Annie Lochte

My experience with the anatomy of the boy bits is it also goes with the placement of his teats as well. I agree your herd sire has the best scrotal confirmation and pedro has the worst. His cleft is pronounced. But.... In the past (I do similar to you... Breeding my own landrace from nubian, spanish, boer, and a Nigerian dwarf in 4-5th generation) my Spanish doe was so worm resistant (I'm in fl) that even though she produced bucklings with a cleft, and her only doeling had a lopsided udder despite my diligence at keeping things even. I kept a male and used him anyway. I have a small herd and just now have yearlings by him... but the one of those I did breed had fabulous buckling and milked perfectly and had the attributes I bred for. (Nice udder and teats, worm resistance, good appetite, quiet on the stand) There's 2 more that I waited to breed and they are now bred for Feb and April kidding.
Its my opinion that experimenting is okay... Especially when highly desirable traits exist and you accept that not all offspring need bred in the future. We have to weigh the highly desirable traits with the acceptable traits with the undesirable traits....
I haven't logged in in a long time but retirement is near so hopefully I'll be back !

Hey Ray! I have 3 acres in nc Florida, an available small cabin an a need of someone who kind of gets the homestead, permiculture lifestyle. Ima long way from stores an drs an stuff... So if you want to come here you need transportation an enough $ to cover your expenses... I'm no spring chick an still work in a job I like but probably need to graduate from..... Just need right helper with scant few bills an taxes.

Awsome! I haven't bought... But sold a couple nice sows a few years ago the we're like 310 an 330# for 5c an 6c a # an their smaller counterparts at 250-270# sold for 1.30-1.80c a #... Hard lesson learned, an something I don't fully understand... But do know I'll never auction sell auction hogs again.

When I moved here there was a couple of neighbors kind of near.... An older couple that kept to themselves and a younger couple with young kids that partyed a lot. The partyers were not a problem to me but self destructed within a few years divorced, moved, one in jail I believe...  The old couple passed a few years ago. Now I have several neighbors. All ages. Other than the 4 wheelers buzzing around and one constantly running a machine, tractor, generator, planer, sander... etc we keep to ourselves. Except during hurricanes. The aftermath has brought all together to help out. Which is nice!
The area was rather devoid of humans when I bought I never thought of checking with the neighbors...

I used to read a lot of local history and up till the 1950-60's everybody who wasn't well off walked. It was nothing for folks who lived in my area... 50ish miles from either coast... To walk to the coast for some seafood or shell fish. It would be a 2-3 day trip but with just a machete and some dried food they would make the trip once a month or so in the cooler months.... An one elder lady told me she would walk 14 miles to go to church. Passing a couple church's on the way to go to the one of her family's faith. She lived to 96 and was healthy till the end.
So I'd say sure... It can be done. But we've gotten so used to modern conveniences that it sounds outlandish. I do ponder the same question. Id like to ditch my job. Living so far out it costs me quite a bit to keep the job.... But I like having electric, Internet, the ability to pay property taxes and a few extra spending dollars...
A younger me could walk 10 miles in 2-1/2 hours no problem.... And for a while averaged 14 miles a day. But now days I have old injurys that plague my feet, knees.... Makes walks far woman stay closer to home!!! Lol!

My dad was a depression era child and always lived a slight/moderate 'prepper' style life. So I grew up as living that way was normal and have lots experience foraging weeds, berries, roots etc and dressing out small game and livestock. Some canning and preserving. I have spent my life working with horses and the past 20 years as equine vet tech and have some good basic medical skills. My little (3acre) homestead is paid for and has edible landscaping well established. When i moved here it was way, way out in the middle of the woods... No neighbors and quiet, but now i have lots of neighbors and the area has gotten busy. (too busy)
I would have to trim down the goat population to feed them from the property and yes I could keep a few but there's a lot to consider... And like the chickens, I can keep a few but have to defend them from the foxes, coons, bears, etc.... If I were defending my goats (and horse) from hungry poachers... Well that's a consideration. And I have come to love my refrigerator and freezer... Living without that would be an adjustment. For most of my life I lived without AC and only in the last few years... In the time of hot flashes... Have gotten used to it... Where I live the biting insects are a huge consideration for 4-5 months of the year... When I run out of repel and citronella oil it'll be tough. I have read up on natural repellants an tried some but nothing yet that really works like the deet/citronella. Theres lots of water around and i have a couple hand pumps that could be put on my well pump for water... I have also always walked around at night without a light just to keep my night sight... Wouldn't want to assist a dystocia in the black of night but navigating obstacles most nights I'm still good at...
There are many considerations to ponder in a TEOTWAWKI' situation. But I think I could survive. An as was posted by others... Now days there's just so many people and laws and taxes...

Hello Leigh! Welcome and glad that you are here! Permies is a wonderful place...! I always love reading of your projects and experiences! And I feel we're in good company here...
Annie in Ocala

Please don't. Get a steer, or if your getting a bull to breed some cows, afterward steer him, give it some time then procede with great caution. Bulls are dangerous. And tame bulls are more dangerous. They can be gentle and easily managed. Until its time to breed. Then they only have one thing on their mind. They can smell and/or hear a cow in heat from many miles around. Bulls should never be made friendly. They don't give one shit about their training, care giver, being respectful, even fences unless it's seriously bull proof..... they are big, strong, an potentially dangerous..... Get a steer. They are the ox. Don't mess with bull testosterone. Them giant things hanging down there produce a lot.
Better yet is take one of his bull calves, steer it young an raise to be you riding critter... Much safer, easier.

Check out the paper mulberry. Although its been many years ago, a farm I was working had lots an it was tough to manage...

Looks like my MS late season. I'm in north central fl and its already done for the season, but trying to sprout from seeds it dropped now... A few warm days and I got lil plants of it trying to grow...  The black seeds will shrivel an turn grayish and should be viable. I'd pick the black ones an let them dry naturally to save seed. I did first couple years but it went crazy and dropped seed everywhere and I don't save any longer. I never worried about the spots and just cut it back when it got to ugly and it sprang back to life when the days were longer an we got rain.... Mine seemed to go gang busters for a time then fade an get the spots an such.... Cutting it back never hurt it but we've now had some low 30*s temps and that put it to bed. The original plant dies completely with the cold but the seed does just fine.