Homesteading and Hobby Farm/Ranch

BrutulTM · Mar 2, 2022

I've been watching a YouTube channel that someone linked in the woodworking thread where a guy is rebuilding a big wooden sailboat and he has totally paid for the project with revenue from YouTube and Patreon and he has 3 guys working for him full time now. He said that he spends probably 15 hours a week producing the videos though, so it's not "free" by any means but it seems to pay very well for him at least. I look forward to the videos every week. I have a friend who has tried to get me to make videos of just day to day life as a rancher which some people might be willing to watch but like you I just don't want to be a "personality" and the time and effort of setting up the cameras and editing the videos don't sound like something I would be likely to keep up with.

Gavinmad · Mar 2, 2022

I watch some Alaska homesteaders, pretty cool what they've done with their property in the 3ish years they've lived there considering the limitations.

Tarrant · Mar 3, 2022

BrutulTM said:
I've been watching a YouTube channel that someone linked in the woodworking thread where a guy is rebuilding a big wooden sailboat and he has totally paid for the project with revenue from YouTube and Patreon and he has 3 guys working for him full time now. He said that he spends probably 15 hours a week producing the videos though, so it's not "free" by any means but it seems to pay very well for him at least. I look forward to the videos every week. I have a friend who has tried to get me to make videos of just day to day life as a rancher which some people might be willing to watch but like you I just don't want to be a "personality" and the time and effort of setting up the cameras and editing the videos don't sound like something I would be likely to keep up with.

I think it would be pretty cool to watch, but it would certainly add a lot of work to your day I would think, to capture what you do...while still trying to get what you need to do all done.

LiquidDeath · Mar 4, 2022

Gavinmad said:
I watch some Alaska homesteaders, pretty cool what they've done with their property in the 3ish years they've lived there considering the limitations.

The couple that went on Alone? I know they are from Alaska but don't recall if the property they purchased is there or not.

Gavinmad · Mar 4, 2022

LiquidDeath said:
The couple that went on Alone? I know they are from Alaska but don't recall if the property they purchased is there or not.

Simple Living Alaska.

Blazin · Mar 10, 2022

Drone shot, can see the strip of woods I've been clearing all the brush out of, that's a pretty steep hillside right there and covered with two decades of neglect. Clearing out all the brush and just leaving trees going to plant a bunch of saplings across it next month.

Burren · Mar 10, 2022

Blazin said:
Thank you. Storm water management cost me about $40k in additional cost that just 10-15 years ago would not have existed at all. That is not even the only pit that I have to do but it is the bigger of the two, have to do another just to catch run off from the upper part of driveway that is about half the length.

Met Ed has me burying sch 80 pvc conduit (grey) which is about 100% more in cost than white. The only difference between the grey and white is that grey is resistant to UV...and we are burying it 3' in the ground. I could understand if they wanted the radius pipes at each end to be conduit but just more wasted money on pointless regulation. Conduit cost alone for me is about $4k.

Sounds like the regulators and materials providers are in cahoots.

BrutulTM · Mar 11, 2022

The price of everything is shocking right now. I picked up a stick of 1-1/4" SCH 80 conduit the other day and it was $39. I only bought that size because the 2" which I was going to get was $50. 50 feet of UV romex to go through it was $99.

Burns · Mar 12, 2022

BrutulTM said:
The price of everything is shocking right now. I picked up a stick of 1-1/4" SCH 80 conduit the other day and it was $39. I only bought that size because the 2" which I was going to get was $50. 50 feet of UV romex to go through it was $99.

Yea, shit is a little ridiculous. Last week I was pricing out a fiber run to a remote location, ~140 foot away, and the conduit (1" was smallest recommended) alone was over $200. So might as well do a wireless microwave solution for the same total price (when including the outside rated fiber).

chthonic-anemos · Mar 14, 2022

found some farmer tweeting into the void about processing bones down to phosphites for his fermented manure

BrutulTM · Mar 14, 2022

I haven't tried it personally, but it's supposed to make great fertilizer.

Blazin · Mar 16, 2022

Job site thieves hit two houses near me last night. Freaking hate thieves, makes me want to just camp out at site over night and pew pew them. I still dont have electric so best I can do is trail cams and that's not exactly going to deter them. I'm hoping my home being so far from road deters them a little in that they would feel more vulnerable going down a long drive.

Looking to start framing next week.

On crops I have about 4 weeks to decide if I'm going to plant field corn in lower fields. Have to meet with neighbor because still too much acreage to do without his larger equipment. Just dont want to try meadow/pasture too large of an area all in one season in case I don't get a strong establishment of the fescue

Heriotze · Mar 17, 2022

holy shit, does anybody have any advice for how to deal with keeping a rooster quieter? I bought 4 chicks in Nov that were all supposed to be female but one ended up being male. Probably being too sentimental with him but I built him his own coop and put him as far away from the hens as I could to try to shut him the fuck up. He doesn't start losing his shit until 7:30 -- 8 so it's not a horrible inconvenience and I've got a no crow collar on him so his Db level is much lower than without but I'm also in the middle of Phoenix so I'm pretty sure that any amount of noise from him and just having him is probably illegal.

I was hoping to just maybe get a couple fertilized eggs from him and a hen and replace him and one more with laying hens but I'm about a second away from putting one in his head with my hunting pellet gun right now. Is there any hope or should this fucker become stock? He definitely seems more useful as a paella right now

Borzak · Mar 17, 2022

Some things just need killing. Be thankful it's not guineas

Gavinmad · Mar 17, 2022

Heriotze said:
just having him is probably illegal.

It definitely is and you're going to get fined by animal control sooner or later.

BrutulTM · Mar 17, 2022

I haven't seen a way to keep roosters quiet. We have some guineas too and I find them hilarious but they do make even more noise than the roosters. I doubt animal control will give a shit unless your neighbors complain so it sort of depends on how they feel about it.

Gavinmad · Mar 17, 2022

He said he lives in the middle of Phoenix. His neighbors are 100% going to complain, I would. I'm surprised we didn't get fined for our rooster before we got rid of him.

BrutulTM · Mar 17, 2022

It's lucky that he waits until 7:30 to crow although that might change in the summer. When I go over to my Mom's place in the middle of the night to check on our pregnant heifers just my headlights hitting the chicken house momentarily will sometimes wake up the roosters and get them crowing for a few minutes.