BOL Set Up- Animal Preparation

Discussion in 'Off Grid Living' started by Yard Dart, Jul 13, 2015.


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  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    The area where the creek runs, is essentially a small ravine and is not on grade to the rest of the land.....
     
  2. TheJackBull

    TheJackBull Monkey+++

    I think it is a swell idea to leave animals on the property. You will however need to protect them from people(good perimeter fencing) and predators from land and air. places they can hide and roost safely. you may consider keeping bees as well..
     
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  3. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    For your original question, I would have fencing already in place. I would have also have caged areas prepared. Someone above mentioned letting loose rabbits and increasing that population so why not have a few hutches ready in case you catch some rabbits and start raising them. If you are planning on livestock then you would need housing for them. We have a pole barn that can house a few horses or cows. Our pole barn also has a place for feed and a really bad chicken coop in back (poorly designed). Unsure of how much snow the area receives but always think winter- i.e. frozen water buckets, shoveling paths etc. How far the barns are from the residence does make a difference.

    Also- not sure what you have for trees but I would plant some oak trees. They will draw the larger animals and squirrels.
     
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  4. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    This is something I am strongly considering.....
     
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  5. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    So as long as we are dreaming and scheming just for fun. I have 2 more cents to add to the pile.

    My grandparents had an 80 acre farm with creek and 3 ponds on it. My grandmother had a small pond installed in the yard that when we kids went fishing we put the fish in the pond (its was shallow and shaded) then on friday my uncles and grandfather netted out those fish and cleaned them for the fish fry. (god help you if you caught the albino catfish)

    I never realized how ingenious this was until I was talking to my mom. The pond was aerated by a water wheel with a small fish tank pump that my Grandfather set up. Fresh fish weekly if you didnt want to clean them that day just put in pond. You could prolly do this self sustaining with solar.

    Sell the koi before they die as they can be worth quite a few $$ and put in cheap goldfish or talapia to maintain the pond for now. WE always had gold fish in stock tanks as a kid. They keep the water circulating and the algae down when you arent around. Sometimes they even froze in the ice and still came back to life.

    Also all the yard and garden gates were self closing. Because the grandchildren werent great at gtting the gates closed =) Standard gate with a chain hooked to a post and to the gate. The chain had a weight on it so when the gate was open the weight and chain were in the air but when closed the weight rested on the ground. He used tractor parts for the weights.
     
  6. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    They make self closing hinges for this function as well, but the standard on most gates is a stretch spring that returns the gate to closed position. (Small gates of course, not cattle gates.)
     
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  7. Dont

    Dont Just another old gray Jarhead Monkey

    House cat's do not do so well out here in the hills.. Yotes and mountain lions like to eat them as well as any other critter that can't fight back.

    Had duck's and chicken's here for several years and I left them to free range. They did well as long as they stayed out of the woods. The chickens figured it out quickly. I found quite a few piles of duck feathers out in the woods.

    Is there much clay in the soil or is it sandy? If theres clay then you may be able to just dig out a deep pond and stock it with fish. Sand makes a good start on gardens as long as you amend the soil. The other thing about a pond and ducks is they crap in the water and soil sloughs off into it.. Makes for very nutrient rich soil for the garden. Also, encourage the growth of those berry canes along the fence line and some "pretty" thorny roses. Rose hip tea is very benificial to ones health. As are te thorny barrior they create... Does that creek originate up hill from the property? Gravity fed water is great! Irrigation as well as possitble hydroelectric..

    I am very glade you have found a safe haven. Make the most of it..
     
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  8. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    My pond has a hole in the liner and I was going to fill the pond in. But someone just gave me a pail of fastset Quikcrete. Allegedly this stuff is a great sealer. I will be testing it out & if it works and you may want to keep some on hand if you opt to keep the liner.

    Quikrete 20 lb. FastSet Repair Mortar-124120 - The Home Depot
     
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