Have a Mini-Farm in Your Own Backyard – Part 2

After taking care of fruits, vegetables and herbs in Part 1, your self sufficient backyard farm could do even better if you could produce your own honey, eggs and cheese.

Honey, Eggs & Milk

Beehive

A beehive will be productive addition to your garden, especially if you need bees to cross pollinate your fruit trees. A simple backyard beehive is simple to install and doesn’t take up much space. You can order one over the Internet. The Top Bar Hive is designed to keep your bees happy and stress free without a lot of labor and no chemicals. You can purchase a swarm from a bee supply company, and you’re in business.

Hen Coop for Eggs

Keeping chickens may seem daunting, but when you are harvesting your own fresh eggs you will never regret it. Plan your backyard hen coop for an area sheltered from wind and sun, and make sure the coop adequately protects your birds from cold and rain. Your coop needs dry nesting boxes and an impervious floor – meaning that it won’t soak up moisture, so concrete is better than timber or earth. These coops will have netted “scratch’’ areas so your chickens can enjoy an earth floor as well.

You can buy ready made hen coops online, in a variety of designs suited to your needs. A movable hen coop on wheels might work better for your backyard, especially if you would like to let your chickens out to scratch around the backyard.

You can also find plans online to help you build your own customized hen coop. Once you have the hens’ home in place, buy first year pullets so you can start harvesting eggs as soon as they have settled in. If you want chicks, you will have to check with your local authority about keeping a rooster. Many councils and neighbors don’t mind chickens, but they draw the line at being woken up at dawn by a rooster!

The best breeds for backyard egg production are Dorking, Buckeye, Orpington, Barnevelder, Plymouth Rock and Sussex. These breeds are quiet and docile and make good pets where there are children to consider. Don’t choose a bird that is known to be aggressive or noisy.

Goats for Milk, Cheese and Yogurt

Your mini-farm can also produce milk, cream, cheese and yogurt, as long as local regulations allow. A small goat like the Australian Miniature Goat and other dwarf breeds will not take up much room and will prove an excellent pet although they do not produce as much milk as larger breeds. Of the larger goats, the Saanen and Nubian are pleasant to have around. Goats are generally placid, and easy to look after, as long as they are sensitively handled as kids. Make sure you know the temperament of your goat and never tether it near the washing line! (Yes, they do eat everything).

Operating a mini-farm in your backyard can be an adventure for all the family, and won’t outrage your neighbors if you keep the nuisance factor to a minimum, and share some of your bounty. While you won’t have the bountiful harvests of your dream small holding, you will often have so much produce that you won’t know what else to do with it!

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