The Old Folks Home

[perchie.girl]

@Alaskan I know your degree is in Range land management... Does it differ from climate to climate?

Here we are semi Arid.... leaning toward arid these days. I am watching Trees of all kinds die from the drought.... Eucalyptus cover a broad spectrum of needs They tend to kill off the underbrush as they grow the oils in the leaves are toxic enough to allow the tree to stake its claim to the soil. They are especially drought tolerant and pest resistant... So when they get under stress they do dramatic things. Like drop off Whole branches weighing enough to kill. They are not native but we have huge groves of them planted by the Railroads in hopes of using them for Ties.... and of course they naturalized immediatily ... They type of eucalyptus they planted were useless for the job they wanted them for.

Our trees are Scrub oak and in the mountains we have a few Decidouous oak scattered about and Conifers. in low areas where stream beds are or the water is easy to reach deep down there are Sycamores and willows too.

Here are grass lands are fire dependant... Wild Oat grass is the easiest to spot when on a drive... Its the first to come back after fire. Right now is our Green season which lasts as long as the rain. About the time the snow is beginning to disappear in other areas our hills are turning yellow...

For what its worth I have been told in areas that can support cattle it takes about a hundred acres. none of the ranches I know of irrigate their pastures so Feed is grown in the deserts of Imperial county...

Historically many areas of San Diego county were settled by Basque people Sheep did well in the Chaparal. You can still see the changes they made to the ecology even though they are long gone.

deb

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: I saved this Ron thanks for sharing. I have to make this!

 

[chickadoodles]

Cynthia I hope you get to feeling better soon bless your heart.

Dh and I celebrated Christmas in Florida along with Thanksgiving so we just chilled and went camping and fishing Monday.
It was cloudy mostly but the temps in the mid 70's.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I'll definitely be growing herbs this year.

Alaskan...I think I understand what you mean about the spruce being too close and not growing well. Spruce and pine are some of the favorites people plant for windbreaks in this part of the world. They wouldn't be anywhere as close as what you're mentioning...but people always seem to plant them too close together and they end up all mashed together. Then the mashed branches turn bare and the trees look unwell. It's sad when that happens. When we first built, I had planned on planting spruce. I still have the plans...I was going to space the trees 44 feet apart in the row and stagger the rows so it would make a good windbreak. I should still have been able to mow around each tree. It just never happened.

I'm aware that goats can be quite damaging to, well...everything. Trees, wiring...paint job on the car....but I wasn't aware that sheep would damage seedlings like that. Our sheep could never keep up with the grass in the pasture. I'm aware they will over graze specific areas of grass they find tasty. Our lawn consists of 3 different types of lawn grass; Kentucky blue, creeping red fescue...and I can't remember the 3rd. I had the blend custom ordered from pasture grasses from the pedigree seed place so it would fill in nice...but mostly because it was cheaper doing it this way than buying it from the store. I don't know which grass it was they liked...but the year we kept them on the lawn, they overgrazed specific spots while others they just ignored. I had a Suffolk ram over the mediocre ewes while BSE was going on...and those cross lambs were night and day different from the Katahdins, even with their grazing. Katahdins stay very tight and move like a mob, which is great for LGDs protecting from predators...while the Suffolks spread out. I don't know how dogs can watch them. But I can see how different breeds could impact the different areas of the country in different ways. Quite amazing stuff. Just as different as different breeds of chickens I guess. Or dogs...etc.

We like the trees and can't see that the cost of stripping every inch of tree cover would be worth it. We don't mind having the wildlife and the cover for them. I just don't want them in the yard with the chickens.

These last few years the sloughs haven't been the best cover since every low spot is filled to the brim with water. The deer population is down from what it was. The trees in the sloughs here are dying because they've been standing in water for so long. Beavers are making dams in the ditches...just strange.

That's very interesting about the sea shells and the donut holes...in bunch grasses. I haven't it been very far in my life to date outside of my relative's wedding...lol. I've only been 4 hours east in the same province, 10 hours west to Alberta and as far south as Bismarck, North Dakota...lol.

The relative's wedding was at the Mayan Riviera and the thing that stuck out most was having no flies or mosquitoes. No flying bugs at all. The resort we stayed in was an hour from Cancun and it was cut out of the jungle. Someone has said it's because of he salt from the ocean. Even outside of the resort at the ruins...no bugs. Ok, one bug about 5 inches long. That's it. That was amazing to me. I never took a pic of the check in office but it was completely open...no doors.

Perchie girl...I like a good fire. In my mind I figure it cleans up everything...parasites, diseases...good stuff. I can't imagine being able to graze all year long. I think it would be harder to manage though than what we do. Two provinces west of us in Alberta...and probably in BC...I think in some areas they can graze throughout the winter. People here gow corn to graze their cattle through most of the winter. We now have more 'coons than we've ever had.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

No power. Apocalyptic roads this am. No power anywhere near me and in Augusta. All lights are out. Power lines down.
My entire staff showed though!!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Oh no! Not again. We got an inch or two and it looks like we missed it. This time.
Good on your staff making it into work! Great dedication!


After thinking about what everyone's written earlier...after having sheep for 18 years and cattle...well, I guess all my life...I suddenly feel like my knowledge is lacking.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Oh no! Not again. We got an inch or two and it looks like we missed it. This time.
Good on your staff making it into work! Great dedication!


After thinking about what everyone's written earlier...after having sheep for 18 years and cattle...well, I guess all my life...I suddenly feel like my knowledge is lacking.

Not lacking in knowledge smart enough to understand we all keep learning
as new ways have been found that also help

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry you had to go out in the bad conditions SCG. Drive careful going home and I hope everyone gets their power back on soon.

 

[microchick]

Our timber is hilly, lots of ridges with ravines. What the conservation officer showed us was the lack of seedling Oaks and the surplus of hickory seedlings and saplings in our timber. We know the previous owner grazed cattle, horses, sheep and goats in the timber and he said that he knew that without us even telling him and pointed out the damage the grazing had caused. I kid you not. They ate EVERYTHING, and yes, the pasture was in pathetic condition as I said, eaten down to the ground so undoubtedly the poor animals were looking for what nourishment they could find from the brambles, ground cover and wild rose bushes. His solution wasn't to decrease the animal load on his property but to increase it in a bid to make more money. Reading about how you manage your cattle and how he managed his is a prime example of good stewardship verses bad stewardship both towards livestock and property, wickedchicken6. I've often heard people we know say that the Amish community around us is 'different' and maybe this is what they are referring to.

What they (the conservation department) were looking for as far as habitat is concerned for turkey was new growth oak trees coming up from 6 inch stumps where trees have been harvested. We have an area where 8 young oaks had been cut down and the roots are resprouting new growth around the remaining stump. The new growth formed a little thicket and he said that was the type of habitat that wild turkeys in Missouri love to raise chicks in because it gives them overhead cover from predators and allows them to move between the tall grass and the new growth oak without detection from air born preditors.

Somewhere I have pictures of our timber. I'll have to try to find them.

 

[chickadoodles]

Sorry you had to go out in the bad conditions SCG. Drive careful going home and I hope everyone gets their power back on soon.

x2 Y'all be careful and stay warm. I hope and pray the power comes back on soon for everyone.