Running a full time job and homestead at the same time is a little unhinged, honestly. But if you’re trying to figure out how to run a homestead with a day job or what working full time and farming actually looks like in real life, this is our week-in, week-out reality on a cold-climate micro farm in Canada.

How to Balance Full-Time Work and a Full-Time Farm

Chapter Timestamps

• 00:00 — How to run a homestead while working a full-time job
• 00:20 — Daily backyard chicken care routine: what to do morning and night
• 01:56 — How to winterize a chicken coop in cold climates
• 02:40 — Horse care on a small farm: feeding, fencing, and daily chores
• 03:32 — How to repair a farm fence after horse damage (DIY)
• 04:44 — What a real day looks like on a cold climate micro farm in Canada

This video walks through a regular chaos-shuffle of chores on our cold climate micro farm Canada setup: daily backyard chickens winter care, keeping water thawed, checking horses before and after work, and fixing the fences they destroy for fun. It’s not cute Pinterest homesteading. It’s “get home from your shift, grab a headlamp, and hope nothing’s frozen solid” homesteading.

From homemade chicken feeders to barn improvements, our simple inventor mindset helps turn ordinary materials into useful homestead tools — and that’s exactly the kind of thinking that keeps a working farm running on a working person’s schedule.

Along the way we talk about the self-sufficiency mindset that keeps us going when the wind is sideways and it’s dark by 4 p.m. The same grit that has us out there hauling water and winterizing coops is what helps when it’s time to tackle jobs like how to trim a chicken’s beak or get grass growing back into a chicken run after the flock has absolutely destroyed it.

We’re not pretending this is easy. But if you’re trying to balance full-time work and a full-time farm, we hope seeing the real, unedited version helps you feel less alone while you’re out there swinging a hammer in the dark.

@grumbleshomestead

Homestead FAQ (Real Answers)

• Can you run a homestead and work full time? Yes, but something will always be a little bit on fire. The secret is lowering your perfectionism, keeping systems stupid-simple, and building a chore routine you can actually do before and after work without hating your life.
• Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced DIY enthusiast, our easy inventions and simple fixes show that great homestead solutions don’t have to be complicated or expensive.
• How do you manage farm chores with a day job? We batch jobs hard. Morning chores are feed, water, and a fast livestock check. Evenings are for the heavier stuff: fence repairs, bedding, hauling, winterizing, and fixing whatever broke while we were gone.
• What is a micro farm? For us, a micro farm is a small property that still runs like a working farm: chickens, horses, gardens, fencing, and infrastructure, just packed into fewer acres and managed more intentionally because every square foot has a job.
• Is cold climate homesteading harder? 100%. Snow, ice, and frozen water lines mean every chore takes longer and every mistake is louder. But it also forces you to design better systems, insulate everything, and think through your winter setups before the first blizzard hits.
• What animals are best for a small homestead? Chickens are the gateway drug. They give eggs, compost, and endless entertainment. After that, add larger animals like horses or goats only if you’re ready for bigger feed bills, stronger fences, and way more repair days.

If this video helps you feel a bit more sane about juggling paycheques and pitchforks, tell us in the comments what your version of “full-time work + full-time farm” looks like. We read them all. And if you want to follow the chaos beyond YouTube, find us on Facebook, X, TikTok, and Spotify too.