Homesteaders

[Chicken girl 15]

excuse the human in the picture. The dog is Ravens my Dingo.

 

[Beekissed]

He's beautiful!!! Now, when all those folks talk about how they can't train their dog to chickens because of a high prey drive, you can set them straight...can't imagine more of a prey drive than a dingo or wolf hybrid.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

He's beautiful!!!  Now, when all those folks talk about how they can't train their dog to chickens because of a high prey drive, you can set them straight...can't imagine more of a prey drive than a dingo or wolf hybrid. 

prey drive!! Haha!! That's the understatement of the year. This brat (said with a mother's love

) hunts squirrel and rabbit and anything he can get his mouth on. He knows mom's chickens and cats are off limits or he's dinner. Like I said it takes a short leash and a strong will to turn wild into domestic. He even has fox babies on our hill because the fox ladies think my Dingo is sexy.

 

[Beekissed]

Same with Jake and Ben, but especially Jake. He's a silent hunter, very quick, even still at 10 yrs. Anything that ventures into their boundary is quickly killed and, if good for eating, consumed. Jake can snatch a songbird out of the air....which is why I had to move the bird feeder.

Kept finding these little birdy feet around the feeder and then saw him do it...made a believer out of me. He catches mice, voles, rats, squirrels, rabbits...anything dumb enough to come into his boundary is toast. Now Ben is in on it and he's turned out to be the better squirrel killer than even Jake, so I have hope for him.

I gave those two a whole freshly road killed yearling deer last year and they had it completely consumed in 4-5 days. The chickens helped but didn't get much of it at all.

 

[1cock2hens]

He even has fox babies on our hill because the fox ladies think my Dingo is sexy.

I read alot about cross species breeding the idea of animal hybrids fascinates me, anyway today I was just reading about canid hybrids and they say no successful fox/ dingo hybrid has ever been heard of // no fox/ canids in general have ever been confirmed only speculated// I would love to hear more about them when they are bigger/

 

[henless]

What kind of slow cooker do you have? I got a cheap one I guess. I'v been looking st the expensive Cadillac models but I just can't pull the trigger on $250.00 for slow cooker. Also I so agree with you about that Common Core Math, I did the same thing with my 3rd grader nephew, but he still had to do the long way after we got the quick answer. I was no help to him in math. Hopefully with the new Administration coming online soon, Common Core will be a past nightmare.

Mine is nothing fancy, just a Hamilton Beach from Walmart. I think it cost maybe $30 or less? I've never noticed it getting hot. I use it all the time, it's a lifesaver!

I have 2 dogs that help around the farm. I've had no predator problems with my chickens with them around. I'm also not able to let my chickens free range since they are not chicken trained.

This is my old girl, Blue Bell. She's 9 now and starting to slow down a bit. She stays by me where ever I am. If I'm in the house, she's on the front or back porch or out in the yard within sight of the door. Boo's a good varmint dog. She's caught/killed many a coon or possum. We've had her since she was 6 months old. She was a throw away.





Jack is my man. He is a 5 yr old broken coat Jack-Rat. Best dog ever! High energy, always on the go, but he also has an off button. He'll lay in your lap as long as you'll sit there and let him. Someone threw him out when he was a year old.





He is always hunting. He'll kill & bring home rats, mice, voles, moles, squirrels, rabbits, possums & coons. He got hold of a snake one year. I had to take him to the er vet since it was the July 4th weekend. He got the inside of his right rear leg sliced open somehow. He tangled with something that almost ripped out his lower front teeth. He is always into something!



He loves to guard his prize. He knows that if he leaves it too long, I'll get rid of it.


This is Pepper. We lost her in 2015. She was 17 yrs old, half Blue Heeler half German Shepherd. She was a freeby from Walmart. She was a good watch dog and great with the kids. Sure miss her.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I read alot about cross species breeding the idea of animal hybrids fascinates me, anyway today I was just reading about canid hybrids and they say no successful fox/ dingo hybrid has ever been heard of // no fox/ canids in general have ever been confirmed only speculated// I would love to hear more about them when they are bigger/

I'm not 100% sure they are his but they hang around our yard . if they aren't his that ok, they are still awesome, if they are SWEET we have a new breed.

 

[1cock2hens]

I'm not 100% sure they are his but they hang around our yard . if they aren't his that ok, they are still awesome, if they are SWEET we have a new breed.

lol it's fun either way//// I have my fingers crossed hoping they are his lol/// my In-laws have a tiny red long-haired Chihuahua that used to play outside with a fox it was a lot of fun to watch.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

I have a Cuisinart which I love because I can set it for up to 24 hours and then it automatically shifts to warm. I don't remember how much it cost but it didn't break the bank and I use it Oh so much. I also have a "Crock Pot" which I also use all the time. It works well and wasn't that expensive. I have a third one but it is very small and mostly good for warming up dip for company (which I don't have a lot of as most people think I am too far out to visit often). My last round of crocks (I am on my third or fourth round) I got on sale at Costco and they came as a pair. I have three different sizes and inevitably one of them is being used. Today I had the two bigger ones going, One for Corned beef and cabbage, the other to make sweetened condensed milk and then yogurt. Gotta have my slow cooker! Almost as important as my cast iron.

Wow you must have massive storage space. I got a puny Galley kitchen so I have to buy only what I have space to store. I like to keep my counters clear. I looked at that Cuisinart, nice. I might buy one, I'm too nervous to leave mine overnight because of the heat on that cord. I think it is a Rival, works great.

 

[Talithahorse]

My house is small but is mostly kitchen. Until this year I had a 56 mile commute to where I was teaching so I left out around 6 am and returned around 6:30 pm. The crock pot is what kept us from eating fast food everyday. Now I work about 15 miles from home. Much easier to keep the farm and still get the kids everywhere they need to be. Even a small crock pot cooks a big meal. One time my oven went out so I learned how to make a great many things using the crock pot. The big thing is planning ahead. Other than that, the food is always good.

As far as critters, the best dog I ever had was a wolf hybrid BUT I was in college and had all the time in the world for him. He went everywhere with me, did everything with me and LOVED Everyone. He had the amazing ability to make you feel like you were special because he allowed you to pet him but he would do this to everyone. That being said I daresay he would have been a force to reckon with had anyone attempted to harm me or mine in anyway. (but the cat could run him off his food). Like you said "not for the faint of heart". I raised him from a cub, howled with him, etc. At the time I was a mere 90lbs and he was 125lbs yet I could put him to the ground with one hand.