From New Brunswick Canada

[davisaurus]

Hello all.

I have been on my self-sufficiency journey for about 10 years now.

I managed to get my house on a plot of land of about 7 acres. It was completely an old family woodlot which was left to go about 30 years ago. So the first 3 years involved basically clearing out areas for gardens and livestock, getting rid of stumps and trying to work soil.

I now have one good plot of land for vegetables, and a few smaller plots for herbs. I have been raising chickens for 7 years, and geese for about 3. I HAD some ducks, which it appears weasels have a taste for slaughtering, hence the geese, which do a good job of protecting the chickens from eagles and hawks, hopefully they will keep the weasels away when I get more ducks this year.

My plan for about 2010 or so is to be 80-90% self sufficient for food, and at least 50% otherwise. I am thinking I shall supplement meat production with rabbits, and hopefully goats by late 2010 or early 2011.

I have great interest in Foraging, Reuse (rather than recycle, I am always trying to find uses for stuff we through away), small scale farming, heritage breeds (seed and livestock), and energy conservation.

I hope to enjoy my time on this board.

[red]

welcome

[sheena]

Hello and welcome

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

Your place sounds wonderful; hard work, but very rewarding. The idea of having to protect livestock from eagles is terrifying

MW

[sleepyowl]

Hello, don't eat too much rabbit though as it leaches iron out of your diet

[Millymollymandy]

Hello and welcome!