They mostly try to place ferals back where they came from, with someone
to promise to feed them.  But I got a couple ferals for my barn this
summer after we lost our barn cats.  They had to stay in a cage for a
few weeks to get the idea that my place is home.  One of them is
semi-tame, comes within 5-10 feet of us, and understands we are feeding
them.  The other 2 are totally feral, and we rarely see them.

But when you start putting out food for adopted ferals, you may find
you collect more cats from the neighbors, etc!  We have had 4 more male
cats show up since leaving food out.  One full grown wild boy, two
friendly kittens who are already adopted out by my foster agency.
Finally, sweet Will, a gray tuxedo who we are keeping as our (friendly)
barn cat.  He still needs to go to the vet for his shots and neuter,
but he has definitely claimed us as his own!

Here's a good webpage from an organization in my area.  This might give you
an idea of what's involved.
http://www.mrfrs.org/barnpage.html

I would LOVE to have the acreage you do an be able to have a feral colony.

Its an absolutely wonderful idea, Karryl.  In fact, its one my dream
projects when I finally retire completely. You'll be saving many cats'
lives.  Ferals and even frightened srays are usually labeled "unadoptable"
and automatically killed upon arrival at most shelters.

Have you worked with ferals and feral colonies in the past?  Relocating and
acclimating ferals to a new territory is arduous process.  Its not as easy
as just letting the cats loose in their new territory - because the cats
don't know its *their* new territory.

Ferals cherish their territory and their bonds to each other.  So, its going
to take some time for the cats to develop bonds to their new territory.  So
until the cats are acclimated, be prepared for some pretty creative and
ingenious escape attempts to return to their old territory! ;-)

If you have two barns, perhaps you can make a section of one barn escape
proof using fencing.  This will eliminate cage confinement during
acclimation - which is extremely stressful for ferals - fencing will also
allow new and resident cats to approach each other in safety.

Neutering all the cats and providing ample food and shelter will eliminate
nearly all the usual problems - i.e., territorial disputes.  In my
experience, once ferals are relieved of the competitive pressures of sex,
food and shelter, they're *more* sociable with other cats because they're
already used to having relationships with other cats in their colonies.

I know many of us will thoroughly enjoy reading your progress reports and
will offer as much help as we can.

Best of luck with your wonderful idea!

Phil