Thanks for sharing your farm. Why are the wild turkeys in cages?

Nice set up. Rolling chicken cages are great. Where did you get the wheel and frame units?

Many people keep wild turkeys, and all sorts of other wild species, such as pheasants and waterfowl, in enclosed pens. Keeping wild turkeys is illegal in NH, but not in all states.

The wild turkeys are in cages because they're a wild species kept as a domestic breed. These turkeys have been captive bred for many generations. I actually got the young from a breeder in Montana a few generations ago.

I had the metal frame for the rolling pens made at a local welding shop. The tires are wheelbarrow tires from Lowe's. They're about five years old.

Nice set up Stone! I've seen your photos of your greenhouse set up and aquaponics. You guys need to look it up, this man has what I refer to as an integrated, intensive farm.

Stone, how much acreage are you using? Between the GH's, poultry, hogs, cattle, orchard and other garden(s) it is sort of hard for me to estimate.

I love the idea of the moveable chicken coops. I would have thought thier height would be a problem down in Hurricane country, I know they would be up here in Tornado Alley. If I try them I will have to build them lower to prevent rollover.

One of the major "hardware" companies that sometimes gets mentioned in the Greenhouse forum carries the extra large casters with pneumatic tires. They are pricey, but probably no more than having a welding shop make them up for you. Personally, I would just go to a junk yard and get the back axle, tires and wheels out from under a front wheel drive car or mini van that had a solid rear axle. You can then build a steel frame and construct your coop on top of that. Whenever you want to move it, just jack up the end with a tongue on it, and tow it behind your tractor or pick up.

Cool ideas, and great photos! Thanks for sharing Stone.

I have 30 acres, although 25 are wooded.

Good ideas you offered on building a rolling pen. The pens are really very stable. They've been through a hurricane or two, no problem and no tip-overs.

Right now, I'm gearing up to supply food for the family, hopefully developing systems that will be able to produce food on a commercial scale in a couple of years. The focus is on heirloom and heritage breeds.

Stone,
I knew you had a smaller tract, but did not remember how much acreage you were actually using. All of that on 5 acres is pretty intensive! Do you have any plans on clearing any more ground or is it situated to where it would be prohibitive to do so?

I have a little less than four acres with two houses on it, and would like to try my hand at Aquaponics. My biggest problem here is to do it year round you have to use a greenhouse and the winter heating expenses would be prohibitive. I have thought of an earth contact design with solar hot water heaters, and a ground loop heat pump. I would also want to install a wind powered generator, photovoltaic panels and a battery storage system. Overall a very expensive set up, at first, but should pay it's way in the end.

I hope when I grow up I can find a rich widow who would finance all my crazy dreams! Until then I will just have to keep on working and trying to get it done.

Well, keep on posting those pictures and sharing your experiences.
Kevin

Loved the pictures! I wish I more flat areas like that. I have a slight slope, which seems great in the winter when build up of sludge from the pig gets bad. The water can run off.

Thank you for sharing
Lisa

I'm lucky that the soil where the pigs live is very sandy. The waste breaks down and easily filters into the soil. So, the pens --which are large to begin with-- stay relatively clean and odor free. Of course, it helps when it rains, and we've had precious little of that lately.

Stone,

I was wondering if you are in the area being affected by the wildfires down there in Florida. The weather map showed a number of spots where there are fires currently burning, and ones where there are fire hazard warnings.

Also does it look like Andrea is going to impact you, or are you likely to just have some rain out of it?

Take care,
Kevin

No fires near me; not even any smoke. Lots of thick smoke in Jacksonville, Orlando and farther south, though. I live in the Panhandle; farther west than the smoke plume. Not predicted to get any rain off Andre either, I'm afraid.

The Panhandle is a good place to live. With global warming, I figure we'll all have entire orange groves pretty soon. I actually have some citrus now that can survive the winter. I've got key limes growing fast right outside my front door. We have a great combination of relatively cheap land (as compared to South Florida), clean and plentiful groundwater, and mild winters.

Sounds wonderful! Land here is going through the roof where it is near towns and cities. Where I am we are seeing the compounded problems of suburban sprawl, urban and suburban flight, commuter families and weekenders. I really don't blame them, but I hate that I live in an unplanned/unzoned county. Some of our best farm ground is being made into subdivisions with covenants and restrictions that prohibit owners from even having small stock (rabbits, pygmy goats, chickens, etc.). I know my situation is way too common now a days.

Good luck!
Kevin

Land prices are booming where I live, too. In 1994, a 31-acre parcel right beside me sold for $120,000. In 1998, it sold again for $160,000. Right now, you'd be lucky to pick it up for $500,000. But, in more remote areas of Florida, you can still get good land for about $5,000 an acre.

Here, prices vary widely. My neighbor is wanting $6000 per acre for 10 acre lots. Many are selling smaller farms near town for $5000 per acre, while farms out in the more rural sections go for half that. Most of the price variation is due to location. If it is on a paved state maintained highway, near town and with some utilities (municipal water, power and telephone) you can just about name your price.

It's crazy when you consider my folks bought this place in 1963 for $12,000 with about half of that going into remodeling the house. When I built my house in 1999 it cost me close to $150,000 and when I remodeled the old house in 2003 it was around $60,000. My last appraisals show the value at close to $300,000.
Kevin

I really ejoyed your farm pictures. We bought 7 acres of old pastureland, newly fenced with ditches and culverts on the front and back of the lot for $42,000 in July 2004. This is in Charlotte County. It took us another couple of years to save for the house and we hope to move in this winter. We were very lucky to buy when we did because the land is now selling for $30,000 an acre in our area. At the moment it is pretty remote being 20 miles to the nearest gas station, but I doubt it will remain that way for long. It is only 30 miles to the beach, Arcadia and Ft. Myers. I love hearing nothing but the lowing of cows and the sound of wind through the trees.

We are retired and want to have a sustainable farm with a garden, fruit trees, chickens for meat and eggs, a couple of cows for milk and the freezer and maybe a coule of pigs.

We love the climate in SW Florida and feel blessed to have what we have. I know it will be hard work, but it will be a labor of love. We have waited all our lives for this opportunity.
Jo

Jo:

That sounds great. I envy you the warm winter weather. You can grow things (like tomatoes) during the winter that would never make it where I live.

I looked in the local paper this weekend and saw a few farms for sale with land in the $3,000-$4,000 per acre range. It's more remote than my farm, but it's still within a 45-minute drive of Tallahassee. That strikes me as a good deal for people looking for a nice place to live.

The USDA zone map needs updating. If you check the New York Times climate zone map you will see how quickly the warmer zones are creeping North. Charlotte County is zone 9 on USDA and zone 10 on the updated map. Summer is pretty much the same (hot) all over Florida, but winter lows are warming up.
Jo

Rolling chicken pens !!! Quite creative and inspiring. Is that to stop the snakes and the other pests from getting to the chickens?

The primary purpose of the rolling pens is to produce compost where I need it. And, you keep the chicken pen clean simply by moving it away from the growing manure pile they leave in their wake. But, it also is pretty much predator proof. Last weekend, I installed automatic waterers in the rolling pens that you hook up to a water hose with a quick disconnect fitting. So, the birds have an unlimited supply of clean water. Now, all I do is feed the chickens and roll them wherever I need the manure. Other than that, no maintenance.

That sounds like an excellent idea when it comes to predators. Is it really predator proof?

It is completely predator proof. I've never had a predator-related death in the rolling pens.