Layout for 2-acre homestead

[FranciscoR]

I did a quick lay-out of how I want to setup my land. Granted, there is always room for modification and redesign, but for now I am liking what I am seeing.

1) The boxed area at top (right by house) is where I want to plant some fruit trees. I should be able to fit a good amount of apple trees in there. Right below it is where my daughter's play set is going...no room to expand down.

2) I am also planning on planting some bushes (various berries). The location is up in the air. Suggestions?

3) That is my "barn," to the middle-left. It measures 16'x24'. Right now it is being used as storage. However, I am working to clear it out and re-purpose it. I should be able to make it into a more "homestead oriented" facility to equipment, feed, etc. storage.

4) The red section is an easement I am planning for. I want a full run from top to bottom, with roughly 16'-20' wide all the way down.

5) The 2 small sections beside the barn are for a coop and some stables.

6) This is where I am mostly confused. The two big sections, not 100% sure what I want to do with them. The top section, I am hiring somebody to come in one weekend and TOTALLY clear it out of brush and trees. When done, I will have 2 pasture areas essentially. The top one is hitting at just over 1/2ac, while the bottom is over 1ac.

This is as far as I have gotten so far. At the bottom of my property is a creek I have full-access to year-round running water. The clearing is full of all types of shrubbery, tons of clover.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I love working on plans! Looks like a nice place you have there.

If you are going to use that top section for pasture, don't pay someone to clear out the brush and trees. If you put horses or goats in there, they will clear the brush out and animals on pasture will need shade. You only need to clear the land if you are going to use it for hay or crops.
What will be your use for the easement area?
you said run, are you thinking of fencing and putting chickens in there?
or will that be road access to the property?
Are you going to have a vegetable garden at all?
A lot of people forget to leave an access for vehicles to the barn and such. It is no fun to carry bags of feed all the way back there and haul the garbage back out to the driveway. Draw your vehicle access onto your map so you don't plant trees, berry bushes, etc. in your way.

 

[FranciscoR]

I love working on plans! Looks like a nice place you have there.

If you are going to use that top section for pasture, don't pay someone to clear out the brush and trees. If you put horses or goats in there, they will clear the brush out and animals on pasture will need shade. You only need to clear the land if you are going to use it for hay or crops.
That's been one of my questions/problems. But truthfully, my wife and I would like to have it cleared to have a BIG / nicely manicured lawn/pasture. I don't mind it so much, but it's certainly not a big deal for me. Plus, with all the sacrifices my wife makes, and support she gives, it's the least I can do for her. Besides, having two pastures is never a bad thing. The hillside is COVERED in wheat grass, clover, wild flowers, etc.

What will be your use for the easement area?
you said run, are you thinking of fencing and putting chickens in there?
or will that be road access to the property?
The easement is exactly that. That hill is a HUGE pain to carry things up/down it. A single 50lb bag of feed/corn feels like a ton by the time you reach the top/bottom. It will be used only as a road/access path for my entire property. That way, with my 18hp diesel, i can carry equipment, feed, wood, etc.

Are you going to have a vegetable garden at all?
Good point! I didn't even think of that. Yes, we will want to plant some vegetables as well. I actually have a old John Deere 4 row planter (in pieces), I can piece together to make a single row planter (bought the entire thing for like $150 off Craigslist). It even came with all the discs (corn, beans, etc). Should allow for a massive boost to animal feed, as well as personal consumption. Would be cool to plant a small (20/40 patch of corn for animal feed, and a few cobs for ourselves...lol

A lot of people forget to leave an access for vehicles to the barn and such. It is no fun to carry bags of feed all the way back there and haul the garbage back out to the driveway. Draw your vehicle access onto your map so you don't plant trees, berry bushes, etc. in your way.
Right now (if looking down on property), nothing will be done on left side. I want to still have access to barn from top gate, and enough room to maneuver a trailer, tractor, etc in yard. Like you said, it's too easy to fill up a yard.

 

[FranciscoR]

Side-note: Did you notice the isles/lines in yard? All that is grass. I am thinking due to high concentration of clovers and wild flowers, I may be able to use this as a supplement to whatever animals I get (chicken, goats, etc). It would be criminal to let bags upon bags of good clippings go to waste, At the very least, mix it in with waste compost for vegetables. I would reckon i can fill 3-4 50 gallon bags every 2 weeks (probably more) with clippings.

 

[Percheron chick]

What types of livestock you want to raise is going to dictate how you divide and use the open areas. Stocking rates are vital if you are going to keep any vegetation. A basic guideline is 1000# of livestock per acre. That would work out to one horse, one cow, 5 sheep or goats. 2 acres is nothing if you are intending to raise feed for livestock and yourself. I don't understand your easement area. Is the main entrance to the property up by the house? It's not something that you need to use multiple times a day or even a few times a week. It's a huge waste of what limited land you have plus it's one entire additional fence line. Just put 16' gates into both "pastures" plus another one between them. Additionally, you want 4' people/animal gates. You move the pasture fencelines so they both feed into the barn/paddock area. That way, you open the gate and the livestock files out into the pasture you designate for them to graze that day. You need one water source, one shed and you aren't having to halter them each and everytime you want them up or out. Semi dwarf fruit trees require 15 feet between trees so they are going to take up more space than they look like they should.

 

[FranciscoR]

What types of livestock you want to raise is going to dictate how you divide and use the open areas. Stocking rates are vital if you are going to keep any vegetation. A basic guideline is 1000# of livestock per acre. That would work out to one horse, one cow, 5 sheep or goats. 2 acres is nothing if you are intending to raise feed for livestock and yourself. I don't understand your easement area. Is the main entrance to the property up by the house? It's not something that you need to use multiple times a day or even a few times a week. It's a huge waste of what limited land you have plus it's one entire additional fence line. Just put 16' gates into both "pastures" plus another one between them.
I may have used the wrong wording. The red "highlighted" portion was simply to gain access up/down from the fenced portion further back.It was meant to essentially allow for a pathway between the pastures. However, I see your point. if I make two pastures (sharing a common fence line), I don't need this pathway. The gate at current fence-line can lead into one section, with a gate leading into second. You're right, it is a waste of limited space otherwise.

Additionally, you want 4' people/animal gates. You move the pasture fence lines so they both feed into the barn/paddock area. That way, you open the gate and the livestock files out into the pasture you designate for them to graze that day.
I get what you're saying here. I think I may build a separate pen/stable for the animals. My current shed/barn is also used for stuff from house. Not sure if I want to dedicate ti fully to housing animals...but I might. Although, once everything is cleared up inside (and considering I won't have that many animals, I may have enough space.

You need one water source, one shed and you aren't having to halter them each and every time you want them up or out.
I am already on that! At the bottom of my yard is "my" creek. I have contacted the zoning people to see if I can build a supplemental pond for the animals. It won't be anything massive, but will have enough water to provide for animals year-round.

Semi dwarf fruit trees require 15 feet between trees so they are going to take up more space than they look like they should.
I was only thinking of planting 4-6 trees, so that's not going to be an issue.

 

[Percheron chick]

For any animal, you need some type of restricted paddock area. This will be someplace to lock them up off of the pastures when they need time to rest and regrow, when it's too muddy and they will cause severe damage, when you need them up for your convenience, after you fertilize, so you can mow... No animal needs a stable or barn but they do need a place to get out of the rain, sun and wind. A simple 3 sided shed large enough to have some airflow (I've lived in the south and the bugs, heat and humidity is brutal on livestock) is all you need. Place that in your paddock that the 2 pastures feed into and you are done. You will probably find them hiding in the trees or shed in the heat of the summer and out in the dark. Don't count on the stream to be their only source of water. It can dry up, the water quality can be poor, it can have an off taste or smell and in my experience, they drink more if it's in a trough. Mine have ponds and tanks available and they will make the trek up to the corral area for a drink, turn around and hike back down past the ponds and out into the pasture. That speaks volumes to me. The area around the ponds will also be prime bug areas. They aren't going to hang out down there much in the summer.

I would put your chickens and garden all close to the paddock livestock area. You will create a monster compost pile from all the waste of these 3 areas and if you give your chickens access to the pile, they will keep the bugs down, speed up the decomposition, reduce your feed bill, reduce the amount of waste you need to pick up in the pens...

 

[FranciscoR]

For any animal, you need some type of restricted paddock area. This will be someplace to lock them up off of the pastures when they need time to rest and regrow, when it's too muddy and they will cause severe damage, when you need them up for your convenience, after you fertilize, so you can mow... No animal needs a stable or barn but they do need a place to get out of the rain, sun and wind. A simple 3 sided shed large enough to have some airflow (I've lived in the south and the bugs, heat and humidity is brutal on livestock) is all you need. Place that in your paddock that the 2 pastures feed into and you are done. You will probably find them hiding in the trees or shed in the heat of the summer and out in the dark. Don't count on the stream to be their only source of water. It can dry up, the water quality can be poor, it can have an off taste or smell and in my experience, they drink more if it's in a trough. Mine have ponds and tanks available and they will make the trek up to the corral area for a drink, turn around and hike back down past the ponds and out into the pasture. That speaks volumes to me. The area around the ponds will also be prime bug areas. They aren't going to hang out down there much in the summer.
Great idea / points. How about this modification? That fenced in portion was an old garden. I can retrofit it for the paddock. Also, I can install two gates right there as well. One gate per pasture. Simple and easy, with access "right there." As far as the "cover" goes, I can build a lean-to onto the shed itself. With how it already is, I would only need roof and side-walls. As far as water goes, I can buy some water tanks for run-offs, or simply fill up from house. A trough would not be an issue.

I would put your chickens and garden all close to the paddock livestock area. You will create a monster compost pile from all the waste of these 3 areas and if you give your chickens access to the pile, they will keep the bugs down, speed up the decomposition, reduce your feed bill, reduce the amount of waste you need to pick up in the pens...
The chicken coop is planned to go in right to the left of that fenced in area. The garden is the only thing up in question. However, if it can't be right next to the paddock, I'll be ok with that.

 

[FranciscoR]

And we can officially scrap my homestead plans.  Just spoke to zoning for expanding a watering hole (got approval for that).  Rules have changed. Apparently the people I've seen with livestock are doing so illegally, or live right outside city limits (despite being only blocks away from me).  Simply put, no livestock allowed...  

To be fair, I can still plant vegetables / fruits.  But it's just not the same not being able to have pigs, goats, etc.

Sidenote: positive side is that 1) I wasn't planning on getting animals for a while, 2) I can still build up my property in anticipation of 3) convincing city to allow livestock.

Challenge accepted!...lol

 

[Percheron chick]

Chickens might not fall into "livestock". Good luck.