There are many little rules to farming or homesteading, some passed down from grandparents, some learned from experience, and others learned from YouTube or blogs. There is one rule I’ve come to learn through experience and lots of research into different homesteading endeavors.
The rule that I find is little talked about but rarely broken is simple: more space, less inputs (and vice versa). These two aspects act inversely to each other in nearly every farm activity one can imagine.
Space vs. Inputs for Livestock
For example, if you keep goats, more space to browse means fewer inputs, namely 1) feed (hay) and 2) dewormers. If a goat (or really any livestock) has more space, it will supply more of its diet from the land directly. Animals with less space will more quickly graze or browse all the available vegetation, causing you to supplement with more purchased feed. Further, an animal with more square footage will experience a reduced worm load, resulting in a lower likelihood to need dewormers.
Space vs. Inputs for Growers
In organic farming, intensive vegetable production is achieved in surprisingly small acreages, but only with increased inputs, mostly compost and mulch. This is why, of course, these methods of J.M. Fortier and others are called “bio-intensive“. More inputs equal more output per square foot. If we halved the inputs, we could still achieve the same output on a larger plot. Note, however, that this tradeoff is not necessarily linear, meaning half the inputs may not correspond to exactly twice the space to maintain the same production. Hence, there is an art in optimizing output with a given space by experimenting with the volume and kind of inputs.
The Homestead Ecosystem
The same concepts apply to a homestead as a whole. The more space a homestead has, generally, the more a homestead can conceivably source all its needs. A small, quarter-acre homestead may (as described in the book “The Backyard Homestead”) produce a sizeable quantity of veggies, fruits, eggs, and meat, but it will require more inputs per square foot than a larger homestead. Taken to the other extreme, a homestead that is the size of the whole world will of course be able to sustain itself, since our world has sustained human activity for many thousands of years.
The homestead should be viewed as an ecosystem: it has inputs and outputs, and these inputs/outputs will not be of the same kind nor quantity. It is up to the homesteader or small farmer to decide which inputs and outputs are necessary to keep their ecosystem healthy.
For the chicken-keeper, inputs include feed, water, any medications necessary, housing, grit, and bedding. Outputs are primarily eggs and meat. However, those with more space can often reduce the number of inputs. For example, I never give my chickens grit, because the land they free-range over has plenty of small pebbles and sand to pick through. I also have yet to need any medications. This cuts my inputs down to housing, water, feed, and bedding with the latter three being the only recurring inputs. If one really had enough space and dedication, one could grow their own chicken feed – something a homesteader on a quarter acre simply cannot do. Hence, the rule: Inputs can only be reduced so far as space can supply.
Further, it’s important to understand that your labor is an input, too. Often, space can be reduced at the expense of increased labor, usually regarding animal bedding, housing, and sanitation. The smaller the space, the more often bedding must be replaced and muck removed to keep a sanitary environment. Animals in large fields might never need this labor input from the farmer or homesteader, except perhaps around areas of high traffic (e.g. a feed trough or shelter). It’s also worth noting that this labor input will generally increase during winters, especially in cold climates where animals might be kept in confinement in the cooler months.
Conclusions
The rule of space vs. inputs is important to keep in mind when beginning any new venture. It’s always at the top of my mind when I consider how and when to venture into livestock in particular. Yes, a goat could live in a 10′ x 10′ pen, but you’d be supplying all of its dietary needs and increasing the amount of labor to keep the pen sanitary. I generally prefer to maximize an animal’s space and reduce required inputs, but you (as the manager of your ecosystem) must decide what level of inputs vs. available space makes sense for your farm or homestead.
Never stop growing,
Christian
Born for the Barn 