Homesteading with a full time job!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- I will show you how I balance homestead and work on an actual work day. I will provide you a timeline and breakdown on how we manage all of it.
Thank you for taking the time to watch.
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***********ROCKY CREEK HOMESTEAD****************
After battling Psoriasis for years, I discovered the power of quality food and its positive impact on my skin condition. This sparked my desire to raise my own quality food. So come along with our Family as we transition from urban living to small self sustaining family farm. Learn from both our successes and failures in hopes it may inspire others to try new things. We entered into this journey with no prior experience and hope to provide many laughs and learning experiences. We learned most of how to do what were doing from watching others and hope to be able to provide a similar learning opportunity to anyone else who may benefit from this. Thank you for coming along with us on this journey and we hope it is enjoyable for you and your family.
that was a very full day! back in the 80's when my girls were little, i too would get up an hour early for coffee and just Tamie time before the kids and husband were up. it was a very solid start to the day. thanks for sharing!
That hour is definitely a good time for me personally as well. Great minds think alike 😉. Thanks for watching.
My wife has been putting a big focus on family at the table . And I’ve loved it.
@@johnfuller6870 it’s a fading tradition. Glad y’all are doing it and liking it. 👍
I am trying to wake earlier, just to get time for self...but my toddler wakes between 6-6:30am and a 5am wakeup is hard 😔
So basically, you and your wife are extremely dedicated and disciplined. You start by going to sleep at a proper time, wake up well rested, make all your time productive, do things on a schedule and are well-rounded in your daily activities. Everything is in moderation, and nothing in excess. good job, this is very inspirational for those of us learning to incorporate more self-sufficiency. We don't have to move to the middle of nowhere and start homesteading full time, but can ease into homesteading while keeping elements of our current lives. Thanks!
With my job, sometimes things aren’t always the same as this video shows as life is full of variables. We do however try to maintain as much of a schedule as possible during the work week. Everyone seems to benefit best from the structure during the work week as well. My goal was to let people know it is possible. I appreciate your time spent watching our channel and hope your doing well.
New to your channel...I work fulltime and it is hard to homestead but I've been doing it most of my adult life...and I'm 52..I almost called my channel the halfass homestead because I can never get it all done🤣 you have a nice set up!
That name would have been awesome. There’s times I feel like that’s how we’re doing it. It’s so hard to balance it and this year with the new baby has really stretched time thin. We will just keep on pushing though. We appreciate you spending time with us and are glad to have you.
Omg, haha too funny on the (almost) homestead name!
Ok now that’s a funny name!
Ok, I love that name. I may have negotiate with you 🤣🤣
I feel the same way, never get it all done.
Great video, first time on your channel. Thank you
The fact I knew who q tip was right away once you turned the camera 😂 perfect name
🤣 she’s a legend. Thanks for watching
Yes sir!!! Them sock on point!
😆 thanks
@@RockyCreekHomestead you are welcome!
The hen that was of concern to you.....
One of the first things to check on a bird is the crop. Sometimes, things get kind of "stuck" especially if water consumption goes down.
Thanks for tip and feedback. Fortunately she bounced back on her own a few days later. We never quite knew for sure what the issue was.
@@RockyCreekHomestead critters do that. A vet once told me that the animals that looked like they should have been DOA were most likely to be the ones that survived a trauma. A friend's pig was sick. Vet could not figure things out. So the pig was turned loose in the back acreage. A week later, he showed up at the barn...Hale and hearty. Critters can, and will, fix themselves.
Wow that’s crazy. It is quite amazing how some animals can bounce back from some pretty bad stuff.
@@RockyCreekHomestead well, nature doesn't conflict them the way Big Pharma does us!
Question, for what reason do you have the rabbits? Do they provide benefits to you? Is ot for the rare small meal? Im just wondering why you have them. Everything else i can see a reasonable use, just not the rabbits
Also, great motivation. I am starting my move to homesteading, and also work a full time job. So, this is great to see.
So I originally got the rabbits to be a source of meat. Once we had the first litter of babies, my wife and daughter insisted that I couldn’t do that. So we sold those babies and now we pretty much just catch their manure for fertilizer. Rabbit manure is one of the best fertilizers and can be applied immediately without having to allow it to breakdown.
We've got fulltime jobs and working on the homestead. A huge garden, 58 chickens and other chores. It sure makes for some long days. Keep working hard. You're doing a great job!
Wow that’s a lot going on. Super impressive. I’m pretty pleased with our meat and egg production, I mostly need to get better with my garden production. It’s all part of the learning curve and seasons of life interfere occasionally. I appreciate the words of encouragement and thanks for watching.
My BF & I both work FT at different hospitals. We bought an old farmhouse on 3 acres. Definitely want animals at some point but the house and land need some work first. Feeling very overwhelmed and we haven't even moved in yet! I am excited to start our homestead journey! Thx for sharing!
Congratulations on the new property. Don’t rush it, take your time. Year 2 I recognized I was trying to do way to much and had to back up some. If I were to do it all over, I would’ve gotten 6 laying hens and focused on building a solid garden before moving on to pigs and meat chickens. You just do what fits in your schedule and just know something is better than nothing even if it’s a small amount. Best of luck and reach out with any questions.
Hey Erin would love an update, how are you and the family?
Also interested in an update
This sounds like exactly what we’re going through
Just take it one step at a time. It seems like a lot if you look at it as one big project, but the key is breaking it down into smaller compartmental projects. I also work full time at a hospital and I bought a house with an acre with the intention of doing a pretty intensive suburban homestead. It's just me and a dog, 5 chickens, and two barn cats here. Good luck and congratulations!
Eat at the dinner table... You are one of the few, your wife and children are blessed to have you. Thanks for sharing part of your life with us. Have a bless one. New subscriber.
Thank you. Life is so busy, it’s great to take 30-45 minutes out the day to just settle and focus on the family. We are glad to have you and appreciate the time you spend with us. Welcome!!!
You are a champ sir. I’m just starting a 25 acre homestead and have to work full time too. I’m happy I found your channel!
I feel you brother. I drive a semi 6 days a week Sundays through Friday. Have cattle, chickens, rabbits and about to ad pigs. My morning starts at 4am dont end til 8pm on a typical day. Wouldnt change it for anything
Wow that’s a long work day. I thought my 12 hour shifts at times was hard to balance. That’s awesome that your able to keep it all going though.
This is a really inspiring video. I've been wondering for a while if it would be possible to maintain my freelance business while living on a property and handling a reasonable amount of homesteading work. You seem to have proved it, and the key is consistency and discipline with time. I really appreciate you sharing this.
Your spot on. It’s all about figuring out a system that works and it becoming the new norm. Scaling it to what you available time allows is important as well. There’s a lot more I’d like to have and do, but now just isn’t good timing for it. Thanks for watching and glad to have you with us.
@@RockyCreekHomestead Agreed. Starting small and gradually adding. I think some people try to start too big and then quickly become overwhelmed and don’t know how to fix it.
@@robinfarrar3493 Having A supportive spouse/family is of utmost importance. I have a friend who keeps trying, yet her husband sabatoges everything she does.
@@terrywereb7639 Absolutely. People who intentionally sabotage someone who is actively trying to be self sufficient better be careful. They may end up…fertilizing…the crops. The hard way. Lol! Seriously though. When you have the domino effect of Covid, you start looking for disaster ‘proof’ ways to avoid going through it again. When you grow your own food, you don’t have a supply/demand issue. One would think he’d come to that conclusion.
Also, get some guinea fowl and let them free range. Your tick problem will go away
Peacocks are great for tick control also
This is very true; however, both are loud. So if you are worried about noise for the neighbors, you have to consider it. Of the two, i would choose the guinea fowl; I dont think that they range as far afield.
@@aessidhe6304 I live out in the country and can say that guinea fowl will range for a decent distance. I often have guineas from a neighbor a mile away roaming my driveway
Amen ,my husband and I we both have full-time jobs and we homestead and we start at 5:00 a.m. leave for work around 8:30 am come home around 5:30 pm go to bed at 9:30 ,10pm
It's not easy but it's very rewarding🙏💖
There’s certainly waves of where I’m wore out but the rewards make up for it. Thanks for sharing your situation and wish y’all the best.
Oh wow this sounds...better than my life right now u are blessed
My husband and I have been considering slowly starting our own little homestead of sorts. We both work very similar hours as you do and have an 11 month old, as well. You have made this seem very doable. Thank you for sharing your time with us and giving a nice glimpse of how you manage it all. Very inspiring!
That’s great that your considering it. The first year was amazing how much we got done. When we had another child that definitely slowed things down. It seems like we will just have to adjust each year based on what time allows and balancing what’s important. Thanks for watching.
If there is anything that I have learned in the short amount of time that I have been doing any amount of homesteading is, I wish I would have started sooner.
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the next best time is right now.
Me and my wife do the same, while taking care of a 11 month year old. Though yours is now 2 years old.
I understand the grind. My wife and I both work a full time job with occasional overtime and a part time job on the side. Keeping up with the animals and garden gets brutal but after you get the discipline and the routine it's remarkably relaxing.
Absolutely. After a long day at work, once I go out to check on the animals, it is an instant relief. The highs certainly outweigh the lows. Keep up the good work.
So very helpful! I appreciate the realistic number of animals and keeping a full time job. I want to keep a regular job for financial stability but want to raise and grow more of my own food.
So glad we can help. The short season that we raise meat chickens Definitely stretches me thin. Fortunately that’s only a 8-12 week time period. Outside of that stretch it’s very manageable. It’s not always easy, but certainly possible.
Time management is key!!! Thanks for sharing, I’m venturing into keeping chickens and I liked your set up a lot! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. Chickens are definitely a good animal to start with. Multi uses and easy to manage. If you have any questions, ask away and I’ll do my best to help.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!! Both my spouse and I work full time nights in health care. This pandemic has been ROUGH. We are tired, running out of patience, but we are still finding time to enjoy the one thing we both love- growing food in our small suburban homestead. We come home every morning, let the dogs out and do a 'garden tour' to see what has grown over night. Your home is lovely. Cheers xo
I can’t even imagine the toll the pandemic has taken on our healthcare workers. Thank you for your service. Thank you also for hanging out with us. This life is a lot of work, but if you enjoy it, then just fit it in as time allows. Happy growing and hopefully things will slow down in terms of the pandemic. Y’all stay safe and thanks again.
This was really hopeful! I'm a teacher just starting to build my urban homestead. This is very much how I structure my day!
Great! Glad it was a help. My wife is a school teacher as well so thank you for what you do.
My wife and I both work full time jobs and have been homesteading since 2017. We started our TH-cam channel to document our journey a little over a year ago. It is definitely a lot and anyone looking to get into the homesteading lifestyle needs good time management skills for sure!
Not too many people talk about how it takes 10X’s as long to get anything done on a homestead when you are actually trying to film and get various angles, B-roll and other video needed to make it more interesting to watch.
Keep up the good work. I think many people will benefit from your information. 👍
It definitely adds to the time. We just hit our 1 year anniversary on TH-cam and having a new born shortly after starting our channel definitely made it harder as well. Nonetheless we’re still finding ways to get things done. Appreciate you stopping by and spending time with us. I’ll be sure to jump over and check out what y’all have going on.
@@RockyCreekHomestead It was our pleasure. Congrats on your newborn and your 1 year anniversary on TH-cam! Wishing you an amazing 2021 season.
@@CelticRootsFarm (
Staying organized and on top of time management is extremely important. Having worked administrative jobs I created a duty spreadsheet with task assgnments and expectations. It's really helpful as it helps me look at the realistic side of adding another animal or extra few rows of the garden to my already busy day. I wouldn’t trade it for anything though. It's hard work but fulfilling and rewarding.
That’s a pretty nifty idea. There’s certainly days here and there I don’t feel like messing with it, but the rewards always remind me of why I do it.
This is inspiring. I dont work outside the home but I raise kids, run a household and homeschool. Some days get a little overwhelming but days I get out early to take care of all the animals and garden do go much smoother. Luckily my kids are now at the age where they are very helpful.
That is plenty of work in itself. Those few early days sure are nice. I can’t wait until mine are able to do more and more. Appreciate you watching and thanks for the kind words.
Thank You! I am a single mom of teens and really have wanted to try this lifestyle. This gives me an idea of what is possible and what I need to consider doing in small steps
I’ll glad it was a help. It is certainly something I’ve just added a little bit here and there over time. Sometimes I realize I’ve added to much a new back up some. I recommend a couple laying hens (3-4) and a few raised beds as a great beginning. Both are easy to maintain and not a lot to mess up. If I can be of any help along the way, let me know. Thanks for watching.
We don't have a blog/vlog or anything like that, but by anyone's standards we are homesteaders long before it became the new buzz word. My wife and I own close to 500acres, raise beef cattle, chickens, fatten a couple of pigs a year, and have 3 kids and hunting hounds. Huge garden as well. We also hunt more than most people could imagine. Stocked 3 ponds so we have an endless supply of fish as well. For 19 beautiful years of marriage, eat supper at our table every single night. And both work full time jobs. The unbelievable part?......rebuilding a 100yr old farmhouse from the ground up
Wow you got a lot going on. I don’t know where to start with 500 acres 😳. Sounds like you have an amazing journey. Appreciate your time spent with us, so thank you.
Sweet potato leaves and some spinach for...snacks..before breakfast....( .and some veggies cuttings.....
New subscriber. Looking forward to your channel and journey. God bless you all and many prayers 🙏🏻 Nurse Judi in Scottsdale AZ and Eucharistic Minister 🙏🏻
Great video!!! You seem like a very kind and hardworking guy! Not too many left lol. I’m working full time and saving up to buy a house with some land to start mine! Hoping one day I’ll be able to only homestead but nice to know it’s doable with a job!
Thank you very much. It is most certainly doable. You just need to take small steps and eventually determine where your limits are. We thank you very much for spending time with us and watching. If we can be of any help in the future, just let us know.
This makes me feel so happy to be able to work and farm and do all of my canning and freezing. Thank you to my family for helping me with making syrup and helping me with label design you are so precious to me. Thank you to everyone who keeps buying our cookies as well. I appreciate everyone
That’s awesome. I can’t wait until my son is older so he can begin helping some as well. The more people that pitch in the easier it certainly is.
When my chickens are ailing I give them fresh garlic chopped up. It's suppose to be a natural antibiotic. I sure hope she gets better quick! Year before last I nearly lost my whole flock due to a respitory mess. They were on antibiotics from the vet and just kept dyeing anyway. We tried everything and then a lady online told me just let it be and the ones that make it will have go immune systems and strong and she said then I'd have a strong flock and to start over breeding that stock then. I didn't have a roo so I didn't start over with them.
I actually just read about garlic and it’s help with chickens. I fed some recently and added some in their water. The Welsummer ended up being okay since this video and was re-introduced about a week or so later. We’ve been lucky over the years and haven’t had a major illness spread. I appreciate the tip and appreciate you hanging out with us. Take care.
Oregano oil works great, and a little Apple cider vinegar in the water every day also helps as prevention
Thanks for letting us know that it is possible to farm and work full-time! Your pigs were too funny.
The pigs are the best 😄. It’s a lot of work sometimes and some days not too bad. It’s just about not overdoing it and slowly building up as time allows. Thanks for watching and spending your time with us.
My man, you need to start automating your chores for your own health if you continue to work a full time job on top of this. This will allow you to enjoy your life more and relieve some stress!
Over time I have shortened the process by simplifying things. Some things I prefer to do manually as I like the interaction with the animals and making sure their feed and water may be a bit fresher. As I age I’m sure much of that may change. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
Maybe this is what he enjoys. It doesn’t seem back breaking or stressful.
Youve inspired me to start saving up for a homestead :), do the 3 acres you own allow you to eat daily full meals from? (from your own livestock and garden)
Between the chicken and pork we raise, we are able to supply most of our meat consumption. We purchase a 1/4 beef from a local farmer. During the spring and summer, we are mostly able to provide for daily meals. Fall months are a period I still need to learn to grow better in. We’ve been able to cut our grocery bill by about 50%. I’d always like a few more acres, but our 3 acres seems to be able to meet our needs. The lands still pretty raw and rocky, so we have more improvements to do in order to use more area.
This! Is a REAL man! I absolutely love his drive and the way he provides and protects his family. God bless you all.
Thank you for those kind words. It’s a bit of work but it’s all worth it in the end.
@ 9:20 the caption says "Crack mom in the house." 😂
Oh man 😂. TH-cam translates my mumbles about as good as Siri listens to me 🤦🏻♂️.
Apple cider vinegar in chicken water. It helps. Pigs too babies too
We use acv in our chicks water and we do it intermittently for the older chickens. I haven’t provided it to the pigs though. I didn’t really think of that. Appreciate it and thanks for spending time with us.
Great video, I know what its like to work a job and try to establish yourself or continue to sustain yourself. Just stumbled upon your channel, you have a great setup. How much land do you have for the animals?
We have 3 acres. A little over 2 is what I consider useable for raising animals or growing food. It is certainly hard to balance it all at times but we always figure out a way to make it work. Thanks for hanging out with us.
Time management is definitely key... Looks like you've got your routine nailed down pretty good. Keep your scale down to what you can manage efficiently and be willing to work long hours! Enjoyed the video, thanks!
Thanks buddy. It is about finding that balance. I’ve over extended at times and had to scale back. I may not be fully sustainable but I think producing a large portion of what we need is still great. I appreciate you watching and thanks for the great comment!
You're doing an awesome job! My husband and I have a couple goats (for fun at the moment) and chickens for eggs on 1/2 acre in FL but are looking at buying more land in TN or KY to start homesteading. One thing I've always struggled with are bugs in the garden. I'll get the tomatoes and cucumbers growing great then white flies and green caterpillars ruin it all. How do you manage pest control without adding chemicals to the garden?
I’ve been fortunate and haven’t been hit with the green caterpillars yet. My biggest pest struggle has been squash bugs. They tend to hit around the mid point of the growing season. If I don’t check on the garden at least every other day they can take over. I have lost some plants to them. I try to stay on top of it by alternating neem oil and garden safe insecticidal soap. Eventually they do take over the cucumbers and squash but the rest of my plants seem to hold up fine. This year was my first time with voles and they did far more damage than bugs so that was a new adventure. It’s always something and sometimes it goes well and sometimes bad. It’s frustrating at rimes but they’re learning moments.
Planning to buy a lot to do a smaller scale of what you have: veggie garden, small orchard and chickens, and I have been thinking, will it be possible to get things done in the morning before work? I would have to drive 1 hour, but your video gave me hope!! Thanks for sharing it!
It certainly can be done, I just suggest starting small and adding a little each year based off how time seems to be balancing. Thanks for watching and spending time with us.
I try to automate/systemize things. It only takes 20-25 mins to water our 50+chicken, feed them, feed our hogs, water our hogs, feed goats , water goats, water garden and feed other animals. (Dogs, rabbit, cat, 6 ducks, and 6 turkey. Eggs are collected twice a day by my wife or kids. On the weekends we put in 3-4 hours per day or more if there are projects. Like you we feed our pigs twice a day. My wife likes mowing the lawn and weeding the garden, she finds it relaxing. I more than work full time, 10-12 hour days. I also cook dinner 3 nights a week. We grow most of our own food or buy it from my neighbors. I usually buy 3/4 of a cow a year. We do meat birds but never process in the summer, too hot.
Sounds like a system that works for y’all and is balanced very well. We hope to get goats one day but it will be a bit before we’re ready. It’s a hectic life but a life worth living. Appreciate you spending time with us and y’all take care.
I feel sorry for your trees
If You leave enough space around your tomatoes so you can stir the soil occasionally the fruit will be much healthier and plumper.
Thank you for that advice and appreciate you watching.
I'm here for the pig fight ;p
Wish 8 hour days paid the bills around here. Chores be easy too.... these 10-12 hour days make it a lil tougher.
10-12 hours does make it a little tougher. I haven’t always had the daylight schedule. A portion of time doing this I worked 12 hour shifts. It took a little time to adjust to make it work, but we still found a way. Thanks for watching.
That's how I always feel watching this morning videos.....I'm not doing ANYTHING more then putting on clothes at 2-4am when I get up for work. Lol. I just do everything in the afternoon. Give extra to last throughout the next day
Super cool video! I think my husband really appreciated it. He didn’t say that in so many words, but I could tell. Lol.
Haha well I’m glad he appreciated it in silence 😂. Thanks for the compliment and thanks for taking time out of your day to spend it with us.
You may want to try a couple of guineas for the ticks. I was having trouble with them a few years ago. I bought 2 males & 8 keets at first but I've not had much trouble from ticks since (I've seen 3 ticks in the past 4yrs).
I’d like to but unfortunately my county requires over 5 acres to have guineas and I only have 3.
Late to the comment, but hey the algorithm is what it is. Wife and I have been debating about livestock vs gardens and i think you just pushed us to both! We both have full time jobs, we both work as little as possible because we love being here and love doing projects. but we both werent sure we could take care of things. Well, i think you just proved that you can.
thanks and i subbed because this is quality content! Keep it up!
No worries for being late. We’re glad to have you with us. I’d love to garden year round but unfortunately a summer garden is all I can manage at this point. Once all the infrastructure is done, livestock really isn’t bad if it’s kept small scale. I can’t wait to hear what y’all end up doing in the future. Best of luck and let me know if I can help any. I’m not a pro or expert, but I’ve certainly learned from some of my mistakes.
@@RockyCreekHomestead much appreciated! Yeah, we would love gardening year round but being in the PNW it’s near impossible especially on our property with all the trees. our high tunnel struggles even in the summer. If we have questions we will definitely reach out!
Love the channel and your attitude!
I love this video so much, thank you for this
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Appreciate you taking the time to watch.
0:23 coffee-flavored water
😂 I like that coffee flavored water
This dose of reality is exactly what I needed! I have hemmed and hawed for years on getting chickens, Muscovy ducks, a sheep, a pig or a miniature pony which are all allowed in my suburban area. I only have experience running a horse farm. I am not the bravest sort and worry about mites or issues on the chickens. Now I hear ticks on the pig. I try to think of farrier for the pony, but don't know what the pig or sheep need. I am more focused on growing more veg so this helped me appreciate that I STILL am in the thinking stage. I am massively slow, but want future animals happy and healthy if I do get one. Thanks so much; take care!
If I were to start over, I’d like to have focused more on a produce garden first, establish it then add animals. I think focusing on the vegetable garden is a good idea. If you keep your chickens to a manageable number and keep their area clean, mites shouldn’t become to much of an issue. The pigs are my favorite, particularly Kunes. Their temperament is amazing and I can’t imagine raising any other type of pig. Thanks for watching and I’m glad to have along with us.
Love the video how come I didn’t find this channel before , how cute is the blue coop 😍
Thank you. We’re glad to have you along with us. This has been a journey both as a homestead and learning to navigate this TH-cam thing as I’m not very technologically savvy. Thank you for spending time with us and please let me know if I can be of any help. I’m not an expert, but I’ll try my best to assist.
@@RockyCreekHomestead thank you so much God bless 🙏🏼
New subscriber and first video I’ve watched! Great content! My wife and I just purchased almost 2 acres of land and will be building a home soon. I believe I’ll have a chicken coop up before the house 😂 it’ll be my first time raising farm animals and homesteading! We are so excited. We also work full time, glad I found you!
Congrats on the 2 acres. We have 3 but really only actively use about 1.5. A few laying hens and a garden would be my recommended start and add a little bit over time. The biggest cost and time consumer for me was setting up the housing and fencing. Once that part was done, it hasn’t been bad. Glad to have you and if we can be of any help, please reach out. I’m not a professional by no means but I have learned a few things along the way, some were learned the hard way. Thanks for watching.
@@RockyCreekHomestead thank you! That’s exactly our plan, hens and a garden - go slowly. Will definitely keep watching!! Thanks for your tips and it’s good to meet you. 😀
Great inspiration. I have always wanted to have a homestead. With what is happening in the world today, having a homestead is an ultimate idea.
I never would’ve thought things would be like they are. I’m very thankful I began when I did. Just adds to the reasons I am doing this. Thanks for watching.
I love that you make apending time enjoying your wife's company part if your daily routine. My husband and I do the same thing. Our relationship is the foundation of the family and home, if we neglect that we jeopardise everything else.
Awesome! Just bought 34 acres in Tennessee and can’t wait to get started homesteading! Even started our own TH-cam channel to document it all.
This was a really helpful video. Time management is so important in any field where you expend effort. I’m a new subscriber, so forgive me if you have answered this already or if I missed it in the video, but what is your day job? Just asking out of curiosity. Cheers!
Thanks for spending time with us today. I am a police officer and my wife is a school teacher. Time management is very much important with this type of lifestyle. Thanks for watching and take care.
@@RockyCreekHomestead Thank you for serving and great videos! We are just beginning our homesteading journey.
This is really helpful! We homestead on 2.5 acres. My husband works full time and I work part time from home. We have two young kids, and it is hard to keep up with all of the homesteading chores!But you're right--it is possible to balance working and homesteading if you get creative! Thank you for the practical ideas!
I’m glad you found it helpful. We’re really tired at times but we just do what we can. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn’t. Something is always better than nothing. Y’all keep up the good work and appreciate you taking the time to watch
That her has a seed under her tongue u can rip it out and she will go back to normal
🤔Never heard of that, didn’t know what was possible. Fortunately she went back to normal after just a few days. I left her isolated for about a week to be safe and then returned her. Thank you.
So glad I found this channel! If my husband and I can keep our jobs and start a small homestead, that would be amazing, and seeing your do it is very inspiring and also gives realistic expectations. More videos about routines, please and thank you 🙂
I’m glad it may be of a help. I’ve found at times I’ve done too much and had to back up because balance became more difficult. I may not be able to be fully self efficient at this time but it is still rewarding to know the great percentages I am able to produce on our own. If I can be of any help, please let me know. Thanks for watching and take care.
Excellent video sir. My day is pretty much identical to yours. I’m up at 4:30am during the week. We had 3 pigs (American Guinea Hogs) who got fed first because like you said, they get loud! 2 of them went to the processor this morning. Then we release the grown ducks and chickens from the coop and make sure they have plenty of feed and water. We have teenage birds in a chicken tractor and baby chicks in a brooder that’s in the garage. We also raise meat birds twice a year (50 total) in another chicken tractor that gets moved daily. All that has to be done by 5:30am. I drive 1 hour for a 9-10 hour work day and drive 1 hour home. So in total I’m gone for about 12 hours a day. When I get home I just do an overall check to make sure everyone is ok. Then we eat dinner and this time of year we are starting to tend to the garden and doing other projects that need to be addressed. Overall it’s a very long day but at the end of the day it’s a rewarding one, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Thanks for showing that homesteading with a full time job is possible, I can definitely speak on that!
Wow buddy that is a full day. Doubling our meat bird production along with the baby this year has certainly made it more difficult this year. I am completely exhausted some days but like you said it’s rewarding. It’s nice in the fall and winter when things aren’t as hectic and you can look in those freezers and cabinets and see all your hard work readily available. Thanks for sharing your day and glad to have you along with us. Take care.
4:30 am start. That’s a long day! Can’t be a slacker and do homesteading! Been wanting to do this for a while but I’m divorced and work a 12 hour day. Not sure if I could manage a full setup like yours but I am looking to see where I can start. Thanks for showing us your own experience.
Work schedule certainly does limit some of what I’d like to do. I look at it as something is better than nothing. If I didn’t have the pigs I probably wouldn’t need to start near as early. At some point I want to add an auto chicken door which would help significantly as well. There’s some ways to lessen time quite a bit but it takes a while. Thanks for watching and wish you best as you maybe start to experiment with growing some of your own food.
I could never wait that long for coffee. K cups for me!
Haha some mornings it is brutal waiting 😂. I can’t do the k cups, it’s just too expensive in my opinion. It sure is a nice thing to have though.
So glad to have found this channel! My husband and I just bought 10 acres and are starting the process of creating a homestead and documenting our adventures on TH-cam as well. Will DEFINITELY be tuning into your videos for more helpful tips! ❤
My wife and I recently purchased a decent size place in the country, but close enough to the city for our jobs & my son's school. So far we only have chickens, but considering more "real" homesteading like you both are doing. It is great to see folks who work full-time & homestead. What might you recommend as the next step for animals? We have 15 acres & a horse barn. Not wanting horses, but looking for more at-home food production. Thanks in advance!
Wow, I'd love to have 15 acres! First, thanks for hanging out with us and watching our content, we're glad to have you. Hands down my favorite animal to raise is our pigs. They are actually much easier to raise than I thought they would be. Now I will say, Kune Kunes are much more docile and a bit smaller than your typical pig so this may be why I think they're so easy. They are a lard type breed, which means although we get decent amount of meat from them, we also get a lot of fat. We like this though, because we want both meat and lots of fat to render for lard and to hopefully one day make lard soap. I debated between kune kune and american guinea hogs. Id say if you want to test waters with larger scale meat production, I'd go with pigs or if your comfortable eating goat, meat goats. I've ate goat and didnt mind it, but my wife will never eat goat. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions feel free to ask. Thanks again.
@@RockyCreekHomestead thanks for the quick reply. I'll definitely look into Kune Kunes. I've already been making soap (both bar & liquid castile-which I turn into shampoo) for a few years. So having good lard would be perfect. It is nice raising our son a bit more out in the sticks, and having more time for family... even though we have homestead chores.
Sounds great! I may be reaching out to you for soap advice in the future. Soap and bread making are two things I really want to learn within the next year.
@@RockyCreekHomestead Absolutely--feel free to reach out.
I wish I only worked those hours. I'm 61 just bought my homestead a year ago and still working 60+ hours a week as a truck driver. Only have piggies, about 20 chickens, guineas and ducks right now and a garden fail. Hopefully get things ironed out more in the coming year. You make it look doable.
Wow, that’s amazing you manage what you do have while putting in that many hours on the road. I’ve learned working full time that adding to the homestead is a slow process in order to maintain a balance. Thanks for watching and thanks for your efforts as a truck driver because we need them more than ever now.
You certainly can save a lot of time by going to automatic watering systems and feeders. Just a suggestion coming from experience.
Appreciate the tip. Maybe one day we’ll get set up with it.
@@RockyCreekHomestead a food grade 55 gallon drum ( cost about $35.00 ea.) with low pressure hog nipples (you can get nipples from jeffers vet supply @ $5.00 each or TSC) is very inexpensive and you can use a 55 gallon drum with faucet attached to a shallow automatic float trough (used for horse stalls) for poultry watering. For feed a 5 gallon bucket with. 2in pvc fittings sealed in place for feeder openings at bucket base. This is very easy to set up and it will save you many hours per week in labor. Once it is set up all you have to do is monitor holding tank levels and have a garden hose available for your fill-ups and a bucket to restock feed as needed. This gives you time to take on other projects or to scale your homestead. Happy farming. If you want to know more about set up just email me and ill be happy to answer any questions
Cool video. My wife and i live on a homestead in Wisconsin. We also both have full time jobs. What do you use for weed killer?
The only place I use any weed killer at is along the edge of the gravel driveway. I only get it once a year and honestly can’t remember the name of it. Around the gardens and other areas I don’t use any types of weed killer. I just pull by hand, weed eat regularly and use the fabric to control them.
Here's where multi-generation living can help. Even having an older friend at church, a neighbor or parent close can be a boon. Errands run, am or pm feedings/chores, meeting delivery/repair folks, and even just eyeballs on your place for security, animal welfare in heat or cold - the more items you delegate to someone that cares and has a schedule that allows them to work when you cant can make a HUGE difference. The synergy can help you level up.
If you have a tick problem, may I suggest Guineafowls.
I found this so inspiring. Thanks for sharing a look into your life and animals. Hard work!
Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to watch.
@@RockyCreekHomestead absolutely. I can’t wait to catch up all the videos
This great I'm a full-time preacher trying to keep a garden and animals going. This was great to see
Awesome. It’s a bit of a balance but it can be done.
This is what my brother did with rabbits, chickens, and sheep. It works well on days that are uneventful. Get and injured or sick animal, and he couldn't do it without me. I spent one year there helping. When I moved, he sold all the animals except chickens. So having extra time for emergencies is something to factor in.
Appreciate the feedback. We’ve had an emergency here and there come up and fortunately we have friends near by that have a small farm and we help each other when needed.
I really hope your channel grows cause more people should see these good videos 😁
Thank you, we really appreciate your time spend with us. Thankfully we are growing little by little.
what breed of pig do you have? they are probably the most adorable I've ever seen!
Thanks, they’re Kune Kune. I was originally going to get American Guinea Hogs, but through more research I came across these. They’re more expensive but oh so worth it. By far my favorite animal we raise.
@@RockyCreekHomestead I thought they looked like kune kune, what sort of weight do they finish out of ?
Awesome video! Keep it up, very inspiring. One question, what size property is that?
Thank you. We have 3 acres in total, but only use around 2 acres currently. Our ground is very rocky so I’m limited on which areas I can use. It’s been enough for us while we both work full time, but ideally in the future I’d like to have maybe 5 acres.
@@RockyCreekHomestead that’s pretty cool how you use the space though. That’s a great lifestyle to have, God bless!
This is a great one. Thank you for sharing this. I love to have a farm like that. :)
Thank you, it’s a bit of work but it’s a lot of fun, especially when my daughter gets involved.
@@RockyCreekHomestead I can relate. 😊 Keep creating awesome videos like this.
So do you do projects and canning on the weekend? I find my garden takes sometime every evening
looks like a lifestyle where insomnia would absolutely destroy you
Fitness is important to me as I’m on a weight loss journey and homeschool the 3 kiddos… this seems feasible enough to still had in 10-45min workout and my full time job is taking care of the home and schooling… and have the afternoon time to just be with the family. I love it. Curious has it been mentioned what time y’all go to bed?
I used to go to the gym at 4:30 and then feed animals immediately upon returning home at 5:30. Once my son was born it’s been much harder to work out and I need to really get back on track. I typically go to bed around 9-9:30. My children go to bet around 8:30 and I try to take care of a few things and then I’m soon to follow. Thanks for watching.
How do you do this in the winter all in the dark? Do you guys take vacations?
Great questions. In the winter my morning chores are in the dark. I use a headlamp or flashlight and I have a spot light on one corner of our home that provides some light to where the animals are. Afternoon chores aren’t an issue. We do take one vacation a year. We have a friend who has animals as well. We coordinate a week to be different from their week so we can care for each other’s animals during the vacations. I hope this helps.
@@RockyCreekHomestead thanks for the reply. I'd be worried more about caring for someone else's animals than them caring for mine.
Understood. Our friend has some animals I don’t (baby doll sheep and goats). I just follow the directions they give me. So far everything’s worked out.
I died when he said "Q-Tip" in reference to the fluffy headed chicken! 😂😂
😂 Q-tip is a legend. She’s not as spunky as she’s getting older but she still has some fire to her
G'day from Adelaide, South Australia 🇦🇺 🐨 🇦🇺 A great informative video
Hello Australia!! Thank you and Thanks for watching.
Nice I’ve been doing the same thing for the last decade! Glad to see someone else do it. I run my own asphalt company and have my own farm. It’s nice just getting into Society when I need to work to make money and then I just get to play at my farm with my animals all day! It’s so fun!
Oh man, I bet the summer months get chaotic with the asphalt business. That’s awesome that you’re able to find the balance. Hanging with the animals is definitely a great way to unwind after a busy day.
I know this was well over a year ago, but I had a similar situation with a chicken being off turned out she had been snake bit by a 6ft black snake the reason I knew this was for whatever reason it had struck and took off but I had caught it in the act again a night later as I went out there to close the coop door up. Maybe this was a similar situation I haven’t seen any update yet I am new to your channel. Great video though! Awesome setup you got here.
Oh wow, never thought of that occurring. Thanks for sharing. Fortunately she bounced back on her own and has been fine since.
My wife and I are both interested in possibly starting our own homestead and this helped clarify some questions we've had. Loved the video.
That’s great. I’m glad it was helpful. Feel free to reach out with any other questions you may have.
My husband and I have a business on the side, work a full time swing shift job, and are working on Homesteading 😵💫. I wake up no later than 3:30AM on day shift. And 2PM on Night shift. Good to see other hard workers
It’s definitely a grind. I commend you for keeping at it and finding a way. Keep it up.
I feel the struggles. I too have a full time job and taking care of our small farm is not easy. Luckily my wife is home full time and can help a lot. But, I try to get up before work to at least feed the pigs and chickens, especially on the days I don't have to be in until 9:30. My 7am days I usually do all my work when I get home at 3pm. It's still tough though
It certainly is hard to balance, but we figure out a way to get it done, or at least part of it done. We’d like to get guinea fowl to address the tick, but unfortunately our ordinances in our area won’t allow for them. Maybe one day if / when we have a bigger property, we will have more freedom with types of animals we can raise.
Just subscribed. You're doing awesome! Hope your hen heals up well. My Orpingtons have done that before. I put a bit of apple cider vinegar in my animals waters. God bless
She did bounce back. I appreciate the kind words and you taking time to hang out with us. Appreciate the tips and support.
Great video man. Great to see I’m not the only one that works full time job(many overtime days) and have a homestead. It’s ALOT of work but very rewarding
Amen! Working in law enforcement, I get a lot of overtime as well. Those days / weeks really make it a task. The harder it is the more it’s appreciated in the end though. Most homesteading channels have at least one person at home full time, so I felt this was important to show perspective from a completely full time working homestead family. Thanks for hanging out with us, we appreciate your time with us.
@@RockyCreekHomestead thank you for your service and keeping our community safe
Thank you!!
21:35 those hogs need a plastic swimming pool 😅
spectacular upload Rocky Creek Homestead. I shattered the thumbs up on your video. Always keep up the solid work.
Thank you, we appreciate the support.
Video was a bit choppy at first. I can't wait till I have a full day on my farm and garden.
I’d love to only have it to focus on so I could do so much more. Maybe one day either my wife or I can at least stay home. Baby steps is all I tell myself. Thanks for watching
Subscribed!! Now get free roaming guineas for the tick issue
I’d like to get some, but unfortunately our county has regulations not allowing guineas unless you have over 5 acres. We only have 3 for now. Thanks for subscribing, we greatly appreciate it.
This is my dream!! 😍
Take baby steps and turn your dream into a reality 👍. If we can help along the way, let us know. Thanks for watching.
Thats awesome. I work alot and raise a garden plus chickens and ducks . And we have always done great
That’s great. I really want to get ducks, but with a new baby this year and wanting to increase our meat and garden production this year, it just wasn’t feasible right now. Thanks for hanging out with us.
Just found you guys...popped up on my feed today (4/2/21!). Love that she saved you from the bug too :). And a great video and showing folks. TY!
So many channels I watched were of people who at least one person didn’t work. I just wanted people to know it is possible even working full time. We’re thankful and glad to have you joining in with us. Thank you for the support.
I’m doing what little I can in my townhome and really hope to have a yard in the future to be able to spread out a bit more and include more things!
It’s all about doing what you can with what you got. I started very small in the City and before you knew it here I was. It all comes with time but I commend you for doing what you can. Thanks for watching and best of luck as you work towards your place with a yard.
I need to leave my house before 6am to drop my son off at school and be on time for work. I want to start with chickens. Will feeding them around 5am work if it's still dark outside?
Yes that will work fine. They will most likely just stay in the coop for a bit until it begins to lighten up a little. Sometimes I have to be at work early and have open their coop as early as 4:00am.
Around what time do you put them up. I'm on 2 acres BTW and just in the planning stage.
They go in on their own once it gets dark, so I just head out shortly after dark and close them up.