Homesteading and Hobby Farm/Ranch
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Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Sanrith Descartes
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Sludig
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My theory is they are not devils, but they provoke you into sin of wanting to torture animals to death with your bare hands. Unlike any other animal, they don't seem to have much emotion/learning/reaction. IE if I swat my donkey that's busted into a bag of something he'll run off and then be standoffish because he's annoyed.
The one time I lost my shit on one of them that had injured another a bit, I'd grabbed it, flipped it on it's back and was George Floyding it a bit while deciding what to do (another pen, murder and eat it, etc) and despite it screaming bloody murder, it was eating pellets contentedly within 3 seconds of me letting it up like nothing happened, finishes and just stares up at me with those dumb retarded eyes like where's the next meal already.
Love my Emu's and assorted poultry, donkeys are wifes but are fine and mostly predictable. But these goats evoke such a rage after a year it surprises me. Working on convincing the wife to let me sell all but the 2 does we birthed this year that are sweet, handleable, and no problems. Not sure if we just occasionally buy a buck then sell it, don't know anyone to just loan one without it being a wierd hassle. Almost want to get the baby buck we have polled so that way he can't cause trouble w/ horns, however the biggest obstacle is wife thinks baby goats and them as a group is one of the larger things that has gotten her to accept this hellhole state over Colorado so she gets all weepy when I'm threatening to hand them over to the first mexican I can find for a roast.
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Sanrith Descartes
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Lol, kind of reminds me of Zebra. I was at Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney and they have live animals wandering around the resort. Including Zebra. Talking to an employee he mentioned the Zebra are in time out. He said Zebra are ornery as fuck and the ones who are over the top dicks get pulled from Animal Kingdom park and sent to the Lodge as punishment.
Burns
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Are you going to be just using these knives for butchering outside or in the barn? Then probably just get some butchering knives made more for commercial line work. You may want boning and cleaver knives too.
The Zwilling/Henkles use a 440c steel that is described as: Stainless Steel with a minimum of 1.2% carbon This is the hardest of the 440 series It takes more abuse however it also rusts more easily than the other 440 series stainless steels. 440C can achieve a 60 HRC. At one time it was considered a stainless "Super Steel."
The VictoriaKnox use a bit softer stainless steel called X55CrMo14, that is comparable to 440A.
Steel cheat sheet: A pocket guide to knives- Lexicon of Blade Steel
If you want something that will keep an edge longer, then you can jump up to high carbon steel, but they require clean up right after you are done, and an oiling before storing them, or they will rust. Basically, don't let water or acidic food juice sit on the blade.
All knives will eventually need sharpening though. The pro sharpeners that I have seen in knife shops use these wheels on a bench grinder. It's super fast, but watch some tutorials, because improper use can be dangerous.
TheBeagle
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I like the disposable blades style of knife for field dressing. Always have something razor sharp.
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Sludig
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Whelp, destructive goats suicides. had a large panel for winter on shed they knocked down. after they put a hoLe in fence I laid it against it until I could figure out more permanent solution. baby/ adult got it knocked over onto the baby buck which died in the heat or weight though im suprised rust out would be heavy enough. half imagine the adult standing on it checking him out weighing it down.
Was the one boy we kept back from outside the herd completely. (already knocked up doe we bought.) So this winter, have to pull the one doe out for a bit while he does his business. I know like half sisters/brothers/etc can all fuck away, but not sure if it's wise to let a buck knock up it's own daughter? Or at least not past that generation? Either way that cunt is getting wethered after next baby season. (And I'd have gotten rid of him sooner, but wife still is attached to him as the miracle baby when we got him last year and survived a broken leg)
Was the one boy we kept back from outside the herd completely. (already knocked up doe we bought.) So this winter, have to pull the one doe out for a bit while he does his business. I know like half sisters/brothers/etc can all fuck away, but not sure if it's wise to let a buck knock up it's own daughter? Or at least not past that generation? Either way that cunt is getting wethered after next baby season. (And I'd have gotten rid of him sooner, but wife still is attached to him as the miracle baby when we got him last year and survived a broken leg)
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Did a quick fish in my pond today. Pulled a few things out, I stocked it with bluegill, crappie, and perch. By next summer they will be big enough to eat. I can't wait to be able to fish on my own property and get enough to have an evenings fish fry. The pond is just over an acre and averages 10 feet deep. I have six solar fountains that I put in, and each of them draws water from about 250 feet away, so there is good water movement. It's clear to the bottom. It's far enough into my property and surrounded by trees that no one knows it's there, which is how I like it. Once the panfish are well established I hope to introduce either large mouth bass or walleye. Can't do both, it's not big enough. I have a 50 foot dock that goes out into the pond which is great for fishing, but I also have a little boat to go out if I want to. Every one of my kids loves fishing (essentially spending time together), but they also love eating it. I'm so glad I took the time to dig this. I was worried it would dry up in drought seasons, but once it filled up the water level hasn't dipped virtually at all.
I'm actually considering digging another pond to use for irrigation. My fruit and vegetable farming continues to grow, and my wells aren't going to be sufficient soon. I'm also considering planting about 3 acres of grapes to make my own wine. I'd have to clear forest, and it's all hardwood, but I'd be set for lumber and firewood for a long time. The soil is perfect, and the climate is about right, so next year's major grounds project might be to get the land prepared to plant vines in 2024.
The one thing that I'm worried about is this all getting beyond me. While I'm committed to producing food for us, and we're doing really well with that, I tend to go big. It might get to a point where I have to hire someone(s) to maintain stuff. Keeping weeds down, trimming vines, trimming fruit trees, blah blah blah. I'm still working on my house, too. I have a bunch of cabinetry to be making, and two bathrooms to redo. I don't want staff, but it might be inevitable with the trajectory I'm on.
What do you guys think? Worth it to have a "farm hand" to help with animals and food production?
I'm actually considering digging another pond to use for irrigation. My fruit and vegetable farming continues to grow, and my wells aren't going to be sufficient soon. I'm also considering planting about 3 acres of grapes to make my own wine. I'd have to clear forest, and it's all hardwood, but I'd be set for lumber and firewood for a long time. The soil is perfect, and the climate is about right, so next year's major grounds project might be to get the land prepared to plant vines in 2024.
The one thing that I'm worried about is this all getting beyond me. While I'm committed to producing food for us, and we're doing really well with that, I tend to go big. It might get to a point where I have to hire someone(s) to maintain stuff. Keeping weeds down, trimming vines, trimming fruit trees, blah blah blah. I'm still working on my house, too. I have a bunch of cabinetry to be making, and two bathrooms to redo. I don't want staff, but it might be inevitable with the trajectory I'm on.
What do you guys think? Worth it to have a "farm hand" to help with animals and food production?
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Palum
what Suineg set it to
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Blazin
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Sometimes I wonder if you are me or if I'm you? I'm at the stage of trying to pullback on some of my ambitions because it can just get to be too much to do. I still want to do my list but it has to be at a more measured pace. Hiring people probably is not the answer imo.
Also I don't think walleye would be the right choice for your pond. A good tasting choice but bass is probably a better choice for a pond that size. I want to add a pond right along the border of a wetlands area we own that I think would be great for animals down there just afraid of the potential headache of drawing attention getting it done.
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I never want to be big enough to need a farm hand/help. Can you imagine what it would cost to have a young person do odd jobs around a farm? That and they'd quit on you after half a day. You got to stay small and do it all yourself, or get huge.
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You answered your question before you asked it.. I bolded the answer for you.
I only have one kid left living at home. He helps a lot, but it's not his farm. He likes helping, and he does it happily. But he disappears in a few years, too.
Isn't it so easy to let things get big when you're doing this kind of thing? I find it so enjoyable to do these things I find myself just wanting to go all in, but I have other things I need to do as well, and I also don't want to be so tied down with so many things happening on the farm that I can't ever get away. This is why I'm considering someone like a farm manager or helper or whatever.
And I think you're right about the bass. I have one section of the pond that is about 3 feet deep and has heavy pond lily coverage, which seems exactly right for bass to lurk in.
I actually know someone who might be interested. It's a retired guy who comes and hangs out anyway. He lives nearby, and I don't think I'm looking for someone full time, just help around harvest and help when I need to be out of town. You're right, I don't want to hire some 20 year old who is going to disappear in a few months. Just someone who's available when needed.
But you're right, I don't want it to spiral.
Blazin
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I have a knack for a week just going off the rails into an entire new project I wasn't even thinking about. Buddy does excavating and spoke to him on Monday said he had a gap in schedule now we are here with the mini X cutting a whole new road through a woods area, now I'm sitting here thinking about stoning it etc and reading your posts just hits home how fast scope can expand.
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If you get the right driver delivering the stone you can get them to drop the stone while driving slowly and there's minimal spreading by hand required.
Not that I've done anything like what you're describing before. Nope.
Blazin
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Problem will be when wife says how is week going, and I say "oh we made a new road" and I get the "Why?"
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Access! It's important to be able to get to your land. I actually justified (rightly) my road into the property with that answer. I needed access so I could harvest firewood, could dig the pond, and so forth. I have enough land that I can self sustain firewood provided I keep planting while I'm harvesting. I don't want to be getting to the wood through muddy forest so I get stuck.
What do you do with your stumps when you clear a road? After the road and the pond I stacked mine in a pile with a rented digger, and let them sit for several years. Rain had washed off all the dirt, and the summers had dried the wood sufficiently that when I finally got them burning the fire smoldered for about 3 weeks and the stumps were pretty much reduced to ashes. When I'm planting new trees I still get some of the ash (I've mixed it into compost) and drop it around the new saplings.
BrutulTM
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RIP.
Breeding father to daughter is not recommended although it certainly happens. It will probably be fine but I would consider it a "terminal cross" meaning that the offspring don't get to produce offspring. At the very least don't sell them as breeding stock to someone else. Worst case scenario you could get kids with birth defects and have to put them down but that's pretty unlikely if your goats aren't inbred already.
Has anyone eaten a goat? Goats are getting much more popular and I'm told the demand is from various ethnic and religious communities that have a tradition of serving goats for holidays. I've only had it as Indian food where it was swimming in sauce or one time I had a couple of frenched goat rib chops that were basically like meat lollipops. I'm kind of curious what it would be like to roast a whole goat in my smoker now. They're supposedly very popular but are a real pain in the ass to raise at scale because they don't stay in fences and the kids are so small that they are vulnerable to all sorts of predators and not just larger ones.
Goat is OK. It's both milder and slightly gamier than beef, if that makes sense. I don't mind it but won't go out of my way to find it, but that's probably just my palate being biased towards the more traditional Western meats. My wife loves it, but she's Chinese.
I'm sure it would be great smoked, damn near anything is.