Remember lots of people throughout history have homesteaded. In fact, up until about 150 years ago, everyone did. There is a large amount of documented homestead history to find both online and at your library. But before you do anything check local laws where you are thinking about homesteading. Some places are very restrictive. Alaska has the least restrictive laws in the U.S. but it is hard to live there. It is cold and there are many large predators. Homesteading or any portion of it the regulations allow where you live can be very rewarding. Gathering and growing your own foodstuffs is something wonderful and should be respected by everyone. Too many people have grown too far away from their sources of food.

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If you cannot do all of the homestead items, but you can do one where you live, then go for it. Grow chickens for eggs as a start. You don’t have to process them if you don’t want to. You can work up to that. Just do something about it in your home and the rewards will be great for you and your family. Fresh unprocessed food is always better for you than pesticide-laden, antibiotic-filled, store-bought foods.

 

My wife just shared a video with me of someone in the South that purchased a chicken for Thanksgiving. This synthetic abomination looked more like a steroid injected bodybuilder. Lumpy huge breasts that were completely out of proportion. Thick and meaty legs with meat even on the narrow part at the bottom of the drumstick. Sizes way out of normal proportions. It looked like an assembled animal, not an "all natural" one that it is advertised as being. We have been raising and eating all natural, free-range chickens for 20 years, and none of them even resembled that thing. I would do just what the gentlemen in the video did and put it directly in the trash.

 

There is an article here from the ALDF about backyard chickens being "for the birds." But keep in mind that the article is from the Animal Defense Fund, which under the new Federal law would, in their own words "Thus, non-violent civil disobedience may constitute “terrorism” under AETA and result in an activist spending a year in prison." This is from their own website at ALDF.org. You can find an overview of the law at Wikipedia with a link to the actual written content as passed by the government.

 

Please be aware that many groups actively try to stop you from backyard food such as chickens and livestock like pigs, or goats. They can come on your property and steal your livelihood and report you to others that will close you down as a public nuisance. These extremists are against any form of an animal being used for food. Find this article where they completely closed two homes that processed chickens for food. Link here. This is a negative article but it is to inform you that not everyone will appreciate you growing your own food.