Tuco's journey from "total-reliance" to "self-sufficient"

[Tuco]

Here is a rundown of many of the things I'd like to do on my (future) urban homestead. I may not implement everything listed here, it's just a starting point from which I can determine what is going to work best for me. I've been scouring the web, and whenever I find an information resource that I find is particularly good, I'll add it here.

TUCO'S RESOURCE GUIDE
A Work In Progress
​

ENERGY
SOLAR POWER http://www.sufficientself.com/threads/6000-off-grid-whole-house-solar-system.14082/

SOLAR HEATER

WIND GENERATOR

WOOD BURNING STOVE/ROCKET MASS HEATER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZQdu2wNi4

LIVESTOCK
BATS (to take care of the skeeters. not really livestock, but, let's keep all the animals listed together. I won't be "raising" them either, just "attracting" them) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaE693An_mU

BEES
How To Keep Bees, The Basics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8WZ-Mo17hM
Homemade Honey Extractor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiQrSuaSaVg

CATFISH/TILAPIA AQUAPONICS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv4k57DBClg

CHICKENS
Chicken Tractor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTfgmeId7mM

DUCKS

EARTHWORMS
http://www.permies.com/t/1135/composting/Vermiculture-Worm-composting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SuBT7SukdI

GOATS

QUAIL

RABBITS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1sEpGxeTsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR2Ink1ovE0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PZh_gadbDY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAhzfqhMNE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7tJO-IP0Jk



GARDENING
KEYHOLE GARDENS

BACK TO EDEN: http://vimeo.com/28055108

RUTH STOUT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNU8IJzRHZk

COMPOST
Compost bins http://backyardfeast.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/how-to-build-the-ultimate-compost-bin/

GREENHOUSE

HUGELKULTUR

PERMACULTURE

WATER
GREYWATER SYSTEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMpaWq4EKE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1DfNlxlk-A

RAINWATER COLLECTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Rubm0tU4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSV7oP43Fi8

WATER PURIFICATION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYG_TLoI9O4

SOLAR WATER HEATER

MISC PROJECTS
BLACKSMITHING

COB (for Rocket Mass Heater, and perhaps some decorative things in garden like benches)

COMPOSTING TOILET (if I went totally off the grid)

SMOKEHOUSE

SOLAR FOOD DEHYDRATOR

SAW MILL

 

[baymule]

@goatgurl I plan on getting muscovies. I want the big white ones with blue eyes. I still have the trio of Runners, but I think I will get rid of them before we move. We bought a house on 8 acres 160 miles north of where we are now. I will be able to have a rooster too!

 

[goatgurl]

@baymule i love my roosters! they start to crow before daylight and go all day long. one of them starts to crow when my sister turns on the bathroom light at her house in the middle of the night. aggravates her when she has her windows open but since i can barely hear it at my house I'm ok with it. mean i know, I'm the bad sister but it is my property. i also have the buck goat who smells to high heaven right now as well as the pig that will be going to freezer camp soon. she tells me about it ever now and then...
and white muscovies with blue eyes??? never have seen one but they would look so much better than a pink eyed one. all of mine are chocolate except elvis and he is black with a white head. i would love to find some blue ones. i am a blue fan. have some blue marans that i love so blue ducks would fit right in.

 

[baymule]

@goatgurl I have long been a fan of muscovies. Never had any, but I will rectify that detail in the coming year.

http://www.jmhatchery.com/ducks/white-muscovy-ducks/prod_4.html

blue and white muscovies just for you

http://www.countryhatchery.net/ducks.html

 

[Denim Deb]

One day, I'm planning on muscovys as well. RU has a ton of them and she's say I can have some. What I might do is bring home a couple of hens this year, then next year when they go broody, bring home some eggs from the farm.

 

[goatgurl]

gee thanks @baymule i needed a reason to get more animals, lol. the white ducks are beautiful aren't they but the blues..... oh my. mine are so much fun. i originally got them to butcher for my daughter because she can't eat meat from mammals, she contracted alpha gal (has a much longer name) due to tick bites but they became such pets we couldn't eat them. maybe next year when we hatch babies. this is louie, note the two dark brown feathers on his back, as he is molting this fall his milk chocolate feathers are being replaced with dark chocolate and his neck feathers are coming in white. huh? he makes a habit of poking me on the leg when he thinks I'm not going fast enough with the feed. and you can't believe the difference they have made in the grasshopper, fly and tick populations in my yard and garden

 

[Britesea]

He is quite a handsome fellow. I want to get some Muscovies, but I hate having to buy 10 of them when I only want a couple of ducks and a drake

 

[baymule]

That is a beautiful drake! @Britesea order the 10, pick the ones you want and eat the rest!

 

[Tuco]

Wow! I haven't been here much in the last week because I've been really busy with the Omaha Zombie Walk, which was just held Sat Oct 25th. I'm the founder/organizer of the event, and this was our 7th year doing it. So, last week, instead of researching raising chickens in my backyard...instead, I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. We had around 3000 zombies in the event, and a couple thousand more spectators! We raised around $3000 for the homeless shelter!!! It was a lot of fun, but, at the same time, I'm so glad it's over (very exhausting). It's very rewarding being able to help out the homeless!

 

[Joel_BC]

Tuco, you said you'd like to learn to weld. We had a thread about this; it's here: http://www.sufficientself.com/threads/for-those-who-want-to-learn-to-weld.11266/

In addition to that advice, I'd recommend checking out the Youtube videos at: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChuckE2009

Good luck with all your homesteading activities.