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    Tell Me Why This is a BAD Idea

    Because in my head it is a great idea! And that's usually the first sign of trouble.... The concept is to run a few pigs through an area to till it all up for about a week. The area is 16' by 32' comprised of 6 hog panels in a rectangle. After a week they move to the next area and in come the...
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    Growing Hay or Grain: Which is Better?

    I have about a half acre of property that is currently a hay field dedicated for overwinter feed for livestock. I am wondering if replacing that field with grains (oats, rye, etc.) would be a better use of the land. Would I get more calories per square foot via hay or grain growing? Both would...
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    Weed suppression with burlap

    This winter, I will be building some hugelkulturs out of various felled tress on the property. I also have an orchard I want to control ground vegetation in. I was wondering if coating the mounds and orchard floor in burlap would prevent weed and grass growth. My concern would be that the spaces...
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    Complete Chicken Nutrition, No Buying Feed - How?

    Or, to put it in a complete sentence: How does one provide a complete nutrition for dual-purpose chickens without buying anything from the store? I understand that raw milk products, free ranging, sunflower seeds, oats/corn, etc. can all contribute to a balanced diet. What would be the ideal...
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    Clabber = Dog Food ?

    So earlier this week, I discovered the concept of clabber (i.e., curds and whey). I had never heard of it before, outside of the nursery rhyme, but now my mind is racing with possibilities. One is to completely replace my dog's food with clabber! He currently eats between 1 and 2 pounds a day of...
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    Full-Time Tethering a Milk Cow?

    Anyone do it? Can't afford the fence, and I have heard that this is common practice for family milk cows, particularly in underdeveloped countries. I have plenty of trees to tie to, including cedar which can be cut into posts and installed at tethering intervals. I have my donkey on a half...
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    How Do Y'all Deal With Pests Without Chemicals?

    Curious to know what everyone around here does to organically control garden pests. This year, we had squash vine borers and squash bugs destroy all of our zucchini, butternut squash, and pumpkins. We had some ladybug look-alike eat our radish greens. Caterpillars destroyed kale and cabbages...
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    Clipping Wings/ Chickens Still Flying?

    I've got a flock of (now) about 18 chickens. We've had some deaths and disappearances recently. I have a rotational electro-net setup, 4', with deer netting on the lower 28" to prevent the chickens from going through the charged netting (which they did...and got zapped...and continued to do...)...
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