Life goes on - Winter 2021

I dont like the three sister method. Or lm doing something wrong. The thing is l get much better yealds planting each crop separately.

We plant pumpkins on raw manure thats composting on a pile. It wuld otherwise be left plain. So thats no work and use whats given to you.

Corn grows best kinda squeezed together. Planting it that way is easyer to work with too. Planting in on islands like the three sister method recommends leaves the stalks shorter and cobs less polinated.

Beans, they do real poor on corn stalks for some reason. Probably the shade. I get just a few pods per plant.

Probably a good method for what native Americans had to work with. Unfertilised, untilled, unmulched ground. If one has the same circumstances today, probably its gonna be better thain monoculture. But a well maintained, crop rotated feald will yeald more on different aproaches. My 2c.

Since on topic of charcoal adition. Here is what l do with my charcoal fines.

The video was made yesterday. I put about 6 buckets of the stuff over the entire bedding. This morning everything was turned over and well mixed.

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I agree Kristijan. I only tried it one year and sort of had the same results you described.

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Wow Kristijan are you a genius or what. I am going to try that method with the chickens next time. We have no goats, pigs, or ducks. Next spring we will be adding more chickens and turkeys to replace the older flock. The meat chickens are going to be on the table tomorrow. One 8 lbs. and the other 4 lbs. dress out or cleaned ready to cook.
May you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.
Bob

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Wow, things like that will save you when shtf!

Everybody have a nice Christmas and a happy New Year. Stay safe

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That’s the way nature does and I think it’s best. Hearing you talk I think you’d like to read a book called Growing a Revolution, by Montgomery.
Rindert

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I have a 40 egg incubator and I am building a stacked cage setup so I can start raising Coturnix Jumbo Quail for eggs and meat. They mature at 6 to 8 weeks on a little over $1 worth of feed and lay close to 300 eggs a year and dress out for meat at 5 to 7 ounces. They thrive on 3 birds per sq. ft. so my 2’ x 4’ stacked cage could house 72 quail.



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I ask YEHOVAH God to give you all a wonderful Blessing for this and coming year, all in His Wonderful Word’s Name Yesuha Messiah. Enjoy the holiday and Holydays of this and coming New Year DOW members.
Bob

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Don, look how positive the retirement works out for you :grin: l plan to follow you next year.

Yes, we too raised quail. Only thing l dont like about them is that they cant pasture. And they are so dumb they wount eat anything that isnt store bought feed.

The meat is a delicasy, but probably not for everyone. I like to simmer them in red wine and shallots. The red wine penetrates the alredy deep coloured meat, and the acidity acomponyes the flavour rich meat too.

Eggs are second in line for me as far as taste goes. First place gets to duck eggs. Then quail, guinea fowl, turkey and lastly chickhen eggs :grin:

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There must be a different Quail then the ones we have. Hundreds and hundreds around us where we live. No feeding required, they are under protection of wild life game department though. Need a license to hunt them. Easy to trap with a drop box trap not legal but easy. I love duck eggs.
Bob

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Oh no Bob, our native quail is long extinct. They dyed out preety much as soon as tractors took the roles of horse and ox powered tools. Among with pheasants and a nother bigger quail relative that l cant remember the English name for. Neither could outrun a combine or a hay harvester…
The quail kept there is preety much exclusively Japanese quail

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What is the best way to slaughter chickens?

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You mean kill it? We used to chop the head off but l learned from a friend thats not the best way. Snaping the spine, the bird starts flopping around violently. Its better to cut behind the ear and bleed them. They remain much calmer.

But to hold the bird, this is the way to go

The bird is placed in head first with only the head poking trugh. It can not move no matter what.

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Christmas morning here Down under the start of a long long 48 hours for us old uns lifting heavy birds onto a BBQ spit while the wife does all the finer things in doors with her gas oven maybe a visit to the beach after dinner to top up our old wrinkly old suntanned skin ready to do it all again tomorrow with the kids and grand kids .

Wishes for you all this this Holliday season Merry Christmas

ps only kiddin about the suntan i’m gonna be out in the paddock splitting a large blackwood trunk with a screw splitter on the excavator .
Dave

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Merry Christmas everyone. We use to raise pilgrim geese, one egg will make 9 pieces of French toast(was good when raising 2 teen boys) :woozy_face:

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Yes Kristijan,
These are called killing-cones; or, bleeding-cones.
Much more humane for the bird too.
The humane part starts with the birds catching.
I was taught to use a leg sweep catch wire. Old iron telephone/telegraph wire ~3.5mm. 3 1/2 feet long; one meter, with the catching end as a long channel hook. The other end a simple ell.
Sweep the legs to catch. Pull it in.
Next humane step is to carry them upside down. Seems the blood to the brain? calms them.
And I’ve learned to not let the birds to be caught (and the dogs) let see the actual killing and bleeding out. At least is makes me feel better without all of the excitement-fear spewing around.
Large animal making fear-meat is lazy and does taste different. Think it out. Work it out to make calm meat whenever possible.

May seem strange to talk this on Christmas eve . . . but for Christmas day dinner, and others, a first step someone has to do. Always strive for pride in your works.

Happy Holidays to ALL
Steve, Melinda, Rose and Noel

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Steve, l agree on all. But the hook trick is new to me and l surely will use it. Thank you.

Holyday or not, l have no shame talking about these things. I find it most important that every meat eater encounters the making of his precious roast at least once in a lifetime. I guarantee we wuld not see a single peace of meat in a scrap bin anymore… Been butchering since l was a kid and l still eat every litle peace of meat with upmost respect.

I too wish you all a marry Christmas!

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Grouse is what we call the larger birds. We have Blue, Ruffled, Sage, Sharp-tailed, and Spruce Grouse.
Bob

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Yep thats the one Bob!

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Wishing everyone a merry and happy Christmas .

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Merry Christmas from my house to yours. Today’s daily devotional concluded with these words: “The birth of Christ brought God to man, but it took the cross of Christ to bring man to God.” If we celebrate Christmas for the right reasons, it will always be a good Christmas. May God bless you today and into the new year.

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