You're the most real ive come across in the maze of videos available. I learn something new from you in every single clip. I pray your health is well in these times. I dig all your plans, layouts, explanations, and reasoning... as it all makes sense. The trick is, as you well know, is to apply the wealth of knowledge you've (and other farmers personal experiences) to each person's individual circumstances. Yes, it's different up in the great lakes, but you even explained how to tighten things up in the colder regions for those who may not know. Keep them outta the wind, give them plenty of dry bedding, keep the water flowing, with good feed and they will be happy, maybe out rolling in the snow to cool off.
I Love your common sense. The possums are eating my chickens up, Ive done everything except get a dog to go live with the chickens. I have dogs, cats, donkeys, cows, chickens, ducks, goats and horses. The only thing I have problems with us the chickens. I have all the stuff you mentioned, I don't know what else to do
I used to a worked a poultry farm and we put up chicken wire with pvc pipe. We would tie chicken wire together an then stand it up with 10 foot pvc pipe an then tie it in to the walls
Great info! We have fox, hawks, coyotes, bobcats & snakes. I know there are panthers here but I’ve never dealt w one on my place. Can’t let my chickens free range at all… every time I try the fox comes - in broad daylight too - it’s even snatched one off of my porch with me chasing it. Needless to say, my birds are in Fort Knox
They'll watch a place he's probably living close by and getting rodents around the gardens at night . We've had them snatch chickens from right beside us before, I understand
Cats will jump up under a rabbit cage. Having two layers of wire under the rabbit cage will stop cats/raccoons from jumping up there and pulling the rabbits out piece by piece. Space the layers of wire 5 to 6 inches apart. This also works on the sides of any cage. Animals may be able to reach past the first layer of wire but their arms are not long enough to reach past the second layer. -KJ
I stand by you on this subject. We got 3 barn cats that take care of everything from voles,rats, squirrels even rabbits and groundhogs. We have 2 outside dogs that are hound mixes who do one hell of a job keeping everything else out. A couple of Chinese geese down with the poultry and the ducks to keep off the Ariel predators. With that line up we’ve only had 1 loss from predators and absolutely no loss in the garden.
Thank you for your videos always good useful information to the point no suger coating none of that my 3 tomatoes plants yielded 900 tomatoes my sow had 27 piglets bull crap .I believe you provided a real view into real life homesteading/farming what ever people want to call it . Thank again
Hey Chris. Hope you're doin ok. Just checking out your latest. Varmints got most all my Scuppernongs this year. Even the wild black grapes which are always my best holdouts. I believe it was mostly possums. Had to get rid of a couple 2 years ago after finding them in my best vine. The sad part I believe is that we humans have created a lot of the problem by getting the natural cycle out of balance. I remember 45 years ago here in south GA we had All kinds of wild food sources available for animals and us to eat. Peaches, Plumbs, Pears, Persimmons, Grapes, Blackberries , just to name a few. The county used to only mow along side the dirt roads. Then they started spraying herbicide in large quantities. Now those wild fruits are all gone. So the animals come to our yards for the food source now more than ever. Thanks for the videos. and for the info on timing my super a. Just discovered another issue. Gonna replace and rebuild engine. Maby talk more about in detail later. Take care
I think all the clear cutting timber and replanting just pines has a lot to do with it. Not much to eat in a pine woods and the fact that no one hunts like they use to I can remember when there was twenty packs of fox hounds around here and almost every one had a couple of coon hounds now there's not a one. Coyotes reproduce faster than you can kill them and it seems animals are losing their fear of man I had a bear walking around checking the place out in the daytime last week
I haven't had much luck with the hot wire around the gardens but I probably didn't put enough strands, you're right it's 220s I was thinking one thing and said another
Still praying for y'all Chris. I use Liquid Fence to keep the deer out of my garden. It will work but you have to keep it sprayed. I like those bib overalls!
Great to see you! I've found the best way to stop coons is to keep a shotgun handy. 2 years ago I had 4 coons go through the roof of my duck house, killing 3 before I could get out. Needless to say, I got 3 of the 4 and haven't had another incident. Cane Corso's can and will keep the coyotes and bobcats off the property. My birds aren't bothered much by the hawks but when the eagles go over, they run for cover.
Cover corn if possible and bait squirrel trap with corn. Put squirrel in freezers . (Squirrel and dumplings). if you turn them loose they will return. It's a constant battle
@@bradoutlaw1972 they ate it before it matured in the field. I had traps everywhere. Only caught the dumb ones. If they saw the shades in the house move, they disappeared for half the day
Question. It’s my understanding that once a pig reaches a certain size a coyote wants nothing to do with that pig. How big as far as age or weight would pig need to be to hold his/her own against a coyote or coyotes? Thank you for the videos I’m learning a lot.
We've never had a coyote try for a pig and we have a high population of coywolves /eastern coyotes. My guess would be over 150 lbs should be safe . What I hear people say they lose are piglets under 20 lbs so they might not have to be that big . My pens are built dog proof because of domestic dogs
Do you guys have polkweed over there? I'm trying to clear some land and there's a ton of it. I've heard some people say pigs die from rooting it and others say they are smart enough not to eat it
Quick piglet question, a few of mine 2 months old have some dry skin areas on their back, side and legs. One had a small wound in the area also. Any ideas of what it is and how to treat it?
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay also if you have coons and possum dog proofs work great for those set em around and carry the 22 around with ya when ya take care of the animals in the am
@@mikemitchell9157 I want to try some of the dog proof traps , never had any . My dogs have a tendency to sleep around lunch time that's when we have trouble, I tell them to take shifts but they won't listen lol
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay 🤣🤣🤣 you know they aren't gonna take shift they like the buddy system of the pack too much. And I will say the dog proof is an easy trap to set cover the trigger with cat or dog food and put some mini marshmallows on top. Cats havent messed with it dogs haven't either but I do catch possums and coons. Might catch a skunk I haven't had one but my one buddy has. And if they are messing with you animals it should be easy to get a nuesense tag for em all just check with the dnr first. But barely anyone traps anymore so it shouldn't be too hard to get
Pounds full of them here especially great Pyrenees because they killed the livestock they were supposed to protect. Same with donkeys often do more harm than good . Sheep won't even run to the barn if something gets after them and I've seen whole flocks lost with several LGD in the pasture lol seen them playing with the dogs that did the killing
Sadie is our rockstar for this and yes she’s a Aussie mix of some sort we rescued her young and it took years before she wasn’t afraid of men but she’s fearless now! I’m even considering doing k9 classes with her she’s so on point I wish my bloodhounds were as easy
