Christopher Shepherd

This is the only way I could figure out how to add permies.com to my YouTube channel.  If anyone knows something better please let me know.


More than a homestead

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It is more than a homestead, it is a way of life.

See you on Rumble.  Morthanahomestead
See you on Permies.com as Christopher Shepherd
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www.youtube.com/@morethanahomestead
United States
Joined Oct 14, 2022
810 subscribers
219 videos
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Since you have already given it to her, I don't think another dose would hurt.  Sometimes getting a pure breed line up and running you will have odd problems because of the inbreeding. Mother swapping works well with us mixing breeds too.  Sometimes the lops don't have much milk, but our Californians do.  It can be fun to watch other breeds rase their adopted ones.  We have never had them reject them.

We have been raising coturnix quail since 2018.   We have to have a license to have other types of quail here in the US.  We have never got one coturnix to sit on eggs.  We use an incubator to hatch all of ours. They lay lots of eggs from about 8 weeks old until about 6 months old.  They lay more eggs if they have good lighting. They don't lay well below 32 deg. F.  We use five males to one female ratio for best breeding.  Ours grow and produce well off of 16 percent layer mash made at our local mill.  They seem to be extremely healthy and disease resistant.  They are easily killed by small critters.  If they can stick their head out of a pen, they will let a cat chew it off.  They can live in small spaces. They need extra protection at all times because they are tiny and fragile.  They are pleasant to listen to.  Their breast meat is delicious if wrapped in bacon and grilled.  Overall, they have been a joy to raise.

I think we would be extremely wealthy if this happens.  Our Ohio soil naturally produces an abundance.  Permaculture has given our soil the ability to have zero outside the farm inputs.   I bet we can grow enough food in one year to feed us 10 years.  I am working on better storage and upgrading proteins from what we can grow.  For example, corn is one of the best high calorie food/feeds that easily stores in outdoor nonenergy consuming spaces.  Corn has many open pollinated lines for different uses. All of them will feed chickens and animals for upgrading proteins.  The nut trees with legumes and dandelions grow many squirl and rabbits.  Selling our extra at 10x prices would easily pay all our bills and then some.  Darn garden, I am never going to get skinny.

I wouldn't separate them.  If they made it to 5 days, she has plenty of milk in the others.  We have had over a thousand litters and only had mastitis once.  The pen had bad wire and poked her.  We usually set it up to kit 3 at a time so we can swap kits to other mothers if they are getting skinny.

Our rule of thumb is to pull the box when you find little baby rabbit poo.  The does usually only feed once a night. They will need water soon, if they are eating solid food.  A bowl is fine.  I have never had one drown in over 40 years. Most of the time ours still may suckle a little outside the box whenever the doe rests.  

The less in the pen is better to help keep pests and disease out. Hay as long as it isn't matted down is great for them to eat.

https://youtube.com/shorts/fJZRLwvXoI0?si=sE3uy4d2iniqJn1n


We like ours.  It is fun to watch the little one's race with it.  We put one on each side and away they go.  They will usually split for hours if we make it a competition.

Hi Kat.  I am still just using the android phone.  I have never edited anything either.  I was planning on learning that stuff some day, but the homestead is just too busy at the moment.

Here are a few links of other threads that I have found.

https://permies.com/t/231759/#2028400
https://permies.com/t/180115/#1417283