Seven Bridges Homestead
making do where we are planted
We began homesteading when we were in a more permanent season in life and had no idea that moving would be in our future. When we found out we would be moving, we decided we didn’t want to stop living the way we had come to love…even though we were moving to a place that, besides land, had no infrastructure for homestead living.
So we like to joke, “have homestead….will travel!” But really, from figuring out temporary (but good) fencing to good (but inexpensive and non-permanent) shelter, everything we’ve done in the past year has been a bit of a Tetris puzzle.
Necessity (and our deep desire to be connected with the land and our animals, despite our personal circumstances) really is the mother of invention.
OUR ANIMALS
Each of our animals has a name and a role, and our role is to know their names and care for them.
We take the care of our animals very seriously. It’s important to us for our animals to live a good life with as little stress as possible. Do we know everything? No. Is our setup perfect? Far from it. But we are learning and are happy to share our learning experiences with people who want to experience homesteading vicariously..or for those who want to learn along with us.
Once we moved, settled in, and got our fencing squared away, we began bringing livestock in. Over the past year, our groups/herds have been ever-evolving - but we are finally to a place where we believe we are set with our core livestock. I will introduce them here and to see old faces no longer with us, as well as new babies, check out our Blog!
OUR COWS
They say the milk cow is the queen of the homestead and we think that’s pretty close to the truth! There’s nothing like fresh milk - and all the things that can be made with it. Our cows are A2/A2 and high butterfat jerseys. We calf-share, which means that we allow our mamas to raise their babies while also giving our family milk. We occasionally have a limited amount of milk to share with others, so if this is something that interests you, please reach out via the contact page.
Our milk cows are Fiona and Eve. Since July 2024, Fiona has been giving us about 14 gallons of milk every week while also raising her calf. She will be dried up in late spring, anticipating a mid-August delivery of her new calf. Eve is expecting her first calf in September and we eagerly await her freshening for the first time!
OUR goats
If the cow is the queen of the homestead, then…well…honestly, the goat is really just different type of queen. She may be a little more flighty and may not produce quite as much milk, but she also has her own place. Her milk is naturally homogenized, A2/A2, and is easily digestible . As with our cows, we allow our goat mamas to raise their own babies to weaning, and they produce plenty enough for their kids & our family as well as enough to share with others.
We have seven goats in our goat herd:
Bonnie is a Nigerian Dwarf goat and was our first milk goat. She is 10 years old and we have tentatively decided to retire her to live out her best life.
Semi is a Kinder (a dual purpose Nubian/Pygmy cross) who gave us surprise bucklings 4 months after we bought her. She gives delicious, sweet milk, and is one of the most unassuming goats you would ever meet.
Chelsea and Dorothy are a mother/daughter Nubian pair. Dorothy is Chelsea’s first kid and we are looking forward to their milk for years to come!
Karlee and Lelo came to us as best friends - they are Kinders and their daughters, Betsy and Martha, respectively, are also best friends.
We started our homesteading with a small flock of chickens. In 2021, we bought 10 chicks, hoping for at least half of them to be hens. But as beginner’s luck would have it - we ended up with one rooster and 9 hens!
All the members of that original flock have since passed on to the Great Chicken Coop in the Sky and over the past few years, we’ve had chickens come and go on the homestead. For now, we maintain an average core flock of about 20 chickens and they give our family more than plenty eggs - as well as eggs to freeze dry for our personal use as well as to offer to others through our shop!
our poultry
Meet our guinea fowl. Guineas are loud and sometimes obnoxious, but also some of the best entertainment ever. Our kids call them our Clown Birds and that description sums it up — but, guineas are amazing for tick control, and aside from entertainment value, this is why we keep guineas.
Our pigs
At this time, we do not keep breeding pigs, but we do keep what is known as “feeder pigs.” This means that we purchase piglets with the intent of growing them out to feed our family. Our current girls are Charlene and Darlene and have been such a fun first experience raising pigs!
We like to keep the option open of offering our non-GMO & humanely-raised pork for sale by the half or whole.
CONNECT WITH US
We love hearing from fellow homesteaders and those just starting on their journey. Follow us on social media for daily insights and behind-the-scenes looks at our life.
