Homesteaders

[duluthralphie]

I'd be happy to send u a box of rocks. If it fits it ships, right? And we certainly have plenty.

That's the same thing I use to get at Christmas from Santa!!! Yipppeeee!!!!

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Oh by all means bring a tractor trailer I can load it full of rocks. Big ones, little ones, moss covered ones, clean ones, civil war wall rocks, bluestone, round flatt big small. You name it. I'm so sick of rocks.

 

[rancher hicks]

Unfortunately I know what is under the top soil. The place I live has been my families farm for over 100 years. Sad to say, but true. In the "good" ol days lots of stuff was just buried. Out of sight out of mind.

I am not talking hazardous stuff, but junk, old building, tires equipment etc. We are removing stuff as we can afford too. But at some point we will have to stop. My garden sits over what was cow yard and pig yard for 70 years. Should be good, but fill was brought in in the early 70's to cover the "poop" and level it for grain bins and grain dryers. I would have to remove 2-3 feet of fill to get to the good stuff... Some day I just might too!

This is why I do raised beds. Tarvia and huge chunks of cement. I've pulled rebar out too. Further back is the dump of household stuff. Cans, bottles and even an old iron bed.



I dug a trench and rolled this into it and covered it up. It will be under the path so no bother. Took me a few days to dig the hole.

I am fairly excited. I told my husband that my goal was to get to the point where we would produce 70% of our own food in 3 years. Not only did he not tell me I was crazy, he said he thought it was doable and told me if I wanted we could get a couple pigs to fatten come spring

. I am planning on raising 50 meat chickens over the summer. If we do all that that gives us about 100% of our meat being homegrown, we raise cattle.
I cannot wait for spring!

Folks asked us if we'd do meat chickens but considering how much chicken we eat I figured we'd need about 250. That's not even eating as much chicken as we do eat.

I'm doing this! I planted 5 buckets a couple of days ago. One I filled all the way up with dirt/cow manure. Two I put dirt/cow manure in the bottom and will fill up with dirt as/if the potatoes grow. The last two I put dirt/cow manure in the bottom covering the potato and filled the rest up with pine straw and leaves. I want to see which one works better.

@rancher hicks ~ I don't think it's your computer. I'm having a heck of time trying to type this up. It's like I'm typing on delay or something?

That's what is happening. It used to just be BYC, but I wonder if it's TWC slowing things down. Some companies were sued a while back for slowing users down after they'd used a certain amount of data.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

This is why I do raised beds. Tarvia and huge chunks of cement. I've pulled rebar out too. Further back is the dump of household stuff. Cans, bottles and even an old iron bed. I dug a trench and rolled this into it and covered it up. It will be under the path so no bother. Took me a few days to dig the hole. Folks asked us if we'd do meat chickens but considering how much chicken we eat I figured we'd need about 250. That's not even eating as much chicken as we do eat. That's what is happening. It used to just be BYC, but I wonder if it's TWC slowing things down. Some companies were sued a while back for slowing users down after they'd used a certain amount of data.

we eat chicken roughly 15-18 times a month so we are thinking 50 meaties every 3 or 4 months. May not be cheaper than buying store bought

but it's a lot healthier and yummier.

 

[duluthralphie]

Rancher Hicks, I am a slow learner, but I am really thinking of going more raised beds. The tomatoes do so well in them. I have an old pasture I try to use for garden and chicken crops, but the soil is so poor. There is a couple that do animal rescue (horse. cows etc) about a 1/2 mile from me they have no place to put their manure, they are always trying to give it away.

I have convinced (fingers crossed and hoping) my wife I need a dump box on my f350. I would then take all the manure they have and compost it for a couple years then spread it out. There is limited amounts of old "Iron wood" in the pasture. I till it every year and try to pick it up as it comes up.

 

[rancher hicks]

I do raised beds because it's easier for tending and watering. I'm not young anymore. Too like I said it's all this crap under the soil. I just can't dig it out, so the land is tillable.

Rancher Hicks, I am a slow learner, but I am really thinking of going more raised beds. The tomatoes do so well in them. I have an old pasture I try to use for garden and chicken crops, but the soil is so poor. There is a couple that do animal rescue (horse. cows etc) about a 1/2 mile from me they have no place to put their manure, they are always trying to give it away.

I have convinced (fingers crossed and hoping) my wife I need a dump box on my f350. I would then take all the manure they have and compost it for a couple years then spread it out. There is limited amounts of old "Iron wood" in the pasture. I till it every year and try to pick it up as it comes up.

I/m not sure why you mention being a slow learner but.................................

Every Homesteader needs a truck in my ho. You never know when opportunity will knock. Like FREE lumber, cement blocks or other stuff to use making those raised beds. I've seen blocks, bricks and stone I could use but I have no truck to get them with. It's muddy here and bricks or stone would help make a path. I'd like going outside to the coops if I didn't sink in the mud. Picture one is where I'd put a shallow pond for ducks. I just need to hire someone to help me dig it out. I figure 1-2' would be good. Not real big but as a drain basin for some of the water. These are old pics. Somethings have changed.



I didn't realize the low point and should have built up the area so the coop sat up high and water drained away. I have dug around it so drainage is better.






As for the manure compost for two years? A year should be good if it's composted right. I leave mine uncovered and let mother nature snow/ rain and shine on it. Chickens have access so they stir things up a bit.

 

[duluthralphie]

Thanks RH! I think I need the dump box on my truck. We all want a tad more.

Is that a hoop house in the middle picture? Just plastic covering it?

I made a plastic sided turkey house, that the turkeys refuse to use, because, well, they are turkeys.


Looks like your really getting a thaw there. The birds look happy. Wading like ducks.



The reason I want to compost for two years is the manure is very heavy straw and the manure has lots of horse manure. We get quite a few weed seeds that make it through the horses gut. By adding a second year to composting we can kill more of them off. I have the room so it is not a big problem. I have a bobcat so turning it give me something to use the bobcat for.

 

[rancher hicks]

Thanks RH! I think I need the dump box on my truck. We all want a tad more.

Is that a hoop house in the middle picture? Just plastic covering it?

I made a plastic sided turkey house, that the turkeys refuse to use, because, well, they are turkeys.


Looks like your really getting a thaw there. The birds look happy. Wading like ducks.



The reason I want to compost for two years is the manure is very heavy straw and the manure has lots of horse manure. We get quite a few weed seeds that make it through the horses gut. By adding a second year to composting we can kill more of them off. I have the room so it is not a big problem. I have a bobcat so turning it give me something to use the bobcat for.

Well now a dump box is not a WANT when you have a homestead. It's a necessity. You just need to figure out a way to make it earn it's keep. Like hauling manure for the homestead. Cleaning up brush for the homestead or others who will PAY YOU you to haul stuff to the dump. Picking up lumber to be used ON the homestead.

Yes that is a hoop house covered with plastic. It's actually the run to the hoop coop. Built with a total of four cattle panels. Hoops are easy to build and can be used for lots of things. Light weight to pull around for a chicken tractor. I've seen them used for hogs. They can be covered with corrogated tin or plastic or Ondural and asphalt material. I built these by myself since I don't have anyone to hold things in place. I did get a few bumps on the head.

I used fleece on the inside. Works great. Not frost bite

 

[rancher hicks]

As with everything you see on BYC you have to modify what works for you.



The fan helps with ventilation. There are doors front and back. This door is just the right height for the wheelbarrow at cleaning time.













There were a number of tossed blocks and bricks on the property that I used for the base. Remember that dump box

will work for picking up FREE materials to use.

 

[duluthralphie]

Kloppers made some of them last year and showed us pictures. I am going to have to try them.



Her argument against the dump box is it will look "ugly". Its a 16 year old truck and we have Van and a SUV for other driving.

So in my mind, I won the argument. I think a dump box and sell the box that is on it, is a start.



I am trying to think if there is a way I could use those hog panels to make a breeding coop. Maybe one sheet of OSB and one panel.