The GOAT goat thread (Lizard blogs their farming adventure)

add a Super High Tier where they get to provide a name to an animal*, and then they can get specific updates on Their Animal emailed to them

also? cards/letters/notes/holiday cards "as sent by [animal]" are usually a huge hit


*but you make no promises about what nicknames may arise

 

Oh that's good!

New ideas: Critter cam. I snagged a gopro on sale yesterday. I can do a monthly critter cam were I strap the gopro to a critter each month and Patreons get to follow them around doing their thing.
Discord server: patreons get access to a special server where they can chat and I can post things exclusive to them (like pics, polls, project previews, etc)
Livestream events?? Maybe???

 

CRITTER CAM *.*

 

you could do a special poll to pick the critter too

 

WOOHOO we're up to 50 subs on the channel already!
We also now have a Discord server and a Facebook page!

This will be less likely as what animals we introduce will depend on factors like cost of the animal, cost and time investment in the infrastructure, what role they'll play in our farm ecosystem, etc.

At current trajectory we're looking at more chickens + some geese this upcoming spring, possibly also angora buns. Next spring (2021) turkeys and bees + meat rabbits. Pigs somewhere around fall 2020, fall 2021 or spring 2022 depending on how busy/time/cost. Goats will also probably be spring 2022, and Alpaca + some sheepies (merino, south down, and/or Shetland) will come after that.

 

I'm not 100% sure, but I think @keltka was saying which critter the cam went on, not which critter to get next

 

OH yeah that makes sense! Though, realistically, which critter also depends on what all critters we have at the time lol. Probably going to be a lot of the dogs at first. Maybe a time lapse for the chickens in their coop since I think the camera will be too big to wear for them.

 

definitely which critter the cam goes on, but ngl people pick "favorites" super fast and I'm sure you could find someone willing to pay an extra $2 to decide bonnie wears it saturday instead of sebastian

 

The new video is up! A short one but I think it turned out really nice ;__;

 

Aaaand the Patreon is live! We've opened with two tiers but more will become available shortly. Also, you should def join the discord server if you have any interest in anything even remotely related to farming, animal husbandry, gardening, permaculture, urban renewal or anything even remotely in the same vein. We are discussing some really great topics and even tossing around some contest ideas!

 

I tried to join the discord via the link in that vids description but got an expired link error. :c

 

Huh weird it should be set to never expire.
Try this one https://discord.gg/PgfkNJW

 

Oh hey, I just started a thread in Make It So where we’re all talking about what we need to Build Our Dream Farm/Acreage/Artist Colony/Whatever. Mind if I link back here as a resource?

Also, wanna come play with us? Your dream farm’s Realness Attribute is impressively high, and a voice of experience is always useful to have!

(I’m genuinely uncertain whether or not seeing your video was what inspired me to put up a whole thread about this topic, but I’m pretty sure I would have been bouncing around in my status updates rambling about alpacas and silkworms and mulberry orchards either way.)

... Oh, yeah, the thread’s over here: Ultimate Fantasy Homesteading League

 

That one worked, thank you!

 

I hope you will not be offended by my outraged yelling. @_@ You are dangerously aspirational. Like damn, that's super cool.

(We've been making jokes for years about moving to Washington and homesteading, and honestly, it's... looking like a better and better possibility. :\

My job can be done remotely without issue and already has offices in Washington State; Mel is actively job-hunting anyway. Z loves zer job, but zer company is currently in some trouble - not going to shut down, but it may become less nice than it has been. So if Z got a good job up in Washington... we really could just drop everything and go.

And it's so pretty, and the climate would be way better for my health, and god, the housing is so affordable compared to the Bay Area. We could have a house, rather than renting at an obscene rate for the foreseeable future!

Hffffffff.)

 

Also, random notes:

I can tell you from experience that emus are huge jerks, so hopefully you were already prepared for that. You have to go to some lengths to keep them away from children and animals - those claws can do some real damage. Uncle's dog had to get quite a few stitches after an unfortunate emu encounter (but was ok and lived for many more years).

For seeds - you can do a nice middle-ground between your own varieties and 'bog standard' via Seed Savers Exchange, if you're so inclined. There's a peer-to-peer seed exchange as well as varieties the organization grows, which means you can get a lot of different heirloom varieties. I definitely stan for Seed Savers Exchange.

Also, on wood burners - the modern ones are pretty cool and very efficient, but I would budget some nontrivial time to play with them before it gets too cold! The learning curve can be a little tricky - you need to slowly reduce the air available to the fire so it burns slow and hot, but not so quickly that the flame burns out. In my super inexpert experience, that could take a solid hour - which is a pain in the neck when your fingers are getting stiff from cold. XP

I am also told by my wood-burning relatives that Stihl chainsaws are totally the best ones.

 

Thank you so much, oh my gosh! You should def come here. I'm almost certainly biased, but I love the Pacific northwest and I don't think I could live anywhere else. Especially here on the eastern side we have all for seasons.

I've grown up with woodburning stoves most of my life, and have used a camp stove cook top. I can freely admit I was definitely something of a tiny pyromanic when I was a kid. Never burned anything down, but spent a lot of time figuring out how fire was affected by fuel. But the new part will be using one that features an oven. I foresee a lot of burned bread in the future lmao. I think one thing I might try building this winter is a smoker.

 

Honestly, it's a very real possibility, given how nutty property prices are around here. And it's so damn pretty and green.

You're definitely in better shape on the fire front than I was, then! I was mostly interested in setting new and interesting things on fire, which kept getting my matches taken away. Apparently burning hair in the house is Not Desirable.

 

!!!
i am well aware i have never posted here (or really interacted with you much) before now but: Hell yes, this region is My Home and No Other Region Can Compare, and it's incredible that you're Doing This !! i have so much love for this entire part of the country, and it's really really cool to see someone who 1. homesteads, 2. homesteads in this region specifically, and 3. has worldviews i vibe with

 

Yeee! Of course I think it's easier to find in the PNW, Washington especially. Lotta old farmers out here used to be hippies back in the day. But yeah man. I've lived in AZ, CA, visited pretty much the entirety of the land west of the Rockies and none of it has felt like the home the way the PNW has.