Poka_Doodle
Herd Master
Hey, is Donald the real Donald Trump?
Miss Attitude is really cute
Miss Attitude is really cute
HomesteaderWife - Tales from Wolf Branch [05/10/2023 - The New Fella!]
- Thread starter HomesteaderWife
- Start date
Baymule
Herd Master
Muscovies are the ultimate farm duck. They brood and raise their own young. Drakes can reach 9 pounds, 7 for the ducks. Plus they have the added bonus of just being so cool! 
- Thread starter
- #113
HomesteaderWife
Herd Master
This morning, I wanted to share something I have written personally (not for the Mother Earth News blog). These are my personal thoughts that I hope will benefit someone down the road.
https://wolfbranchhomestead.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/our-dear-friend/
I also wanted to share a bit of exciting news with everyone about our progress here at Wolf Branch. We are about to start framing the walls of our cabin when the weather clears up (only have a few more logs to cut up in order to get all of our framing). After this, we put on the tin roof and the outside boards. Once this is done, we will start living in it and working on the inside of the house! Hopefully, it will just be a few more months before it is time to live in it.
We are looking to be bringing a young female Nubian goat home in March from some friends of ours, so we have to work on a pen at the same time! We hope to be breeding goats in the future. Also, we have been praying hard that our female rabbit is pregnant. I am not that good at palpitating her stomach, but she does look bigger. IF she did take, she will have kits by the first week of February.
Once the cabin is finished up, we are going to try and start our own business milling up lumber for people and selling heirloom crops. We are going to plant Hasting's Prolific corn this year, and really hope that it does well.
We hope everyone is having a blessed, joyful day. Stay warm!
https://wolfbranchhomestead.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/our-dear-friend/
I also wanted to share a bit of exciting news with everyone about our progress here at Wolf Branch. We are about to start framing the walls of our cabin when the weather clears up (only have a few more logs to cut up in order to get all of our framing). After this, we put on the tin roof and the outside boards. Once this is done, we will start living in it and working on the inside of the house! Hopefully, it will just be a few more months before it is time to live in it.
We are looking to be bringing a young female Nubian goat home in March from some friends of ours, so we have to work on a pen at the same time! We hope to be breeding goats in the future. Also, we have been praying hard that our female rabbit is pregnant. I am not that good at palpitating her stomach, but she does look bigger. IF she did take, she will have kits by the first week of February.
Once the cabin is finished up, we are going to try and start our own business milling up lumber for people and selling heirloom crops. We are going to plant Hasting's Prolific corn this year, and really hope that it does well.
We hope everyone is having a blessed, joyful day. Stay warm!
animalmom
Herd Master
That just made my Sunday! Well put @HomesteaderWife!
Baymule
Herd Master
I enjoyed your article and I agree wholeheartedly. I got goosebumps when you told of your friend's last words to you was telling you to get back in church. That was a wake up call indeed!
I am so happy for your news of up the house. Will you be using new tin on the roof or used? I have scrounged used tin and use it on my animal shelters. I drop a roofing tack in the hole and glop it up good with asphalt roof patch.
I am so happy for your news of up the house. Will you be using new tin on the roof or used? I have scrounged used tin and use it on my animal shelters. I drop a roofing tack in the hole and glop it up good with asphalt roof patch.
Baymule
Herd Master
I enjoyed your article and I agree wholeheartedly. I got goosebumps when you told of your friend's last words to you was telling you to get back in church. That was a wake up call indeed!
I am so happy for your news of up the house. Will you be using new tin on the roof or used? I have scrounged used tin and use it on my animal shelters. I drop a roofing tack in the hole and glop it up good with asphalt roof patch.
I am so happy for your news of up the house. Will you be using new tin on the roof or used? I have scrounged used tin and use it on my animal shelters. I drop a roofing tack in the hole and glop it up good with asphalt roof patch.
Baymule
Herd Master
I enjoyed your article and I agree wholeheartedly. I got goosebumps when you told of your friend's last words to you was telling you to get back in church. That was a wake up call indeed!
I am so happy for your news of up the house. Will you be using new tin on the roof or used? I have scrounged used tin and use it on my animal shelters. I drop a roofing tack in the hole and glop it up good with asphalt roof patch.
I am so happy for your news of up the house. Will you be using new tin on the roof or used? I have scrounged used tin and use it on my animal shelters. I drop a roofing tack in the hole and glop it up good with asphalt roof patch.
- Thread starter
- #118
HomesteaderWife
Herd Master
@Baymule - Yes, I haven't really shared that outside of a few family members and my husband. But I feel it is an important part of my testimony, because it was something that haunted me until I understood the significance and the blessing that was hidden in that sad time. To this day I still have a hard time believing that it happened, honestly....but I remember my friend fondly- she was such a sweetheart.
We are saving up to buy new tin for the house. However, we do put used tin on animal shelters like you mentioned. Works just fine- and I actually need to get some more saved up for building a little house for our new goat when we bring one home in March
We are saving up to buy new tin for the house. However, we do put used tin on animal shelters like you mentioned. Works just fine- and I actually need to get some more saved up for building a little house for our new goat when we bring one home in March
- Thread starter
- #119
HomesteaderWife
Herd Master
Part of our goal is to be more self-sufficient by using material already around us. To make a long story short, we've recently ended up with scrap parts from a field dressed deer (not one we've killed, as we are waiting to make a plot next year). I've already harvested sinew from the back parts of the legs, but wanted to share something else kind of interesting. So out of these scraps, we got about half of the hide. I stretched it, then later tanned it. It did not turn out as well as I hoped, BUT..I've managed to make something cool already.
I still have enough hide for about 2 more pouches and even a homemade cat toy. But my first project today was making a pouch for my .410 shotgun shells. I have an old hunting vest I used to keep them in, but they would all fall out every time I leaned over to get a squirrel. SO...I figured I would put this hide to use and sew it up with some twine and make a little belt for it from some scrap leather. Here is what the finished product looks like!
Photo 1 (left) is of the hide while I was working it. Photo 2 (center) shows it while I am wearing it, with a little stick whittled down to keep it closed. Photo 3 (right) is the bag hanging on my hide breaking stick. This is my first attempt at really making anything with a hide so far, and it's crude but useful!
I still have enough hide for about 2 more pouches and even a homemade cat toy. But my first project today was making a pouch for my .410 shotgun shells. I have an old hunting vest I used to keep them in, but they would all fall out every time I leaned over to get a squirrel. SO...I figured I would put this hide to use and sew it up with some twine and make a little belt for it from some scrap leather. Here is what the finished product looks like!
Photo 1 (left) is of the hide while I was working it. Photo 2 (center) shows it while I am wearing it, with a little stick whittled down to keep it closed. Photo 3 (right) is the bag hanging on my hide breaking stick. This is my first attempt at really making anything with a hide so far, and it's crude but useful!
Baymule
Herd Master
We bought new tin for our barn. I called around and found my best deal. So far, for the barn we had to buy new 29 2x6x20' for rafters and the tin. The telephone poles and all lumber came from my scrounge pile. 
I love building something from scraps and used materials.
Your deer hide bag looks good. I was a Cub Scout leader once upon a time and for a project, we tanned deer hides. I got hides from a custom slaughter house and had the boys stake the hides out, scrape them, salt them and after they dried, we worked them over the swing set bars to soften them up. The boys had a great time. But I had more fun than they did!
I love building something from scraps and used materials.Your deer hide bag looks good. I was a Cub Scout leader once upon a time and for a project, we tanned deer hides. I got hides from a custom slaughter house and had the boys stake the hides out, scrape them, salt them and after they dried, we worked them over the swing set bars to soften them up. The boys had a great time. But I had more fun than they did!
