Homesteading and Hobby Farm/Ranch

Sludig

Sludig

Potato del Grande
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BrutulTM said:
Domesticated ducks don't leave. They just cruise around the yard and eat bugs. They like to have some water to stomp around in but be advised they will make whatever water you provide for them absolutely filthy so you want it to be something small enough to dump out and refill regularly. I've always thought it would be cool to turn a few loose in a garden because they will eat grasshoppers etc but won't wreak havoc on the plants the way chickens will.

They don't sleep on a roost so once we had a couple living in the chicken house and some critter got in and didn't touch the chickens up on the roosts but they chewed both ducks heads off and took them with them. Came down the next morning to find all the chickens waiting to go out and two headless ducks in the middle of the floor.
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Depends on the garden plants. They certainly eat greens and would trample more delicate young plants.


But now yall make me want to try and find some free/cheap ducks to experiment trying to keep some kinda wild.

Only issue is my frog/crawfish infested pond is just muddy at all times pretty much from run off upslope and no fish or whatever it takes to get it to settle out and be at least someone see thru. Been very low on my list trying to figure out how to address. (Bad summers it will dry out, so didnt seem worth investment because of that, though I dug it out some last fall)
 
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
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BrutulTM said:
Domesticated ducks don't leave. They just cruise around the yard and eat bugs. They like to have some water to stomp around in but be advised they will make whatever water you provide for them absolutely filthy so you want it to be something small enough to dump out and refill regularly. I've always thought it would be cool to turn a few loose in a garden because they will eat grasshoppers etc but won't wreak havoc on the plants the way chickens will.

They don't sleep on a roost so once we had a couple living in the chicken house and some critter got in and didn't touch the chickens up on the roosts but they chewed both ducks heads off and took them with them. Came down the next morning to find all the chickens waiting to go out and two headless ducks in the middle of the floor.
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How about a 2 acre pond? Lotsa fish. I'm going to build an enclosed run, feed them in the run, and hope they come back in every night so I can close it up.
 
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Asshat Foler

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lurkingdirk said:
Anyone here keep ducks? I have a chance to get a dozen, and I love duck eggs. I have a pond and there's shelter there. How hard are they to keep around? I'm guessing clipping the wings for at least a while, but do they develop a loyalty to home?
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Maybe look into runner breeds? I think they’re easier to keep around. Also check out wetland filter ponds. Super cool and you’re the kind of guy who’s probably up to doing one as a diy hobby project. Ben at urban rescue ranch has a few.
 
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Asshat Foler

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Looking for some breathable pants to use when gardening/working around homestead. Been using cheap Amazon black joggers the past few years and they get toasty. Most of the stuff I’m finding on Amazon seems kinda lightweight in that I’m not sure how well it would hold up to outdoor work use. Any ideas?
 
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Asshat Foler

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Blazin Blazin did you ever buy that Kubota zero turn? I’m thinking of shifting my mow setup away from utv + pull mower. It’s an awesome setup that can eat through anything and mow very fast but it’s just not easy to navigate around trees or get clean finishes near structures/trees/brush.
 
Blazin

Blazin

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Foler said:
Blazin Blazin did you ever buy that Kubota zero turn? I’m thinking of shifting my mow setup away from utv + pull mower. It’s an awesome setup that can eat through anything and mow very fast but it’s just not easy to navigate around trees or get clean finishes near structures/trees/brush.
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Yes I have the Kubota ZD1211 and it's a beast and been the perfect fit for me. Been a game changer. Most zero turns are way too cheaply made, this is serious steel which can handle the kind of mowing I do. Just don't think this is some $6000 box store zero turn. You might not need something this grade depending on application. I don't buy gas powered equipment so diesel was a must but you probably could solve problem a lot easier. Just go look at one of these at a dealer to understand the difference between it and a run of the mill zero turn.

 
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Blazin said:
Yes I have the Kubota ZD1211 and it's a beast and been the perfect fit for me. Been a game changer. Most zero turns are way too cheaply made, this is serious steel which can handle the kind of mowing I do. Just don't think this is some $6000 box store zero turn. You might not need something this grade depending on application. I don't buy gas powered equipment so diesel was a must but you probably could solve problem a lot easier. Just go look at one of these at a dealer to understand the difference between it and a run of the mill zero turn.

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Awesome! It doesn’t really specify the type of blades on it. Are all zero turns aimed towards finish cuts? I was hoping to find something that would be ok running over small stick/bushy debris
 
Blazin

Blazin

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Foler said:
Awesome! It doesn’t really specify the type of blades on it. Are all zero turns aimed towards finish cuts? I was hoping to find something that would be ok running over small stick/bushy debris
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zero turns are finish mowers, you could switch the blades but that may be a bad idea, brush blades are much heavier.

I use an offset flail mower for that type of clearing.

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Aldarion

Aldarion

Egg Nazi
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So we processed our first lambs for meat this year. We've been raising sheep (Katahdin hair sheep, a meat breed) for years but this was the first year we had extra ram lambs. So we fattened them up and had them processed.

I'll be honest - despite being a pretentious foody I've barely eaten any lamb. Cause that shit is expensive as fuck, I mean it costs more than salmon or prime cuts of beef.

We can raise it for less than $2 per lb and thats almost entirely the processing fee. Itd be free if I had a chiller big enough to hang the carcass myself. At <$2 a lb, now we eat lamb.

And holy shit is it good. I had read about "gamie" flavor, bullshit. This is basically beef with a slightly different flavor in the fat. It lacks that distinct butter taste that good beef has. But no unpleasant flavor at all.

I'm left wondering why the US eats so much beef when lamb is cheaper to raise and tastes this good. Probably gonna sell our cows.
 
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BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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Lamb is very good as long as it's harvested young. The gamey reputation is mostly from people eating older sheep. The fat is a little weird. It's kind of off-putting when it's congealed but as long as you're not eating it cold which you probably aren't it's no problem.
 
Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Aldarion said:
So we processed our first lambs for meat this year. We've been raising sheep (Katahdin hair sheep, a meat breed) for years but this was the first year we had extra ram lambs. So we fattened them up and had them processed.

I'll be honest - despite being a pretentious foody I've barely eaten any lamb. Cause that shit is expensive as fuck, I mean it costs more than salmon or prime cuts of beef.

We can raise it for less than $2 per lb and thats almost entirely the processing fee. Itd be free if I had a chiller big enough to hang the carcass myself. At <$2 a lb, now we eat lamb.

And holy shit is it good. I had read about "gamie" flavor, bullshit. This is basically beef with a slightly different flavor in the fat. It lacks that distinct butter taste that good beef has. But no unpleasant flavor at all.

I'm left wondering why the US eats so much beef when lamb is cheaper to raise and tastes this good. Probably gonna sell our cows.
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Chops are awesome, ill buy some of your rack of lamb chops heh - so is leg or lamb etc... I am Greek so maybe its built in.

But its just not as popular, thus raising the cost, and thus limiting the availability etc. etc. the cuts are different and everyone is used to and knows what a T bone and Ribeye are - also "people" as in the general stupid populace are turned off by things that is a identifiable "part" like a lamb leg roast... you dont see cow leg roasts... poultry they are usually okay on, but anything beyond that you always see people sky away from "parts" - as t bone ribeye flank all that is just kine "muscle groups maybe?" but not like "Eat the cow thigh!"
 
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