# New to Mississippi



## NikkiL

Hi, I just joined the forum. My husband and I recently purchased a 33 acre homestead in rural Mississippi. It came complete with a 1907 farmhouse and barn, chicken coop, new barn and RV shed, pond, pastures and lots of trees. Now comes the fun part. Cleaning it up and making it self-sustainable. Any suggestions. Right now our biggest problem is an abundance of briars in the pastures


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## Rosepath

Welcome, it sounds like a great place! Briars, if the pasture is fenced, goats find them tasty  Not that I'm being an enabler or anything....


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## NikkiL

Thanks. It's 4 strand bar wire fenced with gates on the pastures. I've heard goats are great but that they will also jump over fencing like this. Is that true?


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## Snowfan

Welcome. Good luck to you. You'll be busy for a while. I was once told that sheep see a fence as a border. Goats see a fence as a challenge.


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## NikkiL

Well the cottage is nearly finished with the renovations. It came out really cute.now comes the harder work. Cleaning the two barns, chicken coop/house and the pastures. Any ideas on how to get rid of huge yellow spiders and hornets. It doesn't get cold enough to kill them in our part of Mississippi


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## CountryMom22

Wow, it sounds like you have your work cut out for you! Wishing you luck and looking forward to following your journey!

Welcome to the forum!


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## MO_cows

Welcome! You probably don't want to get rid of huge yellow spiders, they kill other pesky bugs for you. 

Hornets, now they gotta go. If they are the ground dwellers, pour something toxic down their hole you see them coming and going from after dark. A mix of Dawn dish soap and water will kill them but not as fast as the wasp/hornet spray you can buy.


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## NikkiL

Thanks. I guess I'll stop worrying about the spiders. I haven't found the source for the wasps and hornets. We knocked down any nests we found but they still seem to congregate on one side of the house near the chimney but not inside it. I'm so excited to move in and get started on our new life


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