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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jan 10, 2013 11:53:57 GMT -5
Homesteading: "Talk about your homesteading projects here. Animals, hunting, building, recipies and anything else homestead related."
Hmm. I don't remember a hunting thread on the forum. Anyone?
I haven't hunted in years. That's because I stopped participating in things political. I like hunting, and am good at it. I remember a fellow one time that was badmouthing hunters, because they were evil animal killers. I told him that it didn't matter if he shot an animal himself of whether he hired a butcher to kill for him that he was equally responsible for the death of the animal, and if there was a karma to be paid that he owed it either way. About 5 years later, I learned that he became a vegetarian on that day.
I guess in theory that I could hunt pigeons, and starlings, and English Sparrows because they are apolitical. I haven't cooked up a pan of sparrows since I was a boy.
Around here, due to the open nature of the landscape we tend to hunt big-game with scoped long-range sniper rifles. Shots out to around 500 yards are common. You gotta be careful with that, because in the mountains a 500 yard walk can be a real bugger. And anything I shoot in the mountains has to be dragged to a road. It really really sucks if the nearest road is uphill. For hunting the few deeply wooded areas we use lighter more quickly aimed short-range rifles with open sights.
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Post by davida on Jan 10, 2013 13:46:32 GMT -5
I guess in theory that I could hunt pigeons, and starlings, and English Sparrows because they are apolitical. I haven't cooked up a pan of sparrows since I was a boy. Joseph, Do you remember how that pan of sparrows tasted? Was there enough meat to make it worth your effort? Some of my fondest childhood memories are hunting and fishing with just my Dad. It is the one time, except Sunday, that we would take off of work and spend time together. We wanted to bring home supper but much respect was shown for both nature and the animals/fish. A lesson that I have never forgotten. As a young man, I greatly enjoyed quail hunting behind a good dog that I was training or had trained. Again, the trill was more about being in nature and watching the dog enjoy his job. I had one strong willed male pointer that would take a joy run the first of every hunt. No amount of yelling would make him return. After his joy run and flushing the birds from the area, he returned and hunted like a champ the rest of the day. I finally paid the price and purchased a "shock collar" because, like Dad, I believe yelling at anything is beneath my dignity. The next day, I let him out and called once. He paid no attention. The second call in a normal voice, he paid no attention and I hit him mid stride with the shock collar. He spun mid air and returned and hunted great the rest of his life. To the best of my memory, I did not use the collar again. Just taped a couple of old batteries to his collar for the weight and saved the shock collar. Then I lost Dad instantly in an auto accident and a couple of years later moved to our small farm. Quail were in my horse pens and deer were behind the pond. So my hunting days ended until my son began to love duck hunting. We got out a lot together in his college years but now time is scarce for him. But I have great plans for when my grandson is old enough to attempt to hold a fishing pole. At 11 months, he has not quite mastered this task. |
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Post by synergy on Jan 10, 2013 14:31:05 GMT -5
davida, my first course starts tomorrow and they are spread through the year . I thought it might balance and support what I read on the internet . Even put that internet input into a more tangible context for me. I appreciate your putting news of hardships on here too, because that is all part of it. My first thought upon waking was of the utility of having a firearm to put down large animals, which I do not have . I have held horses for others to be put down with a rifle , also those euthanized by injection and I have to say the rifle was somewhat more assuredly humane from my own experience. Also I once had a horse kicked by another with a shattered femur and thinking of that this morning I truly thought having the means to immediately put an animal down is almost a responsibility of taking on stewardship of those lives. The hours that my own horse fought the shock and pain as it was examined by the vets before we knew that it was hopeless were avoidable suffering for the animal and I have seen it more than once with others animals too. Unpleasant topic but that was my waking thought. You are very right, homesteading is not all happy endeavours that turn out well.
I have had pet rabbits before but this is the first endeavour to breed and raise them for meat . All of them are young, a 2 month old New Zealand buck, a 2 month old 1/2 New Zealand/1/4 California/ 1/4 Flemish doe and 2 does from the same litter that are 1/2 Flemish and 1/2 New Zealand chosen to bring size, prolific litters and good mothering abilities crossed out to try to get rid of having too much growth into the large frame that full Flemish have . So I will not commence breeding until spring as a long term project to produce meat without need for antibiotics and GMO inputs as much as I can avoid it . I must say that obtaining small livestock or even plants like nut trees is not exactly really easy here, there is simply not a plethora of stock made available in this area despite it being mostly small hobby farms. Most people here have a big home and don't so much as grow a garden nor have a laying hen. It seems rather surreal to be the only one on the block who's hobby is doing these things.
I am not at all planning for upped meat consumption , but rather higher vegetable and fruit consumption with some home grown meat for flavouring casseroles , soups , etc. I also want to mention though I am pretty much approaching this in a very unsophisticated newbie manner, that trying to bring in the factor of the animals having comfortable lives is part of my intent as well.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jan 10, 2013 15:06:39 GMT -5
The sparrows were one of the finest tasting meals of my life. Cooked in a cast iron skillet over a fire, and shared among my brothers. They tasted like pheasant. Not enough meat on them to properly feed a bunch of small boys, but tremendous satisfaction knowing that we had gathered and cooked our own meal.
My current deer rifle is the same one I used as a teenager. Lots of fond memories for me too regarding hunting with my dad and my brothers.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 10, 2013 15:23:45 GMT -5
We used to raise Angora Rabbits for fur and meat.
One morning the neighbors dog came and bit all their feet through the bottom of the cages.
They bled to death. It was a very very sad day. Since then we have a .22 which I have used to inflict serious injury on dogs, and to put down a sheep that had a lamb stuck half in and half out. This was my fault as I bred the small sheep to a big ram. Very bad idea. It was not one of those experiences any of us wanted to repeat. Zack bawled his eyes out.
My neighbor was very upset about the dog. I only wounded it. I DID in advance speak to my neighbor about it. I have 3 more dogs coming around chasing chickens. Sometimes the chickens fly over the fence. I have spoken to this neighbor 4 times. Each time he says "sorry" and gives me a bottle of wine.
Yeah and homestead is not for the weak. When my grandmother and grandfather homesteaded in Minnesota, she told some pretty gruesome tales of death, hunger, weather, bears in the house etc. My Great Great Grandmother gave birth to 13 live children. Those not killed by winter, boating accidents, or war went on to have children of their own.
So I think it's good to tell the good, the bad and plain ugly.
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Post by steev on Jan 10, 2013 22:20:27 GMT -5
Well, Davida, that's a sobering shot of real life, right there. May Life's Desire to Continue bless Peaches and all of you and yours.
Do you use that much milk fresh, or are you cheese-making? My daughter never failed to scarf up all the "cheese" I made by squeezing lemon into milk and microwaving to drop the curds. Spot didn't turn up her nose at the whey poured on her kibble, either, but she was a bear, in dog's clothing.
Holly, we both know life is a messy business, which sometimes is heartbreaking, especially to those unused to that aspect of it. I wonder what mother duckbill dinosaurs felt when those damned ratty proto-mammals ate their eggs. Perhaps they were indifferent, but we'll never know.
I remember the last "prey" we know our old cat caught, a sparrow. He brought it up on the back porch, killed, and ate it. My daughter, then two, watched the whole thing, wide-eyed, through the glass door. She was mightily impressed with the whole notion that Mishie would kill and eat a "birdie". I think it put some things in perspective.
We only survive by eating other living things. We can eat lower or higher on the food chain, but eat living things we must. In a sense, since we are intimately related to all other living things, we live by eating of ourselves. That is to say, at some remove, we live by eating of those of us that can harvest sunlight and mineral resources, or that live on them, which we humans largely cannot. Not an ugly truth, but one which ought make us respectful and grateful for that which serves our needs. May we deserve the sacrifice of all these others.
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Post by circumspice on Jan 10, 2013 23:36:28 GMT -5
Today I sent out seeds: Wolfcub Synergy Raymundo Ferdzy Bonsai Outlaw Ottawa Keen 101 Ogeechee John in Fl Garnetmouth Circumspice There's a few more to go.  WOO-HOO!!! ;D |
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Post by davida on Jan 11, 2013 12:27:38 GMT -5
Well, Davida, that's a sobering shot of real life, right there. May Life's Desire to Continue bless Peaches and all of you and yours. Do you use that much milk fresh, or are you cheese-making? My daughter never failed to scarf up all the "cheese" I made by squeezing lemon into milk and microwaving to drop the curds. Spot didn't turn up her nose at the whey poured on her kibble, either, but she was a bear, in dog's clothing. Steev, Greetings and thanks for the kind words. The calf ordeal was an education. A young vet helped to get us into the situation and disappeared. A one horse town country vet that was older, kinder and more knowledgeable took the interest to help us. He knew what he was getting into and still had empathy. Lemon cheese is also our favorite. We have to use lemon juice and can only imagine how good it would be with fresh lemons like you can obtain. As you know, the curds are best when fresh and hot. Then it is our favorite cheese in lasagna and manicotti because it "puffs" slightly and adds a lightness to the dish. As for the excess milk, first we supply the family with milk. We are fortunate that both of our children and their families live within 4 miles of us. Then our younger helper that milks 1/3 of the time gets his milk for helping (the helper allows us to have a milk cow and a life). Then we try to help with medical problems by giving them the milk to try. Although we have not tested her, we are fairly certain that Peaches gives the desired A2 milk. We believe this because people that are lactose intolerant can drink her raw milk. But we have seen some pretty amazing results from the milk. The helpers two young daughters suffered stomach problems and constipation problems before the fresh milk and again when we did not have the fresh milk. The are fine as long as they have the fresh milk. An elderly widow lived on Tums before the fresh milk and is perfectly fine as long as she has the fresh raw milk. Both of these are expected results. But what really has me interested is that we are supplying milk for a 15 year old underweight boy with diabetes who loves milk. It is an informal test to see if the regular supply of nutrients and proteins from drinking Peaches milk numerous time a day can help to level out his blood sugar. His father is very impressed and he made it thru both Thanksgiving and Christmas without any blood level spikes. He has a good doctor and is on insulin but they feel that the milk has definitely kept the blood sugar more stable. Take care and I hope the weather permits you to have a productive weekend at the farm. David |
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Post by steev on Jan 12, 2013 0:28:43 GMT -5
You got your wish; I planted out three White Chitalpas and six Italian Stone Pines, caged against the elk and heavily mulched with bunny-bean bedding to fertilize and conserve water. Only one day, though, as it was colder than a well-digger's destination.
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Post by davida on Jan 12, 2013 0:42:37 GMT -5
You got your wish; I planted out three White Chitalpas and six Italian Stone Pines, caged against the elk and heavily mulched with bunny-bean bedding to fertilize and conserve water. Only one day, though, as it was colder than a well-digger's destination. Sounds like a very productive day. I started craving the lemon cheese and made a batch. Was wishing that I could share with you while it was hot. |
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Post by steev on Jan 14, 2013 0:32:57 GMT -5
Maybe one day, when Oklahoma is closer to NorCal; I like cheese. I always thought lactoase intolerance was the mutation, 'til I learned better. Now I know that those of us who are lactose-tolerant are the advantageous mutants. Yee-ha! Oh, damn; I'm too old to reproduce, responsibly.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 16, 2013 16:37:33 GMT -5
More seeds went out today:
Davida
Joseph
Steev
Dust Devil
Young Allotment
Bram of Belgium
That leaves just
Degzing (waiting for it to be a wee bit warmer before I send that grape)
Leenstar - still waiting for luffa
Castanea
and Blue Laced Redhead - need your address!
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Post by davida on Jan 17, 2013 12:04:55 GMT -5
After milking twice a day for 13 months, we have switched to milking Peaches the Jersey to once a day. We were getting 2 1/2 gallons per day with twice a day and are now getting 1 3/4 to 2 gallons a day. Milking once a day is a joy. Milking once a day, early of the morning, seems to add hours to the day compared to twice a day milking. Much better for the small homestead and still plenty of milk. The only problem is that these types of cows are almost impossible to find, in our area. I made yogurt with this morning's milk for the family. Tim, are you still milking? And in case anyone has ever wondered, I must "empty" each teat by hand approximately 500 times per milking to obtain the 2 gallons. So 2000 pulls. |
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Post by davida on Jan 17, 2013 12:10:36 GMT -5
More seeds went out today: Davida Joseph Steev Dust Devil Young Allotment Bram of Belgium That leaves just Degzing (waiting for it to be a wee bit warmer before I send that grape) Leenstar - still waiting for luffa Castanea and Blue Laced Redhead - need your address! Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are so kind and I trust your seeds more than any seed companies both in quality and variety. So excited to get a bountiful harvest, this year. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jan 17, 2013 12:24:49 GMT -5
And in case anyone has ever wondered, I must "empty" each teat by hand approximately 500 times per milking to obtain the 2 gallons. So 2000 pulls. My what strong forearms you have!!! It amuses me that people think that anyone can simply sit down and milk a cow: giving no thought to the tremendous hand and forearm stamina that is required. I remember the struggle during that first week after the cow freshened. When she was producing abundantly, and my muscles were weak from being out of practice. |
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WOO-HOO!!! ;D