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Feeding Chickens

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Justin Rhodes on Youtube

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Giving Up Efficiency for Priority (Surviving June on the Homestead)

Justin Rhodes 22 hours ago

I had to run the forklift without it completely latching. I was super careful. Oftentimes you have to limp by to just get stuff done
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Just Limping By

Justin Rhodes June 10, 2026 6:14 pm

Plant transplant insurance y'all
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Plant Transplant Insurance

Justin Rhodes June 10, 2026 12:30 pm

You open with three tidy tasks on the list and early‑morning ambition, but the day immediately turns into a chicken shuffle: front‑yard hens flying a 52‑inch fence, crates full of layers and youngsters, and a plan to move chicks into the cabin coop while leaving a few “old lady hens” to teach them where to roost at night. Along the way you explain rough‑looking hens with bare backs as the rooster’s “favorites,” show how feeding on top of a half‑composted woodchip pile gets chickens aerating future garden soil, and note that integrating new birds mostly results in minor squabbles as they sort themselves out. The real derailment hits at the cows: calves have learned the fence is off during milking, slip through to nurse everything out, and your plan for a mobile Premier 1 energizer comes too late, leaving you with no milk and a reminder that the cows are the centerpiece of the farm. You decide to start milking at first light, move paddocks differently, and at least salvage some milk from Vanilla while admitting that waiting until 7:40 on a bright May morning was a mistake. Meanwhile, Rebecca is beautifying the cabin yard for farm‑experience guests—adding compost, trees, and a raised bed to make the Airbnb feel more like a working homestead—when the mini‑split AC starts screaming. On a Sunday with no HVAC techs available, you troubleshoot filters, a clogged humidifier drain, and possible frozen coils or low refrigerant, all under a 2.5‑hour deadline before guests arrive. The chick move itself becomes a lesson in experimentation with Gideon: trying to drag a tractor full of jumpy birds, then switching to catching them into crates, and finally trusting that they’ll pile up somewhere and be hand‑carried to the coop that night. The next morning’s follow‑up shows the training working—the little chicks following hens out of the coop—and an early 7:00 a.m. “Rhodes farm safari” to get everyone to the cows, where you finally test the new energizer, retrain calves to the fence, and milk with a live wire protecting your share If you like seeing the unpolished side of homesteading—too many poultry systems, fencing puzzles, Airbnb demands, and mechanical surprises all piled on one Sunday—this episode shows how you adapt in real time while still training animals (and kids) into better routines
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I Had 3 Jobs Today. The Farm Had Other Plans

Justin Rhodes June 9, 2026 4:00 pm

I finally figured out how we tiny humans came to be in charge of such large beasts
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How Humans Became In Charge

Justin Rhodes June 8, 2026 5:04 pm

I'm always working hard to keep all the elements of the farm for everyone because if the chickens get out and get in the garden, they suddenly become my chickens in her garden. Same rule for the dog. Let's keep everything everyone's and keep everybody in their place.
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When It's No Longer "Ours"

Justin Rhodes June 7, 2026 9:06 pm

What inspires you most about Jason and Lorraine Contreras and their land story?
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What Inspires You About Sow The Land's Story?

Justin Rhodes June 6, 2026 6:36 pm

Tonight the land documentary kicks off the premier weekend free trial. Come hang out with Jason. He'll be answering comments Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Pop some corn, grab the family, and enjoy the show on us! Now streaming on Abundance Plus
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Finally, Their Story Comes To Life

Justin Rhodes June 5, 2026 6:53 pm

Sometimes you have to step in before you're ready and trust that you will get ready, whether you're like my friends, the Contrerases, and leaving a home state to another one to start homesteading from scratch, or you're me this year, leasing a hay field management plan, or your Paul Greaves at Primal Pastures, who in San Diego thought they should get some chicks and ordered the chicks, and then they were forced to learn everything they needed to know before the chicks arrived three weeks later. Sow the Land documentary premieres tomorrow on Abundance Plus. Today's question is, what do you need to step forward on today? Join us in a side of Abundance Plus to discuss.
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You Just Gotta Move Forward

Justin Rhodes June 4, 2026 6:02 pm

Ten years ago, Jason and Lorraine “quit normal,” left cancer and city life behind in California, and started over on a tiny 1.5‑acre homestead that eventually grew into a thriving 14‑acre farm in North Carolina. In today’s video, I’m touring their place to see how far they’ve come, how they raise their own meat, and how this lifestyle helped Jason heal and stay out of the office and on the land. We’ll walk through their brooder setup with 25–30 chicks, lightweight chicken tractors, and the mobile coops that keep their Cornish Cross birds active and “feisty,” not lethargic. Jason shows how he designed nearly everything himself, from the coops to the water systems, despite coming from a computer‑drafting background, not construction. You’ll also see: - Cooney Cooney pigs (the “non‑rooting” lard pigs) grazing with piglets at their side - Gravity‑fed rainwater systems using IBC totes and a hilltop shed to water animals without miles of hoses - Sheep moving across pasture on simple hot‑wire and net systems, turning “the desert” parts of the old horse property green again - How they manage chores, avoid burnout, and keep animals healthy by moving them regularly Along the way, Jason opens up about surviving cancer, battling doubt and anxiety, and why he refused to “go back to normal” when the doctor cleared him. He shares advice for beginners—start small, don’t try to do everything in year one, maybe even “buy the chicks before you build the coop” so you’re forced to learn—and what parts of homesteading you actually should romanticize: early mornings, moving animals, harvesting your own food, and even the sacred work of butchering. If you’re dreaming of your own homestead, this tour is packed with real‑life systems, honest talk about costs and burnout, and proof that you can transform abused land—and your own life—one small step at a time. 🎥 Watch the full documentary with Jason and Lorraine, including the deeper cancer‑to‑homestead story, in “Abundance Plus” on Friday, June 5, and catch Jason hanging out in the comments during the premiere. 👇 RESOURCES & LINKS Subscribe to Jason & Lorraine: “Sow the Land” on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@SowtheLand?si=sQQC8aw-3sa-IlWK Watch the full documentary inside Abundance Plus: https://abundanceplus.com Get my full pasture‑based poultry training and chicken tractor plans: https://shopjustinrhodes.com/products/free-chicken-tractor-plans?srsltid=AfmBOooH3bn_QGT3o-4nghyAnxmzOi596VrcXp5O6o1OnmUWbxgthv0M
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They Quit Normal to Homestead - 10 Years Later

Justin Rhodes June 4, 2026 4:00 pm

Goals without a plan are just a wish and a plan without execution is just garbage but the secret to overcoming the overwhelm and getting it all done isn't getting it all done at least at once. It's one step at a time. It's establishing a rhythm. I like to call them time blocks. You can do daily rhythms, weekly rhythms, monthly rhythms. For example our daily rhythm includes: Getting up at first light Doing chores With whatever time we have left, work on projects until 10:00 brunch This lends itself, if you'll be studious, to doing the most important thing towards your goal during that limited time because the reality is you do have limits on your time, money, and energy. That's why it's important to do the most important thing and that's setting rhythms and sticking with them whether you want to or not. Inside Abundance Plus today we're building a beginner rhythm and this Friday we're sharing a beginner's story: the land adventure from cancer in California to homesteading in North Carolina. No doubt you'll relate, be inspired, and learn something. Definitely join us inside for all the fun.
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a plan without execution is just garbage

Justin Rhodes June 3, 2026 5:28 pm

Jason and Lorraine gave up their multiple cars down to one car. They gave up their TV and then the kitchen table. They called to forsake their life in California and homestead in North Carolina. It's like Joel Salatin says: "If you want it, you gotta want it" and they surely wanted it. Oftentimes you have to give up a good thing to get a better thing and do that continually. This year I've opted out of the weekly men's soccer game. Sure I would like to go and do that play and have fun but we got a lot going on in the homestead this year so I don't. Don't be afraid to give up something good for something better. We're talking about this inside of Abundance Plus community. I would hope you would join us and we're premiering Jason and Lorraine's full story this Friday on Abundance Plus. Free trial right now. It's never been a better time to get inside.
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If You Want It You Gotta Want It

Justin Rhodes June 2, 2026 6:01 pm

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