Homesteaders

[KlopKlop]

boy do I understand that. I've go two coops I'd like to move but they're too heavy for me. One I'd just like to move four feet back.  I've got to figure something else out though. 

Look up 'block and tackle'. Leverage can be your friend.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@KlopKlop my thoughts exactly. "give me a lever and I can move the world" quoted from someone.

DH was able to move a car carrier trailer, loaded with hay onto the hitch of the truck. As in he moved the tongue of the trailer up 3 inches and over 3 inches just by using a 6x8 as a lever. And why did he do this you ask, because when I backed the truck into the barn, the jack on the trailer was too short to back the ball under ...

 

[wyoDreamer]

@rancher hicks the grape jelly would be good with a mix of the two grape jellies, if that is all the wild grapes you will be able to get. The domestic grapes may even out the wild grape flavor a little, but it would give you an idea if you like the flavor of the wild grapes for next year.

 

[Kelfeathers]

Thanks for the welcome and advice!

@KlopKlop - I have 2 black Langshans, 2 black Orpingtons and 2 lavender Orpingtons. I'm getting 2 Sultans, a silver lace Polish and a mystery chick this September. I'll be getting a pair of silkies next spring.

The rabbits are a pair of pet lionheads. I want to silver fox rabbits for meat once I have a place for them. I might get angoras if I can learn how to use their wool.

@rancher hicks - I always carry a small pad and pen no matter what. I also have a stack of spiral notebooks and journals filled with everything I want to remember. I have entirely too much time on my hands!

I haven't really been able to grow enough of anything yet. I have yet to learn canning and don't have the supplies so I haven't been too worried about it at the moment. We did enjoy plenty of leaf lettuce this year. It was a dandy thing to be able to walk over, grab a handful and munch away while working in the yard. We've also had cucumbers, tomatoes, rosemary, lavender, chives, borage, calendula, squash flowers and snake gourds. I tried to grow echinacea, but it never came up. I'm going to try some ideas I found online next year.

I've found every wild black berry bush on the combined 5 acres and we have mulberry, cherry and walnut trees as well.

 

[rancher hicks]

@rancher hicks the grape jelly would be good with a mix of the two grape jellies, if that is all the wild grapes you will be able to get. The domestic grapes may even out the wild grape flavor a little, but it would give you an idea if you like the flavor of the wild grapes for next year.

Well guess what I learned today. That wild grapes have male and female vines. This is why some of my vines have no grapes.

Cultivated grapes were cultivated to have both male and female flowers. I did not learn this in all my reading on line.

I'm glad to learn this as I was going to cut down the vines with no fruit and they being males might have messed up those with fruit. That would not have been good.

I will give the domestic concords and wilds together a shot. There is a man who sell wild grape jelly at the farmers market but I've never bought any.

 

[lakeyn]

So good to know because I don't recall reading that either. My vines are getting big but no signs of grapes yet

 

[Kelfeathers]

Our trees are loaded with walnuts. The squirrels are happily running around with them.

 

[Loc20chick]

We have some wild black grapes at the edge of our back yard but they always get eaten by some insects,not sure what I can do for that.

 

[Raech]

IM GETTING CHICKENS!!! e My friend got chicks this spring, and has decided to move from her trailer house in the country to a 5th wheel in town at an RV park, so I get her chickens!!! Problem is, I dont know where to put them, my yard is not very big and very square. I have 1 pear tree off to the side, and a "berrybox" with blueberries and strawberries in it. I was planning on 3 small chickens but it looks like chicken math happened without me and i get 6-8 large chickens that are just starting to lay. She has a coop built that she will bring down to me as well that is square(think porta potty size), I need to build a run, Hubby wont allow them to free range very much.

What do I do??? Im so overwhelmed, I havent spoken to my landlord yet about the number of chickens allowed, he approved chickens when I asked him about it a few months ago. I might end up getting some butchered before winter hits. My Hubby is going to kill me in my sleep because of the chickens and we are getting 3 hedgehogs from a different friend soon as well. To top it off we have no timeframe for when they are coming down, she just decided to move and give them to me. I only have a 4 foot fence, a racoon that is trying to eat my bunny when I leave her in the cage to eat the grass instead of her hutch, and alot of stray cats that go into my yard. And I dont even have a backdoor to get to my backyard, my dog tries to eat the bunny so I can only imagine what is going to run through her head for chickens. Im going to find a paperbag, this was supposed to wait until later not all get dropped on me now, but at least car shows are over for the year(I hope).

 

[LBejaran]

IM GETTING CHICKENS!!! e My friend got chicks this spring, and has decided to move from her trailer house in the country to a 5th wheel in town at an RV park, so I get her chickens!!! Problem is, I dont know where to put them, my yard is not very big and very square. I have 1 pear tree off to the side, and a "berrybox" with blueberries and strawberries in it. I was planning on 3 small chickens but it looks like chicken math happened without me and i get 6-8 large chickens that are just starting to lay. She has a coop built that she will bring down to me as well that is square(think porta potty size), I need to build a run, Hubby wont allow them to free range very much.

What do I do??? Im so overwhelmed, I havent spoken to my landlord yet about the number of chickens allowed, he approved chickens when I asked him about it a few months ago. I might end up getting some butchered before winter hits. My Hubby is going to kill me in my sleep because of the chickens and we are getting 3 hedgehogs from a different friend soon as well. To top it off we have no timeframe for when they are coming down, she just decided to move and give them to me. I only have a 4 foot fence, a racoon that is trying to eat my bunny when I leave her in the cage to eat the grass instead of her hutch, and alot of stray cats that go into my yard. And I dont even have a backdoor to get to my backyard, my dog tries to eat the bunny so I can only imagine what is going to run through her head for chickens. Im going to find a paperbag, this was supposed to wait until later not all get dropped on me now, but at least car shows are over for the year(I hope).

Okay, calm down, friend! There is always a solution!

Building a run onto the coop your friend is bringing isn't too hard. A friend of mine has a very small backyard and a short fence. She used a dog kennel as her main coop for her chickens.

I'd recommend marking where exactly you can put a run that used your small space more effectively. Put a couple wooden stakes into the ground and string to mark it.

If you have a picture of your backyard, I might be able to help draw something up for you! It won't be a large, fancy run but it will give you a general idea of what size your run can be without taking up all of your yard.

As for making it predator proof, 1/4" wire is ideal. Staking in rebar every 4-6 inches can protect against predators digging their way into the coop.

I hope some of this info helps!