We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

[jwcarlson]

The last few months have been a whirlwind for us. Our goal has always been to get out of the city and onto some land. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I have completely left the fishkeeping hobby and there's very little chance that re-entering that hobby happens unless we move again or when the kids grow up and move out. We've been passively looking for an acreage for years, but got more serious recently. This place popped up and while the house is not really at all what we're looking for... the land checked most of the boxes and the yard is 180 times bigger. We've been out here about two weeks. The kids and the dogs are loving it. My wife and I are also enjoying it, but there's a lot more things that adults have to deal with, as we all know. There's a wild number of critters around. Lots of rabbits, a surprising lack of squirrels, lots of birds, etc. Seems like we're finding something new daily. Snakes, rabbits, turtles, toads, different frogs, muskrats, deer, etc.

There are a couple small ponds near the house and two other ponds (all of them under a half acre, I think). There's also a pretty good sized creek that winds through most of the property which is irregularly shaped, fairly narrow (about 800 feet wide at the widest) and smack on a half mile long.

The pond has fish there from a guy who does some commercial type fishing, apparently some big catfish. We haven't tried catching any big ones. I agreed that I would let him get them out (if he wants to). We'll see if he wants to try wrangling them or if he just ends up leaving them. My long-term goal would be a manage these smaller ponds for large bluegills which is basically just bluegills and largemouth bass putting heavy pressure on the bluegills such that a handful get old and big, but the majority of the spawn ends up being food for the bass. That's way down the line. So maybe the fishkeeping hobby just changes a bit...

Thanks for looking!

The goldfinches are fun to watch in the ponds. I wouldn't expect them to kind of stand in the water like they do...

[jeep]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Congratulations! That sounds awesome. I'd like to do the same thing some day.

Blue Gill and LM Bass are a great mix. Both are fighters and very tasty! Fingerlings are actually pretty cheap if you have a hatchery near by.

And look at that tad pole. I'm sure it'll make a big loud bullfrog some day.

[Second Hand Pat]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

That is awesome Jacob and your kids will grow-up so much healthier. I am a native Florida and grew up in Melbourne Beach. Those were the days when you knew all the neighbors, roamed the neighborhood like you owned it and you could go into a neighbors yard without them calling the police. My daughter was born in Co. and we moved back to Florida when she was five. We decided to move to the country where things were more like when I was a kid. I wanted Diana to be outside and to have critters etc.

That is when we got into horses, chickens, geese, snakes, bunnies etc. and Diana was outside all the time. She grew up exactly as I hoped. Today she is an engineer like her parents, lives on two acres and I have grand ponies and puppies lol.
Pat

[jwcarlson]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Thanks, Brian, it's been fun! It's certainly a bullfrog tadpole, but there's at least a few types of frogs around. Right now there's a lot of bluegills (and some golden shiners as pictured). But mainly it's flathead catfish and some channel catfish. There's not really suited for pond life long-term, I don't think. But this guy is mainly using it as a big holding tank, basically.

Pat, what kind of engineers are you and Tom? I'm an electrical engineer. We're over the moon to get our kids out of town even though we do live in a small town (less than 30k people). I always say that we've been living a country life, but in-town. We've had chickens for 6 or 7 years. I have no intention of having horses, but hope to get some sheep sometime next spring. I've also been keeping bees for 10 years. I was getting out of the beekeeping business, but with the new place, I will continue to do that. Nothing has extensive as I used to, but maybe 10 colonies instead of 40.

We've always tried to keep our kids relatively outdoors and active, but it's always a struggle with such limited space like we had. It's tough to get them back in the house right now. I'm sure a little of that newness will wear off at some point, but they're loving the freedom. Even our youngest, who we were most concerned about not necessarily liking it. I've always said that I want to raise dirtballs and they're certainly rising to the challenge! haha

[brewmaster15]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Jacob Congrats on the new Adventure! It sounds like a really awesome homestead you guys have moved to. I hope you keep popping in to share.

The snake you are holding .. hard to see from the pic but is it a DeKays snake or something related?


You know at some point.. on 30 acres maybe a small fish shed will be in your future. I don't think you will be lacking for interesting critters to watch where you are though.

Any thought of putting in a solar array ?

[LizStreithorst]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

I live in the sticks, too. In my condition, I'd be better off living in an apartment in the city where everything was just a trip down the elevator in my handicapped scooter away. But the thought of living cheek to jowl with neighbors is something I couldn't handle. My dogs couldn't handle it either. They're used to running free, same as me. Before I had my old mare PTS even she was a free range horse.

Why sheep, Jake? Have you considered dairy goats? As long as you don't let your buck run with the does, the milk from the does is sweet and delicious. Nubian milk is the tastiest. It has a high percentage of butter fat.

[Second Hand Pat]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Thanks, Brian, it's been fun! It's certainly a bullfrog tadpole, but there's at least a few types of frogs around. Right now there's a lot of bluegills (and some golden shiners as pictured). But mainly it's flathead catfish and some channel catfish. There's not really suited for pond life long-term, I don't think. But this guy is mainly using it as a big holding tank, basically.

Pat, what kind of engineers are you and Tom? I'm an electrical engineer. We're over the moon to get our kids out of town even though we do live in a small town (less than 30k people). I always say that we've been living a country life, but in-town. We've had chickens for 6 or 7 years. I have no intention of having horses, but hope to get some sheep sometime next spring. I've also been keeping bees for 10 years. I was getting out of the beekeeping business, but with the new place, I will continue to do that. Nothing has extensive as I used to, but maybe 10 colonies instead of 40.

We've always tried to keep our kids relatively outdoors and active, but it's always a struggle with such limited space like we had. It's tough to get them back in the house right now. I'm sure a little of that newness will wear off at some point, but they're loving the freedom. Even our youngest, who we were most concerned about not necessarily liking it. I've always said that I want to raise dirtballs and they're certainly rising to the challenge! haha

Hey Jacab, Tom and I were software engineers (currently retired), we meet in database class one summer in college. Both our dad's were EEs, my sister (software) and her husband (mechanical) were engineers and my daughter is an aerospace engineer. Plus there are a couple nephews who are engineers. It's for sure in the blood lol.

Super glad your kids are loving the outdoors. I am really keen that our kids need to eat more dirt lol.
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

I live in the sticks, too. In my condition, I'd be better off living in an apartment in the city where everything was just a trip down the elevator in my handicapped scooter away. But the thought of living cheek to jowl with neighbors is something I couldn't handle. My dogs couldn't handle it either. They're used to running free, same as me. Before I had my old mare PTS even she was a free range horse.

Why sheep, Jake? Have you considered dairy goats? As long as you don't let your buck run with the does, the milk from the does is sweet and delicious. Nubian milk is the tastiest. It has a high percentage of butter fat.

You would hate an apartment Liz. I could never see myself living in one. I would even hate living on one of those neighborhoods which have a HOA. I do not want someone else telling me what color I should paint my house etc.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

HOA's are an abomination. Ain't nobody gonna tell me what I can do in my own place. Lots of folks live in a neighborhood where they don't even own the land they live on. I don't understand that at all.

[jwcarlson]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Al, I could see doing a solar array at some point. There's actually a commercial solar array that will be going in near us.

Liz, regarding sheep vs goats. Mainly that goats are usually more difficult to contain, but having kept neither, I don't know. I don't care to milk anything, at least at this point. We're probably going to get hair sheep so we won't have to sheer them.

This land has to be pretty close to what Iowa was like long ago. Oak savannah, basically. There are several oaks that have to be a few hundred years old. Lots of grasses, honestly it feels a little wrong to want to graze it. But I suppose something would have grazed it long ago.

[LizStreithorst]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

You're correct. Goats need excellent fencing and even with excellent fencing they are escape artists.

[brewmaster15]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

People keep goats and sheep out here but have to be careful . We have alot.of poisonous shrubs out here that are no-nos for goats and sheep.... Goats especially seem to get poisoned. Mountain laurel and Rhododendrons .I've known a few people who lost their goats or had close calls.

[jwcarlson]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Al, that is a Dekay's brown snake. Happy to say there are a lot of them here.

I have no desire to chase goats or attempt to maintain such a well made fence. I think I'll be able to keep sheep in with 2 or 3 wire electric and rotationally graze them. At least that's my plan, I have never kept 'large' mammals (except dogs). My understanding is that sheep are pretty easy and unlikely to relentlessly challenge fencing.

[brewmaster15]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Al, that is a Dekay's brown snake. Happy to say there are a lot of them here.

I absolutely love Dekays snakes! When they are found they always are abundant.. its almost like they are colonial. When I was getting my biology degree the university had an illegal dump adjacent to it. I spearheaded a clean up with the bio club and environmental science club there. My gosh there were decays everywhere there. They love disturbed areas.

[Iminit]

Re: We moved to a small house on 30 acres...

Congrats on your move! Please put up more pics. Looks like you are living in the country! Sorry not for me. I’m a city guy got to have people and IPAs near me. Glad to hear you kept the bees. Cool looking snake. Is that full grown? Something to watch (if you have tv out there) is Carlsons farm. Good show and he was new to all animals.