Starting a Hobby Farm

December of 2017 we decided to move our family of six out of our comfortable suburban home and relocate to the country.  After Six months of working and planning we sold our home an the adventure started.  Like so many new things it started with a lot of excitement.  From the water line to the fridge bursting, a torrential downpour from the heavens to our moving truck getting stuck in the front yard of our new home we found ourselves inundated with one adventure after another.  Getting moved in was only the beginning.  Getting settled and starting to plan out a hobby farm was more then we were ready for.  Every turn had new challenges but also came with a sense of accomplishment.  We added chickens to our farm and built a small hen house and run so the chickens have a safe place to roam.  The chicken coupe and addition of animals was pretty easy.  Next we moved onto goats.  We started by fencing in a one acre field and constructing a barn built out of pallets.  This space would be our main area to house and keep goats during kidding seasons.  It allowed us to begin purchasing goats and adding animals like Great Pyrenees to our farm.  Over the next two years we expanded fencing and added goats.  Most additions we added during kidding season.  We have found that the goats we purchase from other people are mostly their rejects.  They typically don't get along with other goats and they don't like people at all.  Learning the ins and outs of livestock care has been exciting.  Learning to utilize our livestock to generate capital has been a whole other ballgame.  Our first year we had a net loss of just over $5000.  Since then we have minimized the loss but with overall farming needs we have not gotten to a revenue generating spot.  We have however found that having a hobby farm has other benefits but it's not for the faint of heart.  Some of our enjoyment has come from the time our family has working together,  learning new skills and allowing our farm to be a place of peace and relaxation for friends and family.  We will write more about our adventures but just know that we have barely scratched the surface.