Larry Streeter

I've always had the goal of raising my own fodder for whatever I keep on the homestead. The underlying reason for this is will there be feed available if TSHTF. Raise OP sunflowers and corn for starters, perhaps mangel beets, pumpkins, squash etc. This line of fodder would also be applicable to goats.

I really like Gill's Golden Pippin squash.  It's a small good storage squash with excellent flavor.  It's bothersome to peel so I just cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and either bake them or put them in a pan face down on the BBQ using indirect heat.  It's OP so you can save the seeds.

Hi Travis, yes I have a small tractor as well as a 4 wheeler.  As it stands now I'd give my tractor up before my wheeler but I definitely understand your point. I guess I'm just approaching this from a more catastrophic viewpoint.  The Amish here in NNY obviously only use horsepower although they have the land to feed them.  They also rely more and more on stationary gas and diesel engines.

The only thing I can think of for a tractor must would be skidding timber logs.  I could do some firewood carting with goats as I am in a much better position to feed goats with tree hay (which I'm experimenting more and more with).  This 70YO carcass of mine would probably spend LONG days harvesting with a misery saw as you call them. I'm just trying to get my homestead geared for my future generations.  To perhaps better clarify being nonelectric to me would not be a big deal.  Being without gasoline would be.

Larry

Although it's going ever so slowly I'm trying to get my homestead geared for using no power.  I'm not mechanically inclined and I feel either a wind turbine or a solar array will need parts and repair eventually.  The only thing I would worry about is harvesting wood without a chainsaw.  anyone else out there with this mindset?

Larry

If money is tight and you're not in a huge rush, dig some up around the biggest plants and replant roots.  You don't have to be overly particular when planting.  I'm starting a plot next to the woods, along with the garden.  This will be their first spring by the woods.  If they survived the winter and berry briars, I'm going to till them up to reestablish the roots and get a good plot going.

Thanks Mike.  I thought I had a hen going broody and started leaving eggs under her but it seemed she eventually gave up and stopped sitting.  I composted the eggs under her cause I wasn't sure they would still be good.

To those who hatch their own chicks - are there a set of guidelines one should follow?  I bought a black australorp rooster to start this venture but can't seem to get a hen to brood.  I know bantams make good brooders, which I don't have, but short of that what should I do?

I don't live in a dry arid climate but I will offer this and then maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong.  To me the most important consideration is having your grounding area at least moist to make sure the fence is grounded adequately.  The effectiveness of the fence will be greatly diminished if this isn't provided.  As far as the effectiveness of the rest of the fence line it may not provide the same sting of a moister area but it should at least provide protection.  IMHO electro netting for chickens is more about keeping predators out rather than chickens in so make sure you have the suitably spaced netting.  A four legged predator with a wet nose will still be deterred by the fence.

Kristy League wrote: the successful homesteaders I hope to be like someday (!) warn against all at once. Focuses on getting good at a few things rather than end up doing badly at a lot of things:)  

I 2nd this viewpoint wholeheartedly!

Trace Oswald wrote:

 "He told me with 8 acres of good woods,  you would never need to cut a living tree."  

I started thinning out my wooded area for firewood after retiring.  I soon realized there were hundreds of cords of dead wood that was available.  It's amazing how much is there after looking so now that's all I use.  For the most part it's already dry and true enough, no need to cut living trees.  I burn EVERYTHING that's dead including evergreens, basswood, whatever.  That wood that is too far rotted to burn I use for hugelkulture material.