Search results

:P Well maybe. Pretty please???

Bump. Searching for some more feedback on this. Thanks.

AFAIK, the egg paranoia is due mostly to bacteria contracted to the outsides of eggs. In factory laying systems, the feces and whatnot builds up, and the eggs are laid in area that become contaminated. The bacteria then attaches to eggshells, and BOOM! salmonella. When using at home, it's the...

The absolute BEST thing we did for our garden was to layer the top with about 3" of wood chips. I found a place on craigslist that sold untreated pine chips for $3 a 55-gallon bag - not bad! The wood chips absorb sunlight and keep it from penetrating to the soil, keeping the underlying soil...

Thanks. My land is REALLY rocky. Like, I can't insert a step-in post rocky. The trouble with a movable pen is getting it where I would need it. There's some very rich grass on a bout 2" of very good soil with a giant rock underneath. :/ I can't set up a post there. BUT, 40 feet away I can dig...

Thanks. I'd start training on trees until she "got it" before switching to posts. I have plenty of trees with a good distance to the next. I'd also dig down a few feet and concrete the posts in. Anyone else try this?

Anyone do it? Can't afford the fence, and I have heard that this is common practice for family milk cows, particularly in underdeveloped countries. I have plenty of trees to tie to, including cedar which can be cut into posts and installed at tethering intervals. I have my donkey on a half...

Thanks. I've looked into companion planting a little bit, but not as much as I need to apparently. :/ Tobacco is an interesting idea. I have a lot of nooks and crannies on the property where I could grow a small patch. I'd prefer that to used cigarettes.... Also, how do ducks integrate into a...

Curious to know what everyone around here does to organically control garden pests. This year, we had squash vine borers and squash bugs destroy all of our zucchini, butternut squash, and pumpkins. We had some ladybug look-alike eat our radish greens. Caterpillars destroyed kale and cabbages...

Thanks! :) A donkey will protect its area from intrusion. Once it gets comfortable and knows that it is in its "home," then yes, it will fight to the death to keep larger predators out. It will not necessarily protect other animals, though, but if they share a "home" then it will. Bears, IDK...

You're welcome! On a sidenote, consider getting yourself a donkey, a good saw, and a wood chipper to help with the garden. I used donkey manure under a 3" layer of wood chips, set on top of thick clay, and the results have been amazing. Or were, before the squash bugs ate it all. :( Here are...

Thanks, everyone, for the advice and the tips. I think I'll stick to one side clipping, and after looking this weekend, it does seem like I didn't get quite enough of the feathers this go-around. So I'll trim 'em closer, and remember that going forward.

x2!!! I'm on 5.5 acres right now, and my biggest issues are threefold: 1. My house needs new flooring. 2. I have zero fencing on my property. 3. I have two wells dug, but no pumps and water lines to take the water anywhere. But besides the mortgage (which is manageable for me), I have student...

I wish I could, since I have not yet actually seen it. I'll just come out, and 3 of them are hangin out on the other side.

That's funny because I had thought about doing that when they were lil' chicks. I hadn't looked to far into it, and just decided to clip. I am now regretting that decision, apparently. :/

We're entering year 3 of homeschool. We changed a lot this year, including eliminating summer vaca in favor of year-round. We told the kids, and my 10YO daughter was totally miffed. We then reminded her that it's so hot in Tennessee in the summers that her "vacation" consisted of playing...

LOL! That has crossed my mind several times.

Sorry, missed this somehow. :/ They are 16 weeks, and a mix of Rhode island Red, Black Australorp, and Jersey Giant. I can't add any more netting - I have a movable elctro-net system. The don't seem "spooked" or anything. They just hop on over and continue pecking around. It's between 1 and 4...

Sorry - I meant to say it was six weeks. Is it better to just always do one side?

ok. We cut the longest feathers (maybe 3 inches from the top to bottom of the wing?) down to when the next layer of small feather overlaps on the left side. Wehad done the same on the right side 6 weeks ago. Does that make sense? Was that enough? We can trim some more if need be....