Wonderful! I just love the fact that he is so renown, and yet is "poor man"- ing it still. Our farm is so far from perfect, but the point is the pragmatic poetry. It's not pretty, but the results sing. Cows, chickens, and rabbits don't see pretty...that's just for us, a luxury, as it were. They see good food, and care for their well being, while they simultaneously provide for us as well. Such symbiosis is elegant and simple.
We keep our chickens in their eggmobile on pasture through winter and just cover it but we do use his chicken tractor system for our meat chickens. Really enjoy visiting & learning from Joel and Polyface Farm- thanks for sharing!
Isn't it cool to just stand there and talk with the man? I visited Polyface farm last summer and Joel was such a great host. He's completely accessible, all day long, to anyone who comes for the farm tour. And no topic is off limits either. What a life.
Joel is right about a lot of things.. Other things I don't agree with him on, but to each their own. A person has to figure out what is available locally and what works for them. Farming by no means is cheap to do. Just because a person has land does not mean they can grow or raise anything and to make a living at it that is a whole other story. It was good to see his 'winter' operation. He is in a warmer climate than even myself.
I'm curious what you do differently than Joel. I've never had more than a garden, some hens, and some rabbits. I've never produced even enough to feed my family, but everything I've heard Joel say seems right on. I'm making plans to try to establish a farm productive enough to feed my family and 2-3 other families, so I'm trying to gather as much info as possible.
@@keiboman This is a multifaceted question and a pretty lengthy conversation. It's hard to know where to start not really knowing more about your own situation. It is good that you are making plans that is the most important step. I don't know how many of his books you have read or which ones. I will admit I have not read them all. You Can Farm, Pastured Poultry Profits, and Salad Bar Beef are the ones I have had for 15 years or so and it was that long ago I read them. I mostly recall some of the things he did/does in his books I can't or couldn't in my situation. For me working an off farm job for many years and doing a lot of this myself was the only way I could survive and keep things going. Traveling to hear him speak, etc was not an option I had not enough time really and too many responsibilities. Things have vastly changed a lot for me from even 15 years ago in my area and usually once a person gets established things are different than a person trying to start out with different and possibly less opportunities available to them. From what you are saying some things he does large production chickens, rabbits, hogs, beef, etc you won't probably be doing and could do maybe differently than was shown in the video for chickens, pigs, and rabbits. I don't know what you are thinking on doing more homesteading scale or larger farming like he is in many respects and possibly myself. What are a person goals? Stay debt free as possible, have some debt over the 'norm' home/farm mortgage and vehicle loan. Can one handle the extra 'farm equipment and infrastructure debt until it is paid off is that income to help pay for it readily available? These are questions I had to ask myself and see if it was possible. How much land you have to work with, the type of topography, soil type, climate/weather/zone, and what kind of animals you are thinking of getting will be the most important things to consider and think about. I am a zone 3/4, so I contend with really short growing seasons (mid May to mid Sept maybe) and I have varying types of soils even on my 160 or so acre farm not all is tillable or pasture worthy even if I had pigerators and did more intensive grazing. Renting farm land in my area is not cheap, so my take on renting land is different from his. I have found out though taxes are cheaper than I hear in the eastern states from others I know. Will those families be helping you with the work or paying enough of a commodity price to help with all expenses and labor? In my area we are very rural, poor, and has a different mind set than even myself on the value of food and how it is raised and the how much should be paid. Even though only about 30 miles NE or SE of us is communities with 'cash', but they are not that interested in 'traveling' to buy stuff. They want convenience, so it makes a difficult market to sell to and get enough income to justify the extra work and time. If I charged for example $7/dozen for eggs to pay for my time, feed, supplies/equipment, shelter, etc for the chickens people would laugh me out of the neighborhood. Most think $3/dozen is too much. It only pays for the feed really. I buy organic feed from a local feed mill. Most farmers here still do more conventional type farming spraying, hormones, etc. What is the availability and cost of feeds, minerals, seed possibly, other materials for maybe compost like wood chips, straw, etc? Every region is different here in the states much less the world what may be possible in one place might not in another and one can not assume or presume that what works for me as an individual or farm will work for some one even 40 miles away, of course state laws and rules differ. This is just a start. I don't want to discourage you. I love raising my own stuff and some for others, but overall it does not pay for all the bills alone and takes a lot of work. Some may say I am not doing it right, but the market available in my area determines what I can get for prices not the other way around. This is mostly true for any family farmer for sure in my area and I know of many. Anything bigger is big ag and the farmer who works for them is only a poorly paid worker in the end. The family farmer struggles too, but does not have a 'boss' to contend with and can make their own decisions good or bad of their own accord. It all comes down to is time, money, resources (not money), and helping hands/labor that are available that can determine what one can do and get done. Some things are possible others are not it just depends on so many factors. I don't know if this helps or not. I think I have rambled enough. lol Merry Christmas! :)
@@McCoysOakHillFarm That's very helpful, thank you for taking the time. I think what you are saying is that farming, on any scale, is a very complex process with too many variables to account for in any book or system. I would agree with that. We are planning to move to Maine (Zone 5) next year. I've done some research on farming in that area, but it seems like trial and error is the only sure way to determine what will work on your farm. I will have to work a town job, at least at first, but my wife grew up on a farm and is definitely a harder worker and better farmer than me. We are lucky enough to be leaving the PNW, where the housing market has put us in a pretty good position to take on minimal debt to get a food-growing operation up and running. We are hoping that Maine's food culture, and the ability to have a farm and not be 2+ hours away from people willing to pay $7/dozen for organic, free-range eggs will provide enough cash flow to grow our operation to a self-sustaining level, but we'll have to see. Our goal is to start with produce, eggs and rabbits. My wife's family raises sheep, so we may look at that. We definitely know that most farms fail to become what we have in mind, and that there is a tremendous amount of luck involved. If it turns out that all we do is feed ourselves and a few friends, and maybe improve the land while we're at it, we'll consider it a success. Are there any other books you'd recommend? Thanks again for your thoughtful response, Merry Christmas to you as well!
@@keiboman Right, I think your thinking process is in the right direction at this point and looks like you would do alright with your farm no matter how big it is with in reason of course. haha It does help to have that off-farm job starting out and a good partner. I am glad what I shared was helpful. Sometimes I never know, but I don't want people to be lead a stray about the truth of farming/homesteading, etc. I have been trying to establish myself for the last 24 years and that does not count all the years prior I spent learning and hanging out with my grandparents on their 390 acre farm before they retired on the present 80 parcel I have now and bought from them. I love it and it's in my blood so to speak. There are days I think I am crazy to do this. On top of it I am a woman in case you did not know. :)Not everyone partner wise has wanted to do this and be in my unique situation not that I expected anyone too. This adventure/dream I have always wanted and figured I was the one to make it come to fruition. Kind of my story in a nutshell. :) I do have a few other books. I will take a look maybe later today and write some that are my favorites and most helpful down. :) A website I have gotten my most info from is Acres USA, besides my 95 year old ex-farmer grandfather. It is a newspaper, book, etc publishing company out of Texas I believe. website: www.acresusa.com/ They have stuff on homesteading, farming, sustainable, organic, etc. Being you are out east. Do you know about the Rodale institute and farm? I do have a utube channel, but there is not much on it at this point. I am only getting my feet wet now. You can contact me there too. We can avoid causing boredom for others on this channel. Eat well and have fun with family today. I am working on that as we speak. :)
@McCoy's Oak Hill Farm , You have a long comment. I'll not respond to every word . But there are some things . Such as market prices . If , you are producing the same products that everyone else is producing then you are of course locked in to selling at the price they are willing to accept for their product. That is why I aim at the niche market . For example , I grow fast growing Asian greens. Specifically for the small but steady Asian population , I am one of the very few that is growing Asian greens. There is a popular recreation lake not far from my farm. A fair amount of traffic goes by every day . Which increases a lot by Thursday and Friday . So , I sell fishing worms. I also sell only natural brown eggs . Lots of people that are going camping and fishing for the weekend buy both worms and eggs . And in season they also like to buy berries . One day , for some odd reason , I had a loaf of home made artisan bread on the counter in my garage . Well , I sold it ! Now I sell six loaves of artisan bread every Friday. Now , if all that I was selling was the bread and I was waiting for the read to rise and all , then I would not make much for the bread. But , I can mix the dough for six loaves of bread in about 15 minutes or less. Then I do other things while the bread is rising. Come back , put the bread into the oven and I'm off doing something else. Come back and take the bread out of the oven. Total time for six loaves of bread is 20-25 minutes. Each loaf of bread sells for $4.00. You do the math. I started off operating my small farm just for myself. Then I realized that I could raise two or three pigs for about the same cost as one. And there are people that want natural pork . Without all of the hormones etc. I believe that I could make much more money than I do now . But, I am 76 years old and it's enough for me that my little farm is paying for itself and providing me with a much higher quality food than i could get anywhere. I firmly believe that providing the niche products is the key .
I keep my hens as pets and so I don't use any artificial light at all. I'm still getting eggs from my 4 year old girls. I still get a lot of bug and food scraps eating and manure from them which I use in my garden. I love your chanel!
So glad you could get some time with joel. I wish i could bring my family there some day and im only from maine! Alot closer from home then you are! Thank you for bringing us along!
Now that's some serious chickens! I told my husband how the farm animals work together on a farm and he was fascinated that I learned that from you... thx😀 Nice to see your wife. Hope you guys are enjoying your time together 😀
Loved seeing all of those fat happy biddies running around and keeping warm for the winter. I never thought of housing rabbits with them like that, very interesting. Thanks Simeon this was a very nice tour of winter chicken housing on the farm. Keeping it simple is a good idea. We never threw money at our farm for fancy fixings when I was growing up either, just lots of baling wire and wood scraps. We weren't exactly hardscrabble, but it wasn't Beverly Hills either. ha ha ha
Simeon has a good setup with his woodlot and mill. Always need lumber on a farm or homestead. Swedish homestead may not be a wealthy operation but it’s well kept up, which is nice to see, the pride in everything even if it’s just a cow shed.
Do not keep the rabbits in cages small like this. They will benefit from the same free range conditions you would want for your chickens. They want grass under their feet not wire cages, they do not have padding on their feet. They also do "binkies" when happy which is when they run and do acrobatic jumps into the air. Give them the opportunity to be happy.
Good Lord, that's a lot of Chickens. Joe is a cool guy and very knowledgeable in his field. Thanks Simeon for the video. Let us know your thoughts on the farm there.
Love it. I grew up in the late 40's and 50's in the country and we had 100 layers. My sister and I had an egg route and we delivered eggs in a red wagon we pulled by hand. I was 5 when we started that and did it for years. Would love to have just a few laying hens now but wife is not into such things. Have honey bees though.
I found this very interesting. Living in FL we don't suffer too much cold. But when we do I always stress about the chickens. They don't seem to care one way or the other. I remember watching you videos a few years ago when you had the chickens in the hoop house for winter with a couple of pigs. Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas to all.
Even though Joel is some kind of Chicken Guru...I am not convinced by keeping the chicken like this. no space for roosting, quite overcrowded in there to my taste and the rabbits could be kept better as well. thank you for your channel. I enjoy it very much.
So wish if i can ever go to polyface to talk first hand to joel and his son. Interns would be a plus but would love to talk directly to joel and daniel.
JS is quite the presence, is he not? Thanks for posting, Simeon! I was quite smitten when I met Mr Salatin at a book signing near Athens, OH at the Pawpaw festival.
Wonderful thank you for the information I have a few chickens never thought about giving them apple cider vinegar even though I love it and use it going to try it
@Lynda Compton , I have a 55 gallon barrel inside of my chicken coop that fills automatically with rain / snow water . It in turn fills a 5 gallon bucket that is equipped with watering cups and a float valve. I add a gallon of apple cider vinegar to the barrel about once a month.
For those who think the chickens are getting a raw deal... wintertime is rough no matter how nice a setup you have. I have two chicken setups ...one where the birds have access to outside runs during winter with smaller coop (which I didn't build but moved to a new farm and have to use it this season) and another larger barn with no access to outside during winter (temporary setup due to moving) and have to keep my free rangers cooped up for this winter. Honestly, the birds in the run get drenched, deal with frozen water bowls & frozen food...and fuss at me no matter what I do o.- The girls in the larger barn confined who are much more content despite being stuck inside, but I do give them perches on sawhorses and definitely more like 6 feet per bird. Come spring/summer/fall Mr Salatin puts his birds on pasture to free range so this is just temporary for him. It is clear that his farm thinks of birds and rabbits as livestock food...not pets but it seems they are content, well fed, well watered and warm. Should he give them more room and some access to outside?...yes. I've seen other farmers do both successfully with less infrastructure. I really hate to see the buns stuck in there listening to all that noise and no exercise though :( We all respect Joe's success but not necessarily want to reproduce his methods.
Thanks for sharing the tour with Joel; very educational. Just curious, dId your wife have previous farm experience, or did she marry into farming? Merry Christmas, and prayers for continued safe travel and blessed family time in the United States.
I have never had to train a chicken to roost. they do it naturally. they don't have them obviously they can't. my guess is they roost on nest boxes and on top of rabbit cages
Ken Dunlap I think it really depends on the chicken, I have some that want to roost so high and others that just sleep in little dug out ‘nests’ on the ground on the coop, and a few that always go for the nest boxes. Most go to the roosts though.
Barefoot Ledge Farm all I can say is 56 years of having chickens I have never had one that doesn't roost. maybe if they are over crowded they won't. in the situation presented i believe there are too many chickens
I would love to know why you selected those breeds. Rhode island, New Hampshire, and Plymouth rock are wonderful breeds but it seems like there are breeds that have better productivity.
Where is Salatin Virginia USA right? Mild winter there. The chicken molts naturally in autumn not winter. Let your birds molt as nature intended so they have their new feathers when it gets really cold. Like here in New England And in Sweden. They will not lay. Then you can put light on them soon as they have grown their feathers soon after the solstice.
@@zorro11ification - Well it`s not really a problem with home chickens but for resale I think the main thing is it saves you from having to candle every egg so consumers don't accidently get an embryo which could ruin your reputation. Blood spots in an egg can freak city people out!
Well, my brain isn’t European but it IS connected to compassion for the welfare of animals, even those I plan to eat later on. Seems I’m not alone in that sentiment here.
Oh I am sure there is a market big enough for them , rabbit taste similar to chicken. I had it many times. Long time ago during the www2 in Sweden my parents grew rabbits as that was the only meat they could get.
Nice and healthy chickens. I must be honest and say I didn't like the rabbit cages. Nothing natural about them. Not even able to nibble grass like they do. 😔😔🌿💟🌿
@Tamara Spink , I looked because I was curious . Quite large enclosures for only one rabbit in each enclosure . Nesting material ? In my experience , female rabbits pull fur from their breasts for nests and that is only just before they give birth . And besides all of that , these are meat rabbits and not just a couple of pet rabbits ! Those rabbits in the video had their " welfare " well taken care of .
Donald Miller A rabbit is a rabbit, whether it is bred for meat or not. The conditions were sub-optimal. Nowhere close to good enough. But I guess it doesn’t matter as they’re only for meat. Great attitude to animal welfare, nice one Donald 🙄
A hen ovary has infinite egg cells just like mammals. Chickens by the equator or even just in the south do not get old faster than chickens out north with the short winter daylight. Wish that myth would go away.
@jimmy johnstone , I agree with you . The rabbits should be running free so they could provide food for the hawks ,owls , bobcats , foxes , and coyotes ! They all have a hard time of it when the rabbits are protected in cages .
The inside of the green house looks so gloomy. I am surprised he does not grow some small trees or shrubs, or put bales of hay for the chicken to climb.
I believe h doesn't plant trees because he gardens it during the growing season.bales might work but I'd be concerned with the seeds coming in and being weeds later.
Yes, we all speak english here in Sweden. We swedes are actually second best in Europe in english, except for UK, of course . Only Netherlands are better. They are in Virginia now.
Did you actually watch the video? Joel Salatin uses a deep-bedding system of woodchips which are replenished regularly throughout the winter. The high-carbon content of the woodchips gets combined with the urea from the animals and is bound up by bacteria, producing compost rather than ammonia -- this isn't industrial agriculture! Furthermore, he mentioned the need for a higher number of air-changes/day for the rabbits (10), and provides this. In the winter in Virginia, I strongly doubt that it "gets too hot for rabbits", and on warm days there's no problem with increasing the airflow through a hoop house to compensate for higher temperatures if they become excessive.
Rabbits urinate in same spot. Ammonia builds up without the chickens. The chickens dig in area under cages in deep bedding. This keeps rabbit urine ammonia down.
This is truly dreadful husbandry for chickens and rabbits. Very bad advice here. Chickens need to be free ranged. Rabbits need at least FOUR hours outside in large pens daily. DO NOT COPY this method.. AWFUL !!!!!!!!!
@Amanda Cribb , Rabbits outside for FOUR hours ? Why not six or eight hours ? That would give them more time to dig a tunnel to freedom. My chickens are inside . They do have an open door. I currently have 15 inches of snow on the ground. They peek out of the door and say , " no way ! " so although they could go outside if they wanted to , they don't !
Where I live, we have snow on the ground for 6-7 months of the year. They also get snow in Virginia, where Polyface farms is located. You believe it would be more humane to "free-range" chickens (a tropical species, originally) year-round, even in the snow, rather than keep them indoors? Is that what you do? How many of your chickens have survived the winter?
@@gunnar5489 Try using a solar panalled heating system and creating a larger area. Surely it's not this temp year round ? All animals need to forage regardless if for meat or as pets. Put yourself in their place and treat them as you would like to be treated. Would you be happy with the life you give your animals ?
No animal should be kept in the rabbits conditions. Rabbits are very fast and flighty animals and do not have any padding on their feet so a wire bottom cage is even more inhumane. They need way more space than this to be able to live happy lives. I do not appreciate this endorsement of these conditions and will be unsubscribing to your channel.
To Swedish Homestead: this farmer is keeping his rabbits in inhumane conditions. He also has too many chickens in this one area. So I will lock you and 100 other people in a closet but make sure the closet has a sky light, so you will be able to have natural light. That will make everything o.k. I tell you what. I am tired of farmers patting themselves on the back, while they are making money at the expense of animals, and then blaming others for the reason as to why they abuse these animals. The man who is keeping rabbits and chickens in these conditions should be boycotted.
@@laurakay709 I want to buy them fresh.They have 30 days to reach customers by law but most supermarket eggs are less than 3 days old. If I buy from a farm I would want fresh eggs . They usually cost more.
@@edieboudreau9637 wow that's bad Here in Wales I buy from quick turnover store. IN Cyprus I buy them very fresh from someone I know or have them from my sister in law very fresh lol
margaret sofocleous I buy direct from farmers locally when available. Oldest is usually 3-6 Weeks. I love the deep rich yolks and they rise better in baked goods. For boiling hard older eggs are best.
He won't get a visit because because he's more into a coporate style farm. They'll support him more than anything. Anything inhuman will be an oversight. He's a money man, doesn't mater the condition of the animals as long as it squeaks by regulations and makes him lots of *cash*
Slipppy this is only for winter. If you want to see his operation during other times there are videos out there. There is one I think on The Homesteaders of America Conference page or just search. I like his new house for the egg layers.
Nice try there Skippy but you are barking up the wrong tree here, Joel is one of Simeon`s heros, he has mentioned him many times. Many people are hobby farmers, these guys do it for a living to feed their families and know more about animal husbandry then you ever will.
Wonderful! I just love the fact that he is so renown, and yet is "poor man"- ing it still. Our farm is so far from perfect, but the point is the pragmatic poetry. It's not pretty, but the results sing. Cows, chickens, and rabbits don't see pretty...that's just for us, a luxury, as it were. They see good food, and care for their well being, while they simultaneously provide for us as well. Such symbiosis is elegant and simple.
ناتاشا . س
We keep our chickens in their eggmobile on pasture through winter and just cover it but we do use his chicken tractor system for our meat chickens. Really enjoy visiting & learning from Joel and Polyface Farm- thanks for sharing!
You must live in a warm area. Right now, it's about 0ºF outside, with a wind chill of about -20º. My chickens are securely behind closed doors!
Absolutely Amazing!! I love this....
Every Chicken Farmer has their own system, that works for them.❤👏👏👏👏👏
Great video. Thank you all. Merry Christmas
So wonderful to see the chickens walking around and not in tiny cramped cages.
Yeah but what about the rabbits. They look like they are in tiny cages so whats the difference?
Nice visit to the farm. Joel is very generous with his knowledge and experiences. Thanks for sharing.
Isn't it cool to just stand there and talk with the man? I visited Polyface farm last summer and Joel was such a great host. He's completely accessible, all day long, to anyone who comes for the farm tour. And no topic is off limits either. What a life.
Joel is right about a lot of things.. Other things I don't agree with him on, but to each their own. A person has to figure out what is available locally and what works for them. Farming by no means is cheap to do. Just because a person has land does not mean they can grow or raise anything and to make a living at it that is a whole other story. It was good to see his 'winter' operation. He is in a warmer climate than even myself.
I'm curious what you do differently than Joel. I've never had more than a garden, some hens, and some rabbits. I've never produced even enough to feed my family, but everything I've heard Joel say seems right on. I'm making plans to try to establish a farm productive enough to feed my family and 2-3 other families, so I'm trying to gather as much info as possible.
@@keiboman This is a multifaceted question and a pretty lengthy conversation. It's hard to know where to start not really knowing more about your own situation. It is good that you are making plans that is the most important step. I don't know how many of his books you have read or which ones. I will admit I have not read them all. You Can Farm, Pastured Poultry Profits, and Salad Bar Beef are the ones I have had for 15 years or so and it was that long ago I read them. I mostly recall some of the things he did/does in his books I can't or couldn't in my situation. For me working an off farm job for many years and doing a lot of this myself was the only way I could survive and keep things going. Traveling to hear him speak, etc was not an option I had not enough time really and too many responsibilities. Things have vastly changed a lot for me from even 15 years ago in my area and usually once a person gets established things are different than a person trying to start out with different and possibly less opportunities available to them.
From what you are saying some things he does large production chickens, rabbits, hogs, beef, etc you won't probably be doing and could do maybe differently than was shown in the video for chickens, pigs, and rabbits. I don't know what you are thinking on doing more homesteading scale or larger farming like he is in many respects and possibly myself.
What are a person goals? Stay debt free as possible, have some debt over the 'norm' home/farm mortgage and vehicle loan. Can one handle the extra 'farm equipment and infrastructure debt until it is paid off is that income to help pay for it readily available? These are questions I had to ask myself and see if it was possible.
How much land you have to work with, the type of topography, soil type, climate/weather/zone, and what kind of animals you are thinking of getting will be the most important things to consider and think about. I am a zone 3/4, so I contend with really short growing seasons (mid May to mid Sept maybe) and I have varying types of soils even on my 160 or so acre farm not all is tillable or pasture worthy even if I had pigerators and did more intensive grazing. Renting farm land in my area is not cheap, so my take on renting land is different from his. I have found out though taxes are cheaper than I hear in the eastern states from others I know.
Will those families be helping you with the work or paying enough of a commodity price to help with all expenses and labor? In my area we are very rural, poor, and has a different mind set than even myself on the value of food and how it is raised and the how much should be paid. Even though only about 30 miles NE or SE of us is communities with 'cash', but they are not that interested in 'traveling' to buy stuff. They want convenience, so it makes a difficult market to sell to and get enough income to justify the extra work and time. If I charged for example $7/dozen for eggs to pay for my time, feed, supplies/equipment, shelter, etc for the chickens people would laugh me out of the neighborhood. Most think $3/dozen is too much. It only pays for the feed really. I buy organic feed from a local feed mill. Most farmers here still do more conventional type farming spraying, hormones, etc.
What is the availability and cost of feeds, minerals, seed possibly, other materials for maybe compost like wood chips, straw, etc?
Every region is different here in the states much less the world what may be possible in one place might not in another and one can not assume or presume that what works for me as an individual or farm will work for some one even 40 miles away, of course state laws and rules differ. This is just a start. I don't want to discourage you. I love raising my own stuff and some for others, but overall it does not pay for all the bills alone and takes a lot of work. Some may say I am not doing it right, but the market available in my area determines what I can get for prices not the other way around. This is mostly true for any family farmer for sure in my area and I know of many. Anything bigger is big ag and the farmer who works for them is only a poorly paid worker in the end. The family farmer struggles too, but does not have a 'boss' to contend with and can make their own decisions good or bad of their own accord.
It all comes down to is time, money, resources (not money), and helping hands/labor that are available that can determine what one can do and get done. Some things are possible others are not it just depends on so many factors. I don't know if this helps or not. I think I have rambled enough. lol Merry Christmas! :)
@@McCoysOakHillFarm That's very helpful, thank you for taking the time. I think what you are saying is that farming, on any scale, is a very complex process with too many variables to account for in any book or system. I would agree with that. We are planning to move to Maine (Zone 5) next year. I've done some research on farming in that area, but it seems like trial and error is the only sure way to determine what will work on your farm. I will have to work a town job, at least at first, but my wife grew up on a farm and is definitely a harder worker and better farmer than me. We are lucky enough to be leaving the PNW, where the housing market has put us in a pretty good position to take on minimal debt to get a food-growing operation up and running. We are hoping that Maine's food culture, and the ability to have a farm and not be 2+ hours away from people willing to pay $7/dozen for organic, free-range eggs will provide enough cash flow to grow our operation to a self-sustaining level, but we'll have to see. Our goal is to start with produce, eggs and rabbits. My wife's family raises sheep, so we may look at that. We definitely know that most farms fail to become what we have in mind, and that there is a tremendous amount of luck involved. If it turns out that all we do is feed ourselves and a few friends, and maybe improve the land while we're at it, we'll consider it a success. Are there any other books you'd recommend? Thanks again for your thoughtful response, Merry Christmas to you as well!
@@keiboman Right, I think your thinking process is in the right direction at this point and looks like you would do alright with your farm no matter how big it is with in reason of course. haha It does help to have that off-farm job starting out and a good partner. I am glad what I shared was helpful. Sometimes I never know, but I don't want people to be lead a stray about the truth of farming/homesteading, etc. I have been trying to establish myself for the last 24 years and that does not count all the years prior I spent learning and hanging out with my grandparents on their 390 acre farm before they retired on the present 80 parcel I have now and bought from them. I love it and it's in my blood so to speak. There are days I think I am crazy to do this. On top of it I am a woman in case you did not know. :)Not everyone partner wise has wanted to do this and be in my unique situation not that I expected anyone too. This adventure/dream I have always wanted and figured I was the one to make it come to fruition. Kind of my story in a nutshell. :)
I do have a few other books. I will take a look maybe later today and write some that are my favorites and most helpful down. :) A website I have gotten my most info from is Acres USA, besides my 95 year old ex-farmer grandfather. It is a newspaper, book, etc publishing company out of Texas I believe. website: www.acresusa.com/ They have stuff on homesteading, farming, sustainable, organic, etc. Being you are out east. Do you know about the Rodale institute and farm? I do have a utube channel, but there is not much on it at this point. I am only getting my feet wet now. You can contact me there too. We can avoid causing boredom for others on this channel. Eat well and have fun with family today. I am working on that as we speak. :)
@McCoy's Oak Hill Farm ,
You have a long comment. I'll not respond to every word . But there are some things . Such as market prices . If , you are producing the same products that everyone else is producing then you are of course locked in to selling at the price they are willing to accept for their product. That is why I aim at the niche market . For example , I grow fast growing Asian greens. Specifically for the small but steady Asian population , I am one of the very few that is growing Asian greens.
There is a popular recreation lake not far from my farm. A fair amount of traffic goes by every day . Which increases a lot by Thursday and Friday . So , I sell fishing worms. I also sell only natural brown eggs . Lots of people that are going camping and fishing for the weekend buy both worms and eggs . And in season they also like to buy berries . One day , for some odd reason , I had a loaf of home made artisan bread on the counter in my garage . Well , I sold it ! Now I sell six loaves of artisan bread every Friday. Now , if all that I was selling was the bread and I was waiting for the read to rise and all , then I would not make much for the bread. But , I can mix the dough for six loaves of bread in about 15 minutes or less. Then I do other things while the bread is rising. Come back , put the bread into the oven and I'm off doing something else. Come back and take the bread out of the oven. Total time for six loaves of bread is 20-25 minutes. Each loaf of bread sells for $4.00. You do the math.
I started off operating my small farm just for myself. Then I realized that I could raise two or three pigs for about the same cost as one. And there are people that want natural pork . Without all of the hormones etc.
I believe that I could make much more money than I do now . But, I am 76 years old and it's enough for me that my little farm is paying for itself and providing me with a much higher quality food than i could get anywhere. I firmly believe that providing the niche products is the key .
Wow, more things to learn ! very interesting !
I'm so glad you were able to visit with Joel and see his farm. I'd love to do that, too. I enjoy all of your videos. Many blessings in your travels!
I keep my hens as pets and so I don't use any artificial light at all. I'm still getting eggs from my 4 year old girls. I still get a lot of bug and food scraps eating and manure from them which I use in my garden. I love your chanel!
Always good to see good ol' Joel! Happy holidays and best wishes in new growing year everyone.
So glad you could get some time with joel. I wish i could bring my family there some day and im only from maine! Alot closer from home then you are! Thank you for bringing us along!
Thank you for the video. The chickens are well taken care of. Merry Christmas
So exciting that you get to experience this in person.
Now that's some serious chickens! I told my husband how the farm animals work together on a farm and he was fascinated that I learned that from you... thx😀 Nice to see your wife. Hope you guys are enjoying your time together 😀
Loved seeing all of those fat happy biddies running around and keeping warm for the winter. I never thought of housing rabbits with them like that, very interesting. Thanks Simeon this was a very nice tour of winter chicken housing on the farm. Keeping it simple is a good idea. We never threw money at our farm for fancy fixings when I was growing up either, just lots of baling wire and wood scraps. We weren't exactly hardscrabble, but it wasn't Beverly Hills either. ha ha ha
Simeon has a good setup with his woodlot and mill. Always need lumber on a farm or homestead. Swedish homestead may not be a wealthy operation but it’s well kept up, which is nice to see, the pride in everything even if it’s just a cow shed.
@Sky_Blue - LOL, says the self proclaimed expert with ZERO content
we also are trying rabbits with chickens. Thanks for the video. Lots of encouragement
Do not keep the rabbits in cages small like this. They will benefit from the same free range conditions you would want for your chickens. They want grass under their feet not wire cages, they do not have padding on their feet. They also do "binkies" when happy which is when they run and do acrobatic jumps into the air. Give them the opportunity to be happy.
This is absolutely fascinating...thanks
I'm so happy for you. Enjoy your vacation.
Enjoying your US trip!
Thank you, Joel, Simeon and Alex. Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous, and Abundant New Year!
Good Lord, that's a lot of Chickens. Joe is a cool guy and very knowledgeable in his field. Thanks Simeon for the video. Let us know your thoughts on the farm there.
Glad your having a great time!
Lovely video. So glad you were able to go to Polyface!
Love it. I grew up in the late 40's and 50's in the country and we had 100 layers. My sister and I had an egg route and we delivered eggs in a red wagon we pulled by hand. I was 5 when we started that and did it for years. Would love to have just a few laying hens now but wife is not into such things. Have honey bees though.
Wow admire Joel Salatin awesome man to meet!
Chicken party ! This was so interesting, thank you !
Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year To You And Your Family Hope You Have A Good One.
I found this very interesting. Living in FL we don't suffer too much cold. But when we do I always stress about the chickens. They don't seem to care one way or the other. I remember watching you videos a few years ago when you had the chickens in the hoop house for winter with a couple of pigs. Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas to all.
Very nice... and efficient! Thanx.
Now that's some serious chickens!
Even though Joel is some kind of Chicken Guru...I am not convinced by keeping the chicken like this.
no space for roosting, quite overcrowded in there to my taste and the rabbits could be kept better as well.
thank you for your channel. I enjoy it very much.
the rabbits...small cages without a place to hide, without straw, that's cruel.
Something tells me he will get a visit from some government agency right quick..
its for winter time guys.,clearly you aint farmers.do you suggest any other way to keep them warm?
cherry cherry, of course they should be taken to Arizona for the winter and allowed to free range around in the warm desert.
@@martybeard1135 haha...you nailed it!!!
Very good video , thanks for sharing
OLD DAWG DREAMING when we visited there a few years ago he was buying it. Not sure about now.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours 😇😇😇
Great video Simeon!!!
Gary Mercer
Yes it is!!👏👏👏❤
That’s was enlightening thank you.
So wish if i can ever go to polyface to talk first hand to joel and his son. Interns would be a plus but would love to talk directly to joel and daniel.
Glad he does this. Industry is cruel, inuhame and concentrated on profit.
Pretty cool. I see barred rocks and rhode island reds? Got a tour from Joel Salatin himself. You rate!
Do the rabbits have a problem with the noise? I would.
Joel is a cool guy, without traditional homestead beard - guess its ok to be neat and clean and farming
Is that like a passive aggressive dig implying everyone with a beard is dirty?
Very nice! Merry Christmas :)
Man that's lots of chickens
JS is quite the presence, is he not?
Thanks for posting, Simeon! I was quite smitten when I met Mr Salatin at a book signing near Athens, OH at the Pawpaw festival.
Wonderful thank you for the information I have a few chickens never thought about giving them apple cider vinegar even though I love it and use it going to try it
@Lynda Compton ,
I have a 55 gallon barrel inside of my chicken coop that fills automatically with rain / snow water . It in turn fills a 5 gallon bucket that is equipped with watering cups and a float valve. I add a gallon of apple cider vinegar to the barrel about once a month.
Very nice
For those who think the chickens are getting a raw deal... wintertime is rough no matter how nice a setup you have. I have two chicken setups ...one where the birds have access to outside runs during winter with smaller coop (which I didn't build but moved to a new farm and have to use it this season) and another larger barn with no access to outside during winter (temporary setup due to moving) and have to keep my free rangers cooped up for this winter. Honestly, the birds in the run get drenched, deal with frozen water bowls & frozen food...and fuss at me no matter what I do o.- The girls in the larger barn confined who are much more content despite being stuck inside, but I do give them perches on sawhorses and definitely more like 6 feet per bird. Come spring/summer/fall Mr Salatin puts his birds on pasture to free range so this is just temporary for him. It is clear that his farm thinks of birds and rabbits as livestock food...not pets but it seems they are content, well fed, well watered and warm. Should he give them more room and some access to outside?...yes. I've seen other farmers do both successfully with less infrastructure. I really hate to see the buns stuck in there listening to all that noise and no exercise though :( We all respect Joe's success but not necessarily want to reproduce his methods.
Always useful information. Our insurance company will not insure our farm if we sell eggs, so we keep tem for ourselves.
Found you again. The algorithm wasn’t showing me your videos 😢
Thanks for sharing the tour with Joel; very educational.
Just curious, dId your wife have previous farm experience, or did she marry into farming?
Merry Christmas, and prayers for continued safe travel and blessed family time in the United States.
I have never had to train a chicken to roost. they do it naturally. they don't have them obviously they can't. my guess is they roost on nest boxes and on top of rabbit cages
Ken Dunlap I think it really depends on the chicken, I have some that want to roost so high and others that just sleep in little dug out ‘nests’ on the ground on the coop, and a few that always go for the nest boxes. Most go to the roosts though.
Barefoot Ledge Farm all I can say is 56 years of having chickens I have never had one that doesn't roost. maybe if they are over crowded they won't. in the situation presented i believe there are too many chickens
I'm so sorry for the rabbits, it is a shame!!
I would love to know why you selected those breeds.
Rhode island, New Hampshire, and Plymouth rock are wonderful breeds but it seems like there are breeds that have better productivity.
Ken u r right...i have always had roosts and the chickens ALWAYS use them...this is sad😐
How soon could pullets be added to this type of structure?
Love the one with white and grayish colour, do we now the name for that ? Thank you
One? Do you mean all those chickens? they would be Barred Rock's
Barred Plymouth Rock
sorry if i missed this but are the chickens in there year around just trying to get ideas on how I should my coop up
Nice
****** did you find out how he moves the birds out before planting? *******
Where is Salatin Virginia USA right? Mild winter there. The chicken molts naturally in autumn not winter. Let your birds molt as nature intended so they have their new feathers when it gets really cold. Like here in New England And in Sweden. They will not lay. Then you can put light on them soon as they have grown their feathers soon after the solstice.
My chickens molt in winter and I am in NC. Nothing fancy here either. They moly when they molt!
Haha tell that to my Brahma who is in heavy molt right now. My Americauna hasn’t even thought about molting. Zone 6, Rhode Island.
Joel said that they wrre making the last restaurant egg run. No more eggs. Chickens just digging & enjoying running around.
Where's here?
so the rabbits just stay in raised cages their entire lives? or they're moved onto pasture
Sad that the rabbits are sitting on hard wire - nothing comfortable for them whatever! Otherwise I think the set-up is fairly humane.
You're so right! I'm sure it would be much better for them if they were walking in their own feces and urine all day.
Very interesting, if it's not keeping a rooster how then the eggs get fertiliser, sorry if I've missed that 😯
You don't want your eating eggs fertilized!
@@jay90374
Why?
Almost everyone who has chickens has a rooster, and our eggs are fertilized.
@@zorro11ification - Well it`s not really a problem with home chickens but for resale I think the main thing is it saves you from having to candle every egg so consumers don't accidently get an embryo which could ruin your reputation. Blood spots in an egg can freak city people out!
jay90374 absolutely right! My daughter refuses to eat eggs after opening a boiled egg that had a beak in it.
In sweden is illegal to have rabbits in so Littel cage an netfloor 👌
Yes, animals in the US get shafted on having rights for sure, as Salatin demonstrates here with the inhumane condition of the rabbits.
Well, my brain isn’t European but it IS connected to compassion for the welfare of animals, even those I plan to eat later on. Seems I’m not alone in that sentiment here.
Did it smell bad in there?
Does Joel raise his own chicken feed or have to buy it?
Is there a reason he uses heritage breeds?
What do you do with that much rabbit?
Travis Norseman , He sells the meat , part of the farm income.
@@duett445 ya, but who buys that much rabbit meat, is what I meant. You can't buy rabbit in any store I've ever seen in the US.
good markets always have them, frozen
Oh I am sure there is a market big enough for them , rabbit taste similar to chicken. I had it many times. Long time ago during the www2 in Sweden my parents grew rabbits as that was the only meat they could get.
Most of the meat markets and butchers I go to have them. I’ve never seen them in a chain though. Whole Foods used to sell them.
Nice and healthy chickens. I must be honest and say I didn't like the rabbit cages. Nothing natural about them. Not even able to nibble grass like they do. 😔😔🌿💟🌿
Pretty cruel for the rabbits. No nesting material, no room to run. Ugh. Where’s your welfare standards?
@Tamara Spink ,
I looked because I was curious . Quite large enclosures for only one rabbit in each enclosure . Nesting material ? In my experience , female rabbits pull fur from their breasts for nests and that is only just before they give birth .
And besides all of that , these are meat rabbits and not just a couple of pet rabbits ! Those rabbits in the video had their " welfare " well taken care of .
Donald Miller A rabbit is a rabbit, whether it is bred for meat or not. The conditions were sub-optimal. Nowhere close to good enough. But I guess it doesn’t matter as they’re only for meat. Great attitude to animal welfare, nice one Donald 🙄
A hen ovary has infinite egg cells just like mammals. Chickens by the equator or even just in the south do not get old faster than chickens out north with the short winter daylight. Wish that myth would go away.
That rabbit housing is cruel.
@jimmy johnstone ,
I agree with you . The rabbits should be running free so they could provide food for the hawks ,owls , bobcats , foxes , and coyotes ! They all have a hard time of it when the rabbits are protected in cages .
I agree jimmy. It is really sad to see.
The inside of the green house looks so gloomy. I am surprised he does not grow some small trees or shrubs, or put bales of hay for the chicken to climb.
I believe h doesn't plant trees because he gardens it during the growing season.bales might work but I'd be concerned with the seeds coming in and being weeds later.
Is everybody speaking english in Sweden?
He's at polyface farms here in the states.
he is visiting the USA
Yes, we all speak english here in Sweden. We swedes are actually second best in Europe in english, except for UK, of course . Only Netherlands are better. They are in Virginia now.
Yes, but Simeon is from Germany 😉
It must be Southern Sweden. Do you hear the drawl?
keeping rabbits with chickens is not good because of the ammonia buildup fro chicken shit,,plus it gets too hot for rabbits in a greenhouse
Did you actually watch the video? Joel Salatin uses a deep-bedding system of woodchips which are replenished regularly throughout the winter. The high-carbon content of the woodchips gets combined with the urea from the animals and is bound up by bacteria, producing compost rather than ammonia -- this isn't industrial agriculture! Furthermore, he mentioned the need for a higher number of air-changes/day for the rabbits (10), and provides this. In the winter in Virginia, I strongly doubt that it "gets too hot for rabbits", and on warm days there's no problem with increasing the airflow through a hoop house to compensate for higher temperatures if they become excessive.
Rabbits urinate in same spot. Ammonia builds up without the chickens. The chickens dig in area under cages in deep bedding. This keeps rabbit urine ammonia down.
First
This is truly dreadful husbandry for chickens and rabbits.
Very bad advice here.
Chickens need to be free ranged.
Rabbits need at least FOUR hours outside in large pens daily.
DO NOT COPY this method..
AWFUL !!!!!!!!!
@Amanda Cribb ,
Rabbits outside for FOUR hours ? Why not six or eight hours ? That would give them more time to dig a tunnel to freedom.
My chickens are inside . They do have an open door. I currently have 15 inches of snow on the ground. They peek out of the door and say , " no way ! " so although they could go outside if they wanted to , they don't !
Where I live, we have snow on the ground for 6-7 months of the year. They also get snow in Virginia, where Polyface farms is located. You believe it would be more humane to "free-range" chickens (a tropical species, originally) year-round, even in the snow, rather than keep them indoors? Is that what you do? How many of your chickens have survived the winter?
@@gunnar5489 Try using a solar panalled heating system and creating a larger area.
Surely it's not this temp year round ?
All animals need to forage regardless if for meat or as pets.
Put yourself in their place and treat them as you would like to be treated.
Would you be happy with the life you give your animals ?
No animal should be kept in the rabbits conditions. Rabbits are very fast and flighty animals and do not have any padding on their feet so a wire bottom cage is even more inhumane. They need way more space than this to be able to live happy lives. I do not appreciate this endorsement of these conditions and will be unsubscribing to your channel.
To Swedish Homestead: this farmer is keeping his rabbits in inhumane conditions. He also has too many chickens in this one area. So I will lock you and 100 other people in a closet but make sure the closet has a sky light, so you will be able to have natural light. That will make everything o.k. I tell you what. I am tired of farmers patting themselves on the back, while they are making money at the expense of animals, and then blaming others for the reason as to why they abuse these animals. The man who is keeping rabbits and chickens in these conditions should be boycotted.
Animal rights activists should be boycotted! Those are happy animals. God bless Salatin!
This is awful setup for Salatin!!!! Thought he was very aware of whats best for animals...this would not be acceptable for me..👎👎
I think this farm is not what it's portrayed to be -- looks cheap and run down. Good farmers maintain their machinery and buildings.
I think you're a little quick to judge. The chickens don't care. It's called debt free farming.
Dispicable husbandry ?
Awful human behaviour.
Chickens need far more room..
Needs reporting !!!
Not very fresh eggs then
sometimes I specifically want NOT fresh eggs. best for hard-boiling
@@laurakay709 I want to buy them fresh.They have 30 days to reach customers by law but most supermarket eggs are less than 3 days old. If I buy from a farm I would want fresh eggs . They usually cost more.
margaret sofocleous if you buy eggs from Walmart Food Lion or other chain grocery your eggs are 3-6 months old anyway.
@@edieboudreau9637 wow that's bad Here in Wales I buy from quick turnover store. IN Cyprus I buy them very fresh from someone I know or have them from my sister in law very fresh lol
margaret sofocleous I buy direct from farmers locally when available. Oldest is usually 3-6 Weeks. I love the deep rich yolks and they rise better in baked goods. For boiling hard older eggs are best.
Animal abuse
He won't get a visit because because he's more into a coporate style farm. They'll support him more than anything. Anything inhuman will be an oversight. He's a money man, doesn't mater the condition of the animals as long as it squeaks by regulations and makes him lots of *cash*
Slipppy this is only for winter. If you want to see his operation during other times there are videos out there. There is one I think on The Homesteaders of America Conference page or just search. I like his new house for the egg layers.
Nice try there Skippy but you are barking up the wrong tree here, Joel is one of Simeon`s heros, he has mentioned him many times. Many people are hobby farmers, these guys do it for a living to feed their families and know more about animal husbandry then you ever will.
Doubt he’s a hero to those rabbits in cramped cages with wire mesh under their feet.
@julie ,
You are right ! The rabbits should have a solid floor under their feet so that they could constantly be walking on their own feces.
I guess if the farmer never cleans the cages. Maybe Salatin can’t be bothered to do that either?
Hello Virginia!
hello BACK AT YOU from RVA!
@@robertl.fallin7062 hello from NoVa.