better buy a modern scythe, old ones are heavy compare to aluminum ones and the new steel blades are sharper. It also takes alot of effort and fitness. I felt like I was beaten up like a pinata at an mlb batter try out.
I own three. 4 whet stones, a peening jig and hammer.
Not sure why you felt like a pinata. Once you get the hang of it, the motion it is not hard. Quiet enjoyable and relaxing as a matter of fact.
Amish will trim herds once they don’t have transport for goods.
Where did the transport for goods go? They have horses, carriages, even flat beds. I see them haul milk containers on horse drawn flat beds about the same time every morning.
Is your fencing pig proof without a hot wire? Do you do the castration yourself? Do you have transport to work on local farms? Chicken food for winter? Battery and solar hot wire have failures do you have back up?
I use portable solar power energizers. Been doing that for going on 7-8 years now.
I was a certifed EMT, Wilderness EMT, do all my own slaughtering and butchering. Castration is easy.
Why do I need transport to work on local farms?
Chicken feed during the winter would be an issue.
But in the past I have grown barley, wheat, buckwheat. The chickens will eat any of those.
How are you going to process and store the pork with no power? What are you going to wrap it in? What if you get a disease outbreak? What about water, hogs and cow take alot of water, a small half gallon well bucket means 24 hour water pulling shift.
I have been curing pork and sausage for 6-7 years now. Do it now, learn how to do it right. I have pounds and pounds of pink salt 1 and 2 along with kosher salt by the 7lbs containers.
I have more water than I know what to do with. I have two wells, the second with a hand pump, and this year going to day light the overflow it to the pond. I can fill a 5gal buck in about 10 minutes using the overflow hose, gravity fed.
Then cutting wood to heat how to do it and get it back to house season it and keep it safe. Can you sharpen a two man saw?
If I can shapen a scythe I can shapen a two man saw.
In winter how do you shovel to next farm to get your milk? How do you move hay and grains if you can find it? Ask Amish neighbour all the time? Now if you get big round bales how could you without farm equipment Get it to your animals?
Who is shoveling? I strap on the snowshoes and hump it like I do now. I just got back from walking the dogs out in the fields, same as always.
I never use round bales.
I can and have using the scythe, cut, cured bagged and hauled 90days worth of hay for 6 goats. Store it in the hay loft. That was just an experiment for S&Gs. But that also is when community and having good neighbors is essiental. They help me cut, cure and bag hay, I do the same for them. Same goes for any lenghtly chore.
Then add 24/7 security patrol if you hope to keep thwives away.
Again, that is where community comes in. Former US Marine. And why would I want to keep the wives away? I like mine.