Comments on: Starting Small and Crawling Out of The Box http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/ Christian Agrarian Counterculture Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: KSmilkmaid http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-478 KSmilkmaid Mon, 01 Aug 2005 16:56:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-478 Hi there, Did Polyface butcher their own rabbits or have a custom processor? I have a son who wants to do a rabbit project. I am pretty clueless about where to start. Hi there,

Did Polyface butcher their own rabbits or have a custom processor? I have a son who wants to do a rabbit project. I am pretty clueless about where to start.

]]> By: Chad Degenhart http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-477 Chad Degenhart Sat, 30 Jul 2005 02:04:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-477 Scott, who are you kidding? You're already dangerous! Thanks for the compliment, though, it means a lot coming from you. I think this is one of your best posts. Very encouraging and important advice. When people wake up and see what a mess they're in, it can be little bit overwhelming to say the least. But people like you are offering hope and helping people see that no situation is impossible. Scott, who are you kidding? You’re already dangerous! Thanks for the compliment, though, it means a lot coming from you.

I think this is one of your best posts. Very encouraging and important advice. When people wake up and see what a mess they’re in, it can be little bit overwhelming to say the least. But people like you are offering hope and helping people see that no situation is impossible.

]]> By: reformed farmer http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-476 reformed farmer Sat, 30 Jul 2005 00:22:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-476 Matt That was a good one by John Thompson. Chad does a great job with The House of Degenhart. If I could write half as good as he does I would be dangerous. Missed Marco at Joel's and church, uh. Maiden of Milk We will be praying for you guys. We've had to borrow a couple of times and its not an easy choise. No interest is the way to go. About Joel's chickens. The egg mobile is for "pasture sanitation" and the eggs are a extra bonus. The make a cheap and good quality egg but they also lose more birds in that system. The big egg outfit is the one he calls "Feathernet". That one has hoophouses on skids with nesting boxes in it. The birds are held in with Premiers electric netting. The birds are moved around the pasture for fresh grass. The netting is easy to move with a couple of people and the houses are moved with a tractor. He really speaks highly of the netting. I am considering the egg mobile for fly control. Have to see if I can talk the folks into letting me try it. Matt

That was a good one by John Thompson. Chad does a great job with The House of Degenhart. If I could write half as good as he does I would be dangerous. Missed Marco at Joel’s and church, uh.

Maiden of Milk

We will be praying for you guys. We’ve had to borrow a couple of times and its not an easy choise. No interest is the way to go.

About Joel’s chickens. The egg mobile is for “pasture sanitation” and the eggs are a extra bonus. The make a cheap and good quality egg but they also lose more birds in that system. The big egg outfit is the one he calls “Feathernet”. That one has hoophouses on skids with nesting boxes in it. The birds are held in with Premiers electric netting. The birds are moved around the pasture for fresh grass. The netting is easy to move with a couple of people and the houses are moved with a tractor. He really speaks highly of the netting.

I am considering the egg mobile for fly control. Have to see if I can talk the folks into letting me try it.

]]> By: KSmilkmaid http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-475 KSmilkmaid Fri, 29 Jul 2005 16:14:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-475 I like what you say. It is right on target. We feel stuck though. We long for a better building to milk our cows in...enclosed. The more I think of diversifing the more I feel we are finding hope. The cheese profits we make are really good. We just are so labor intensive because we don't have the barn or ability to make bigger batches. Even a 40lb batch would ease some of the late nights around here. I have a kettle that size at a machinists. It has been there several months now. Gee...I am whining. I fear our only option is to take out a loan to get the building up. We have investments we could liquidate if something went sour. Pray that we can approach my husband's parents for an interest free loan if we have to go the loan route. We are so labor intensive that there is no time for us to even build here if all fell into place. We have been at this place before, considering a loan, and chickened out. Who knows what will happen. I am sure by spring though we will have the poultry going and then dive into gardening. Please pray for us to make a wise choice and/or to see progress on the building end of our farmstead. Oh, can you tell me about Polyface's egg operation. We have a stationary house with chickens everywhere. We can't keep eggs stocked right now. We have talked about another hen house. I have Pastured Poultry Profits. He just began mentioning some of the egg ideas. We are discussing putting up a hoop house similar to what he suggests. We are not sure where to find the wood shavings and where we could run them on pasture. There is a possibility of a lease. In the book it sounded like he was at the beginning of his adventure. Let us know where he is at with the egg mobile etc. Also, where does he butcher rabbits. Does he do this or a meat processor? Thanks for listening to the whinning. I like what you say. It is right on target. We feel stuck though. We long for a better building to milk our cows in…enclosed. The more I think of diversifing the more I feel we are finding hope. The cheese profits we make are really good. We just are so labor intensive because we don’t have the barn or ability to make bigger batches. Even a 40lb batch would ease some of the late nights around here. I have a kettle that size at a machinists. It has been there several months now. Gee…I am whining. I fear our only option is to take out a loan to get the building up. We have investments we could liquidate if something went sour. Pray that we can approach my husband’s parents for an interest free loan if we have to go the loan route. We are so labor intensive that there is no time for us to even build here if all fell into place. We have been at this place before, considering a loan, and chickened out. Who knows what will happen. I am sure by spring though we will have the poultry going and then dive into gardening. Please pray for us to make a wise choice and/or to see progress on the building end of our farmstead.

Oh, can you tell me about Polyface’s egg operation. We have a stationary house with chickens everywhere. We can’t keep eggs stocked right now. We have talked about another hen house. I have Pastured Poultry Profits. He just began mentioning some of the egg ideas. We are discussing putting up a hoop house similar to what he suggests. We are not sure where to find the wood shavings and where we could run them on pasture. There is a possibility of a lease. In the book it sounded like he was at the beginning of his adventure. Let us know where he is at with the egg mobile etc. Also, where does he butcher rabbits. Does he do this or a meat processor?
Thanks for listening to the whinning.

]]> By: Matt Davis http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-474 Matt Davis Fri, 29 Jul 2005 14:43:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/29/starting-small-and-crawling-out-of-the-box/#comment-474 Thanks Scott. There is a resounding theme going on around me right now. First and formost is GET DEBT FREE! Chad Degenhart has a great article on this by John Thompson. Second theme is START SMALL and THINK GENERATIONALLY. I think God is using you to re-affirm in many of us the principles that He has already laid forth for us in His Word. P.S. My friend Marco worshipped in Bristol on his way home from Polyface last Sunday, also. Thanks Scott. There is a resounding theme going on around me right now. First and formost is GET DEBT FREE! Chad Degenhart has a great article on this by John Thompson.

Second theme is START SMALL and THINK GENERATIONALLY. I think God is using you to re-affirm in many of us the principles that He has already laid forth for us in His Word.

P.S. My friend Marco worshipped in Bristol on his way home from Polyface last Sunday, also.

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