My sister has 17 horses. She keeps all their feed in broken freezers that people have donated to her, since the freezers aren't good for anything else.. They do keep the rats out.
great recycle for such a big unit. It's a shame we don't have a public list of people who need broken freezers and people who do have them so they can get together. What a wonderful way to keep the feed clean, dry and rodent free.
I use big old non working chest freezers to store my feed & supplements to keep rodents, raccoons & other wildlife out of it. Have for 30 years & it works great!
I remember slinging sacks of potatoes, carrots and onions at 10-12 to make extra pocket money with a bunch of 18/19 year old teenagers who were complaining at the weight, really showed em up when i carried two sacks at once
age dont matter its the way they use their bodies daily that makes him able to now if it was a city boy maybe they couldnt but Munchie knows his stuff also none of the kids wear shoes so maybe he digs in with the feet too ???
I'm thinking maybe ask them if they would like to come to California for a spell to help hubby with his honey-do's. He's gotten pretty long in the tooth, and as much as I nag, he hasn't put our plastic totes back in the storage shed. I don't understand why he doesn't use the shed that he built to hold our STUFF, but would rather leave them in the middle of the yard. The once red plastic is now sun bleached to a light pink. Hmmm😮
@@tammysarrazin-ux9tv I noticed that about the kids, that is that they are pretty much always barefoot. The baby girl as well. As a kid in Chicago, we didn't wear shoes in the summer. I had my far share of splinters, and glass shards in my feet. Stepped on a rusty nail once and had blood poisoning. On the positive side, my feet were as rough as an Amarillo hide. 😅 Now I'm never barefoot (diabetic) and I have skin as soft as a baby's bottom. 😊😊
You are NOT alone with running water issues. Jason down at Cog Hill Farm in Alabama was doing it constantly.. UNTIL... Brooke put an elastic wrist band on each water source. You put the wrist band on EVERY TIME you turn the water on.. It was a GREAT Reminder. 💧
My heeler pup brings me stuff. Stuff like 6-foot rat snakes in the chicken coop, and rodents. She is a farm pup, somewhat feral so I am so proud of her skills. She is very coyote aware that is for sure.
I read somewhere that rats can actually chew through cement! Those are some pretty tough critters 😮 When we had chickens I know the spilt grain attracted all sorts of bad boys. Metal trash cans finally solved the issue... no more attraction. 👍
What you are calling head cheese we called souse ...of course that was 70 years ago but it was always a treat. My mother swore that it made your hair and finger nails healthy and strong.
We call that “ Brawn “ in Western Australia. Not sure how it got that name, mainly made in the 1950’s. Lovely to see you utilising your meat for this most enjoyable dish. 🙂❤️
Things I love about this video…… your kids they are awesome helpers, and they work so hard and I love how they’re always barefoot I spent my whole childhood barefoot! Number two I love how Meg is using every scrap of the animal, My parents were Czech and they always made headcheese. I grew up, loving it. Number three I love how you include your children in what you do even though it may make your life a little bit difficult, buggy adores you, and so do I. I am thinking that a big metal storage barn with a poured concrete slab and metal storage Storage bins may be a couple more cats and a dog to run off all the predators and vermin. I wish you guys all the best. I know that you will be successful.
Jason & Brook over at the Cog Hill Farm Channel have a system that they started using to help them remember to shut the water off when they're filling stuff. Brook found these stretchy bright colored bracelets that they hang on the water spigots. When they turn the water on they put the bracelet on their wrist. That way if they walk away to do something else and they're not sure if they turned it off or if they forget they will know because they still have the bracelet on. When they turn the water off they put the bracelet back on the spigot. That seems to have helped them a lot.
Two things to stop clutter: 1) More shelves with containers to put related things in so they are always in one place. Label the containers! You can't have too many shelves. 2) ALWAYS do the breakdown & cleanup after EVERY project. You, like the rest of us homesteaders, always have more on our lists than we can get done and it is tempting to move on to the next project before the current one is put to bed. However, spending time ending a project actually saves you time. Once you begin to do this you will understand. With that being said, unforseen problems (like health issues) can train wreck any plan and things can get a bit out of control. I'm still playing catch-up from rhe worst year of my life, health-wise. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and am gaining a lot of ground now. But like you, I need to get back to being more organized again. I miss it. I had wolf rats when I lived in a farming area in Georgia. What solved my problem was a good female farm cat. Not every cat can handle a large rat, but the one I had could. She fed them to her kittens. Big motivator to bring back fresh kill for her babies. Hardware cloth around the base of the freezers might help. Steel wool might block airflow. I use large metal garbage cans for feed. That wont work for a pallet of feed, though. Make a rat-proof room in your shed? Hardware cloth walls & ceiling with metal floor? Find some old sheets of metal for walls? Just thinking out loud. A quick-connect for the pig water barrel that is attached to a float in the barrel will solve at least one problem. Sometimes a small investment in newer technology can make a big difference. You are making me want to raise a pig. I've neen resistant because I already have too many irons in the fire. However, the pork we get at the market tastes like chemicals because they do not rinse off the sanitizer that they use to clean the meat tables. If they could read (doubtful) they would see that the instructions say to wash the sanitizer off after several minutes. I am finally going to find a real butcher to get pork. The cost might drive me to raising a pig, though. On the butchering note, I just processed a deer yesterday. I got it bow hunting. I should be able to get one more during rifle season. Yum! (almost) free meat! Oh...Meg, there is no better fat than deer fat for soap! Deer fat tastes horrible, but it is a hard waxy fat that is incredibly good for a moisturizing soap. Just don't use too much or the soap will be too hard and not lather. I've never had head cheese. Looks interesting. Though, you may want to call it something else, as suggested by many viewers. I'll leave it at that. Man, sometimes we shadow each other. Two weeks ago I lost water. After testing the wireing, I found bad connections under the well cap. The well guys (two years ago) were sloppy and the wire nuts rusted out and one aluminum butt connector (on copper wires) corroded so there was no continuity. (never put two dissimilar wires together like that) They also didn't twist the wires together first before putting the wire nuts on. I fixed the job I paid them to do and it is done correctly now. Water is back on! All the best!
That is Great Advice! >> ALWAYS do the breakdown & cleanup after EVERY project. More shelves with containers to put related things in so they are always in one place. Label the containers! You can't have too many shelves.
Your kids crack me up running around barefoot. I'm right along with them. If I could get away with never wearing shoes I wouldn't. I'm barefoot as much as possible. Always have been. They're always so quick to help too. You're always sure to show your appreciation for their help by thanking them too. What a beautiful family.
Had a nephew who stayed with me and he pick on kids smaller than him. I told him this is not the city; these kids work on farms and are strong. Well low and behold he got to picking on this kid who he felt big over. Well, he started it and the farm kid finished it, guess who learned a lesson. Your boys are strong, and all that work gives them a workout no amount of gym can. Hope you are proud of them for they are good kids. I say kids because I am a great grandma, so I can. Know you all sleep good. Peace!
I have been using the 1:1 honey cornbread mix to baking soda, in plastic containers with about a 1 inch hole. Rats and mice can't burp or f#$t. This works well. I have added dehydrated honey to the mix more recently but I am sure sugar would work. I live in the country and a battle rodents daily. Best thing that happened we found a black rat snake hanging out. Luv it!
Ben ain’t wrong when he was talking about everyone has left the water running at one time or another. I was 20 miles from home one morning when I remembered. I called my brother, he couldn’t get there so he called his brother-in-law and he was able to get there to shut it off. He said the same thing: “We’ve all done it!”
Jason from cog hill farm keeps a plastic coil Keychain bracelet on each water hydrant. When he turns it on, he puts on the bracelet and if he doesn't turn it off, it reminds him. Saved him many times from floods. Try it
I used to live above my inlaws in an apartment. Left water running in sink one day...flooded her bedroom downstairs. The second time I did it...yes I did it again. My father inlaw took the plug from me😅
Hoping this reaches y'all. Born & raised part of life on a 800 acres cattle ranch in Oklahoma. Multiple HUGE hay barns among other outbuildings. What we called 'horse apples' trees, (prob not the correct name), dad put multiple 'apples' in the barns & buildings. Kept the rats & skunks out of the buildings & barns. In Texas they're called something else. Wish I had a picture to send ya'll, but they're about the size of grapefruits & very pitted, like almost looks like a round brain. I know the parts of country I've seen them grow in Okla, Texas, Louisiana - prob most of the south, but they really helped to keep unwanted critters away & all natural. Hope you see this suggestion & cN figure out what tree I'm talking about because they saved us - you can't eat them but I do know fir fact rats & skunks do not like their 'aroma. Best of prayers & luck & love to you & the family!❤
Fond memories of headcheese as a child. For breakfast, 8 around the breakfast table, eggs with fried potatoes from the garden and a nice slice of warmed headcheese.Yumm. Mouth watered whatching you cook it up.
💝💖💗 So many good things happening at your place! The head cheese! My great aunt took our hog head and lovingly made head cheese for us. Delicious! ✳ Cleaning up. All the boys did such a great job helping. Many hands making quick work of a big job. So good to see. ✳ Dad having a time out! 😂😂😂 I am sure we all appreciated that Ben. Glad it was you and not one of the boys that made the mistake. No more to say about that! ✳ Love spending time with the family. Everyone is looking so good. Take care. Be looking forward to your next video. ❇❇❇
I'm so glad to see that the boys are helping you move that feed. I hate trying to deal with rats! Nice job discouraging the rats from the freezer innards. You guys did a great job cleaning out the barn! I bet those piggies didn't mind the extra water they got! I have it when I do that and leave a spigot on. I've never run out our well but I sure wouldn't want to do that. I'm glad you got the barrel filled with water without forgetting about it. Wow, Meg making head cheese! Yum, fire cider chicken and heated up rice for dinner. Thanks for this video Hollar family!
Make sure you're lifting those heavy bags properly. My daughter slipped a disc age 14, lifting a feed bag. She is now 24 and has been on pain medication for 10 years now.
Glad to see the young men helping. I might suggest they are taught how to lift those bags with their legs rather than their backs. Back injury’s are hard to recover from. It’s a life long lesson that will benefit them.
Seeing the kids running around with no shoes on reminds me of myself. Was never a shoe person at their age. When I heard Megan was making Head Cheese it got me wanting the Hot Head Cheese. ❤ Pigs can be a pain but so nice to see them in the freezer.
We had a old non-working freezer that we stored feed, seeds and nuts in to keep the mice out of them. One year we had a rat that actually chewed a hole in our aluminum trash can that we kept bird seeds in. I was shocked that it just ate it's way in as if it was no more than aluminum foil. He didn't get into the freezer before we were finally able to get him. He was a very well fed beast and how he was able to get his large body in and out of the hole he made was just as surprising as the size he grew to. No wonder the cats didn't kill him, he was easily half their size if not a little more. Maybe a old broken freezer could help you out too?
You did a lot of work today, again to get ready for people to come & learn to process a pig. I hope they appreciate all the extra work your family does to bring others to your home. Thank you Ben, Meg & all the boys!
I stopped it from happening! I got the idea from Cog Hill Family Farm. Jason was forever leaving the hose on over there and Brooke went and got some of those 'curly que' bracelet things and put one on each faucet. Every time Jason turns on a faucet, he removes the bracelet first and puts it on, then does his watering. The bracelet reminds him to turn the faucet off. Instead of a bracelet I use one of those pony tail holders for tiny pony tails, because it's Tight! I put it on my middle finger when I turn on the faucet and so far I haven't left the faucet on since!
My husband has left the water for the pigs on twice. Both times, it blew the starting capacitor (we have one that has an external capacitor). $700 later, we can fix it ourselves for $12. Lessons learned with a well...yippee 😶. I really do appreciate the variety of foods you guys eat. We saw head cheese at our favorite Hungarian smoke house/butcher and never tried it. Now, it sounds like a delicious snack!
When you refer to head cheese I think of my dad and one of his favorite things to eat on a cracker or biscuit or white bread ! We always called head cheese (SouseMeat) ! I googled your head cheese and sure enough it's the same ! My aunt used to make it when I was a kid !when I would sleep over at my grandma's and aunts house I would watch her make it ! I think it's all in the seasoning that makes the difference ! Have a goodin
My suggestion for what it’s worth … buy a 20 ft shipping container. They are secure, dry and fairly affordable. I bought a used 40ft, set it on cement blocks, and have had no regrets. Cheaper than building from scratch with the price of lumber today, and will save you the time it would take to build it. Great for keeping feed dry and secure on the homestead. 🇨🇦
Hepy Hollers, lots of man strength and a Buggy gets tha Barn all tidy🎉 There is a homesteader that has many spiggets. He kept leaving them on and forgot them. Some lady suggested that you get those stretchy bracelets. When you turn on the water you put on the bracelet. When you look down at your wrist you say" the water "! It works very well for them🎉. A productive day on the Homestead! JO JO IN VT 💞
Wonderful accomplishments again; thanks for sharing your journey! There’s always something to do & you’re all doing it together. Great family! Blessings to everyone 🤗💕🇨🇦
Good Day Hollars, With all the job that Ben does around . The Picture I got was him setting down ( while minding the hose ) just getting ready to Wittle aBit .
I built my shed 10 years ago. I had access to some metal lathe like you put up under stucco. After we had the floor joists together, we stapled the lathe to the top of the joists and then laid 3/4” t&g sub-floor for the finished floor. Nothing has ever been able to chew through into the shed. With a steel exterior door (with threshold), I never had a problem with anything getting in. This in spite of the fact the shed was located about 30’ from a heavily forested area. I thought I would share this with you. Good luck!
We use steel wool also along with aluminum tape to mouse proof the heater ducts in our double wide. The house was only a summer home, so the mice population was massive when we moved in. We've also had to put chimney wire mesh over the exhaust vents over the stove, bathroom's etc. Our cats have really done a great job of getting the mice and chipmunk population under control. Love watching your family in action!
I have a double wide as well. I think Mr. Rat was coming in through the dryer vent. I'm a little hesitant to put steel wool in the vent. You know our homes can go up in flames and turn to ash in a heart beat. Aluminium tape,,, I need to think this one through.🤔🤔
@@pinkythechihuahua3156 the steel wool was for holes and places they get in but the wire was for exhaust vents. When it comes to dryer vents thou they must be watched for build up from lint. Ours built up and caused my dryer not to dry well so we check often to clean it out. And watch for snow and ice covering vents.
@@pinkythechihuahua3156 We put the tape just in the corners of the duct, under the top directional vent. It works, the mice haven't come through. The steel wool would be for small holes not near an heat sources.
We had to do that too... and copper sponge around all our piping entrances. When ours needed new siding... we wrapped the entire home in OSB, insulated with new foam board and wrapped the top and bottom 18" in hardware cloth. 6 years... no issues.
I got the shortening barrels from a cake shop they had rings around the tops to seal. We had a stock yard about 2 miles from our house. A rail split area that left the sugar beet cars also in our area. Rats come wher you have food. They grow big and you pay to much for feed to not put it up. An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure. Lesson our father-in-law would tell us on the farm.
"Chasing fires". Yup. It happens like that with me too. What helps me is having a timer on hand. I just set it @ 10 mins or 30.mins, depending on what it's reminding me about. Having it ticking down focuses my mind too. I like doing several things at a time, like looking through the grocery store ads while on hold, watching TV shows or catching the weather. If I get distracted from doing either one, it doesn't matter, really. I can usually pick up where I left off, when watching on my phone or a computer. When I'm rested, clear minded, or especially when in work mode while recently toked up & ready to jump in & try to get lots of stuff done as efficiently as possible, I'm usually cooking & doing dishes while I go on to other things, like I'm doing today. If I decide to go outside to feed the birds, & the weather is beautiful, I might be distracted. So I feel better off if I set a timer, particularly if I'm cooking something. Nice weather may lure me into spontaneous pruning of spent blooms, forgetting I'm heating water or caramelizing onions, or something else I need to get back to quickly. Today I'm content to have been whipping through several unfinished tasks, some from yesterday, while listening to political podcasts, news, random TV shows online, & let the timer keep me tethered to earth-time/ AKA "reality."
Few years ago my hubby turned the hose on for the pool, forgot about it and went to bed. I went outside the next morning to drink my porch coffee and i could hear it pouring over the sides. I ran out to the barn to turn it off. The entire 75 feet between the pool and the house was flooded. All the way up to the concrete patio. About a 20 ft radius around the pool was flooded including about 10 feet into the barn. I have a bar in the first section of the barn. It was sitting in about an inch of water. It was on for around 12 hours.
Jason at cog hill farm puts a elastic hair piece on the tap and when he uses the tap he puts it on his wrist to remind him to turn off the tap lol it works great hugssssss
Jason at Cog Hill Farms has a system where he puts a plastic bracelet on the water spicket when he turns it on. He puts the breacekt back on the spicket after he turns it off. Maybe a variation of that sustem would work to remind you to turn the water off? 😊
You’ve had quite a time with your water deal and all! Glad you got your hog butchered! My parents butchered hogs, to. Dad usually got his uncle and a cousin to help with that. My parents got the meat all taken care of and mom made head cheese, too. Sometimes she called it “souse” or something similar to that. It was an aggravating thing with your water running for so long! Glad it didn’t ruin your pump. It’s easy to forget things when you have so much to remember! You will have lots of fresh pork to eat now, which is a good thing. Take some time to relax a bit if that’s possible! With living on a farm and much to care for, it can be a challenge!
Jason from CogHillFarms had the same problem of leaving water running. Someone recommended putting a stretchy bracelet on every faucet so when he turns one on, he puts the bracelet on his wrist. That way he sees the bracelet and it reminds him he has a faucet running. He says it has worked great.
🇦🇺Braun is the meat from the pigs head with the gelatine that you refrigerate and slice for sandwiches. Mum was German and made it all the time and dad loved it.
We call that Brawn and you have it on biscuits...or as sandwich meat 🍖...but we used to have pepper corns and herbs and spices in the jelly stuff...looks good... Another idea for forgetting turn off tap get a stretchy braclet put around hand when turn it on then you will remember the tap is still turned on then put it back on tap when finished filling bin... ❤❤❤
Your head cheese is called "Sülze" over here in Germany, and it has some vinegar and spices (sometimes even vegetables) added to it. Love that you make your own ! 💛🍀💛
I did that with our above ground swimming pool a few weeks back. It was too low and I turned the hose on at about 6am then went about my business feeding and watering the chickens. Then promptly went back inside and back to work (I work from home). About three hours later I paid the water bill. Thought to myself how they charge WAY TOO MUCH. Continued working. Lunchtime rolled around at about noon. Stood up, stretched, and had a HEART ATTACK, muttered a bunch of cuss words at myself as I sprinted outside to find the flood in my yard. Could not believe I did that and didn’t even realize it while I was paying and griping to myself about the water bill 😂😂 so dumb ugh.
In the old days, you could buy that in the regular grocery, it was called souse meat, not head cheese. I remember loving it on toasted bread, sliced thick. When we butchered pigs we chose liver mush, using all the extra parts to go in that, instead of making souse meat and my grandmother made pickled pig feet.
Ben, aluminum trash cans with handles worked best for us. We also added a chain across the lid and secured them on the side handles. Walmart carries them.
Head cheese is called Brawn in the UK. The last time I made it I added some shin beef with the half a pig's head I was using. I did not salt it overnight. It was still so good!
Jason, from Cog Hill farm, kept forgetting the taps on and flooding the area. His wife bought the spiral type hair ties and put one around each tap. So when he opens the tap he puts the hair tie around his wrist. It reminds him that the tap is open. When he is done he slips it back. It is working for them.
What a day! Ben, sometimes a person gets overwhelmed with everything to do that he just needs to do one task at a time. Ive been in the same spot. You looked like you were getting some rest while sitting with the water barrel. Hope rest of your week goes better. 😊
My brother used to put steel wool with a glob of PB in traps where he worked, because the building wasn’t very far from a big deep creek and big rats got in the shop!
$15 at Walmart simple mechanical water timer. Works like a kitchen timer...twist to desired time and it shuts off the hose. Pull during freezing weather
🎉 Ben, great shop idea. I think the 3 Amigos chat inspires you guys as well as your audience! I put my chicken feed in 35 gal galvanized trash cans to avoid rat issues, but, the condensation made my scratch moldy. So square 1. What a blessing to havd your 4 big, strong boys/men, to help with the heavy work, time and saves your back! A lovely video again😊 Meg, you are a chef we all aspire to be😘
