Mason county, like some other counties in Washington State still has some areas where you can have a more “self-reliant” lifestyle. When I was younger my husband and I truly enjoyed nearly 20 years of “homestead” living. We lived on about 10 acres that backed up to a river. Our acreage was on the high bank side of the river, so we had no flooding of our property, though we would sometimes be flooded in due to the river escaping and flowing over the roads. This particular river was known for its great fly fishing. That’s why we first moved there.
We did it all: Raised our own food and produce, and had lots left over for others to share. My favorite part of the homestead was our herd of dairy goats. There is no animal as productive and at the same time as fun as the dairy goat. Most of the time a dairy goat will have two kids at a time, so it doesn’t take much to increase your herd. We kept a buck goat, and there is nothing as stinky as a buck goat. My buck goats were so lovable, and wanted attention just like the does. Sometimes I’d just have to give in, and give them that attention, and then it would take me days to get the smell off myself. We had to keep the buck quite a distance from the does so the smell didn’t get on the does, and therefore get into the milk.
It was easy to tell when the does were ready to be bred, because they would go to the fence that was closest to the buck, and flirt outrageously through the fence. We had such a nice buck, that our neighbors with goats were eager to bring their does over to visit him.
Our biggest project was raising 100 chickens a year for meat. We bought specialy bred chicks, and raised them up, and let me tell you the way these chickens have been bred has created eating machines that grow so fast you can almost see them grow before your eyes.
We also kept an awesome flock of hens for eggs. We got the chicks out of the Sears catalog, of all places, and they were bred to be that all around farm flock. We got an abundance of eggs. I also kept a small flock of bantams (those tiny chickens) to simply range around the property for the fun of it all. I particularly enjoyed having a bantam rooster, with a 5-point crow. I love the sound of a rooster, and will never understand people who object to that beautiful sound.
We also had a minimum of two dogs at a time, and one was always a collie. Collies make great farm dogs. We also had a couple of wolfhounds, and they are terrific dogs, but their life span is so short that we couldn’t take the heart break. We are used to having our dogs live for at least 12 years, and often longer. Wolfhounds tend to live about 7 years — much too short a life span! And of course, we had cats, an essential help to all farmers.
We had a big garden, lots of fully grown fruit trees of all sorts, and berries, too. We raised things organically just naturally, not as any sort of “statement.” We had some animals that came and went again, too, like the occasional sheep, and a beef calf to raise on goat milk. We would buy a couple small pigs a year, named Ebb and Flo, and raise them up to about 200 pounds each. We treated all our animals very well, and they were happy and healthy. I felt good about giving them a good life. I just hate these great big, corporate places that raise animals as a commodity, with no concern for the animals welfare. As a country we have let these places get too big all in the name of money, and this is so sad, and often cruel.
The reason I am thinking of my wonderful homesteading experiences is that we have a listing in our office right now for a Homestead. This homestead has been set up organically, and has proven to be productive. As I wondered around taking pictures, with this great farm dog keeping pace with me, I was wishing I was younger and could take it all on again. However, we had to move to follow a new job, and had to leave the homestead behind. Now we are just not in the position to go back into the homestead lifestyle, as much as I’d love it.
You may be looking for a Homestead, and I can recommend this one to you. Have a look at the web site for this property, and give it some thought. I’ll be jealous of you, if you decide to buy it!
Tags: chickens, farmers, goats, homestead, homesteading, lifestyle, Mason County, sheep
I’ve been reading your post and found it interesting! I’ve read almost all your blog posts. I even run a blog on Real Estate and John Beck’s program. Thanks for the post.