Building a Hobby Farm- from woods to eggs

[elkun1]

Hi again Tony,
I forgot to ask in my other post, in the sprint picture what kind of dog is that in the background? appears yellow so probably a lab but it almost looks like a cur. hard to tell as photo was centered on the kids. I think that was my favorite pic.
Won't be long and you will be checking out 4-H. It's great for the kids.
Your layout look good, hard to tell the distances just watch for setback from property lines. Chickens are great to raise, I can't imagine anyone complaining about a rooster crowin (except when they start in at 2am) but even then, that'd be unAmerican in my view. i like guinea's except they do like to travel and everything want's to eat them. Peacocks are another story, kinda like goats to me.
We went from 4 miles from town and nearest neighbor a mile away to now i have 175 new neighbors. I didn't like it but didn't have the money to buy the place, so i chalked it up to the progress of man and kept my mouth closed. Your neighbors could of bought your place and didn't. You did so you and your family get to enjoy the property A few fresh veggies and eggs over the fence helps keep things neighborly, especially if one of your kids delivers them.
I put in an underground fence for my dogs. best thing i ever did. doesn't keep neighbors dogs and cats out but my cur dog does. this is starting to get long winded but that's normal for me but one more thing. The hardest thing when you've got a tiller is not to overtill. It can create a hardpan and it messes up the soil structure. How to know what that point is i haven't a clue, I'm sure i go over mine to much, but it sure is fun to do. After this first year i'd plant a green manure crop after harvest. holds the soil and builds organic matter.till it in in the spring and your ready to go. That's enough i'm done. by bye Ron

 

[tony123]

I hadn't heard of a "cur" before. I googled it though. No, he's not a cur. He's our four year old yellow lab. You've got a keen eye to pick him out.

He's a fantastic dog. Couldn't have asked for anything better. Well, maybe a little less energy. And he sheds terrible. We aren't letting him in the new house. He doesn't mind though. He thinks the farm is his playground and we're building it all for him. I have confidence he'll do well with the livestock.

Here's a better photo.

I know I'm going to till too much. What're ya gonna do? It is too much fun.

 

[elkun1]

Hard to beat a lab, I've got an old chocolate laying on my feet as i type this. I'll stick my neck out and guess that the boy's will have him inside within the year.
I'd have to guess that this black mouth cur my boy got is probably the best dog i've ever had. we use it on coyotes as a decoy dog. the guy we got him from is a gov't trapper and uses them for mtn lions, bears coyotes etc. yet is a phenominal family dog. smartest dog i've ever had, almost scary. when a stranger come to our place he stays back and watches them, if they pass his test he'll come up to them otherwise stays close by and just watches. does'nt growl and not aggresive except towards dogs or cats that come on our place, keeps the chickens herded up. they love kids but makes it kind of hard to disipline them. Duff gets between me and my kids if we're roughousing and grabs my arm. No question that he's not happy with me. Plus, as the breeder told us, they only shed once a year. only thing he didn't include was that it's everyday later, Ron.

Hay Tony check out Stokes Seeds

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Tony,

The place is looking good.

Be careful with that Lab around the chickens . I had 2 labs and both were always looking for birds. My last one died about 5 years ago he was 16 years old. Got soft in his old age. I went down to feed him one night and thought I heard a chicken. Well I looked in the rafters of the barn and did not see anything. Went back down the next day before dark and thought I heard a chicken again. My Lab had a small shed he stayed in with a large lot during the day. I went in the lot and shed and there was a chicken in the shed with him. I caught the chicken (which was not easy) took him out of the lot and out of the pasture.

The next day the chicken was in the lot with the dog. No one around that I new of had chickens so I let her stay. If he had of been younger the chicken would have been dead. But he and the chicken would eat out of the same bowl. He was drinking water one day and the chicken walked over and drank with him. He would just look at the chicken and walk off. She stayed right with him every step, would roost above him at night and started laying eggs on a shelf above him. We bought feed for her and would feed both of them. People who came over just could not believe we had a chicken living with our Lab.

This went on for two years. When my Lab died the chicken stayed for about two weeks and we continued to feed her. Then one day she just left. I guess her companion died and she moved on.

David

 

[3RRL]

Wow, an interesting and amazing story David.
It's weird how Nature allows friendships like that.

 

[easygo]

Tony,
If you can find some bagged up leaves (usually at the local dump or someplace like that) take that home and just pile it up. The more the better. People will think you are crazy but that is par for the course. When you first start mowing the grass collect some of the clippings and add it to the pile in layers when turning it. If you add some grass every 2-3 weeks by the end of the gardening season you will have usable compost. Till it into the ground and it will continue to decompose over the winter. It will improve the soil no matter what. You could just spread a 4-5" layer of leaves on the garden and till that in right now. Even that will help to keep the soil from compacting on it's own and keep some loft and oxigen in there. Another thing you can do is to add Bone Meal to the soil as well. It mix 2 part dolomitic lime to one part bone meal and sprinkle it over the ground and just till it in. Than from the same mixture I put 1/4 handful to the base of each plant just on the top of the ground once a month or so. I also spread green grass clippings as mulch to help with nitrogen and to keep the weeds down. It has worked out pretty good for me.

 

[scgargoyle]

I don't think Tony would have to go far to find leaves!

 

[easygo]

I suggested that because that way it is very easy to get a large amount without having to do much of any work. It is a wonderful concept. People bag up the leaves and one can just go and get as much as needed without ever having to touch a rake or getting expensive collecting systems. I'm sure there is plenty of leaves on Tony's property, but they seldom tend to fall off the trees and congregate on the garden or compost pile. Wouldn't that be nice.

David,
Great story about the dog and the chicken.

 

[tony123]

Ron, thanks. I'll check out Stokes. It's time to get seeds.

David, awesome story! Thanks for sharing. I'm pretty confident that if I tell him to not touch the chickens he won't. But I'll keep a close eye. He loves his treats, and I often test him by putting one on the ground when I leave for work........you know he won't touch it all day until I say he can.

Easygo, good idea on the bagged leaves. I do have plenty, but if I can get them in bags ready to go.

 

[schmism]

Save your money Tony123, I have had a subscription to that mag for nearly a year and decided not to renew it. None of the issues had much of interest in them. That is, not of interest to me.

i have to compleatly dissagree. ive had a subscription for near on a year now and have loved every issue often reading them more than once. I cant wait for the next one. I found much of what is in it to be very helpfull. (but then again im "new" to this hobbyfarm thing soooooo)