Hey Lonesome...I'm not interested in winning the lottery, that's why I don't buy tickets.  I have a feeling that the money from it would cause more problems that it's worth.

Jess, thanks...I'm really interested in the yoghurt making, actually.  I wonder if it's possible or advisable to make yoghurt from goat's milk?  The pig idea is waning...I think that lonesome and I might end up with a 500lb pet instead of hamd and bacon. If we bought more, we'd probably get less attached..but then we'd end up with a hog farm and that's not what we're into it for.

Mason..yes, this IS one of the best ways to live as far as we're concerned.  We've done quite a few web searches and have some acorss some really good places...www.homestead.org is a good one, if anyone wants to go check it out.  I've also found some great used books on Amazon.com for not a lot of money...so we're starting our journey to independent homesteading now.  Now if I could just persuade the military to let me keep chickens in the back yard....

I just found this and though it was really quite relevant...

To forget how to dig the earth 

and tend the soil is to forget ourselves. 

 ~ Gandhi ~

How long until your kids are out of school?  They might not be as thrilled to live in the sticks as you are.  You also don't want them to get closed minded by losing the social interaction.  (Yeah, anyone who wants to flame me can, but I came from a sheltered little town, so I am just speaking from experience).

Are you sure you want chickens?  Have you ever had them?  They are nasty little things.  They smell quite bad, and killing them and plucking them isn't much fun.  We had a whole bunch of chickens when I was young...nasty, nasty things.....  But, I may be biased

There are many ways to make yogurt, and you can make it from any kind of milk (you can even make it out of soy milk).  There are many different "styles".  Here is one of the sites that has info on how to make it: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/dairy/g449.htm

There are also "Yogurt Makers" like the one here: http://www.healthgoods.com/Shopping/Appliances/Yogurt_Makers.asp  and this one is similar to what my Mom used to have: http://www.donvier.com/products/yogurt.html

Ah...memories of the crazy things my mom used to do.......

By the time we get to do it we should only have one kid at home...and he'll be 16 or 17 by then.

Yep! My folks kept chickens from the time I was 5 until I was 15 or so.  My brother and I used to get tasked with mucking out the hen house, feeding them and collecting eggs.  The only problem I have is the way my dad used to slaughter them..he would wring their necks, and I dunno if I can do that.  I've seen a couple of other ways of snuffing them....one of which involves chopping their heads off with an axe.  I heard my mother and grandmother tell stories about headless blood spurting chickens sprinting around the yard after doing that, so I think I'm going try and avoid that! I helped with the plucking and skinning, though, so I have some experience there.

I'm having some doubts about the pig.  I think that we might end up with a 500lb pet!  I was considering some pygmy goats, but I don't know much about them.

Thanks for the links, I'm going to go check them out....

Actually, what that is used for is to knock them out so you can lop off their head.  The way to do it is to grab the chicken and then yank its head really quickly.  It will knock them out so you can chop their head off and kill them quickly.  They won't spurt blood, but there nervous system will make them run around.  I *really* couldn't do that.  I can't kill things.  After having chickens as a kid, I can't eat chicken on the bone (or, really anything on the bone).  I don't remember the last time I ate chicken at all......

If I had a pig, it would end up a large pet (as any animal I had).  Pigs are quite smart, so you might get attached to it.

pygmy goats are cool!  There is a farm by me that raises them.  The first time that I saw them I thought that they were all baby goats until I saw one of their tiny babies.  They are really crazy little buggers.  I always wanted a goat, but my husband thinks I'm insane....which I might be....

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of.  I've handled/interacted with pigs before (the farm down the road had a couple of pigs and I used to hang out down there when I was a kid) and I can see myself getting attached to them and not being able to take care of business when the time comes.  Lonsome's all for it; he's looking at designs for a smokehouse....ham and bacon and such!

I've been doing some reading and research about pygmy goats, and so far they seem like a good idea.  Goat's milk is a wonderful thing, a lot of people who can't tolerate cow's milk can handle goat's milk.  You can also use it to make soap with....and goat's milk yogurt sounds interesting (I found a yogurt maker, btw, on Ebay, for really pretty cheap...I'll be making some fresh fruit yogurt this time next week!)  I'd also never need to mow the yard again if we had goats!!!

With the price of gas- goats might be cheaper

I'd considered sheep, Sarah, but decided against it.  Goats are more work than a pig...and the pig was going to be a singleton, I didn't want to have a hog farm!

I'd love to see your homepage!  Alpacas aren't something we'd even thought of, to be honest.  I'm afraid of turning our homestead into a petting zoo, so we'd limited ourselves to critters that we thought served a purpose. 

Chickens are a must-have, though.  I always had fun with them growing up....

Problem is- roosters are typically mean.  Without a rooster, you have to keep buying chickens.  What a cruel world....... 

I still don't like Chickens....and nothing will change my mind

Yes, you do.  I think we're looking at getting a half dozen hens and a rooster...I've read numerous times that if you don't have a rooster one of the hens will step into 'rooster shoes' and start acting like one.  The rooster my dad had wasn't that bad.  He never was mean to us....then again we fed him all the treats and worms we found in the garden.