Simplifying Homestead Tasks & Creating Routines

There are so many things that I wish I had known before I began homesteading. When starting out, I made the mistake of going all in right out of the gate, only doing my research after the I was already in the thick of things with no chance of turning back. All of the compulsive decisions I made forced me to learn as much as I possibly could in a relatively short amount of time because I didn’t have a choice.

The reality of my diving in headfirst into homesteading is that I made a lot of costly mistakes, but I also learned so much. I learned a lot reading about husbandry for all the different livestock I had purchased and gardening as I lay in bed each night trying to fall asleep, but I learned a whole lot more by simply just getting out there and doing whatever had to be done.

One of the most important things I’ve learned though is that simplifying all of your homestead tasks and creating routines is the only way to go! Most homesteaders will not be in a position to homestead full time and not have a full-time job. Homesteading is very costly, especially in the beginning as you begin to establish your land and acquire animals, so if you think you are going to have all day every day to do livestock chores or gardening and be able to pay for it all without an income, you’re dreaming!

One routine that we have established is to simplify our morning chores so that we can get everything done as quickly as possible before we both have to be to work. For the chickens, ducks, and guineas, we made sure to put all of their coops and runs grouped together in one area with a small storage shed that holds all of their feed, bedding, and anything else poultry related. This ensures that we can quickly fill all of their feeders while having everything in one area. We refill their waters in the barn, which is only about 100 feet away. All of our birds are free range, so simply opening up their runs each morning and refilling food & water is all we have to do for them. Allowing them to free range keeps their coops and runs fairly clean until the one day a week when we do more time-consuming chores on our day off.

In the barn, we have a feed room that stores all of the feed for the pigs, sheep, goats, and miniature donkeys. We have multiples stalls in there that open to the pastures. Aside from the pigs, everyone just gets to hang out together and sleep wherever they want. All of the troughs for all of the animals are in this central location and we use all stock feed for all of the goats, sheep, and donkeys.

Another way that we have increased our efficiency and made tasks easier is by having water hydrants in multiple areas. We have one by the coops, one in each barn stall, and multiple ones in the pastures. This allows us to place water buckets or troughs at each one so that we can just turn on the hydrant and not have to worry about running hoses everywhere. Homestead Tip: Don’t turn the water on, walk away to complete another task, and forget about the water! Trying to multi-task if you tend to be forgetful is going to add up!

With the organization we’ve implemented, the morning chores of feeding and watering everyone only takes about 15 minutes to complete. Another morning task is watering the gardens and orchard, but while one of us is doing the animal chores, the other one is doing the watering. With it now being winter, the only area being watered daily is the greenhouse which is still thriving with tomatoes, herbs, and jalapenos! Next spring when we start our new garden, we will be adding a watering system that allows us to water everything at once so we can just turn on the water, start a timer, and then turn off the water when the timer goes off.

For evening chores after work, all that’s needed is to make sure everyone still has plenty of water, collecting all the eggs for the day, closing up the runs after all of our chickens/ducks/guineas have already gone in for the night on their own, and closing up the barn. This in total only takes about 10 minutes. All of the coops have nesting boxes that open from outside of the runs allowing us to quickly just go from one to another to collect our daily bounty of eggs. Or as I call it, the girls’ rent payment.

When it comes to the more complex tasks, we save all of them for Mondays when we are both off from our day jobs. Our weekly chores include shoveling out the barn stalls and chicken coops, cleaning the duck pool and refilling it, and scrubbing all of the flock watering containers. Everyone’s food dishes stay clean, so it’s just the water dispensers that tend to get muddy and grow algae if it’s hot out. All of the flock dispensers, for both food and water, are raised which helps a lot with them remaining clean throughout the week.

Having these routines in place allows us to be more organized with our time, ensure that all of our animals remain clean, healthy, and happy, and give us time for other things as well. Free ranging for all of them cuts down on cleaning and feed costs dramatically. With us doing the same chores daily and usually at the same time, the animals know the routine and remain far more content. Routines are crucial for both the animals and for you and your sanity. Simplifying your tasks and creating systems that allow you to get more done in less time is going to save you a lot of stress and frustration. It may take a while to get this in place, but doing your research, rearranging your property, and finding ways to simplify will allow you far more downtime to sit back, relax, and enjoy the amazing homestead that you’ve created!

Cheers to homesteading and a life of fulfillment!