Byron Gagne

Ducks, ducks, and more ducks.   I’ve added ducks to my homestead and they patrol the grass like search and rescue!   I have also have geese and chickens.   But find the ducks or the best at hammering the mosquitoes!   I keep them on the hungry side by just supplementing fed in the summer to encourage them to go forage a lot more.  The livestock dogs keep them safe.   The geese or great mowers.   The chickens or the tillers.  But the ducks do the majority of bugging in my yard.  

Try ducks it’s been working for me!

If prices were to 10x well we should be ok up here Northern BC Canada.  

Last year was a good start in our food forest.  Winecap mushrooms producing.   Walking onions started, and the gardens produced 450 lbs of spuds.  Also started a J-choke bed.   A lot of the trees and bushes or 3-4 years old know so not really producing yet, another year or 2 till good production. There is one old plum on the property from a previous owner that really produces !   This year add carrots and more herbs.   As I’m taking herbal training at the moment

As for those prices going 10x then   I would add more foraging, hunting and fishing on top of what we already do.  Usually there’s an elk or moose in our freezer each fall.

This being said I did just receive enough powder primers and bullets to build 1000 rounds for my favourite rifle.  A lot of game available, moose deer bear elk frequent the farm.   Also stone sheep and mt goats not to far away.   So I did prep for ammo shortages.  


My jersey heifer “Bug”.  Should be calving soon.   So this summer we will have a bounty of grass fed milk.   Cheese kefir, butter all be made!  My little heard of 5 ewes produced 8 lambs this spring.  So I got my firesmart crew in order and a lot of lamb chops next winter.   Not to mention all the wool for wife to spin and knit with.  

Just like Corb Lund.  We will be getting down on the mountain!
B
https://youtu.be/5uASQgLwaIs

What about a version of the food dehydrator that is featured here on the site.  I’ve always just hung my clothes outside in the line in the summer during the winter they get on a rack by the fire.  But double duty the rocket mass food dehydrator when it’s not being used for food?   Hang on hangers and load it up.

That’s a crazy story!   I’m glad you made it through!  All the reason to join Jijitsu.   I would hate to have someone grab me with my two livestock dogs around they would quickly become Maremma sandwiches.  Sorry you had to go through with that!

Hi Kaarina,

There's all kinds of different ways of being prepared, we all have different levels of comfort here.    A big one is community.  As I read through the replies from other folk, I noticed not much mention of community.  

This I think is your weakest link here.  When your down and out,  to have a group that will come and help out while your recovering, this would have made a world of difference.  

I broke my wrist last winter and just moved into my new place, in a brand new community.   I had only a couple connections one was the medic that I met when he took me to the hospital, and the other a old friend.  Because I moved in late fall start of winter I didnt have time to put up any wood.  But between these 2 wonderful beings they kept my house warm all winter.  As I recovered and sat by the fire.  

I always leaned on the side of being a lone wolf.  I can look after myself, always had and always got by.  Then finally I was taken down by something I thought would never happen.   I just got lucky I had two connections that stepped up and got me through the winter.  

There's no way of preparing for every possible situation.  But having a strong community around you is number one.   One person has certain skills, that you need.  Another has time to stop in help with firewood, deliver chocolate.  Another has equipment, tools, that you can rent, borrow, and such.   You in return give back when there in need with what you got to offer.

After my experiance last winter Ive decided to get into my community, to build a more resistant community.  Im stepping out of my comfort zone next week.  I'll be going to the local Juijutsu club.  Get off my little piece of heaven head out in to the world meet people I would have never met before.  Learn to defend myself, get in shape, have fun, but most importantly network with people I've never met before.  Maybe there not permies, but that dont matter after meeting me hopefully they get inspired to grow a garden, rain water harvest, heat with wood, turn there lawns into food!  Worse case I gain customers for my surplus.   I'll have friends to stop in while im down and out, I'll be sure to do the same when they or.  

The lone wolf way of thinking never works.  You can stock pile chocolate, wood, and what ever you think you might need.  But sooner or later it'll run out.  Im not saying not to have a buffer, a little insurance, year or two ahead on wood, groceries for 3 days, a month or a year, thats just smart.  But also dont forget to stock pile and build community, the neighbours or the ones that will really get you through, and be there for you!

February 4 2021.  We started with a mild winter rarely below-15 here.   But the last few days we have been below -30 some nights as low as -40.  That’s we’re my didgital stops.  This am was -35 I decided to climb in and get a reading was above 0 for sure and a ready of 8 would be conservative.  

That’s good there is a draft free environment got 15 on one side and 4 sows and my boar on the other

Eliot Mason wrote:Wow! indeed!  

28 F would be a big difference, but 28 C is nearly incomprehensible!

For those of us stuck in the non-metric world ... that's a swing from -18F to 46F.

And yes, once we stop celebrating we will ask you to measure with the same or comparable thermometers to avoid measurement error.  : )

I feel you don’t believe my results?  I reported what I got with what I have.  First thermometer is mounted in my house and for curiosity I grabbed my compost thermometer as it was handy.  21 pigs in a 3 ft tall room 8 ft deep 16 ft long would be able to create enough heat to easily create this temperature difference.  

Yes I’ve thought about this also to go down.  But I’m afraid of water !   Being totally flat here all buildings I plan on having the floor at least at grade if not higher.  Just to play it safe.  

The use of the building will be for 10-20 hogs a year.   Maybe a couple moose, buff or bou hanging to age.   Not a high use facility.  As far as the butchering is concerned.   More freezer storage and fridge that doubles as a place to cool meat before Cutting and wrapping.

Maybe I should build the butcher shop on grade as a attached building and have access into the fridge freezer from there.  Then I could build it as high as I want and. It worry about berm if dirt so high.

Yes I hear you about making the ceiling as high as possible in the butcher shop.  My plan is to have a skinning pole outside then slide it into the shop.  We’re it would be parted out on a table, cut and wrapped there.  The cooler would be for hanging hogs and wild game that come in.  I will think about changing the ceiling height.   I always said now matter how big you build it you always fill it!

I do have to earth berm all this so keeping the ceiling as low as possible is a huge benefit.  But it still has to be useful.

-20C here this am!   The only thermometer 🌡 I could find was my compost one lol.  So I feed out to the piggies and climbed in.   Bedding was dry and so warm inside.  I measured 8C!  28C difference!