Homestead Land: How Much Do You Need?
Inside: The size of your homestead land needed depends on the type of homesteading lifestyle you hope to achieve, start small or on a large acreage.
The size of land needed for a homestead depends on the type of homesteading lifestyle you hope to achieve. We currently only have 3/4 of an acre of homestead land and are doing what we can with what we have.
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How Much Land Do You Need for A Homestead?
Stop and think about your homestead goals. What do you want from your homestead? Do you want to grow your own food for the year or to help offset produce costs? Do you want to raise animals for meat, eggs, or milk?
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How Much Land Do You Need?
The size of a homestead can vary depending on the amount of land available and what the person wants to do with it. A homestead can be as large or small as you like, but typically, most people need at least 1-2 acres of land to support their lifestyle.
For example, someone who only wants to keep some chickens may only need a quarter of an acre, while someone who wants to grow crops and keep cattle may need several hundred acres.
How Much Land Do You Need for Livestock?
These are just general ideas to get you started planning your homestead this lists how many animals you can have per arce of land, and with bringing in a food source.
- 1 cow
- 6-8 goats
- 8-10 sheep
How Much Space Do Animals Require?
Chickens require 4 square feet of coop space per bird; 8 square feet of run space per bird. The bigger the bird, the more space they will need of course.
There is a lot of gray area when it comes to how much outdoor space goats need. They can survive on a small run, living mostly on hay and grain. Overall, guidelines for minimum space requirements for does are around 16 sq. ft per goat. And remember, goats are herd animals so you need a minimum of two goats.
Cows need about 1 acre per cow! And again, they are herd animals so you should have 2, which means 2 acres.
But what if you don't plan to pasture feed them? Then you need to bring in hay and grains and you can give them smaller areas, but keep in mind the quality of life and needs.
How Much Land Do You Need for Growing Food?
If you have a large family or plan to sell your produce, you'll need more land than if you're a small family or only growing for yourself. The climate and weather conditions in your area will also affect how much land you need.
In general, you'll need at least 1/4 acre of land per person in your household if you want to be self-sufficient in food production.
What you grow in your garden is going to affect how much space it takes as well. And remember you can grow all year long with a winter garden either in hoop gardens or a greenhouse.
The size of land needed in order to live a homestead lifestyle is highly dependent upon what kind of life you would like to live. The bigger your goals and plans homestead, the more space you'll require for it, and the more time (and money) you will have to put into it to at least get it started.
You can do a lot with a small piece of property so don't let the size of your property and/or your budget stop you from having a homestead. Have a backyard homestead with a few chickens and some potted plants.
More on Homesteading
5 Tips to Homesteading with Kids
5+ Books on Getting Started with Your Homestead
