All language subtitles for Homestead.Rescue.S12E12

[Marty] Homesteading is
all about work and survival,

and that's hard when family
is depending on you.

In fact, it's harder
when it comes to loss

because this family
has suffered.

But then, I see a butterfly.

And I remind myself
a butterfly can fly...

with 75% of its wing missing.

You have to keep going
when the going gets tough.

You still can fly.

Even though you're not 100%.

This homesteading dream
is clearly a nightmare.

Six kids, by herself.

[Misty] There's no food.

I don't know how much longer
we can survive here.

[Marty] She's on the verge
of breaking.

[Misty] We're gonna
change that today.

I think it's time
that you do learn.

Their lives are gonna
change for the better,

and we're gonna
make this easy.

[Misty] Whoo-hoo!

[Marty] One, two, three!

[groaning]

[narrator] Marty Raney,

master builder
and stonemason...

[Marty] I don't see
problems on homesteads,

I see challenges.

[narrator] ...daughter, Misty,

garden and food
preservation expert...

[Misty] I believe
you can grow food anywhere.

[narrator] ...and son, Matt,

skilled craftsman
and predator protection.

[Matt] Wildlife is
a constant threat,

but I draw the line
between their home

and your homestead.

[narrator] Together, they use
Alaskan knowhow...

-Let's find some power!
-[woman] Yes!

[narrator] ...and ingenuity...

-[Marty] It's perfect!
-[man] Yes! [exclaims]

[narrator] ...to save
the off-grid dreams

of desperate homesteaders.

[Marty] We work
every second we can,

trying to help
complete strangers.

That's who we are.

The three M's have just
arrived in the three P state.

What are the three P's
of Georgia?

-[Misty] Peaches.
-[Marty] Peaches, very good.

-Peanuts.
-[Marty] Peanuts, very good.

And pecans,
believe it or not.

Georgia is beautiful.

There's trees everywhere.

[Matt] It's actually
the number one state
for logging.

But it can have
its challenges, for sure.

The ground is solid clay,

and when it comes
to gardening,

it's really hard
to grow anything.

There's a lot of copperheads
in this part of Georgia.

-Ah!
-[shrieks]

[Misty laughs]

Since you just did that,
there are four P's.

[Misty] And the fourth P
is running down your leg.

[narrator] The Raneys have
answered an SOS

from a family at the base
of the Appalachian Mountains

in northeast Georgia.

Founded at the turn
of the century,

the area played a role
in American progress,

with the railroad
and newspaper industry

connecting millions.

Well, today,
the region's rich farmland

provides bounties of produce
and poultry for the country.

But blistering heat
and summer storms

wreak havoc on the unprepared,
causing hardship for animals

and a daunting challenge
for those tending the land.

Facing no respite

is a homesteader
lacking the skills

to keep her family's dreams...

from fading away.

[Chanda] I'm Chanda Odom.

I'm here in northeast Georgia,

and I live here
on our homestead

with my six children.

My husband and I,
we always knew

we wanted to teach
our children

how to live off the land,

how to be
more self-sufficient.

We really had
everything going on.

Um, my husband had
a successful pig operation.

We had a booming
peacock business,

chickens, cows, goats.

We had a flourishing garden,
you name it.

And then, in 2021,

Travis, my husband,
had a head-on collision
with a concrete truck

and passed away.

When we lost Travis,
we also lost

most of the knowledge
and the know-how
to do everything here.

Because I was working
as a nurse,

I was not able to really focus

on learning how to do
these things on my own.

When Travis died,
we lost our main farm income,

which we worked
so hard to get.

And my husband had been
homeschooling our kids,

so I had to put them
back in public school

so that I could maintain a job
to afford to keep the place.

But it didn't take long
for the small problems

to turn into
really big problems.

Over the last three years,

I had to get rid
of Trav's pigs,

which were one
of our main sources of income.

We have a small barn

which houses
17 goats and eight cows.

-Good morning!
-[bleats]

[Chanda]
Where the barn is placed,

that also made
things difficult.

Our well is about 700 yards
away from the barn.

We're having to haul
5-gallon buckets to the barn.

I've struggled getting
water to the garden,

so our gardens
haven't been successful.

Since the accident happened,

the roof blew off
of the greenhouse.

There's now a tree
growing through it.

And now I'm not able
to grow our own food.

It's just been really rough.

When Travis was alive

peacocks were one
of our bigger moneymakers.

But last year, I was not able
to sell any chicks.

I've been managing
the best I can,

and I just can't fathom
the thought

of letting my husband down.

But I don't know
how much longer
we can survive here.

Raneys, we need your help.

[peacocks squawking]

[chicken clucking]

[Misty] Hello.

-Hey.
-Hey.

Does this chicken bite?

[Chanda] No, but she's nosy.

-Marty Raney.
-[Chanda] Chanda Odom.

-Chanda?
-Chanda.

-[Josh] Josh Taylor.
-Josh?

-[Josh] Yes, sir.
-[Marty] And?

-Shenda.
-Shenda?

-Yes.
-[Chanda] I live here

with my six kids.

Wow, you're busy.

Very.

-How many acres?
-I have 33 acres.

Thirty-three?

And you guys live here,
or where do you live?

We're friends of Chanda's.

I live nearby.

And I live in Cleveland,
about an hour away.

I come three
or four times a year

to help her when she needs
a day's worth of work.

And I come and do her chores
if she's away or can't.

So, you called us here, why?

My husband passed
in August of 2021.

Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

I need to get it back
to functioning like it should.

But I... I just got to ask,
why, um...

why not just sell the place?

My husband and I dreamed
of raising our kids

to be self-sufficient
and give them the lifestyle

that we didn't get
to grow up having.

And I can't let him down.

We always knew
we wanted to homestead

and raise our kids
to live off the land.

But my husband had cancer
at the age of 19,

he beat that.

And then, in 2017,
he had a relapse.

So, we moved up from Florida.

We knew that we needed
to be growing our own food

and raising
our animals ourselves.

When we found this property,
it was just beautiful.

We knew immediately
that this is where we were
supposed to be.

But after Travis passed,

everything has really
just fallen apart.

I realized
just how much he did.

He worked so hard
and just did it

without thinking, you know,
that he needed to teach me,

so I... I never
really got to learn.

I don't know
how to build things
like Travis did.

I don't know
how to use the tools.

He worked hard.

He took care
of everybody that he loved.

He loved us well.

Especially our kids.

The kids help feed animals.

They rode on the tractor
with him.

I mean, they spent
all their time with their dad.

Our intentions were
always to one day
pass this homestead

onto our children.

And there is nothing
that I want more

than to keep
this homestead going

and to raise my kids

how Travis would have
wanted me need to raise 'em.

[Misty] Where are we heading?

[Chanda] So, this is
our raised beds.

[Misty] How are you
watering everything?

With buckets of water.

-You're watering
everything by hand?
-[Chanda] Yes.

This was not our main garden.

-Mm-hmm, I have
the garden area over here.
-[Misty] Okay.

What did you plant here?

[Chanda] Um, we had corn,
we had beans,

we had tomatoes, cucumbers,
squash, zucchini.

-It died.
It wasn't successful.
-[Misty] It's too far?

It was too far
to get the water out here.

Is there any food
growing here?

-No.
-[Misty] There's no food?

No.

[Misty] Who did most
of the gardening?

-You or your husband?
-[Chanda] My husband did.

I started the seeds,
I was good at that.

How were you starting them?

[Chanda] I started 'em
in my greenhouse.

Can you show me that?

-I can.
-Okay.

Whoa! This definitely has
seen better days.

[Chanda] So, the last time
that I used this

was the summer
before the Trav passed.

The following October,
um, a storm came,

and it blew the pieces
of the roof off.

Since then,
we've had the tree grow.

[Misty] Okay.

And how did he pass,
if you don't mind me asking?

Um, he was actually
in a head-on collision.

Oh, wow. I'm sorry.

And how has that past
three years been?

Hard. It's been
near impossible.

You know, he had cancer twice,

and he always told me,

he was like,
"I'm scared to death

if anything ever happens
to me, that you'll give up."

[voice shaking]
I just hope that he's proud
I didn't give up.

Because I realized...

[sniffles] after I lost him,

how dependent
I really was on him.

You know, he did
everything for us.

You don't find 'em
like that anymore.

[Misty] It's really tough
to put yourself

into Chanda's shoes.

And she's got a lot
of kids to take care of,

and there is no food anywhere.

There's just so much pressure
that it's just breaking her.

But if this is her dream,

we have no other choice

but to get on board
and get to work.

This week, we're just
gonna make Travis proud.

[Marty] Hold on,
just stop right here.

Where's this water
coming from?

This is the main water source
for all the livestock.

-She has to tote water to it.
-[Marty] What? Like, where?

[Josh] Anything that she had
out here in the barn,

she had to run hoses
the whole distance.

-This is the barn?
-That's the barn. Yes, sir.

-[Marty] That's too far away.
-Yes, sir.

[Marty] I have to look at it.

[Josh] Hold on, hold on.

-Go on, boy.
-[mooing]

[Josh] Go, go! [sucks lips]

So, so far, one, two,

three, four, five,
six, seven, eight

-animals have come
out of this barn.
-[Josh] Eight cows.

Just... just the cows.

[Marty] So, this is the barn
for all the cows...

[Josh] This is--

-[Marty] ...and all the goats?
-[Josh] Yes.

So, this is basically
just a carport

for a vehicle... vehicle,

-or an old tractor
or something.
-Yes.

-Mm-hmm, they used
what they had. Yes, sir.
-Right.

[Josh] Some of the boards
are breaking,

which, of course,
lets more moisture in,

like that over there.

It's still in okay shape,

but just not suitable
for the milking

and all the animals
to have somewhere
to go for shelter.

Plus, they bring in
all the mud and nastiness
with them,

they come in here wet.

This is the only building
that the animals use.

[sighs]

I've been on this homestead
for half an hour now

and discovered Chanda
can't manage the animals.

They don't have
proper access to water

or safe structures.

This homesteader
is indeed overwhelmed.

What's back here? Looks like
there's quite a bit of forest.

[Josh] They've got a lot of
unused property right there.

[Marty] Well, hold on.

-And what's happening here?
-[cheeping]

These guys look like
they're all shivering.

Yeah, they've all gotten
drenched out in the weather.

-They need to be warmed up.
-[cheeping]

We have any straw
or hay here?

[Josh] Uh, she should.

[Marty] I'm gonna run up there
and grab that.

-That duck's gonna die.
-[Josh] Yeah, they are.

[Marty] Let's see
if we can save 'em.

I take a walk on the property
and discovered

a dozen or so ducklings

wandering around out here
in the cold rain.

They don't have
adequate housing.

[cheeping]

[Josh] We need to put just
a little bit of those shavings

in here to freshen these up.

Okay, little fellas,
come here.

[Marty]
It does tell me how difficult
the challenge is.

Here we go. Here we go.

If she wants to raise animals,
and survive, and thrive,

she needs a nice new barn
in a nice new location.

Let's keep an eye on 'em.

-Thanks for your help, Josh.
-[Josh] Yes, sir.

[peacocks squawking]

[Shenda] These are
the peacocks.

[Matt] There's so many
peacocks here, it's crazy.

I'm gonna do something
a little bit different here.

I wanna see where they
house these peacocks,

because this was
a primary source of income,

and if you can make money
from your homestead,

that right there
is the holy grail

that we definitely
wanna pursue.

We have eight different
caged off areas,

and that alone
sounds like a lot of work.

[Shenda] Yeah, there's a lot.

So, peacocks lay eggs
during the spring,

-and they bring a lot of money
for the peachicks.
-[Matt] Okay.

The problem is,
because these enclosures
have not been moved,

they've been
sitting here for...

since Travis died, really.

Now, they have been
in this mud

so long that the mud is, like,
risen up around them,

so they're, like, stuck.

And they're laying
eggs in this mud,

and the eggs have
something on them

called the bloom
when they're laid,

which is, like,
a protective outside layer.

And when that is compromised
by, like, being laid in mud

or moisture of any sort,

it massively compromises
the fertility of the egg.

[Matt] So, that's probably
a lesson she learned
pretty hard.

[Shenda] Yeah.

[squawking]

[Matt] This homestead
is raising 27 peacocks.

That really took care
of all the feed bill

on the homestead,

but they aren't productive
in any way.

So, they need a better setup
that is manageable

for where the homesteaders
are right now.

How in the world has Chanda
kept this up this long?

[squawking]

[mooing]

[clucking]

[Marty] What do you say

about a homesteader
with six kids

on her 33 acres,
basically, by herself?

The entire thing
is so overwhelming,

I think she's on the verge
of breaking.

First things first,

there's no food, nothing.

She's watering
the gardens by herself
with 5-gallon buckets.

I think
this is the perfect time

for some of these kids
to step up to the plate.

There might be 100 animals
on this 33 acres.

So, that's the barn
for everything.

We need to keep 'em out
of the hot sun in Georgia,

and it's really muddy,
and it's really crowded.

I look around
and see 27 peacocks.

Last laying season,

they had almost
zero peachicks to sell.

If Chanda wants to keep
all these animals,

we've got to do something
about their health and safety.

I think that's one big way

we can help manage
this homesteading dream,

which is clearly
a nightmare at this point.

This was the dream
you had as a family,

you and your husband, Travis.

We wanna do
what we can to fulfill

the dream of this homestead.

I don't wanna add
any more to your plate,

so anything I do,

I want it to be something

that your kids can do
on their own.

I would love to see
some peachicks

actually make it
this next laying season.

[Marty] Okay,
here's the deal, guys.

We'll hit the ground
running in the morning.

Fair enough?

-Great.
-Sounds good to me.

All right, let's go.

[narrator] It's day two
on the Odoms' homestead
in northeast Georgia.

Think these ducks
survived the night?

[Chanda] I sure hope so.

[narrator]
But before work begins,

Marty and Chanda
check on the ducks

they rescued the day before.

-After you.
-[Chanda] Okay.

They're all doing good.

Oh, my gosh.

They look a lot different
than yesterday.

Alive.

We saved ten lives.

-[Chanda] Yes, we did.
-Cool. Thanks to you,

you had all the right
equipment right there, handy.

[squawking]

[Marty] One of the things
that's painfully obvious

is you've got too many animals

for the amount of housing
that you have here, right?

[Chanda] Right.

[Marty] So, we got 29 goats...

and we've got eight cows.

And back in the day,
how many pigs?

Oh, at any given time,
we had 30 to 40 pigs,
including piglets.

[Marty] The livestock
on this property

should sustain this family
with a lot of food.

But Chanda has her hands full.

So, what can we do
to truly help her

take the load
off of her shoulders?

How do you get feed
and water out here?

-We bring buckets.
-How far?

-All the way--
-Behind those trees?

[Chanda] Yes.

-[Marty] That's a long ways.
-[Chanda] That's a long ways.

I don't think that out here
in the middle of the field

-is the best place
for this barn.
-I agree.

[Marty] So, I'm thinking,
if you have 33 acres,

-we can build a barn
that's closer to the house.
-[Chanda] Okay.

And we take advantage
of all that shade.

-Look at it.
-[Chanda] That would be great.

But it's gonna mean
we have to cut
a few trees down.

-Let's do it.
-How do you feel about that?

-Let's do it.
-You sure?

-I'm sure.
-Okay.

[narrator]
Marty will first establish

a mud-free footprint
to build on,

before constructing
a 20-by-20-foot pole bar

utilizing the downed trees.

Then, he'll relocate
the current barn

and connect the two,
creating a structure

big enough to safely house

all of the homestead's
cows and goats.

[whirring]

-[creaking]
-[thuds]

[Marty] Let's go!

[cow mooing]

[Misty] All right,
we need to talk.

[narrator]
Over by the family's
unused greenhouse...

[Misty] The greenhouse,
it's so far,

so I think we figure out
a garden space closer to home.

I'm good with that.

-[Misty] Let's go.
-Okay.

[narrator] ...Misty pulls
Chanda to tackle

the homestead's inability
to grow food.

This is a pretty big homestead
to run on your own

with six kids.

So, I wanna make
this homestead

a little more manageable,
a little more doable.

So, let's get rid
of the greenhouse,

move on to a different plan,

and feed the family.

There's a lot of pasture land,
a lot of animals,

but as far as, like, open,
flat space on the homestead,

you're pretty limited.

-[Chanda] Right.
-Okay. That's your house.

-[Chanda] Mm-hmm.
-[Misty] Okay.

So, I would like
to create a garden space

-in this area.
-Okay.

And I think we do something
that I don't traditionally do,

which is, let's figure out
irrigation and water...

before we plant one thing

so that we can ensure
that it'll actually live.

I'm excited about it.

[narrator] Misty will create
an innovative

self-watering garden bed
by digging out six trenches

to act as holding tanks
for the water.

She'll lay in logs
found from the homestead,

and surround each bed
with up cycled metal,

creating garden bed perimeters

before filling
the beds with dirt.

Finally, she'll dig
a water line

from the property's well
to the beds,

ensuring a never ending supply

where the plants
are watered from below.

What I know about Georgia
is there's a lot of clay.

There's a little bit
of topsoil

and then a million feet
of this.

So I'm gonna
take this problem

and turn it into the solution.

I was up all night thinking
about the five gallon buckets.

That's 40 pounds
each bucket,

times three, 120 pounds
that Chanda is pulling
by hand.

That is definitely not a chore
that kids can do

and we're gonna
change that today.

So time to test.

I cannot move
to the next step

until I know
that these hold water.

So I'm gonna fill them up
with a couple of inches
of water.

If there's free standing water
and I've actually turned

these trenches
into little mini ponds,

we're moving to the next step.

[Marty] Ready!
Quick, quick, quick!

[narrator] Back near
the Odom's home...

[Marty] Okay. Come my way.

Tell him.

[Josh] Come this way.

[narrator] ...with the ground
freshly graded,

Marty and Josh
begin erecting the frame

of a new pole barn.

[Marty] Towards you.

You're pushing it away,
let it come towards it.

-[man] Okay.
-[Marty] Okay.

Got it. Done.

Let him come down on it.

[man] All right, come down
the rest of the way.

[Marty] This homestead...

is 33 acres big.

But it doesn't mean
you go to all four corners,

build a building
and then afterwards

think how you're gonna
get water out there.

Done. Go, go, go!

Let's make it easier
on Chanda and the kids.

We're building a new barn,
bigger and better

and much closer

to make it much easier.

[sighs] Okay.

That's in there for eternity.

Who are those guys?
Is that the kids?

-What's your name?
-Travis.

Nice to meet you.

-What's your name?
-Taylin.

Taylin.

-What's your name?
-Tavin.

-Wait a minute. Does
everybody start with a T?
-[Travis] Yes.

-Ugh. I would never do that
with my children.
-[Travis chuckles]

Marty, Misty,

Matt, Melanee, Miles.

When you're working
on a homestead

and the mom tells you,
"I've got six kids

under the age of 11,
you want to meet 'em?"

Your mom told me
she couldn't be on this farm

if she didn't have
the help of the kids.

What are some of your chores?

Feeding,

doing the trash,

watering those goats
when they're back there.

That is one
of the most amazing

things I've ever heard
on a homestead ever.

You know who really
wants to meet you guys?
Misty and Matt.

So this is how
I get ahold of 'em.

Misty!

Matt!

[Misty] Hi, everybody.

Nice to meet you guys.

-How's it going?
-[Travis] Good.

Does everybody like to eat?

[all] Yeah.

Okay. I'm growing fruit.

And we can grow
whatever you wanna grow.

So think about a list
of veggies, a list of fruits,

strawberries, something yummy.

We'll plant it.

We've got somebody
who just raised their hand

-and wants to work with you.
-I see. Yeah. You wanna go?

Let's go.

I got the Dream Team!

[Marty] We have a project
that's ominous.

Okay, you ready?

[woman] Maybe
it's for the best.

[Marty] One.

Two.

Three.

[Misty] All right, Chanda.

Maybe you're wondering
why it looks like a bomb
went off.

-I am.
-[Misty chuckles]

And why there's trenches
with water in them.

-Right.
-[Misty laughs]

I wanted to test something

before I even
brought you over here.

So we filled it up last night,
came this morning

there's still water
in this one

and this is a water bed.

I'm taking, like,
a bunch of different
gardening techniques

-to create
the self-watering systems.
-Okay.

The water will travel
up through the soil

and the roots reach down,

watering themselves

and deciding how much
water they want.

And it's a work in progress.

But I promise you,

when it comes to watering,

it's gonna be the easiest
chore on the homestead.

I'm so excited.

[Misty] So first thing
we're gonna do...

is there's all this metal
all over the homestead.

-Mmm-hmm.
-[Misty] There's
this steel pipe,

metal roofing,
there's fencing...

Is all of that up for grabs?

-Do what you need to.
-[Misty] Okay.

Yes. We're here
for the pipe. Here we go.

[chuckles]

These are the posts
that are holding up

walls for the beds

and this field
is the last thing it waters.

Whoo!

I love seeing
Travis's things be used.

I've kind of worried
since he's passed that.

I would almost
be letting him down

by letting his things
go to waste.

Next.

[Misty] All these things,
he saved,

we might need them
one day, you know?

And they meant
something to him

but now I'm gonna
get to see 'em

be used rather than sit

and... And rot away.

So I'm... I'm super
excited about that.

Okay, how'd you do?

I did it.

Okay. So obviously
the corner post

and the T post are structural,

kind of, holding the metal in.

But what's fascinating
about these beds

is it's raining, right?
[chuckles]

And they're holding water.

-Right.
-We see it working
in real time,

which I'm getting
really excited about.

So our next step
is figuring out

how we're not soaking
these plants

like we don't want root rot.

We don't want these plants

just sitting
in free standing water.

-Okay.
-So we need
a little bit of elevation

to get the bed up.

So I think we just throw
some logs in there

and create, like, a log raft.

And then throw the soil
on top and call it a day.

Misty's idea is incredible.

Um, it's beyond
what I would have
ever imagined.

I've lost a lot of confidence

in my ability to maintain
the homestead.

I want my kids
to be proud of me

and I want them to know
that I did everything

in my power
to get back to a place

to where we're stable,

living off of this homestead.

Over the T post.

The kids are the only thing
that keeps me going.

It's the reason
I wake up every morning.

One, two, three.

[splash]

Why are you dry? [laughs]

I think you got
a little more than me.

[giggling]

[Matt] How you doing?

Good. How are you?
I'm doing so good.

[narrator] Later that morning

at the peacock cages...

What's the best peacock setup?

Like, what does
that look like?

Does it look like this?

-[peacock squeals]
-[Chanda] No, no, not at all.

They have to be close
to each other

instead of all the way
across the field.

And stay dry
when it's raining.

In a perfect world,

how many eggs
are we talking about here

that actually don't make it?

During our best...

season of hatching,
I think we're up to, like,
a 92% hatch rate.

That's amazing. I mean,
what do you sell a peachick?

Um, depending
on color and stuff,

it can go from like
$60 to $75 a piece.

-What?
-[Chanda] Yeah.

-That's insane.
-[Chanda] It is.

[narrator] The peahen
breeding season

only occurs for a few
months each year.

Requiring careful monitoring

for a hen to yield an average

of four to eight eggs
per laying attempt

and upwards of 40 eggs
a season.

Each egg produces
pea checks,

which can be sold
for at least $50,

while standard
adult peacock prices

go for around $200.

For the Odoms,

it's a resource that used
to be the lifeblood
of the homestead,

earning them upwards
of $60,000 per year.

[Matt] I mean,
if you hit that 92%

again this season,

I wouldn't have
to work so much to pay
for everybody's feed.

It would...

They'll be managing
themselves financially,

but it just has to be easier

-for you and your six kids.
-Yes. Yes.

Chanda had a successful
peacock operation with Travis.

Now that he's not here,

I have to make things
as manageable as possible

and give this homestead

a fighting chance
to get back up to step,

so that these peacocks
can start producing money.

I think we're agreed
that we definitely

need to consolidate
everything into
one space, that's try.

But I don't know
anything about
raising peacocks.

This is a brand new
learning experience for me.

I wanna go talk
to a local peacock expert

because the system is broken

and we need to figure out
what's gonna work.

Sounds perfect.

All right.
I'm gonna get to work.

[narrator] Before work
continues on the new barn...

[Marty] Well,
it's a beautiful day.

[narrator] ...Marty
evaluates the contribution

the oldest Odom boys
make with their chores.

[Marty] Let's have
a day in the life
of Travis and Tavin.

So you wake up in the morning

and what happens?

[Travis] Feed the animals.

[Marty] Let's do that.
Follow you.

It's very important to me

to live a day
in the life of Tavin

and his younger
brother, Travis.

-Are you getting the ducks?
-[Travis] Mmm-hmm.

-[Marty] How are they doing?
-[Travis] We need
to give 'em water.

How far away is the water?

-Right down there.
-Here you go.

How far do you gotta go?

[Travis] Right there.

What I'm noticing already

is that you guys are going
a long ways for water.

When Chanda tells me
that her two boys

are doing the bulk of this
feeding and watering

of all these animals,

it's no joke.

They're carrying a lot
of food and water,

a significant distance

and they've gotta be workers.

I've gotta be honest
with you.

I cannot believe
how long this takes.

I gotta tell you, Tavin,
you've got a good
brother there.

That kid is strong,
I'm telling you.

I'm moved
watching these two boys

uncomplainingly

and willingly

doing all this work.

But when it comes
to the new barn,

we're working
on shelter and food.

But this homestead
needs access to water.

I know their lives,

are gonna change
for the better,

and we're gonna make
this workload easier.

I really like
your work ethic a lot.

-Thanks.
-It's impressive.

And you, you have
a good attitude.

I mean, not every
8-year-old brother's gonna...

do this much work.

So I'm really impressed
by both of you.

All right,
put that wagon away.

We'll talk later.

[Misty] All right, last load.

[narrator] Over by the new
garden beds,

while Misty finishes
unloading soil

and wooden logs needed
for the self-watering
garden...

[man] Who-hoo!

[narrator] A few miles
down the road...

[peacock squeals]

[Matt] I hear peacocks.

This place is awesome.

[narrator] ... Matt and Shenda
visit a peacock expert

to get a crash course
on building a safer enclosure.

[Curtis] Hello. How are you?

How are you doing, sir?

My name's Curtis Steading.

[Matt] How long have you
been taking care of peacocks?

I've been doing peacocks
for over 20 years.

We are not peacock experts.

[laughs] And that's
why we're here.

I wanna see what a successful

peacock farm looks like.

And the first thing I see

is this pen
looks really clean.

[Curtis] I try to keep
my pens clean.

At the end of every
breeding season,

the male loses
every feather in his tail

and that really makes a mess.

And then the sand...

is for when
the peafowl normally,

drop their eggs
from the roost.

And they drop 'em
and the sand

just keeps 'em from breaking
when they hit the ground.

It's a little more
cushion for them.

-[Shenda] Ohh.
-[Matt] Yeah.

So they lay from the roost.

[Curtis] Lay from the roost.

[Shenda] The eggs,
they're fine? They're fine
in the sand?

-[Curtis] Mmm-hmm
-[Shenda] Wow.

You've built, like,
a blind between each one.

Yeah, because when
the males see males,

and it's breeding season,
they want to fight each other.

[chuckles] Okay.

[narrator] During
most of the year,

peacocks need large spaces

to roam around in
to avoid cage stress

or damage to their bodies.

However, mating season,

which runs from
April through August,

causes natural competition
between males.

These fights can lead
to injuries that severely
impact mating

requiring the separation
of males in large enclosures.

Your ratio is, like,
two females to one male.

That's the perfect
ideal thing.

They're animals, right?

So it all depends.
Like, some are better,

some are worse
and you're kind of...

Some are better breeders
than others.

So you just try to...

find the right combination
through trial and error.

-Mmm-hmm.
-Okay.

[Matt] Shenda
and I are learning

so much about how
to raise peafowl correctly.

I have a really good grasp
on what we need to build

and we're gonna take
Chanda's peacock venture

and make it profitable
once again.

After talking with you,
I feel like I... I...

I definitely know now...

how to build the perfect
peacock enclosure.

-Thanks a lot.
-Thank you for coming.

Thank you for showing
us everything.

Holy moly. That's lumber.

[narrator] Back on the Odom's
homestead...

Welcome.

[narrator] ...Marty welcomes
a delivery of vital supplies

donated to help
with the new builds.

This lumber is gonna
go to a barn

and then something
that we've rarely worked on.

-And that starts
with a P. Not pigs.
-Peacock?

Yeah. How'd you know?

I heard one.

[laughter]

-[Marty] Really?
-[Daniel] Yeah.

We're standing over there
and we hear... [squeals]

[peacock squeals]

[Marty] On day one,
we realized

we're gonna have to build
some structures

and this family named Harbin,

they've made it possible
now for us to proceed

and start cutting boards

and hammering nails.

The main reason
I'm building a barn

is to get

the food and water

and animals closer
to the house.

And we'll be able to have
all this space if we need it,

making it easier
on those two boys,

because this homestead
will see a significant

transformation, but not
without friends and family.

[Matt] So here's the thing,

half of these cages
are still usable.

[narrator] Over by the old
peacock cages...

So this is actually
an amazing enclosure.

[narrator] ...Matt meets
with Chanda and Shenda

to propose a quicker way

to build the new
peacock enclosure.

But the only reason why
I bring it up is because
we might

put some of these on the side.

-[Chanda] Okay.
-And save 'em for,
like, over flow.

-Okay.
-[Matt] Okay?

So, like this one,
I would say, is perfect.

These peacocks can lay
an egg at any moment.

And some of Chanda's cages
are big enough.

And so anytime there's
an existing structure,

I'm gonna try to upcycle it
and use it.

These pens are
definitely too small.

This one too small.

But I'm gonna be really happy

and I know you're
gonna be happy...

Thrilled, once we have pens
that are all big enough

for every peacock and peahen.

I'm super excited.

[Matt] Let's keep looking.

So you have two more pens
over here, right?

[Shenda] Hey, there's
an egg over here.

There's an egg over here.

-[Matt] There's an egg?
-[Shenda] Peacock egg.

[chuckles]

I've never seen
a peacock egg before.

These peacock cages
haven't been moved in years.

So we need to move
all the peacocks
onto fresh grass

and get them away from

that bacteria-ridden mud,

so they can survive.

-How much money do I have
in my hands right now?
-[Chanda] Erm...

Just the eggs are going
for, like, 60 bucks,

plus, now, depending
on color and opal's rare.

They will lay every other day,

usually, like, 30 or 40 eggs,

a season per bird.

They're a little bit early
and now it's a race.

We gotta get these pens
totally done

so we can have
all these peacocks
in their nice new home.

And then they could just
be productive all summer long.

-All right, let's
get back to work.
-[Chanda] Sounds good.

[Marty] Something
really eye opening...

[narrator] It's halfway
through the rescue

on the Odom's homestead...

[Marty] ...and sad happened.

[narrator] ...and this
morning, the Raneys update

one another
on their projects.

I lived a day in the life
with the boys,

watching them feed the ducks,

the chickens,
the goats, the dogs,

the cows and the peacocks.
27 of them.

We're talking about
an 11-year-old

and an an 8-year-old

and the way they're doing,
it couldn't be more difficult.

We're talking about
two five gallon buckets

full of feed or water
and going a long distance.

The barn's too far away,
the pens are too far away...

Things have to change

to make the lives
of those two boys easier.

I'm super excited
about the garden.

It's coming together,
but they're called
water beds

and we don't have water.

They're massive and there's
six of them for all six kids.

The problem is,
I don't want them

hauling a five gallon bucket.

It's gonna take some time.

To run the water line
and then branch it like a tree

to run and fill
each one of these beds.

Mr. Curt said that a peacock
needs a lot of space

to move around and spread out.

So they can have
their plumage

that can be almost
eight feet wide.

And so I'm building
a massive structure.

So we've come to a time
on this homestead

where we gotta figure out
how we're gonna get water
to the garden

and water all the way
to the new peacock pens,

not to mention the new barn.

Whatever we do,
we have to make it easier.

When you look
at the scope of the work
that's going on here,

it's a lot of construction
to do in a short period
of time,

so I'm at that stage
right now, I'm getting
a little nervous

about the size of the builds

the amount of work

and the time left to do it.

[narrator] Later that day,

deep in the countryside...

[Travis] Where are we going?

[Misty] Let's come down.

Hey, friends!

[announcer] ...Misty
and the Odom kids

visit a local farmer.

You found me.

[announcer] ...who's mastered
the art of growing food

in the region's terrain.

[Misty] Misty.

-Ali. Good to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.

-Hey, guys.
-[Misty] These are
the Homestead kids.

Today I have a surprise
for the kids.

I have this
field trip planned.

We're gonna get off
the homestead,
take a little break,

go to a place
that's educational but fun.

We're putting in a garden

and there's six garden beds
for each of the kids,

and they're gonna plant
whatever they wanna plant.

So that's the most
important question,

is what do you like?

-[Travis] Watermelon.
-Watermelon?

Did you know that Georgia

grows amazing watermelons?

-Blueberries.
-Blueberries?

Did you know that Georgia
is the number one state

in the whole country
for blueberries?

-[Tavin] Pineapple.
-Strawberry.

For pineapples, you're
gonna have to move
to the beach, brother.

-[Travis] Peach.
-Peaches.

We can do peaches
but it takes five years

for a peach tree
to get ready to give fruit.

[Misty] That's okay.
They got time.

We know the varieties
that do well here.

We have a wonderful,
long growing season,

and so outside of tropicals,
there's really not much

that we can't grow here
'cause we get all the seasons.

How about we go talk
about some seeds

that I have down there
that I'm gonna share with you,

and then I'll give you
a basket,

and we can come back
and pick?

-How's that sound?
-[Misty] That sound so fun.

-Good.
-Okay, brother,
you lead the way.

There's always something
fresh to eat in Georgia.

-What is that?
-[Ali] This...

What do you think?

-Guess.
-Squash.

It is a squash.

And so this was made
especially for North Georgia.

And this pumpkin
was actually grown

by the indigenous people
who lived here

long before my family
or your family was here.

It's sweeter
than a sweet potato,

and it doesn't mind
the humidity,

and it doesn't mind the bugs

because it's been here
for thousands of years.

We can plant this now,

and it takes 100 days.

May, June, July,

then we can eat these
in August.

Does anybody like
pumpkin pie?

-I do.
-[gasps]

That's what you can grow
to make your own pumpkin pie.

So, I'm gonna send you
with some of those seeds

so that you can
use that, okay?

I love Ali Merk.

Each one of these seeds
will grow a pumpkin vine.

Obviously, she works
with kids a lot,

and she's here
to make gardening fun.

All right, my sugar lumps.

Y'all about ready to go
pick some strawberries?

Yeah!

The redder, the better.

[Misty]
Let's see if we can find
a super red one.

Ooh, look at this one.

-[Taylin] Me!
-[Misty] Ooh! You've gotta
get in there.

Oh, my goodness,
that one's gonna be so sour,

it's gonna turn
your lips inside out.

-[Misty] Try it!
-Try it and see.

[Misty] You gotta try it
if you're gonna keep
picking 'em.

Is it sour?

Ooh! You're a tough man.

I picked one
that looks really weird,
but it's still good.

-[Misty laughs]
-[Ali] Yes.

I'm so happy we came here.

Everybody has their own little
basket full of strawberries.

They have their seeds
from Ali.

They have the inspiration
and the knowledge,

and they're ready
to start their own garden.

And that's the whole point.

So, you guys are right on time
for a perfect summer garden.

-What do we say?
-[Tavin] Thank you.

-Thank you.
-You are so welcome.

'Cause as farm kids,
we gotta stick together.

-Right?
-[Misty laughs]

Thank you so much.

It's my tremendous privilege.

[Misty] Let's pick
on our way out.

[Matt] Okay, so 10' by 5'.

[narrator] Back on
the homestead...

[Matt] Okay,
so that's 10 feet.

Shenda and I got
a crash course

in how to raise peafowl

from visiting Curt's
peacock farm.

Okay, that's a lot.

Some of Chanda's cages

are big enough
for these peacocks,

but half of them aren't.

So, I'm gonna build something
totally new from scratch.

And one thing
that's really important

is we need more space

for each individual
peacock cage.

You would start
kind of right here,

-you'd have peacocks.
-[Shenda] Yeah.

[mimics peacock squawking]

And then right here,

it's not fitting
with these trees.

We'll just build around it.

So, we're gonna have
two peacock structures.

And we'll start
pounding posts in

-and get it all mapped out.
-Awesome.

-All right.
-Let's do it.

[Shenda] What we learned
from Mr. Curt

is really helping us to know

what to build
for these peacocks.

Because neither of us
are peacock experts,

we didn't know essentially
what they needed.

And now we can give them,
like, the best life.

[Matt] It's right
on the money!

-[Shenda] Awesome.
-That's looking really good.

[narrator] Matt will build
a 20-by-40-foot peacock motel
out of donated lumber...

complete with 10 rooms
to keep males separated.

Next, he'll build roosts
high enough

where their tails
won't touch the ground

and low enough
for their eggs to drop safely.

Finally, he'll cover
the structure

with partial roofing
to provide shade

and ensure Georgia's weather
doesn't create a muddy ground,

enabling the Odoms
to have productive birds

and sell eggs once again.

[Matt] I'm really glad
that we're at this point
where we can start actually

getting our hands dirty
and building this stuff

because the peacocks

are literally about
to drop eggs.

The time is now.

We don't have
any time to waste.

-Let's just keep framing up
each of the partitions.
-[Shenda] Mm-hmm.

And we'll just go
from framing to fencing,

and then we'll trick out
everything with the roost

that's high enough,
put some sand down.

And, uh, you know,
slap a door in the front,

-we'll be good to go.
-Awesome.

[Matt] All right,
let's keep working.

[Shenda] Let's do it.

[narrator] Across the property
in the farm's pasture...

[Marty] I've been here
for a few days,

and I've never seen you
drive that tractor.

[narrator] ...Marty preps
Chanda to expand her skill set
on the homestead.

Tell me why.

My husband liked
to do everything for me.

I wanted to learn
to weed eat,

and he told me,
"Pretty girls don't weed eat,

I'll do that."

I have to be honest with you,

I think it's... I think
it's time that...

you do learn.

It's beyond time.

You ready?

-[Chanda] I'm ready.
-[Marty] All right.

You can't have 33 acres,
100 animals

and not know how to drive
the tractor.

Chanda is gonna have to learn

a lot more skills
to maintain this homestead.

-[engine whirring]
-So, you've already
turned the key.

-Okay.
-It's running.

Now, those two pedals
are your brakes.

-So, put your foot on there.
-[Chanda] Both?

[Marty] Yep.

-What do you think that's for?
-[Chanda] Low.

-Good.
-Going forward?

-High?
-Very good.

So, slow and fast, kinda?

-[Marty] Yeah, yeah.
-Okay.

-Which one are we
gonna start out in?
-Low. [laughs]

-Good idea.
-[Chanda] Yeah.

Now, this is your bucket.

[Chanda] The tractor has been
one of those things

I've been scared

to learn how to drive.

Um, it's intimidating.

You know, I... I could
mess stuff up.

But I just need to start
taking over things.

Up and down. Whoa!

-[cow mooing]
-Whoo!

That's fine,
but what did you learn?

-Slow.
-Slow.

-Smooth.
-Okay.

[Marty] So, go up, please.

That was nice and smooth,
I like it.

Before we go anywhere,
what's your number one job?

[Chanda] Not to hit Pepper.

Don't hit the cow.

On that note, pay attention,

because you're driving
a tractor.

Okay. Letting off the clutch.

All the way out.

-Oh, okay. Not like a car.
-There you go.

Okay.

-Just go?
-Go anywhere you want.

-Okay. [chuckles]
-Don't hit the cow.

I'm not hitting the cow.

When Travis and I
got together,

I was very independent.

We had animals
before we had kids.

And I helped a lot,
but as our relationship grew,

and especially after I had
started getting pregnant...

he did more and more and more.

He took such good care of us.

But now, without him,

it has been difficult,

you know, to learn
those things.

Think you can
pick up that log?

'Cause I need it over there
at the barn build.

I can try it.

[Marty] That's a real
nice touch.

Okay, bring that to the barn.

-I'll get the gate.
-Okay.

I love it!

Gonna fit?

Yep.

Now, I'm gonna be able
to move my own things.

Me and the boys
are gonna be able

to get a lot more done,

um, and I'm excited
to keep learning.

[Marty] Perfect!

You're a rock star!

[goat bleating]

[Misty] Okay, Chanda.

Last bed!

-Nice and even.
-Yes.

[narrator] With the six new
garden beds completed...

-What do you think?
-[Chanda] I love it.

-Do you like it?
-Love it.

[narrator] ...Misty and Chanda
turned their attention

to the most important element
to their build.

The one thing we're missing
in our waterbed is water.

Awesome.

[Misty] Today,
my focus is water.

I'm gonna dig
all these trenches,

run all these water lines,

go from a place
where you're watering

with a 5-gallon bucket

to watering
with a flip of a switch.

These kids will never be
watering by hand again.

Okay, so I'm gonna jump
in the excavator.

I'm gonna start
digging this trench

that branches like a tree

so that all these
underground water lines

can feed each one
of the water beds.

Awesome.

Yoo-hoo!

So, I'm about to dig
a bunch of water lines,

and I look over,

and Matt's a stone's
throw away.

And I realized, like, I should
probably check in with Matt

and see what his plan is
when it comes to water.

Yoo-hoo! [mimicking squawking]

I have a question.

Okay.

I'm putting in water beds,
which need water.

-Yeah.
-[Misty] So, I'm digging
water lines.

Okay.

And you're pretty close to me,

so am I digging a water line
to the peacock pen?

I just need the water supply
to get right close to that.

So, I'm gonna start digging

kind of like
where that ladder is.

-[Matt] Awesome.
-Okay.

[Matt] Thank you.

Right there is perfect.

Misty is building
a water line trench
as we speak.

-Whoo!
-Boom!

And if we have a water line

where you can literally
just get water

directly to where
the peacocks live

without having
to haul that water

two or three football fields
from the house,

then you've saved
everyone a ton of time
and a lot of effort.

[Misty] All right.

We're taking this water line,

running it through
the center of the garden,

branching it to all six beds
like a tree.

Each one of these water beds

is being watered
from the ground up.

We created those underground
reservoirs with the clay.

And so, essentially,
we're stubbing in underground,

and they're watering
from underground up.

Once we run all these
water lines back to that well,

the gardens
and the peacocks will have

an endless supply of water.

This looks pretty good.

[saw whirring]

[Matt] Okay.

[narrator] At the site
of the new peacock motel...

[Matt]
These are the partitions
between each peacock,

so you don't need
one on the end.

[narrator]
...Matt rejoins Shenda

to find ways to make
the peacocks more comfortable.

[Matt] We'd probably
need one, two,

three, four, five, six.

-So, three more sheets.
-[Shenda] All righty.

Every single one of these bays
is like a chicken coop.

Because every peacock
with their two
or three peahens

-has to have their own space.
-[squawking]

And, uh, when we get
done here,

we're gonna have
the perfect place
for all these peacocks,

and it is like
the biggest fowl structure
I've ever made.

Welcome to peacock motel.

Now, those peacocks
need a roost.

We gotta make sure
that we're 4 feet
off the ground.

Okay.

-We gotta measure how far
that egg is gonna fall, right?
-[Shenda] Right.

Curt showed us
how the roosts need to be

off the ground about 4 feet

so that the peacock's tails
don't drag in the dirt.

And then we're--
we're screwing
the roost to this?

Yeah, screw it
right into that thing.

Their tails are really
how they show off
and attract a mate.

And he showed us how he puts
sand underneath the roost

to catch the eggs that drop
so that they don't break.

It's gonna make such a huge
difference for the peacocks.

We'll just put a 2' by 4'

-right in between these.
-Yeah.

And then they'll have
a perfect height for a roost.

[Shenda] Awesome.

[narrator] Roosts are raised
areas like branches,

where birds or bats rest
out of reach of predators.

And while the specific height
varies between species,

for peacocks, the ideal
constructed height is 4 feet

in order to protect
their tail feathers

for mating purposes

and keep them away
from predators

like mongoose or wild dogs.

Peacocks instinctively look
for roosts at night,

so it's vital to keep peahens
from roosting in trees
or other high places,

which would put laid eggs
at risk of breaking.

[Matt] Boom!

Eventually, one
after the other,

we'll knock out
everything we need

for seven different pens
on this side,

and then we'll see
how much materials

we have left over
for the other side.

-Awesome.
-[Matt] What do you think?

-Sounds good.
-[Matt] All right, let's go.

-Keep working.
-All right.

-[Matt] We've got a lot
of work to do, right?
-[Chanda] Right.

Thank you for working.

[narrator] Later that day...

We welcome
any help we can get.

[narrator] ...the Raneys have
gathered Chanda and Shenda

to help with a massive project

that will benefit
the homestead.

Thanks to Josh, we have
a little more help than usual.

[Josh] Hey, so I brought
some help with me today.

-[Misty laughs]
-Oh, my goodness!

Wow.

So, all these guys and gals

are from
White County Public Safety,

our search and rescue,
fire department.

We sent out for some help,

and they all decided
they wanted to come
help you today.

I'm just in awe, you know.

Thank y'all.
It means a lot.

[Marty] This homestead
now has a brand-new barn,

but the old barn's out
in the middle of the field,

exposed to the elements.

Why don't we bring it
over here in the shade,

next to the new barn,

so that it would be
easier on the boys

to take care of the animals
on this homestead.

We have a project
that is ominous,

but if we're ever gonna do it,

it's today,
with this much help.

So, if you actually did
come here to work,

please get in this truck.

[Josh] So, I brought
a crew with me today.

They're all CERT members,
firefighters,

EMTs, uh, community members
that love to serve.

When they found out
that we were doing this,

and Chanda was in trouble,
and needed a little help,

they all came
and volunteered their time.

All right, everyone.

Who thinks that this team
can lift up that building

and move it over there
where that excavator

just cleared out a pad?

-Who thinks we can do it?
-Yeah!

-[woman 1] Let's do it!
-[woman 2] Yeah.

Here's the idea,
we're gonna take this board,

we're gonna drill
through the metal frame...

and into the wood,
both directions.

One 2' by 6' this way,

one this way on every corner.

We're all gonna take
a little weight,

and we're all gonna
share the load.

That said, let's go!

Never ceases to amaze me

how homesteaders get support
from the neighborhood.

Okay, so let's pin this.

[whirring]

[Marty] Thank goodness,

Chanda's friend, Josh,
reached out to his community

because I'm running
out of time.

And when I saw
a dozen people show up,

I thought,
"It's now or never."

[Chanda crying]

[sniffles]

I'm excited,
but it just... [sniffles]

You know, I remember
sitting out here

-while he built it, you know.
-Hmm.

[sniffles and sighs]

I think what makes me
emotional about seeing

the building be moved
is the change, you know.

It's just one reminder
that he's gone,

but we're keeping him alive
in a different way.

[sighs] Thank you.

We sat in that barn,
every morning while he milked.

So, that's, like, my little
safe haven, you know,

that I can go
and remember him in.

Maybe it's for the best.

[drilling]

[Marty] Just know this,

we couldn't do this if you--
if the firefighters
hadn't shown up,

so thank you.

Where we're headed
is that red patch

that's cleared
that Clint just made for it.

Okay, you ready?

One, two, three.

[squawking]

[Marty] I think
it's gonna go.

Okay, you ready?

One, two...

three.

We realized that Travis' barn
still functions,

so we decided to relocate it
next to the new barn,

making more room
for the animals.

If we can pull that off,

I feel like Travis lives on.

[Misty] Are we supposed
to avoid the ant hills?

[Matt] Uh, just walk fast.

You guys call it
if you want a break.

[Clint] We're going
a little fast.

-Whoa!
-[Misty] It's getting heavy!

-[Clint] Break!
-[Marty] Break!

[Matt] You guys call it.

That was him saying
we should take a break.

Pepper, she knows no chill.

Go! [sucks lips] Go!

[moos]

[Marty] The cow's
a part of it.

You're taking his house.

We're gonna go
a little slower.

Thank goodness that Josh
has so many strong friends.

If you have 20 or 30
able-bodied human beings,

you can lift up a building...

[Marty] Spinning!

[Matt] ...you can move
a mountain,

and you can get that barn
at its final resting place

a lot quicker and a lot easier

than using
any heavy equipment.

Slow for the rock wall.

Slow, slow.

Three feet, two feet,
stop! Down!

[all cheering and applauding]

[Marty] Everyone,
come here, come here.

I'll be honest with you,
when I first grabbed it,

I didn't think we were
gonna be able to do it.

-It was heavy.
-[woman] Oh, man.

But, uh, there's no way,
as you know,

that we could have
done it without you.

Thank y'all.

-Chanda, so how do you feel?
What do you--
-Thank you.

How do you feel, though?

Um, I'm excited.

It-- It's gonna help so much.

It was emotional
seeing, you know,

something that I watched him
build be moved.

[voice shaking]
But it's awesome
being right here

and that y'all are keeping it.

[in normal voice] I'm excited
about the barn

being so much closer
to the house.

The chores will be easier.

It's just gonna make life
easier for all of us.

[Marty] Does this help you?

-It does. A lot.
-[Marty] Is it good?

Does it help
your two boys?

-Even more than me, yes.
-[all chuckling]

That's all I needed to hear.

I've just counted up
the materials

that we have left over...

[narrator]
The next morning...

...and we can only make
three more rooms

in our peacock motel.

[narrator] ...Matt and Shenda
set about adding

additional lodging
to the peacock motel.

-Chanda's got 10 productive
mating peacocks.
-[squawking]

[Matt] We only need
really ten spaces.

We have seven already,
so that is perfect.

We have a tree here

that's acting
as really good shade

in the morning time.

We're just gonna leave
a space for the tree,

and we're gonna fit
three extra rooms

in our peacock motel
right here.

I think that's a great plan.

-So, let's get building.
-All right.

[Matt] Shenda and I,
we're running out of time,

we're running out
of materials.

So, we're gonna build
three more spaces,

keeping it to the 10 male
peacocks that she has.

That's gonna be
more than enough

for this homestead right now.

Go.

All right, see
our little braces?

-Yes.
-[Matt] Now see if it falls.

-[Shenda] Cool.
-[Matt] Doesn't fall.

Let's build our back wall.

[Shenda] Cool.

I think for the last
couple of years,

it's just been such
a slog for Chanda

that it hasn't been
fun or enjoyable.

This is a great opportunity
for her

to bring back income
to the farm

and make this
homestead sustainable.

I think she's gonna
continue on,

and I know the joy
that's gonna bring her

'cause I know that joy myself.

Perimeter done
for our three extra rooms

in the peacock motel.

-Awesome.
-[Matt chuckles]

This is gonna work
really well.

Whoo!

[Marty whistles]

Here we go!

[narrator] Over by the new
dual barn set up...

[Marty] Pay attention.

[narrator] ...Marty continues
framing up the pole barn

before turning his attention
to another crucial
homestead need.

[Marty]
Even though there's a well
on this property,

that's too far away.

So, my thinking is,
let's make it easier

on everybody
and not pack water

a significant distance
to the barn.

[horn tooting]

[Marty] We're going to solve
that problem now.

-[Randy] How you doing?
-[Marty] Really good.

-What's your name?
-Randy.

-I'm Leslie Kauk.
Nice to meet you.
-Leslie Kauk.

Leslie, nice to meet you both.

Yeah, so tell me
what we got right here.

Okay, so they're two
800-gallon rainwater
collection systems.

[Leslie] It has
the floating extractors

and the calming inlet
already installed for it.

And the pumps are back here
and all the accouterments.

[Marty] This homesteader
has been truly struggling

for the last two years.

-Can't believe it.
-Let's fix it.

Let's fix it.

All right, bring it down.

We're gonna fill this,
so it's gonna be
800 gallons of water.

Push it off
the truck, darling.

Thank you.

More importantly,
it will be not halfway
across the property,

not carried
in 5-gallon buckets,
but right here.

[Leslie] You got it.

[Misty] Ow!

It's like a rat's nest
of vines.

Oh, and not just normal vines,

like, mean vines.

All right, it's time to start
to put together

our little seed station
for the kids.

So, I'm gonna take this
first cedar down right here.

It's already dead.

So, that makes me feel good.

Plus, it will last
a really long time

and prevent the structure
from blowing away.

[narrator] Misty will build
an 8-by-8-foot seed station.

First, she'll use
dead cedar trees
for load-bearing posts

and drive those 3 feet
into the ground,

ensuring the build
will withstand
Georgia's weather.

Next, she'll upcycle
found materials

on the property for walls.

Finally, she'll tap
into the water line
she trenched,

enabling easy watering
for the kids to grow starts

for their individual
garden beds.

These cedar posts,
we're gonna drive
them in 3 feet,

and then the posts
will be sticking out
of the ground 8 feet.

That will be the support
for our walls.

I love this seed station
so much.

It's come together.

I think it's the perfect size
for six kids.

You just need a place
where you can plant,

get out of the sun.

But now we need
to figure out the walls,

and I have an idea,

thanks to Travis,
on what my next
move is gonna be.

Travis worked for the state,

and they were just dumping
all this leftover material,

so he ended up with a bunch
of different signs.

And I think for the siding
on the structure itself,

it would just be perfect,
and it's here, and it's free.

This is gonna be,
like, the cutest little
seed station ever.

We're gonna tack
these bad boys up.

Like that.

Creating the seed station

is just getting
the kids involved,

and that's something Travis
definitely would be doing.

So, I think drawing
the kids into this space

to learn, to grow, to plant,

it's all about that.

Man, those signs look so good.

[Marty] We're leaving
this homestead

and things are getting hectic.

Chanda is gonna have
to step up to the plate.

Can you get
that tractor for us?

I can.

[engine starts]

[Misty exclaiming]

-[Travis] Misty!
-[children exclaiming]

[narrator] It's the final day
on the Odom homestead...

-How's everybody doing good?
-[children] Good.

[narrator]
...and this morning,

Misty and the kids
get their hands dirty

with the garden's
new seed station.

[Misty] This is the moment
you've been waiting for.

[mimics drum roll]

This is the moment
we get plant.

Welcome to the seed station.

It was so important
that I spend time

this week for the kids,

and creating
their seed station

is just giving them
a workplace all for that.

And I think
that's really important.

Not only is it telling them

that this is their role
on the homestead,

but it's... it's getting
them involved.

So, this is all for you guys.

It's a little work space,

it's a gardening space,
and it's all yours.

You wanna plant some seeds?

-Yes!
-Okay.

So, remember when we went
to the Merk Farm

and she gifted us all...
all these seeds?

So, it's really easy.
You just dip your finger in,

and then bury your seed,

and then gently put
some soil over it,

then you spray it.

You put the seed in,
you put it,

you cover it with soil,

and then you spray it
just a little bit.

That's it.

[exclaiming]

[all laughing]

Creating a manageable garden
for the kids was the goal.

You're officially growing
your own food.

So, good job.
Let's go check the garden out.

We have some donated plants.

Is everybody at their beds?

-[Taylin] Yes, ma'am.
-[Misty] I'm gonna visit you
one by one.

Over there?

That's perfect.

Giving them this underground
watering system

with the water beds, planting
low-maintenance veggies,

giving them
their own workspace

with the seed station
is the perfect recipe

for success.

Okay, so you tell me
where everything goes.

Okay, I want one right here.

-[Misty] I like this spot.
That was a good spot.
-[Taylin] Mm-hmm.

[Misty] Let's put
our first one right there.

-First plant,
how does it feel?
-Good.

-You're growing food
for yourself and your family?
-Yeah.

-Pretty easy?
-Mm-hmm.

-Fun?
-Mm-hmm.

[Misty] The more
the kids are involved,

the less Chanda has to do.

-Okay, is the hole big enough?
-Not yet.

[Misty] Once they're involved,
once you hook them, that's it,

and I feel like
we've done that,

and they can grow
this garden

into whatever
they want it to be.

Put the plant
in the hole, babe.

Good job.

[peacock squawking]

[Matt] Okay, here we go.

-[Shenda] Yeah, okay.
-[Matt] We don't wanna
lose any peacock.

[narrator] At the site
of the new peacock motel...

All right, we got
our first customers
at the peacock motel.

[narrator] ...Matt gathers
Tavin and Travis

to demonstrate how much
easier their chores will be.

[Matt] The first thing
I'm gonna show you

is how to water each one
of these peacock cages

as easy as I could
possibly make it.

-[squawking]
-[Matt] The way
that the children

were feeding
these peacocks before

was just so much time

that it was pretty much
discouraging the children.

And now we've made it
a piece of cake.

You're the big brother,
so I... I'm gonna do you
the honors.

You pull this lever up.

Okay.

You wanna fill that up,
throw that lever.

-Is that easy?
-[Travis] Yes.

What about this one,
you wanna fill that one up?

-Go fill some up.
-[Travis] Easy.

-Turn.
-[Matt] You could fill,

like, two or three
at the same time.

You just made
my water chores so easy.

[laughs]

I love this.

-You love it?
-Yes.

[Matt] Let's feed
these things.

-Open up that lid.
-[Travis] Mm-hmm.

[Matt] We're leaving
this homestead

with a family that is excited
to raise all the livestock

and be really successful.

-And boom.
-Right...

[Matt] That's it.

[narrator] One week ago...

the Odom family's peacocks

lived in multiple
cramped dog kennels

and laid their eggs
in filth and mud,

compromising their survival
and rendering them worthless.

Today, they live in
a 20-by-40-foot peacock motel,

complete with spacious rooms,

roof coverings to keep
the ground dry,

and a simple watering
and feeding system,

allowing the kids
to easily tend to the animals

so the family can raise
productive birds

and make money once again.

[Travis] Let's go!

[Chanda]
Travis would be so proud,
especially for our kids.

They're so excited.

And just to see
how happy they are,

I think he would
be blown away.

[Travis]
It's a food waterfall!

[Marty] Running out of time,
I'm not happy!

Stand back. Quick, Clint,
right here!

[narrator] Back at the site
of the dual barn...

[Marty] Clint,
drive it in, please.

[narrator] ...Marty and Chanda
rush to add

fence posts
for the livestock's
new grazing pad.

All right,
let's not get killed.

At sundown,
we're leaving this homestead.

Line me up with that post.

The pole barn's almost done,
but we need to put up a fence.

[Chanda] A little bit
this way. There we go.

[Marty] Chanda's worried
about it,

she's nervous about it,

and things are getting,
frankly, a little hectic.

Tell me when.

That is good.

-You sure?
-Yeah.

[Marty] Meaning
I need help,

and Chanda is gonna have
to step up to the plate.

Boom!

Sorry about the craziness.

-Yeah.
-[Marty] There's a lot
to be done.

So, we gotta get it done.

-[Chanda] Right.
-And while we're talking,

-you ready for this?
-[Chanda] I am.

-Do you wanna milk goats here?
-I do.

[Marty] Do you
wanna use those,

-not one, but two barns?
-Yes.

Okay. I thought I saw
a little goat stanchion
out there somewhere.

-Uh-huh.
-[Marty] Do you know
anybody here

that knows how to run
the... the, uh, tractor?

-Yeah.
-[Marty] Who?

Me.

-Can you get that for us?
-[Chanda] I can.

-Okay. And then bring it
right to the barn, please.
-[Chanda] Okay.

-[Marty] Thank you.
-[Chanda] Uh-huh.

Clint! We gotta hit it.

Literally!

[Chanda] Oh, well...

Since Travis passed,
I've been scared.

You know, I haven't healed.

But I feel like
the Raneys have been

helping me to move forward
with my kids.

[engine starts]

[Chanda] I know
that it's gonna be hard work,

but I can do this.

Whoo!

[Marty] Clint!

Don't spill my coffee.

He's trying to pick it up
and hand it to me.

I've been working with Marty
for maybe 15 years now,

and I guess I am the foreman,

but more like Marty's
right-hand man.

Hey, Clint. Copy?

Yeah. Got it.

Clint!

[Clint] I do think the foreman
is an important job...

Clint! Punch it!

[Clint] ...and they should
get paid more.

[laughing]

Let's go! Now! Move!

I've never heard
Clint complain...

since I gave him
a 10-cent-an-hour raise.

Coffee break's over!
Back to work!

[Clint] I am excited to help
out more people, but...

[Marty] Clint, Clint, Clint!

Do you hear-- I think
I hear Marty calling me.

[Marty whistling]

Clint!

[Marty whistles]
Quick, quick, quick!

Down.

Perfect!

They're in there.
Holy crap!

I like it.

That said, where's Mom?

We are running out of time.

And I wanna make sure
that Chanda is set up
for success.

If she can't learn how to run
a tractor on a homestead,

she'll never become
a successful homesteader.

It's do or die right now.

Come on in, Mom.

[Chanda] Marty is amazing.

I mean, he's given me
a different perspective

and motivated me
to learn how to do things

that I don't know how to do.

This is perfect.
Let her down, please.

Chanda is a natural.

Smooth, fast learner,

safe, and gets the job done.

And now I have
all the confidence
in the world

that this county has
one more tractor operator.

-You gotta figure it out.
-Yeah.

If you can do that,
you can do anything.

-All right, thank you.
-Thank you.

[Marty] I gotta tell you,
I broke down

when I watched those two boys
doing those chores.

But now this homestead
has water for eternity

even if they wanna keep
100 animals here.

That's right.

Those two boys
had to grow up quick
and do a grown man's job.

And they've been doing
the best they can at it.

-Do you think
we've made it easier?
-Oh, definitely.

Let's look at a couple
things in here.

Let's check on the ducks.

-[cheeping]
-[Marty] I'm glad
that we saved them,

and got 'em under a heat lamp,
and fed and watered them.

And now they have this
beautiful place to be safe.

[Josh] That's right.

[Marty] When it comes
to feeding cows,

when it comes
to feeding goats,

check this
automatic feeder out.

Pull the rope...

and then let her rip.

Pour it in.

And, of course, we have
a safe, dry space

for these animals
to escape to.

We've set these
people up better

than even my own homestead.

[narrator] One week ago,

the Odom family's barn
was too small

to house all the livestock

and was located
far from the house
in a muddy field,

making the daily chores
time-consuming and difficult.

Today, their original barn
has been relocated

to the site of their
brand-new pole barn,

giving the animals a large,

dry footprint
to roam around in

that's also close enough
for the kids

to easily tend to the animals
for years to come.

It's really comforting
to know that you're here

and you've been here.

Anything her
or those kids need.

Travis was a good friend,

and after this week
of working with Marty,

I have seen
that they wanna help

people succeed
on their homesteads.

There aren't a whole lot
of people left like that
in this world,

and they have really made
a difference

in Chanda's life.

It's hard to find
this kind of a friend.

So, she's fortunate,
and so are you.

I appreciate that.

[duck quacking]

-[Misty] Chanda!
-[Temperance] Chanda!

[Misty] What do you think?

I love it.

-[Misty] Pretty cute, huh?
-I'm pretty excited.

-Y'all are gonna grow me
some vegetables?
-[Taylin] Yeah!

-Should we give her a tour
of the seed station?
-Yeah.

-Mm-hmm.
-[Misty] Let's go inside.

Come on.

Oh.

This is awesome!

-Y'all have each
got your own station?
-[children chattering]

[Misty] You wanna see
the coolest part
in the whole world?

[Chanda] Yep.

Done!

Just leave
that on for a while,

and guess what's happening?

[Tavin] It's filling up
the beds.

[Misty] Underground.

-[Chanda] No way.
-[Misty] Yeah.

-[Tavin] Yes way.
-That is awesome.

[Misty] We streamlined
the homestead,

and what I've done
with the kids,

it gives Chanda
that, like, opportunity

to never quit,
to never back down.

And I think
Travis would be proud.

[narrator] One week ago,
Chanda's growing efforts

suffered from inhospitable
clay to grow in,

lack of
easily accessible water,

and significant distance
from the home.

Today, they have
six garden beds

self-watered
by the nearby well,

and an 8-by-8-foot
seed station

providing a workplace
to cultivate starter plants,

all of which are located
closer to the home,

enabling the family to grow
food for years to come.

We're growing food, guys.

I really feel like this week
with the Raneys

has set us up to be able

for this to be
the kids' homestead one day.

[children exclaiming]

Those are their garden beds,

and they are gonna grow
those vegetables.

And now my kids are motivated,

they're excited.

This is gonna be
our happy place again.

[laughs and exclaims]

-[Taylin] She got Mama!
-[Temperance laughing]

One of the most
impressive things

that really motivated me

was watching you
and this guy do the chores.

You don't even know
how you impacted me,

but you did.

So, thank you.

Will you go over there
on the back of that tree

and grab that hat, please?

-[Tavin] Whose is this?
-[Marty] It's yours.

-[Tavin] Thanks.
-You're welcome.

That said, Josh,
it's kind of comforting
to know

that when we leave here
that you're still here.

I really appreciate you
as a friend of this family.

-Always.
-[Matt] Oh, yeah,

don't ever let Shenda go.

[Shenda and Chanda laugh]

[Marty] She's the best helper,
smart, capable.

Like, it was a pleasure
to work with you.

[Shenda] It makes me so happy.

Her life just got
a lot easier.

[Misty] I don't wanna
say goodbye.

You have such
a special family.

I wish I could have
known Travis,

because kids
aren't this special...

by chance.

[Taylin crying]
Miss him so much.

[Chanda] Since Travis passed,

it was a fight for me
and the kids to keep
everything alive.

And I felt like
there was still hope,

but I was losing it quickly.

Going forward, everything's
gonna be different.

I'm ready to get this
homestead working for us.

And I think
I'm finding healing.

[voice shaking]
I feel like we have
a fighting chance now.

[sniffles] Um,
that a mom and six babies
can do it from here.

Thank y'all.

[Marty] Everything that Misty,
Matt, and I designed and built

had six children in mind.

Because this is
what Travis wanted.

It was like
he was looking down
for the last week...

overseeing this project.

And if he was, I hope
that we've all gotten
Travis' stamp of approval.

[Misty] I love you guys.

-I love you guys.
I love you guys.
-[Marty] Josh.

[Misty] It's okay.

It's okay, sweetheart.
It's all right.

-Bye.
-[Misty whooping]

-Aw!
-[Misty] You guys miss me?

[laughs]

-Bye, you guys!
-[Misty] Bye...

Bye, girls!

-[sniffles]
-[horn tooting]

[Chanda] Hey, Raneys.

Everything's been
going pretty well.

Come on, girls.
Come on.

The new barn has been
a complete game changer.

Sunshine, y'all hungry?

Feeding is easier.

Watering is easier.

The animals love the new barn,
the kids love the new barn.

The garden has been great.

The kids have
absolutely loved it.

It's an everyday thing.

They're really feeling more
of a sense of ownership
of the homestead.

And having all the peacocks

in one simple place
has been a lifesaver.

They have been laying
like crazy.

Next year,
we'll be able to surpass

our income with the peachicks.

Now, I have the confidence,

and Travis would be
over-the-moon proud.

I'll never ever be
able to repay them.

The Raneys always got a place
on the Odom homestead.

Thank you, Raneys.
We miss y'all.