Ahh the joys of Farm living. I was a kid on my uncles farm. Spent my summers there but grew up in the big cities. Miami, New York, Chicago...Shimoda. But I always wanted to get a farm of my own. With horses and cows and chickens oh my. I finally got one and I love it. I have plenty of acreage for our horses, we have rabbits, chickens and my wife wants to get Sheep and Goats. See we are also preppers. So we've been learning all kinds of old skills. I also own my own hills and woods so I can hunt on my own property. Got a freezer full of deer and turkey season is coming up again! Yay!
And its time to get back to work. I am building bigger better Rabbit Hutches. With a simple poop collection system. We use the bunny droppings to add to cow, horse and chicken for the vegetables we grow. No chemicals are ever used.
But my break is over and I must get back to it. I hope you all have a great day and I wish you each the life you want to live. As I am mine!
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I just started a small farm myself. We decided to go with pigs and chickens, meat birds and layers. The pigs are a newer breed that graze rather than root, they're called Idaho Pasture Pigs. Good luck with your new life. I am also a bass player.
bil2276
Level 5
Mar 23, 2019
0
Pffffff......EPA...
The sheep and goats may be too aggresive on the wildgrasses in conjunction with the cows.(not that cows and horses are not aggressive enough.) but the goats will be useful for clearing underbrush in wooded areas up to a height of about 5 ft. from what i have seen. Many people around here used to use this method, before suburbia arrived. I have always been amazed at how much acreage it takes to balance livestock and flora. Just a few extra animals can tip it to a patchland.
Just observations i have made travelling the highways and byways.
CuriousFury
Level 7
Mar 23, 2019
1
@MADcHATTER i am not much on ranching. Woodbutcher by trade. Wow. You have yourself a little "section" it sounds like. Ah, to be able to stretch your arms like that. I know that i have enjoyed that serenity a bit, by association. Thank you for your reply. Be well
Congrats for your success in getting what you want and enjoying it to boot! Wahoo!
Bumpkin111
Level 5
Mar 23, 2019
0
Congratulations to you sir for building the life you wanted, and all the best of luck in the future. I don’t think I could ever live in the countryside for any significant length of time, I need the city with it’s million and one things to do and explore and see. Nonetheless, getting away for a few weeks every once in a while is a blast, but by the time it’s done I’m aching for home in the heart of the action again. I seem to be pretty alone in that on here ?.
StrykerWolfe
Level 5
Mar 22, 2019
1
Nope, another city person here who occasionally dreams of a farm life, ok, a farm visit. I have some farm friends who would never confine themselves to urban dwelling though.
If you plan on using that manure I hope you spend some time to learn how to compost it properly.
I might also point out that you should look into the use of “Carbon Char” (aka BioChar after being “tempered” ) which is a jumpstart method of creating Terra Pretta (look it up ... lots of info out there)
Since you have probably have a substantial woodlot, Carbon char can be made of deadfall and fallen stuff ... there is information on how to make a simple funnel cooker out there as well.
If you make TP or simply apply “weathered” Carbon char you can naturally amp your soil up to astounding levels as the molecular structure of the CC holds nutrients in place for hundreds of years and acts as a time release mechanism.
One of my “industries” is manure remediation on a large ... very large ... scale ...
A great source of information for you would be the Rodale Institute in PA ... it’s part of Kutztown University but they release quite a bit of useful information especially if you’re in into organic ...
Also try “[livingwebfarms.org] “which is a great resource and can really bring you “down to earth”.
Sheep? Goats? Uhhh ... not really into those critters ... hope you like mutton though a rack of lamb “lollipop” ribs are excellent .. but it’s a lot of critter for a few ribs ...
Bay0Wulf
Level 8
Mar 22, 2019
0
@MADcHATTER
Well ... you could increase its efficacy by adding crushed up “cowboy charcoal” (available at stores) during the composting and mixing process. If you mound it and allow it to “cook” for a bit (not too hot but hot ... don’t let it get anaerobic) before you turn it you’ll get the microbial response you want.
You can jump start the charcoal by making a slurry of raw manure, charcoal and water in drywall buckets.
If you don’t treat the char well enough, it often takes a year or two after application for a positive response ... in fact, the first year or two you may get a negative response as the char will be leaching the “missing” materials out of the soil. So I suggest you “treat” it well ... the smaller the particles the faster it will “load up” ...
One side benefit to using char is the odor falls off sharply as the char sucks up the nitrates (ammonia) ...
There’s a saying in the manure remediation business ... “If you can smell it, you’re losing”
If you’re “airing it out” that’s generally bad.
Living the dream!!! Lost mine in a divorce, only for her to dump it all. Mis those days.
BrunosDad
Level 6
Mar 22, 2019
0
@MADcHATTER Different time different me. I am now downsizing and decluttering my life. As much as I loved that lifestyle I now want to be more mobile.
You have made great progress . That is what I should have done , if I had been a smart boy .
Georgesblogforum
Level 7
Mar 22, 2019
0
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