Adrien Lapointe

We have a slug problem and we want eggs. I hear ducks are good slug hunters and that some breeds are excellent layers, so we are considering getting some.

However, while I have experience with chickens, I have very little with ducks. We kept some when I was a kid, but apart from the fact they are messy with water, I don’t remember much.

Here are some pros and cons I can think of for both chickens and ducks.

Chickens

Pros
- Lots of people raise them. I.e lots of information about how to raise them.
- They can jump pretty high to get away from predators
- Lots of chicks available for sale

Cons
- They are destructive in mulched gardens with their scratching.
- They are sensitive to very cold weather.

Ducks

Pros
- Very hardy to cold
- Good layers
- Don’t scratch
- Good layers

Cons
- Need access to water to clean themselves
- They will make a mess of mud and poop with the water.
- Apparently can be loud.
- Not as readily available, so they can be more expensive.

Am I missing something?

Verge is hosting another virtual summit starting tomorrow.

You can find more information about it here:

https://permies.com/t/168617/Hope-Knowledge-Plan-Global-Permaculture

I am not sure if anybody posted about this online event starting tomorrow. In case nobody did, here is information about it and how to join in. The lineup of speakers is impressive.



You can register here

I think there’s a chance that transplanting favours genetics that tolerates it.

Mark’s mass selection program described in his book is (as far as I know) based on transplanting nursery grown trees. When I visited New Forest farm a while ago he was saying that he got trees from multiple sources, so I would assume there was a mix of growing techniques.

I prefer direct planting as it minimizes work and does not disturb the roots. I think it is less predictable than nursery planting. Some species work better.

I have experimented with air pruning beds and nursery beds. I like both.

I found that small sticks and branches even if they are still somewhat green will char well when mixed in some lumber off-cuts. I use a TLUD.

Donald Smith wrote:Quick question regarding black locust, when grown from seed, how old do they have to be before they start to make flowers?

It depends, but some I started from seeds in 2014 flowered and produced seeds this past summer (2020). I would have to check, but I think they produced a few flowers the year prior (2019).

Could I get a special link too? Please.

This is a really interesting article on the citrus growing industry in the former USSR. Many of those techniques are too labour intensive for paul ;-)

It is really cool to see how much they were growing. I wonder how much of the genetics is still available.

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/04/fruit-trenches-cultivating-subtropical-plants-in-freezing-temperatures.html

There is a research article cited in the linked article that mentions efficiency comparable to lead-acid batteries.

According to the article, the common way to do compressed air storage involves either large tanks at low pressure or small tanks at high pressure with inefficiencies in both cases. At low pressure, the tanks have to be enormous, but the electrical to electrical conversion efficiency is high. At high pressure, the tanks are small, but the heat loss during compression cause big energy loss that makes the electrical to electrical efficiency to be quite low (I think about 10-20%). The modular system has many small tanks at low pressure with some computer controlled valves. The smaller tanks help to alleviate the inefficiency due to pressure loss during emptying.

Here is a direct link to the research.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312262079_Low_pressure_modular_compressed_air_energy_storage_CAES_system_for_wind_energy_storage_applications

This is a pretty low cost activity that our eldest child enjoys a lot. It is quite inexpensive and can fill hours.

There are patterns available on the internet, but I find that using MS Word, I can just print letters and numbers which work well. All I do is change the font outline to be dots with a weight of 2 pts.

To do the needle pushing, we just use a pin and some cardboard under the pattern.