Where Have I Been?

[rhondabrwn]

Oh yea.. the eggs...

I'm getting about 18 eggs a day and I just keep them in my refrigerator until I eat them or I take them in to the feed store and sell them. Cage free/ free range eggs keep very well, I've read that even unrefrigerated, a natural egg can still be edible for up to a year. Factory farm eggs are so full of bacteria from the way they raise their chickens, that they must be kept refrigerated to keep the bacteria from growing. And BTW... most store eggs have been sitting around somewhere for up to 30 days. I can tell you that a real "farm fresh" egg has larger, brighter yolk, a firm shell, and far better taste.

Support your local Farmer / Rancher!

And consider getting a few hens to produce your own eggs! They make great pets for your kids too.

[danlongman]

Do they teach your kids to walk?

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: danlongman

Do they teach your kids to walk?

Now that needs a bit of clarification [;)]

Do you mean goat "kids" or my new grandkids?

Goat kids walk within hours of birth.

The grandkids take a wee bit longer [:D]

[Darkspire]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: danlongman

Do they teach your kids to walk?

Now that needs a bit of clarification [;)]

Do you mean goat "kids" or my new grandkids?

Goat kids walk within hours of birth.

The grandkids take a wee bit longer [:D]

[:D]

Darkspire

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: danlongman

Do they teach your kids to walk?

Now that needs a bit of clarification [;)]

Do you mean goat "kids" or my new grandkids?

Goat kids walk within hours of birth.

The grandkids take a wee bit longer [:D]

warspite1

Rhonda, I didn't understand that comment either!

[Missouri_Rebel]

I'd say it's more of a paycheck in pocket, Saturday night strut more than a walk.

Miss Rhonda,
How many roosters you keeping around? You see too much aggression from any of them, get the pot boiling.

I'm assuming some of those hens are Isa Browns.

mo reb

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn


Anyway, living "off the grid" has been a challenge but deeply satisfying. It keeps me very busy in retirement with high levels of peaceful contentment with Nature and all of the animals around me.

Wow! [&o]

Kudos!

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

I'd say it's more of a paycheck in pocket, Saturday night strut more than a walk.

Miss Rhonda,
How many roosters you keeping around? You see too much aggression from any of them, get the pot boiling.

I'm assuming some of those hens are Isa Browns.

mo reb

Two roosters at the moment (started with 5) and these guys leave me alone or get kicked into a wall LOL

I've got 19 hens so I'm close to the recommended 10 to 1 ratio and it seems to be working.

I've got a variety of hens, started with Rhode Island Red's, but my last order of chicks was a discounted "dealer's choice" package of brown egg layers. The black ones are Australopes and not sure about the others. I'm getting from 14 to 18 eggs a day and selling 6 to 8 dozen a week to the local feed store. It pays for the feed with a bit extra for "fun money" to buy a Subway sandwich once in awhile.
Just laid in 300 pounds of chicken feed to see me through the winter.

Had a crazy day with wild winds gusting to 45 mph and blowing everything around, it's just past 2 am and the winds are still howling outside. More wind predicted for tomorrow. At least it keeps the wind turbine running through the night for some extra power!

[warspite1]

Rhonda - apologies for the dumb question, but how do you know the boundary of your ranch? It can't all be entirely fenced can it? That would cost a fortune? Or do you use natural boundaries like rivers and bushes? I can't comprehend the cost and effort to maintain fencing!!

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Rhonda - apologies for the dumb question, but how do you know the boundary of your ranch? It can't all be entirely fenced can it? That would cost a fortune? Or do you use natural boundaries like rivers and bushes? I can't comprehend the cost and effort to maintain fencing!!

It is entirely fenced with 10 acres fenced as a pasture. I'm surrounded by open range, the fencing is to keep cattle off your property. If you don't fence them out, you are liable if they are injured on your property and their owner is not liable for any damage they may do to your property.

Strange isn't it? I always thoughts fences were to keep your animals IN, not other's OUT LOL Open range law really favors the big ranchers who let their herds graze... you hit one with your car and you're liable for damages. They broke into my property and ate several bales of hay in an aluminum shed and busted it all to hell while they were doing it! No recourse... but I sure whipped them hard as I drove them off (used a lunge whip). Of course, one of them was this huge bull, and he confronted me... I went "gulp" and charged at him swinging the whip and he broke and ran LOL There was a weak spot in the fence line where the wash ran through the property, it was just baling twine stretched across... I quickly strung some barbed wire and haven't had any cattle since. The experience did convince me not to run cattle... nasty, stinky critters with vile poop! Honestly, you can smell a herd from half a mile away with all the methane they are farting!

Oh, and the ranch was fenced when I bought it so I have no idea what the cost was for doing the whole 40 acres. It's in fairly good shape though so I don't anticipate having to re-fence in my lifetime. The short internal section fencing off a pasture was done by the former owner and it was a cheap sloppy job, but I let my horse and goats run the entire ranch so I leave the pasture gate open. If I get a few more horses I may need to restrict them to the pasture though as they can break things (former owner had the line from the propane tank broken off by his horses that was expensive to repair plus the cost of the propane that leaked out of the tank). I have it fenced off though. Storm has been very good for me. He hasn't damaged anything... yet, but he's still maturing. So far no apparent need to geld him... very gentle stallion with no signs of going mean on me.

[Josh]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Rhonda - apologies for the dumb question, but how do you know the boundary of your ranch? It can't all be entirely fenced can it? That would cost a fortune? Or do you use natural boundaries like rivers and bushes? I can't comprehend the cost and effort to maintain fencing!!

A typical british question to which american ingenuity long since has manufactured an answer; barbed wire. [;)]
See in the old empire fences were made out of wood, stones, hedges, streams and what not (and in the Netherlands it's usually ditches). Because of the huge distances in the US no such fences were used until Lucien B. Smith made barbed wire. I do remember the fights that broke out between cattle drivers suddenly confronted with barbed wire across their route and local ranchers because the latter had to check the barbed wire fence every now and then. Checking that out on horse could take days. (and still does in Australia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbed_wire

Thankfully the military was quick to recognize its use for proper warfare...

[parusski]

Absolutely lovely. And they look happy.

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

Time for more pictures... My son Chris, wife Ashlee, and son Ayden. His 1st birthday and first haircut was on the 14th.

[parusski]

ORIGINAL: Josh

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Rhonda - apologies for the dumb question, but how do you know the boundary of your ranch? It can't all be entirely fenced can it? That would cost a fortune? Or do you use natural boundaries like rivers and bushes? I can't comprehend the cost and effort to maintain fencing!!

A typical british question to which american ingenuity long since has manufactured an answer; barbed wire. [;)]
See in the old empire fences were made out of wood, stones, hedges, streams and what not (and in the Netherlands it's usually ditches). Because of the huge distances in the US no such fences were used until Lucien B. Smith made barbed wire. I do remember the fights that broke out between cattle drivers suddenly confronted with barbed wire across their route and local ranchers because the latter had to check the barbed wire fence every now and then. Checking that out on horse could take days. (and still does in Australia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbed_wire

Thankfully the military was quick to recognize its use for proper warfare...

First, I can't understand why the UN and the Matrix Kommandant's still allow a DUTCHMAN to post here.

Still, good reply to Warspittle.

[warspite1]

Warspittle?

Hahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahhahahahahhahahaha. Its a good job I wore my corset or my sides would have split...[8|]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Josh

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Rhonda - apologies for the dumb question, but how do you know the boundary of your ranch? It can't all be entirely fenced can it? That would cost a fortune? Or do you use natural boundaries like rivers and bushes? I can't comprehend the cost and effort to maintain fencing!!

A typical british question to which american ingenuity long since has manufactured an answer; barbed wire. [;)]
See in the old empire fences were made out of wood, stones, hedges, streams and what not (and in the Netherlands it's usually ditches). Because of the huge distances in the US no such fences were used until Lucien B. Smith made barbed wire. I do remember the fights that broke out between cattle drivers suddenly confronted with barbed wire across their route and local ranchers because the latter had to check the barbed wire fence every now and then. Checking that out on horse could take days. (and still does in Australia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbed_wire

Thankfully the military was quick to recognize its use for proper warfare...

warspite1

A typical British question or a typical towny question [&:] I would have thought farmers up and down the UK would have known the answer to my question.

[rhondabrwn]

You guys crack me up sometimes LOL

Had another cold and windy day today. Got up to find one of my outbuildings (aluminum shed) being ripped apart by the winds... got out there with baling wire and got the roof secured before it ripped off and reinforced the sides with a variety of sheet metal that was laying around.

Ran out of firewood last night so had to go out and gather some deadwood and bust it up with an axe. Got a wheelbarrow full so I'm ready for the oncoming darkness!

After getting the animals secured for the night, I'm sitting here nursing a nice Cuba Libre! Nothing like rum after a hard day's work!

[Missouri_Rebel]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

Ran out of firewood last night so had to go out and gather some deadwood and bust it up with an axe. Got a wheelbarrow full so I'm ready for the oncoming darkness!

You need to get that man that comes sniffin' around to gather you up some wood. Winter is fast approaching. Tell him youll have a hot meal for him when he brings back a few cords. BTW, do you all have Osage Orange (hedge apple)trees there? Nothing burns hotter than that. Small bundles put off an incredible amount of heat just about as much as coal. So if you have glass in your stove, only a small fire. Take care of the sparks though.

My friends grandpa makes longbows from them. We cut em in 8 ft lengths, split them and he knifes em down. The wood turns dark when it ages much like a Brazilian cherry, but darker brown/black.

p.s. I hope youre keeping compost of your chicken droppings. Works wonders in the garden.

[parusski]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

You guys crack me up sometimes LOL

Had another cold and windy day today. Got up to find one of my outbuildings (aluminum shed) being ripped apart by the winds... got out there with baling wire and got the roof secured before it ripped off and reinforced the sides with a variety of sheet metal that was laying around.

Ran out of firewood last night so had to go out and gather some deadwood and bust it up with an axe. Got a wheelbarrow full so I'm ready for the oncoming darkness!

After getting the animals secured for the night, I'm sitting here nursing a nice Cuba Libre! Nothing like rum after a hard day's work!

Sounds rough, but satisfying...oh wait, I have a crisis...the built in fridge in my gaming chair just stopped working. What in the world will I do??

[Missouri_Rebel]

That's not a gaming chair hillbilly, you're sitting on a cooler.

[parusski]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

That's not a gaming chair hillbilly, you're sitting on a cooler.

How the hell did you get that photo, it was only taken a couple of days ago.

mm