Homestead Tools
Interactive tools to help plan and run your homestead.
Not sure which tool you need? Read the full guide to all 70 calculators — what each one does, and exactly when to use it.
Garden & Vegetable Growing Calculators
Planting Calendar
Pick a month and see which of the 149 grow guides are good to plant right now.
Harvest Calendar
Pick a month and see what's typically ready to pick.
Homestead Block Planner
Map your block's dimensions against the space your chosen crops and animals need.
Companion Planting Checker
Check whether two crops are good neighbours or best kept apart.
Crop Rotation Planner
Track your beds and get warned before repeating a plant family too soon.
Symptom Search
Describe a problem and search across every guide's troubleshooting section.
Troubleshooting Directory
Full crawlable index of every symptom and problem across all guides.
Find My Climate Zone
Look up your likely zone from your postcode and set it site-wide automatically.
Animal & Livestock Calculators
Chicken Coop Planner & Build Guide
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for laying hens and meat birds.
Backyard Chicken Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed and treatment costs for dual-purpose chickens, offset by scraps and fodder, weighed against eggs and meat, down to a payback period.
Duck Housing Planner & Build Guide
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for keeping ducks.
Backyard Duck Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed and treatment costs for dual-purpose ducks, offset by scraps and fodder, weighed against eggs and meat produced.
Goose Housing Planner & Build Guide
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for keeping geese.
Backyard Goose Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed and treatment costs for dual-purpose geese, honestly reflecting seasonal laying and premium meat value.
Turkey Housing Planner & Build Guide
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for keeping turkeys.
Backyard Turkey Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed and treatment costs for dual-purpose turkeys, weighed against eggs and premium-priced meat.
Quail Aviary Planner & Build Guide
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for keeping quail.
Backyard Quail Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed and treatment costs scaled to how small quail are, weighed against eggs and meat produced.
Goat Paddock & Shelter Planner
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for dairy or meat goats.
Backyard Goat Cost & Payback Calculator
Milk and meat economics, with pasture allowed to offset far more of the diet than kitchen scraps.
Sheep Paddock & Shelter Planner
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for keeping sheep.
Backyard Sheep Cost & Payback Calculator
Wool and meat economics, priced against Australia's Eastern Market Indicator for wool.
Backyard Dairy Cattle Cost & Payback Calculator
Milk and meat economics for a family house cow, with cattle-scale feed and treatment costs.
Pig Pen & Wallow Planner
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for keeping pigs.
Backyard Pig Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed conversion and butcher pricing for one grow-out batch, not an ongoing cost.
Meat Rabbit Hutch Planner & Build Guide
Space, materials, cost, and a build method for meat rabbits.
Backyard Rabbit Cost & Payback Calculator
Feed conversion and premium rabbit meat pricing for one fast grow-out batch.
Beehive Setup & Honey Yield Planner
Frames, equipment, cost, and a realistic honey yield estimate.
Backyard Beehive Cost & Payback Calculator
Varroa treatment costs and honey value - built from scratch, since bees don't eat a daily feed.
Livestock Breeding & Hatch Date Calculator
Estimated due or hatch dates for every animal on this site.
Livestock Feed & Hay Budgeter
Annual hay bale and grain bag counts for goats, sheep, pigs, and rabbits.
Seasonal Production Calendar
See when to expect more or less eggs, milk, and honey across the year.
Homestead Planning & Infrastructure Calculators
Complete Homestead Planner
The ultimate planner. Region, land, household, and a self-sufficiency level — see everything you could grow and keep, all in one place.
Homestead Layout Planner
Draw your property to scale, including irregular shapes with independently adjustable points, add structures with multiple instances each, then search and drag every crop and animal into position — with adjustable rotation, multi-paddock livestock rotation, pinch-to-zoom, conflict warnings, and the ability to save your layout or export it as an image.
Setup Cost Estimator
Rough Australian ballpark ranges for fencing, tanks, and housing for every animal.
Savings Calculator
Roughly what growing or keeping your own is worth.
Rainwater Harvesting & Catchment Calculator
Australian rainfall data, roof material, and a tank size recommendation.
Solar & Off-Grid Load Estimator
Appliance loads, AU peak sun hours, and starting battery/panel sizing.
Firewood Consumption & Winter Woodlot Planner
Seasonal firewood needs in cubic metres, the way it's actually sold in Australia.
Pantry & Home Preserving Inventory Planner
How long your preserved stock will last, with safety guidance.
Beginner Starter Kit
Get a shortlist of the easiest, most space-efficient guides to start with.
Yearly Food Self-Sufficiency Planner
Pick your foods, set how often you eat them, and see how much to grow or keep, plus storage guidance.
Backyard Livestock Rules by Council
Sydney Metro Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from Greater Sydney councils.
Regional NSW Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from regional NSW councils.
Metro Melbourne Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from Greater Melbourne councils.
Regional Victoria Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from regional Victorian councils.
South East Queensland Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from South East Queensland councils.
Regional Queensland Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from regional Queensland councils.
Western Australian Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from individual WA councils.
South Australian Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from individual SA councils.
Tasmanian Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from individual TAS councils.
Northern Territory Livestock Rules by Council
Hen limits, rooster rules, and coop setbacks sourced directly from individual NT councils.
Land & Water Rules by Council
Sydney Metro Land & Water Rules by Council
Shed exemption tiers by zoning, sourced directly from individual Greater Sydney councils.
Metro Melbourne Land & Water Rules by Council
Farming zone shed exemptions and water authority coverage, sourced directly from Greater Melbourne councils.
Regional Victoria Land & Water Rules by Council
Farming zone shed exemptions and water authority coverage, sourced directly from regional Victorian councils.
South East Queensland Land & Water Rules by Council
Cyclone wind region shed status and the 200m farm-building exemption, sourced directly from South East Queensland councils.
Regional Queensland Land & Water Rules by Council
Cyclone wind region shed status and the 200m farm-building exemption, sourced directly from regional Queensland councils.
Western Australian Land & Water Rules by Council
Wind region status and DWER proclaimed water area considerations, sourced directly from individual WA councils.
South Australian Land & Water Rules by Council
Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed and dam moratorium status, sourced directly from individual SA councils.
Tasmanian Land & Water Rules by Council
Local Provisions Schedule variations on the statewide shed exemption clauses, sourced directly from individual TAS councils.
NT & ACT Land & Water Rules by Council
Storm surge overlays and the ACT's 216m² rural lease shed exemption, sourced directly.
Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Sydney Metro Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Which electricity distributor covers each Greater Sydney council, sourced directly.
Metro Melbourne Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Which of Victoria's five electricity distributors covers each Greater Melbourne council, sourced directly.
Regional Victoria Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Powercor and AusNet coverage across regional Victoria, sourced directly.
South East Queensland Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Confirming SEQ's uniform Energex coverage, sourced directly from South East Queensland councils.
Regional Queensland Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Ergon Energy coverage and the SWER-line rural export limit, including the Gympie and Toowoomba boundary cases.
Western Australian Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Confirming every WA council sits uniformly within Western Power's SWIS, sourced directly.
South Australian Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Confirming SA Power Networks' single statewide coverage and how Flexible Exports varies by feeder.
Tasmanian Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Confirming TasNetworks' single statewide coverage and the plumbing permit terminology difference between councils.
NT & ACT Power & Wastewater Rules by Council
Darwin and Palmerston's shared grid and storm surge overlay, plus the ACT's single Evoenergy and Icon Water utilities.