper7043]

So where do the Kune June pigs fit into the cycle?? Cheers

[@WhittAcres]

Great layout. I have 4 acres that I'm trying to fit everything into and it's nice to see another small setup. I'll be following along!

[@chessman483]

On small holdings if you start planting fruit trees , vines etc. One acre is a lot. Because you can grow grape vines etc up fruit trees. We do have 33 acres , but two acres of fruit trees and vines is a huge amount of fruit. For example off one mango tree we got 2000 mangoes. Over 1000 filled one large freezer.

[@chessman483]

If u can grow Mulberries, we find them brilliant to grow. Fruit well , and chooks love them . I bought two plants and have taken cuttings since and just shove the cuttings in the ground and boom they grow.

[@miriammigliacci9427]

I love it! “I’ll keep it but you can watch the video!”

[@seifer447]

You're living my dream man. Id like to get some land and build a nice homestead so I dont have to buy so much food. My local grocery store got lamb in and it's really got me looking into sheep. They're delicious.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Getting the taste for well prepared lamb was what got me into wanting to raise sheep too! Now I have a freezer full of it!

[@miriammigliacci9427]

So exciting to hear and see what you are doing!! Good for you!!

[@nicholasbaker8158]

You are incredibly dialed in, phenomenal job!

[@jenniferscotten1881]

Thank you for sharing. I love seeing all this detailed info of what others are doing with their land. Love the whiteboard!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thank you! One day I'll have a drone and more stuff going on and I'll remake the video.

[@jenniferscotten1881]

@@homesteadingwithPJ That would be pretty cool 😎

[@julayalo9860]

Smart use of your land, enjoyed this!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks!

[@johnberry1107]

Surplus is possible. Economics can be challenging. Fun and lifestyle do have value. Stay safe.

[@Mr44magnum0706]

Ooof that easement. Hopefully that’s how you suggested it, besides that wonderfully done

[@rossholmes178]

Greetings from Australia...great vid - very interesting and very clever use of resources. You have me thinking, young fella...you have me thinking.

[@OctMEAG]

That is a really practical set up and a nice no nonsense video. Thanks!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks! My goal is minimal nonsense! 🤣

[@Xian42]

We have 5 acres and have done chickens (meat and egg), sheep, and pigs. Look for a local organic or minimal spray orchard or garden and see if you can collect windfall apples, broken pumpkins, etc. They work great for finishing the pigs! Also, we're teying to establish a silvo pasture with apples, pears, oaks, chestnuts, etc that will drop and the pigs can eat.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Whoa! You're doing everything we're doing (and it sounds like more with your silvo-orchard). Well done, keep it up!

[@Xian42]

@@homesteadingwithPJ haha! the silvo-orchard is DEFINITELY a work in progress - trying to get everything established. We've only been here three years and nothing has fruited yet. Hence the windfall apples and broken pumpkins from local organic orchards and farms. Once ours is established, I won't have to go collect those any more. It is fun to see the pasture mature each year, though, even without the trees. Last year we fed the pigs pumpkins and sunflowers and this year we had many volunteers coming up. As for the sheep - I only did those once. Moved them with portable netting every two days. Slaughtered and butchered them myself. Didn't buy in any hay, only fed them what I could grow. They were DELICIOUS! But at only about 35-45lbs hanging weight per sheep, they were a LOT of work. I have a contact for semi-local, grass fed, Icelandic sheep and at this point its easier for me to just pick up an extra day at work and buy some already processed. But it's nice to know in the future that I CAN do this if I need to. Next up, I'm trying to convince my wife to let me do rabbits 🙂

[@rayneorshine]

In the future if you want to do another one of these but you still don't have a drone, my family and I use a screenshot of Google Maps and use that to add lines and such to show what is/will be there. Very economical and helps really show the lay of the land.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Good idea. It's out of date since I've cleared so much land in the past two years and it hasn't refreshed the image. But it probably would have been a little helpful to show the viewers. Next time!

[@dexl9440]

Best video I’ve seen rotating and allow different processes to work together the way our grandparents did it 👍

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks! It's been working for us so far.

[@lark3po]

Impressive! Goes to show how important the thought and planning (management) can work if the mental effort is put in beforehand. Having a plan almost always works out. Even when it doesn't, changing a solid plan is easy because of the planed metrics. A lot easier than changing chaos! Wish you and yours the best!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks for the kind words! Yes, planning is huge for homesteading, but planning is usually the most fun part. Dreaming up cool stuff never feels like "work."

[@mlindsay527]

Nice setup! We have similar arrangement. I’m working hard to reduce our purchased feed. Don’t forget about mulberries and hazelnuts in your orchard.

[@spoolsandbobbins]

This is great PJ! We’re dreaming and planning along side of you here in Nova Scotia. 30 dual purpose birds (starting a new flock this spring - Bresse), 5 sheep, 3 pigs, 11 rabbits. Our gardens get bigger every year. You’ve given us some great ideas/confirmation and you’re an inspiration to many! Hope you get that drone soon!!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Love it! What kind of rabbit do raise? We used to raise silver foxes, and we had a friend with New Zealands. We want a few rabbits as manure production machines.

[@jordanklumpenhouwer]

Hey there, I’m in New Brunswick. We’re just getting started. Have chickens and rabbits but we’re ready for sheep. They seem hard to find in the Maritimes. Do you mind me asking what breed you raise and where you bought them?

[@faithbuller4086]

I like your fences

[@TylerZeigler]

Here’s a sub and a comment for the drone! Thank you for sharing, I’ve got a half acre in suburbia that I have chickens and a garden / wanna be backyard farmer. This year has been huge for learning, looking forward to next. Cheers.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks! I'll let you know when I get that drone! My first homestead was on 1.25 acres. We had sheep there, but we did a lot in that space with chickens and rabbits too. You can do it! Backyard farming rules!

[@mojavebohemian814]

Using the easement is brilliant! thanks

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Trying to use every square inch of this place!

[@zsmall]

Thanks for the video! I just got 6 acres and this video is very informative about how to possibly set things up.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Best of luck! Planning is the most fun part. I feel like I'm still imagining new potential for this place every day.

[@zsmall]

Yeah planning and imagining all the potential is so fun!

[@Adnancorner]

Have you thought of growing grapes on the road pathway, and use the "L" shape area for meat chickens with sparsely planted fruit trees ? 7:40 Just a suggestion.

[@lynetteledoux2845]

I was thinking fruit and nut trees when he mentioned the right of way.

[@GRolla101]

It'll be our drone 😂 nice. First time checking out your videos. I'll watch some others and see if it's my taste. But so far so good

[@SpiffyFambam]

Very nice video! It’s great that you’re raising your own food. I can’t wait to live like this! Thanks for sharing your way of life with us.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks for the kind words I hope more people choose to live this way, just so more people appreciate the work it takes to produce "real food."

[@claudiamcbride9746]

You should coppice some of the trees in that other 6 acres. That could provide you with wood for firewood, crafting, fence building, etc. Nice plan you've got going.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Such a great idea! Seriously, I love that idea. I have considered it. It's certainly something I would do if I had more time. I think it will probably be about 2 years before we venture into that forest with any kind of animal enterprise.

[@danachoate5361]

*New sub* This video popped up in my feed. Love seeing smaller set ups and how others are planning their homesteads. 😃 We're currently selling our home so we can begin our homestead adventure.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Welcome to the channel, thanks for subscribing! Homesteading is fun because you do so many things! From backyard hens and a tea garden, to feeding your entire family!

[@stopmayhem937]

Well thought out plan. Thanks for the tips!

[@bettinah.7429]

Hello,first time viewing,nice layout and effective use of your land. You will love the red wattle meat! I bought some straight from a farmer a few years back,the best pork I have ever eaten. Nice colour of meat,excellent flavour. 🇨🇦

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Welcome to the channel! Agreed on the red wattle pork, best I've ever had.

[@jaket8947]

Great video - short, full of good, solid info. Excellent layout for what you have available, that easement right through there would have me throwing fits, hopefully theyre good neighbors! Subbed!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks!

[@Erreul]

I thought you were memeing when the flutes started playing in the beginning, not gonna lie.

[@tonyebel3822]

So dialed in!

[@thebamlife1775]

Sounds like a great plan! Thank you for sharing!!

[@RealVedicAstrology]

I have the exact same livestock combo as you, pigs, sheep and chickens😆.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

The trifecta of small scale agriculture!!!

[@RealVedicAstrology]

@@homesteadingwithPJ yes we have the best trio for sure!

[@randallshuck2976]

If you want to thin out the understory of the wooded acres and get milk and meat, Nubian goats are an easy alternative. The Nubians stand about three foot high at the shoulder and they love to eat brush and leaves. They will also trim your trees up to about six to seven feet off the ground. They need a secure shed/barn with a milking stall to collect the milk and a freshened doe will produce about two quarts of milk per day or you can simply leave their kids on them. The neutered rams dress out about like a lamb at about 6 months. You can free range chickens or sheep along with them since they really don't care for grass. Add a watch donkey to run dogs and coyotes off and you are set.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I've thought about Nubians or Alpines in our untouched forest area. Fences will be the tricky thing, but I could make it work. Good ideas!

[@randallshuck2976]

I am happy with either however if you want to use your riding mower/tractor in the trees the Nubians will stand up on their hind legs and trim the branches 6 to 8 feet off the ground. The woods will look like a managed park. If you want milk, Nubians are pretty good and if you cross them with Boer you end up with 200 to 250 lb. wither for meat. I miss my farm. Enjoy it while you are young.@@homesteadingwithPJ

[@MrsStevenBrown]

Look up the “Shepherdess” and her grazing regime for her sheep, she goes into a lot of detail and I feel a smaller moving sheep herd would be better on your land, and more usable on your land… good luck!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I've watched Grace for years. Love what she's doing.

[@Ricosyard]

Great setup dude thanks for sharing I’m planning on getting some land this video helped me

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Glad it helped. Everyone needs to figure out their own thing, but this setup works great for us!

[@strictlyconservative8777]

Very smart!

[@zannaB60]

There are several small drones available on Amazon. I bought one for just over $50, but haven't flown it yet.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Yeah, I just need to bite the bullet and get one!

[@servihomestead4324]

Great plan and beautiful property. The tough part is executing the plan, and it looks like you're already doing most of it. Pigs give a higher percentage of hanging weight to meat ratio than sheep. You might get around 100 lbs of mostly boneless meat from a 225 lb pig. We personally really enjoy having our own figs. Thanks for sharing!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Yes, we've learned that we're getting a lot more meat from our pigs than our sheep. I don't know the live weight of my pigs, but at about 7-8 months old, our two red wattles gave us 390lbs of meat!

[@servihomestead4324]

@@homesteadingwithPJ Nice!

[@lynnesposti2748]

Pigs have a cut away percentage of 70%. A 200 lb pig would therefore yield approx 140 lbs, and so on

[@roymcelwee9334]

Do you have a video showing the raised bed construction?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I don't yet. Essentially, you just buy enough 2 x 4 to make the frame size of your choosing. We went with 3 feet by 6. Put the frames together to make a 4-sided cube. Staple chicken wire on the inside, and then line it with hay and fill it.

[@SheerStitchery]

Subscribed to help get you that drone! ❤

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thank you!

[@earlinemcgahen3931]

Sheep and pigs will clear your dense undergrowth in your 6 acre woods

[@robertlemoine3500]

Thankyou

[@golommatthew899]

Can you show what your raised bed design looks like?

[@MamaKari5857]

How long does the soil need to rest after the pigs go through it to prevent worms/parasites from being in your garden/transferring to your vegetables?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I don't know the answer from experience. But I'd imagine the parasite is similar to that of a sheep's lifecycle, being 60 days if you can swing it. However, we're putting chickens in a mob setup following our pigs around, which I think cuts down the time.

[@davej7458]

You do need to be very cautious about pig parasites. Because they transfer to people very easily. Some of them can survive in the ground for quite a while. Apparently, more than a year. We have kept pigs out of compost and vegetable garden. They rotate in pasture areas.

[@TRINITY-ks6nw]

21 days should break the cycle

[@jozeff1913]

Great set up. I believe that will help lot of people to realize they don't need to buy lot of land to become more sustainable. I have a question, when you moved across the country to your new place did you bring your sheeps with you or you started a new flock ? I will be moving across the country as well and deciding about to keep my proven 6 ewes or start a new flock. Great job....Wish you all good.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Hello! This video will tell a lot of our story in answering that question: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXLZfZSZach9Y8U I did bring my sheep across the country, an expensive endeavor that I felt was worth it because I loved my sheep. The property that we moved to didn't have any cleared land or fencing, so I was trying to do that while rotating the sheep in random spots around the property. I have a full-time job and a young family so having to spend a lot of time rotating the sheep was really stressful and time-consuming. The biggest thing is that our sheep did great in one climate (UT dry desert) and did terrible in the new climate (NC hot humid); a factor that I didn't think about at all. If you're moving to a similar climate maybe you won't have to worry about that. We did experience a lot of losses due to the challenges in the new climate, our sheep breed just wasn't adapted to it. It was hard because we brought them because we loved them and one by one they all started dying. I ended up selling off the rest of our sheep and taking a break to catch my breath and reevaluate. We now have new sheep that do well in our climate and they're so much easier to manage. No losses and no stress. Knowing what I know now, I would have parted with our old sheep and started over with buying new stock (a different breed) in our new area, after we had taken time to clear and fence in land. I would have also just taken a year to get settled into the house and get acquainted with the land to let some ideas slowly form, and could have scratched the homesteading itch by just getting a few chickens while I made plans for sheep. I hope this helps! Good luck!

[@davidmitchell1304]

Any chance there are sugar maples in the woods? Or hickory, black walnut or even trees to graft fruit onto?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I know we have maples, but I'm not sure our winters get cold enough to tap them. We have one black walnut. It produces fruit, but I've never tried it. Never thought about grafting, that's a great idea!

[@davej7458]

How much of your animals food do you produce on your land? How much of your animals food do you import from other sources?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Sheep are almost entirely from our farm. Pigs and chickens are about 90% purchased from off the farm.

[@davej7458]

@HighMountainHomestead That is pretty much what I expected because so many are in that situation. Do you see that changing at any point? Thank You.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Maybe one day. But for now, I'm happy supporting other who produce quality feed. Next year I'd like to double down on fodder crops, like sunflower seeds to store for my own chickens.@@davej7458

[@thebamlife1775]

With the chicken rotation, do you have any natural predators in the area?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

We do, but so long as they come in for the night, they are safe.

[@kc66]

Is there any reason why you don't mix the sheep with the pigs in the same paddocks? Also, where are you located roughly? I just want to get an idea of the terrain (in the mountains, I presume?) and climate where you are located. Do you collect rain water for raising the livestock?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I'm actually in the Piedmont region, not the mountains. But there's many who have beautiful homesteads in the NC mountains. I'm near Chapel Hill NC. We do collect rain water. Lots of reasons to not run pigs with the sheep. - Feed differences are the main one; pigs mostly eat grains (hot grains like corn), a big "no-no" for sheep. I'd have no way to guarantee that sheep won't get into the pig feed, get bloated, and then die. - Pigs will tear up my pasture, which I have to mow a couple times every year to keep the weeds down. Pig pot-holes will make the chore a real pain. - Their paddock size and rotational habits are different. Moving pigs is different than moving sheep. Trying to move both at the same time sounds like my worst nightmare. Granted, some might be making it work with more land. But I'd rather keep them separated by doing it on a small scale. Another option would be to run sheep on a paddock, keep those fences up, and put pigs behind the sheep. Profitable regenerative farmers run cows through a paddock, then goats and/or sheep, then pigs, then chickens.

[@kc66]

@@homesteadingwithPJ NC! I spent close to 15 years in the Research Triangle area, 8 years in Chapel Hill and 3 as a graduate student at UNC-CH. Love every bit of my time there. Real estate prices around that area have skyrocketed and you have 12 acres? That's a pretty penny right there! Thanks for the info!

[@chinnahale1255]

I really enjoyed and appreciated your video.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I appreciate that!

[@hoosierleakguy4565]

Do you keep your rams in their own paddock?

[@TRINITY-ks6nw]

Respect

[@Adnancorner]

I think you should be called "Green Highland homestead" :)

[@zmorea]

I just subscribed, so you better buy us that drone😊

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks. It will be OUR drone when I get it. 😄

[@markoredano9141]

That's one of my no-compromise rules when buying a homestead property: NO easements ON my land and no having to use easements to GET to my land.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

That's a good rule.

[@matthewcain2880]

You could grow a shit load of food if you live in a suburban neighborhood using your front and backyard.

[@Furrygumball71]

Dude somebody get guy a drone 🎉

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

☝️

[@abrahambendavid.7474]

Just bought 40 acres

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Oh man, I'm jealous. You can do anything you want with 40 acres! Congrats and good luck!

[@bobbygaskins7778]

You’ll become to hate that easement, just wait until the neighbors move in.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

There's nothing to be done about it, so why hate something that you have to live with every day. We know the neighbors already. Super nice people. Not optimal, but could be a lot worse.

[@karljenkinson361]

Pig look like Tamworths try some defense much calmer

[@Willyb0y]

comment because I really want a drone and want you to be the keeper of it!

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks! 😂

[@gardenersgraziers7261]

CORRECTION without view past 1.12 you cannot fed your family off 6 acres. You import grain from another few acres somewhere else to feed animals. ALSO important is rainfall as it determines your lands natural carrying capacity. SO why STOP at your family ? you could import more grain to feed more animals to feed more people ???

[@dart336]

Or you save the money and not bother with pigs. Double up on Chickens or Sheep/goats. If you want to eat pork, then go to one of the clearance stores that have a freezer aisle. There is so much cheap pork in this country that even the grocery stores are having trouble giving it away. Some places got it already butchered, seasoned, and packaged for cheaper than you can grow it per pound. Like where I'm from originally an Italian butcher with a modernized mini plant was a couple of miles down the road. 5 bucks at Costco a pound of ground sausage vs 2 at the grocery close out and came in flavors like caramelized onions. At first I thought it was a regional thing as many of the demographics changed to non pork eaters like myself. Many muslims and Hindus/Buddists, cringey millennials and other groups moved in who wouldn't eat pork or at the least be selective about where they bought it from. Then I moved to where south ends and meets the Midwest. Plenty of cheap pork out here too. There is no point in raising pigs. Get a huge chest freezer, buy out the store, and have a big BBQ. Can/Dehydrate/Freeze Dry and you'll be set for life. If I was still eating pork, I would be eating like a King... A very ill unhealthy King

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Now that I've had some time away from this video, I'm more interested to support local pig farmers, buy in bulk from them, and clear more forest, lay down more fences for silvoapsture for cows and sheep.

[@jackassjoe4983]

Do not eat uncooked vegetables where pig have been