Fulkerson Farms

Be sure to check out pictures of our newest additions to Fulkerson Farms. Click on the “New” page to see them.

Who knew there were magazines out there for hobby farmers? Certainly not me several years ago. In fact, I’m not sure when I first became aware of some of the excellent publications available, but today I subscribe to several:

Hobby Farms — Hobby Farms is the magazine for rural enthusiasts – hobby farmers, small production farmers and those passionate about the country. Hobby Farms caters to all aspects of rural life – from small farm equipment, to livestock, to crops. Hobby Farms highlights “rural living for pleasure and profit.”

American Small Farm — American Small Farm is a nationally circulated publication catering exclusively to the interests and needs of the small farmer. Our editorial focus pertains to farming practices, ideas and technology suitable to family farms. USDA sets the criteria for a small farm as an operation having less than $250,000 gross annual farm income. Whether you farm one acre or 10,000 acres, American Small Farm’s goal is to help you profit from your operation.

Backyard Poultry — Backyard Poultry magazine is dedicated to more and better small scale poultry raising including information on chickens, waterfowl, turkeys, guineas and more. Every issue contains information and topics of interest to poultry enthusiasts of all levels.

Countryside & Small Stock Journal — Countryside is the truly original country magazine (established 1917) serving that branch of the Voluntary Simplicity movement seeking greater self-reliance (homesteading), with emphasis on home food production. This includes gardening, small-scale livestock, cooking, food preservation, resource conservation, recycling, frugality, money management, alternative energy, old-time skills, home business, and much more.

I’m sure there are others, and if you have a favorite, I’d like to hear about it.

Are you considering starting your own hobby farm? I’m often asked how to begin. There are several things to consider before buying animals.

First of all, what will you raise? Do a bit of research about the particular breed or animal type you wish to place on your farm. We are blessed with a family that I call our “goat mentors.” Although they’re dairy goat farmers and our Pygmies are raised as pets, we’ve learned a tremendous amount from them, especially during kidding season.

Does your local veterinarian have experience with the type of animal you’ve selected? While we have several vets in this area, one stood out as having more experience with goats than the others, making it easy to choose where to go with our animals. Some vets aren’t much more than dog & cat doctors — others deal with large livestock, such as cattle and horses. Fewer people own goats, so again, we had a bit of research to conduct.

Do you have adequate shelter and proper fencing for your animal type of choice? Some animals require little; others, a lot. Varmints and predators are always something to consider when preparing to protect your new “family members.” Young poultry are an easy target and need more secure shelter than a larger animal.

Do I need a guardian animal? If so, what should I choose? Again, this takes a bit of research. The final choice is just that–your choice. We considered purchasing a llama before choosing a Great Pyrenees. I remember telling my husband, “There may be a reason more people own dogs than llamas.” For us, all it took was a few conversations with Great Pyrenees owners to determine that that was the best choice for us. We’ve never been sorry.

We’ll discuss more about how to get started in future posts. It is my goal in 2008 to post on this site each Wednesday. If you have specific questions, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment.

Welcome to our web site!

We raise Pygmy goats and Muscovy Ducks, but have several other types of critters. Click on the navigational links in the upper right corner to view pictures of our extended “family.”