How are you an expert?

Beekissed

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Bay, both of your ewes in the pics seem to be mixed with Dorper...am I seeing right? Beautiful sheep and beautiful girl, BTW! :love And that IS a cute pic! :D
 

Wannabefree

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HAM seems to be making a big comeback lately, that's very cool he got his liscence
 

lcertuche

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Well I'm not an expert in anything. I remember the old ways because I am older than dirt. I feel I could be pretty well be self-sufficient if necessary. What I don't know I try to learn.

Recently I've been trying to learn more about edible plants. Of course I know all the common plants like hickory trees, poke salad, wild onions and garlic, blackberries but I'm learning to recognize other plants like elderberry and plantain. I used to have quite the green thumb but due to an injury I've been not doing much gardening. This year I decided to plant a small garden. Last years garden wasn't great but I got plenty of summer squash, eggplant, jalapeno and banana peppers. This year the ground is in better shape due to adding wood chips, chicken litter, leaves, and such to it so I expect a better crop of food and more variety.

I know how to butcher animals. I can and dehydrate food. I have took lots of first aid classes. I've made soaps and know how to make cleaning products from household ingredients. I can put a cloth diaper on a baby. I can sew, knit, and crochet.

Things I wish I could do is work on my car, use a chainsaw, build a fence, build a solar anything...
 

Beekissed

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@Icertuche, I've found YouTube to be an almost endless source for educational vids on how to work on almost anything, even if you can't find your specific carburetor, engine, etc., there is usually something of a similar make, model, or year that can get you there.

The next time you have a minor repair to do on the car, search YT. I got on there and found how to replace the fluid in the rear differential on our car so we wouldn't have to keep paying $80 at the dealer for that(we are nursing along that area so that we can try and avoid replacing the rear end of the car for as long as possible, so we have to keep that fluid changed out often).

We have an older wood splitter that no one sells any longer that wouldn't run properly after years of poor maintenance(it had been loaned out to relatives). Mom drained and changed out the oil~it was milky!, replaced hydraulic hoses and such, while I tore down the carburetor and bought new seals for it....YT didn't have the same carburetor tutorial, but had similar enough that God got me through it and got it back together. It starts with the first pull, every time now.

There was also a small fastener broken on the hydraulic lever and Lowe's wanted $80 for a replacement part and it would have to be ordered, etc. I studied up on that fastener and found that a rolling chain link piece would do the job...and it did. They come in a pack of 4 for around $3.

For that reason, I LOVE YT!!! I've learned so many great things on that place, so it CAN be used for good and not evil. :D
 

baymule

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Bay, both of your ewes in the pics seem to be mixed with Dorper...am I seeing right? Beautiful sheep and beautiful girl, BTW! :love And that IS a cute pic! :D

Yes, my first 4 ewes were Dorper/Katahdin crosses, bred to a Katahdin ram. I kept 2 ewe lambs from last year and bought a Dorper ram. His first lambs are now about 6 months old. I only had 2 ewe lambs this year, I'll keep them both. The ram's name was Prince, but Grand daughter #1 decided to name the horse we bought her, Prince. So the ram's name is now Ramburger. He is fairly calm for a ram, but I've learned that Dorper rams can get real mean. People that have Katahdin rams claim that most of them don't get mean, maybe little butt-heads, but not mean. And Dorpers color-white or white with a black head, is boring. Katahdins come in all colors and I like that. So......we'll see how it goes....
 

Beekissed

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Yes, my first 4 ewes were Dorper/Katahdin crosses, bred to a Katahdin ram. I kept 2 ewe lambs from last year and bought a Dorper ram. His first lambs are now about 6 months old. I only had 2 ewe lambs this year, I'll keep them both. The ram's name was Prince, but Grand daughter #1 decided to name the horse we bought her, Prince. So the ram's name is now Ramburger. He is fairly calm for a ram, but I've learned that Dorper rams can get real mean. People that have Katahdin rams claim that most of them don't get mean, maybe little butt-heads, but not mean. And Dorpers color-white or white with a black head, is boring. Katahdins come in all colors and I like that. So......we'll see how it goes....

I've seen the same thing in the Dorpers. At first I was wanting to get Dorpers, then possibly a Dorper ram to cross over Katadins, but then started to see the results of others doing that and I didn't like the results. I also got to see and experience a full Kat ram and loved the way they looked, their gentleness and quirky personalities, and also how leggy they were compared to the Dorpers.

After that I was a full on Katahdin fan. I don't like the Dorper head or ears, either...just off balance to me...so I'm with you on all of that.

I love the names you pick, Bay! :lol:
 

baymule

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Ramburger makes sense to me.......when we are ready for another ram, we will have ramburger....mmmm.....grilled ramburgers on a wood fired pit, not some fancy-schmancy gas grill! Lay some seasoned hickory twigs on the coals....:drool
 

Country homesteader

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Ok, that's something new. I bet if I told my neighbors about Goat meat they would have a goat fit seeing how they raise goats.
I already make homemade bread from an old family recipe that is passed down from one female relation to another which I've gotten pretty good at making.
I want to learn how to do my own canning/ jarring of veggies from the garden plus learn about having an herb garden that is profitable.
If there was local dairy Farmers around here that I could get fresh cream from I would make homemade butter. All the dairy farms around here sell their milk to the big companies that sell milk, cheese and so on.
I don't think I could get into the slaughter and butchering of the animals I have tended to so I wouldn't even attempt.
Making homemade soap, laundry soap, dish soap and shampoo sounds very interesting and would be something I could try.
 
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