Colter Schroeder

Good Day Permies!

It's been awhile since I've posted here...but I guess that's life.  I got duped into getting ducks this spring...and since they don't like the chicken coop I guess I'm building a duck coop.  Now because I'm a moron and like to overcomplicate things (and because I'm not in love with our chicken coop in the first place, as it just gave me a 9" gash down my back and ripped one of my favorite t-shirts...) I've decided to just rebuild the chicken coop too.  One of our future projects was to build a greenhouse...and since our yard is large, but not country livin' large it's now getting integrated into this building as well.  The greenhouse was going to be about 5' from the foul yard anyways...so why not connect them (start ominous music).  So, I've posted my plans below to get some feedback as to how dumb of an idea this all is before I get started.  
Few key details:
We will have 7 chickens & 4 ducks (however I've sized it to hold around 18 total birds...)  (the ducks are runners & khaki's)
I already have a bunch of 2"x4" and 2"x6" and sliding glass doors (for windows)
I already have a bunch or metal roofing material
I already have the 55 gallon drums
The greenhouse will step down a couple feet into the ground (hoping for a net of 2' down)
I have access to a small backhoe for the groundwork

General plan:
Overall the building will be 8'W x 23-24'L x 10'T.  The greenhouse will have 2 permanent in ground planters for something like a fig or pomegranate...that can freeze, but maybe doesn't like -30F.  I do not plan on heating the greenhouse, nor do I expect the birds to keep it warm enough in the winter...I'm just hoping it's warmer than outside...and that some plants that I can't grow outside will be ok in there.  The greenhouse will primarily be used for seed starting, and frost protection of planters in the early spring / late fall.  All walls except the south wall will be insulated, with no glass.  The roof will overhang quite a bit to help with summer overheating.  In the winter the air vents will connect to the foul side of the building, but be closed to the outside.  In the summer all the vents will open, there are low vents and high vents to encourage airflow, and I will probably put an exhaust fan on one of the high side vents.  The door to the outside may end up being an insulated storm door that can open for airflow as well.
I'm planning on catching the rain water of the single pitched roof and running it through 1" PVC pipe into a rain barrel/heat retention system inside the greenhouse.  Since the door height is about the same as the gutter height, and I want the rain barrels on the back wall, I've designed a little PVC collection system and routed it under the floor (schematic attached as well).
The bird side of this catastrophe will have pretty standard coop stuff, combined with some duck stuff.  The floor will be slightly elevated, and simple to allow for deep straw bedding.  There is a cleanout door under the nesting boxes that can be lifted from the outside to provide a 2'T x 4'W opening to push out the spent bedding.  2 rows of elevated nesting boxes for the chickens, and a triple roosting bar will provide the ladies all the room they need for their general happiness.  The ducks on the other hand will have a small attached sleeping area, their own nesting box, and what I've found called the "duck dipper" (see photo below, this was taken from Carolina Coops and is in no way mine, nor my idea...I just like it).  Also sorry the plans have an error in them...the duck nesting box was left off...it's inbetween the duck dipper and the duck sleeping area.  I've read ducks are unreliable at nesting boxes anyways...

If you have any thought please let me know!

Good Afternoon Permies!

Paradise Permaculture is hosting a Cordwood building workshop this September (9/11/21) in Livingston, Montana.  Chris Borton from Sage Mountain Center will be making the trek down from his mountain to lead this workshop.  Please find the attached flyer for any additional information required.  Hope to see you there!

Good Afternoon Everyone!
I have searched around for an answer to my question and didn't find it.  I hope I didn't miss it.  Anyways I have a small problem.

We purchased 21 acres in MT and it came with an old well that was drilled for oil.  They didn't hit oil but hit a water zone with sufficient pressure to flow to surface (artesian).  So we have had a slow flowing well that is completely unregistered.  Nobody knows how deep it is or really anything about it other than the fact that water flows to surface.  Horses have been drinking this water for decades with no issues and we had the water tested by two seperate labs and found it safe for human consumption.  It is high in sulfates (resulting from H2S) and smells not great but we can rectify that with an activated carbon filter.  In the mean time we have been hauling water by hand to our living arrangement (RV inside a barn) and using the water pump to do everything that isn't basic drinking (showing, cooking, dishes etc.).  We finally got a well pump installed in the well and it flows.  They were able to pull 30 gpm (max pump rate) for over an hour with no reduction in flow.  So the reservoir appears to be permeable and filled with water.  Unfortunately once we started trying to use the water it turned murky.  We have been running a single garden hose outside for 5 days straight...and while the sand has decreased the water went from crystal clear to murky (see photo below).  I'm wondering if anyone has any idea of what we should do?  Keep pulling water out of the well?  shut down the pump and let it go back to natural pressure?  It is interesting to note that the flowrate went from 1/2 gpm before we started pumping it to 4 gpm on it's own.  Unfortunately that means we cannot fully shut it in and force everything to settle...even when shut in it will flow at ~4 gpm.  Are we at risk of collapsing the well by producing this murky water?  Is it something we need to try to filter?  Any hopes it will clear eventually?  It seems like it is clay (bentonite maybe used in drilling?) either way even if i leave a jar on the table and come back tomorrow it is still murky.

Thanks for the advice.
Colter

Thank you for the great information.  I will clarify a few points.

When I mentioned the wild / feral rabbits I meant two points which I see now I didn't clearly identify.  One of which was catching some sort of wild rabbit which was answered.  The second was "are there breeds of rabbits that are more independent that act more like a wild or feral rabbit"?  I know with things like cows you can get the scottish highland cows that grow slower (closer to a natural growth, have thicker coats so they don't get as cold etc.).  With chickens the same exists...there are breeds that haven't been bred into near non-functionality that are better foragers (buckeyes vs. cornish cross).  So is there some sort of similar rabbit breed that is more closely related to their wild kin?

As far as being outside at night the little hutch has a fully enclosed elevated shelter...this should keep them high and dry no worries...plus it's small and light enough to come into the barn if required...or at least get pushed under the lean-to.

I had thought about the guinea pigs...more evaluation on that is warranted.

We will have to evaluate and see what we can come up with.  Again I really appreciate the advice.

Greeting Permies!

I have a new dilemma...We purchased 21 acres and are starting our Permaculture Farmstead.  My daughter (almost 6) is super excited and one of her things that she is absolutely adamant about is having a rabbit (she is also adamant about a horse...but that is a larger problem for later :)).  Anyways I have already purchased her a small used rabbit hutch / tractor.  It has a small elevated shelter with a removeable floor and then a wire floor to move accross the grass.  I believe it is designed for 4 bunnies.  I have no desire to raise rabbits for meat at this time, primary functions would be fertilizer and or fiber.  So my questions are listed below:

1.  Is there a breed of rabbit that is suited to our situation?  I was originally thinking Angorra as it produces a sellable product.  I know they are more work, but if I'm getting a 6 YO a pet/mini enterprise that I will one day probably end up taking over I might as well make money...not sure if it is worth it though.  I have read the Angorra specific material on Permies...and it seems a bit like a mixed bag, as to whether they are worth the effort or not.  (For what it is worth we are in Livingston, MT, zone 4b so it's pretty cold but we have a barn that they could come in the winter, and might get a hoop house).  Again I don't think that meat rabbits is a valid option as giving my 6 YO a bunny and then letting it have babies and then eating them might be a bit hard at this stage...also I'm not sure i'm into that myself...somehow a cow is different...anyways i'm rambling.  There are lion's mane rabbits nearby...not sure if they are useful for anything other than poop.  Also near by are lops, new zealands, harlequins, silver foxes...probably more.  It appears Angorras are probably going to have to be ordered from further afield.
2.  I need this rabbit to be relatively good with kids...and also not to die in the first week while my dog tries to figure out that it is part of our family...he is part Whippet...so chasing rabbits is in his blood...He did eventually settle down with the cat and he is 11 so hopefully he can calm down before killing the rabbit.
3.  How social are rabbits...I feel like they need to maintain at least a pair...but I have seen lots of people raising them in solitary cages so I might be way off on this one.
4.  If I cannot pull a cash harvest off the rabbits do they generate enough fertility to justify owning them?  I realize that 2 5lb bunnies aren't going to generate enough compost for a 21 acre farm...but are they going to be providing something of quality that is harder to find...or something that fruit trees really like...something that might justify keeping a pet rabbit other than my daughter's happiness of course ;).
5.  Again if I cannot pull the cash harvest off the rabbits is it a better idea to go for the equivalent of tamed wild/feral rabbits?  I assume they have less health issues and are better foragers...if that is the case recommendations for breeds and or rabbit catching techniques...I'm assuming it's hard otherwise Elmer Fudd would have caught Buggs much faster.

I'm sure I have other questions...but that's all I can think of at this point in time.

Barbara Striesands version of jingle bells has to be the worst song that was supposed to actually be good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nq0CuUKTjc

Thanks everyone for the great ideas.  Few quick points:

We would be getting a christmas tree permit which would allow us to fell up to a 12' tree (probably what a lot of people are doing and then keeping the top...never thought of that...which makes it all the worse).  
I do believe that humans can have a positive impact on the forest, and can and should be involved in it's tending.
We might be able to find an organic tree farm...although we might not...Montana is not a thriving metropolis.
I love the branch idea, I think we could cobble together something pretty tree like with some of the branches that fall.
We will be planting some trees in our yard once we get the house built...we are still in construction mode so we are living in a barn.

I think for this year (given our constraints) we will either get a permit and go find a true 6-8' charlie brown tree that needs to be removed and then compost it when done, or go branch hunting.  

Thanks for the conversation!

Good Day Permies!

I am struggling a bit with the whole Christmas event and specifically that of the Christmas Tree.  I will list my dilemma and my thoughts, but what I'm hoping to find is some inspiration / ideas for a better way to do Xmas tree's (especially in the future as this Xmas is rapidly approaching).

1. Buying a tree from a lot.  Unless you know where the trees come from and how they were raised it is probably a monocrop that has been covered in chemicals...also I'm cheap and that option is expensive.
2. Fake tree...Can be used every year...made of such horrible garbage that it will fall apart eventually and cannot be recycled.  
3. Buy a live tree...High likelihood of dying as being inside will break the tree's dormancy (from what i have read).  Either keep it indoors for ~4 days or prepare to keep it the whole winter indoors and plant out in spring...potential option for us but we are space limited.
4. Harvest a tree from the forest.  We live in rural Montana with national forest land nearby.  We could go harvest a tree for next to free (typically $5) and use that.  We could compost the tree when done with it and overall the damage is relatively low.  However when we drove past the road to the national forest last weekend there was a solid stream of cars coming down from the forest...all with a 8' "perfect" xmas tree on top.  This got me thinking about how extractive this was from the forest and how the average person is probably harvesting a "perfect" tree from an open area and thus doing harm to the forest.  These are not trees that need to be removed from the forest...this is the next generation of trees being removed so that they can be a decoration for 3 weeks...Additionally I have run into a moral dilemma of viewing the forest as somewhere that I go to get things (like a store) and then stuff just magically repopulates...This is the exact mindset that leads to mass ecological degradation.  Even though we could practive good forestry (remove a gangly tree from the understory that probably won't make it and will eventually turn into forest fire fodder) I still struggle as I don't want to be a part of the concept that the forest is where you go to get stuff.  I don't want to be a part of the normalization that makes the poor forestry habits of others seem ok.  (I might also be reading way to much into this one .  
5. Craft our own fake tree.  I've seen some ideas on here of trees that look great...and it's probably the future for us, but i'm not sure i can get it done in time to get it decorated for this year.
6.  Potted plant.  We have done this in the past with a Norfolk pine...I can tell you now that we have exactly 0 Norfolk pines in our house (although we have moved multiple times so that might be why...don't recall if they died or got given away when we moved).  I have thought about getting the biggest Rosemary that i can find and shaping it into a tree shape...

I will also add that we have a 5 year old daughter who aboslutely loves Christmas and the decorating...  She has already stated that whatever we do has to look like a real tree with the smell and everything...  

So...Help me out Permies.  Have I gone off the rails on harvesting a tree from the forest (assuming I use good forestry practices)?  Anyone have any other thoughts / ideas / inspiration?

Thanks,
Colter

Good Morning Permies!!

I was on kickstarter backing the greenhouse project and I ran across another Permaculture project, Planet Schooling.  This is a project based out of Australia to build a book to turn backyards into laboratories for Permaculture education (targeting children).  I thought this was a wonderful project and would love to see it fully funded.  I am getting no kickback on this, but I believe in the project and wanted to bring it to life is possible.  There is a little more than a week left and it is at 80%...so I'm hoping there are a few permies out there that might be interested and want a copy of this book.  

http://kck.st/2zAdiz6



Please have a look and let's support another Permaculture Lab!!

Thanks,
Colter

Well...cut the berries out for now...but i did build the garden.  Just finished it yesterday.   Time to start planting.  Hoping that the rock wall will keep the soil warm and also not fall over