Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

On the facebook. How wonerful duck are compared to chickens. 4. They're quieter? Not hardly. 8. They're easier on the lawn. Not our lawn. When the rain comes and there are puddles everywhere they make a messy mud hole.

Can someone tell me what they're rutting for in the grass? Quack quack this and quack quack that. All the time. I wonder if it's so messy when there isn't so much rain. course I bought them cuz it get's so wet here.

I still don't know who's a boy and who's a girl. Beakwise I figure two boys and five girls. I only bought them cuz they were 50 cents each. ( why don't we have a cents sign on our computer key board? We've got a dollar sign.)

OMG! There are so many snakes this year. I see one nearly every day. What's us with that? Long ones too. Red and browns. Could it be the mice AND frogs about. How big do garter snakes get? Some of these are about 3 feet long.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

Ducks have to have water to eat properly. They swish stuff across their bills and find grubs, worms, all that yummy stuff living in the mud. Even slosh feed mixed with water around their mouths. And yes, they are noisier and messier than chickens.

As for your snakes, I've never lived up there, so I got nuthin'.

 

[CLSranch]

Garter snakes rarely get over 2ft here.
Red and brown not sure, but corn, bull, and king snakes are not harmful and come in a variety of colors depending on region. I've been having a problem with the rat snakes eating my eggs underneath my setting hens. Finally the DW started carrying a 22. with rat shot with her to close the coop and got the 2nd one the other day.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

I have (city) neighbors that keep sending me their snake pictures all afraid they've got copperheads. Only one has been so far, but seen some pretty impressive king snakes. I'll be adding a little extra 1/4" hardware cloth to my setup now. Oh well, it's only money.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Hi, New to the thread. Had a farm in TN but had to move to FL to help aged parents. Now bought a log home with 12+ acres on the Pigg River in VA. Most of the land is heavily treed. We are working on fencing the land for goats. DH has an area almost done to keep chickens and rabbits safe at night since we have seen bears in our driveway. My guineas are shipping on the 11th, we had a real tick problem with all this brush and the deer are thick. As well as rabbits and quail, plus turkey. We had to have heavy equipment in to make way for a double garage as there is little in the way of storage here. I am planning on putting some fruit and nut trees in that area. We cleared a brushy area near the house for a garden, i have been trying to amend the soil but it is hard work for an old gal. I am looking for ideas on what i can plant along the driveways that will grow in shade but also help feed my livestock as there are no pastures. We love it here, the city has never been our favorite place to be.

 

[Molpet]

Hi, New to the thread. Had a farm in TN but had to move to FL to help aged parents. Now bought a log home with 12+ acres on the Pigg River in VA. Most of the land is heavily treed. We are working on fencing the land for goats. DH has an area almost done to keep chickens and rabbits safe at night since we have seen bears in our driveway. My guineas are shipping on the 11th, we had a real tick problem with all this brush and the deer are thick. As well as rabbits and quail, plus turkey. We had to have heavy equipment in to make way for a double garage as there is little in the way of storage here. I am planning on putting some fruit and nut trees in that area. We cleared a brushy area near the house for a garden, i have been trying to amend the soil but it is hard work for an old gal. I am looking for ideas on what i can plant along the driveways that will grow in shade but also help feed my livestock as there are no pastures. We love it here, the city has never been our favorite place to be.

comfrey , make sure you get a sterile variety or it will take over... http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/Feeding_comfrey_to_livestock/

 

[NorthTexasWink]

Honestly, if you let the goats at the brush they will clear most of it out quickly. They will also probably eat anything you plant if they can get at it. I've had luck with many types of berry bushes, hostas (not usually eaten by anything but looks pretty), wood's violets.

If you really want the best ideas for varieties adapted there, check your local ag service extension first. They'll know what grows best in your location, what grows fast, what is most durable, what to avoid. They may even be a source for free or very inexpensive starts during the proper planting times, at least for perennials and trees (if you need more trees!). Ours also has berry bushes at certain times of the year, and nice cheap composters for the city folk who attend their composting class.

Id consider walking your property to identify the plants already doing well in the conditions you have, especially growing well in the understory. Are any of those something you'd like, or related to a plant you'd like? If nothing else, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the ecosystem on your own property and how you can better work with or adapt to it.

Wishing you the best of luck. I'm already more than a little jealous!

 

[meetthebubus]

Woke up to a snake this morning with the chickens...fun! (Not) we have lots of wild things out here its an adventure every week lol

 

[CapricornFarm]

Yes, we have been checking out the plants here. Lots of blackberries, honeysuckle, grape vines, poison ivy, virginia creeper, princess pine, assorted small trees. I know the goats will love all that but i want to plant some things i can feed the rabbits, guineas, and chickens. Their free range activities will be limited due to predators. I have cleared the growth of weeds and other plants along the driveway in one area, so now i have bare dirt and you just end up with mud or rock hard soil. Plus the animals like fresh stuff, and maybe i can feed less store bought. I have been reading, and i found out about mangles. They are a huge beet like veggie that apparently store well. Always intetested in some new plants( to me).

 

[NorthTexasWink]

Yes, mangles are also grown in places like Africa for livestock. Ive seen them fed to cattle, swine. Never thought about chickens or goats. Will sorghums grow there? Broom corn? Maybe some barley or rye? Something the ag service will know.

What fun to learn a new area's farming!