I built my mini homestead completely from the ground up. There was nothing in the backyard except for a shed, lots of moss, some grass and a tree. After learning that you can get shipments of chicks IN THE MAIL, yes, in the mail, I called my sister (her and her husband are the ones who actually own the house) and said, "Hey, is it fine if I put chickens in the backyard?" her exact words...."Sure, that's fine, go for it". Was I surprised or was I surprised???? I obviously have the best sister in the world. Without any questions asked, she let me live out my mini homestead dreams in the backyard of the house she once lived. She had the same response when I told her I applied to the job in Alaska. She was definitely more shocked but the response was still, "go for it!"
A "let's do it" attitude can get you far. What really is stopping you from doing that thing you want to do? If you have a backyard (and don't have an HOA, lol) than you also can have chickens. I lived within city limits too, y'all. If you think about the actual logistics of your dreams minus the fear factor - it's possible to do it 99% of the time.
So, for the first time and flying by the seat of my pants, I ordered 8 chicks in the mail. It was one of the best decisions I have made and a massive learning experience. I cared and stressed so much about these little chicks. I raised them mainly in my bathroom, then the basement and then they finally graduated to the great outdoors.
I built the fencing, the coop, spread the deep bedding, read MANY books, bought antibiotics in case I needed them, hauled shavings and shoved straw in the back of my Ford Focus.
It was so much work, but I absolutely loved it. I learned that this was exactly the kind of work that I want to be doing. I want to use my hands, grow my own food, churn the earth, raise animals, cook and bake with my garden ingredients, and share the joy and the whole experience. I spent many hours outside and I was tired at the end of the day and very happy with what I had accomplished.
Something else to note about this kind of lifestyle, though, is that it comes with great sadness. With great risk sure does come great reward but also the possible negative outcomes of that risk. One morning after I got off shift, I went to let the chickens out of the coop and I noticed immediately that it was too quiet, not lots of chirping.... my stomach dropped before I even walked into the coop. I knew exactly what had happened. Half of my chickens gone in the blink of an eye, killed by something that only wanted to kill for sport. The immense sadness I felt and the tears that ran down my face for the next 24 hours was painful. I called my sister after it had happened and we talked about the hardships of raising animals. But, don't get me wrong, there is a difference between raising a healthy animal for slaughter to provide for your family and having your livestock maliciously taken from you in the middle of the night. That summer, my sisters garden was ridden in one night by a black bear. She cried too. All the hours spent in her garden trying to grow good and nutritious food for her family was literally ripped out in one. single. night.
We both cried that summer from the fruits of our labor being taken, but it was all a learning experience. I found out to never underestimate the cleverness of a hungry animal, to fortify my coop and to double check my safety measures. She also learned not to underestimate the cleverness of a hungry animal and to build a sturdier garden fence.
A close friend of mine grew up on a farm that her parents still run. They have chickens, sheep and cattle. After the incident with the chickens she told me about a time when her father had to shoot one of his prized bulls. Her father, a very experienced farmer, noticed that one of his bulls was laying flat in the field, he went to check on him and knew that he was sick. He called the vet out and the vet gave him all kinds of medicine in hopes that whatever the bull had would be cured. Her father knew he needed to quarantine the bull so that it didn't get any of the herd sick with whatever it had. The bull was still in the same place the next morning and was in worse condition. With intense sadness, her father decided that it was too risky to keep the bull around the rest of the herd. The next day, the bull was in the same place as it had been the two previous days - the medicine wasn't working. Reluctantly then her father walked out to the field and shot the bull. She told me her father was so angry and sad because it was one of their best bulls and it was a loss of investment. Of course farmers love their animals but it is also their source of living. Her father decided to kill the bull instead of risking the rest of his herd because then he wouldn't have anything to slaughter and sell. It's a weird mixture of emotions. The animals are destined for processing, but its supposed to be done in the right way.
I learned so much from my mini homesteading experience that I will be able to apply to so many facets of life. Especially in Alaska, building a coop or raised beds won't be as hard because I've done it before.
You never know when you're in "the practice round", shall we say. Moving to Alaska is CRAZY and there will not be lots of room for actual error because it's life and death up there. I am certain that I will make numerous mistakes but at least it won't be my first time growing and maintaining multiple sources of food, plant or animal.
Always be grateful for even the seemingly meaningless lessons in your life because eventually at some point you will be able to say "Oh, I've done this before!" and rock whatever it is like a champ.