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RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

hotrodryder — Sat, 01 May 2010 18:42:53 GMT

First and foremost; there is NO such thing as a free horse, cow, pig, etc.... I have more "free" animals than you can shake a stick at.

Second, never let someone who is unable to send an animal to sale/slaughter help take care of that #$%^@& orphaned bull calf!! I now have a 2 year old Hereford bull I can't breed cause he is line related, can't eat cause he is hubby's "pet" and can't sell (see above reason).

Sell the jumping cow the minute you find out who she is. Do NOT breed her!!

A wild crop is only worth gathering if you can sell it. Do not bother gathering pawpaws and walnuts until you find a buyer, btw, chickens don't eat pawpaws, nor do cows, goats or pigs.

If you are too sick to feed, and let hubby do it for you, hubby WILL get the truck hung up in the field. He will also take out half your hotwire and wrap it around the front and rear axels of his truck on Christmas morning if you let him try to "help"; he will then take a nap while you fix it.

Turkeys and chickens do not mix. Chickens carry a disease that kills turkeys.

Do not overestimate how much you can do, add a few things at a time and dont try to do it all at once. I overbought plants and flowers and trees one year and only got half in the ground. Lost a bunch of money and got hubby mad. Now I add one or two things a year and in five more years or so will have everything in, just the maintainence to keep up then.

Don't base your farm plan on an animal you don't like. We have Herefords cause they came with the farm and I don't like cows. I like raising dairy feeders, hate having permenant cows here. I would love to turn this into a fowl farm, but am stuck with the cows cause it would not be cost effective to change now.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:03:08 GMT

Just the cold in general can be hard to calculate. When I put up a page wire fence a few months ago I thought it would last a long time. Granted I bought thin gauge wire which a mistake unto itself, not realizing the sheeps sharp hooves, and deep cold made the wire brittle which was easily broken. So that was a mistake I won't do again.

Another mistake was placing too many hay bales within sight of the sheep. The flock did not eat all my hay thankfully, but I could have saved a few bales by only moving enough hay near the heavy use area for one week of feed out instead of a few weeks.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Farmermom — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:49:08 GMT

C it can always get colder LOL We're going to have a warm up the first of the week tomorrow it's going to get up to 17* and monday we might hit 30* it's 0* here right now LOL

Hubby & I had to remove 5 windows today from a house that's being torn down and I had to keep going out & sitting in the car with my toes stuck up in the heater to thaw them out the windchill factor was so low.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

cweick — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:47:43 GMT

"thinking" it can't get any colder. Sometimes the windshield factor never even crosses your mind until you are out there trying to work.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:21:19 GMT

Supposedly there is a family grave near me that is completely obvious to maps. My Grandmother said she heard about our family there and described the road in detail and everything. I was skeptical because the road she described was identical to the next road up, but of a different name. Then I talked to a researcher of deeds who does work for the local survey company here and he said my Grandmother was right. The cemetery exists but is not on a map of any kind, but one or two people have found it while hunting but could never find their way back there. I plan to go look for it sometime in late fall/early spring when the leaves are off the trees.

Yes a real hidden cemetery hunt!

As for being the local undertaker...good for you. Too bad you could not document what you know. As more and more people get into genealogy, that information will be so valuable. Oh and loved the dynamite story...I got a couple cases here of it too just in case a project calls for it. (Hint...add in some copper sulfate for an even bigger boom!)

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Farmermom — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:23:24 GMT

Yes that's why children get planted in the winter, it's hard enough doing it the day of the funeral for the parents so instead of making them go thru that again in the spring they get buried.

I've dug more than I can remember and we found a few that were in the wrong places because years ago records weren't kept all that good in some cemetarys. Then there was the one that was on a ledge (the guy had had his wife cremated when she passed because of the ledge) and he had put it writing that he couldn't be cremated so we had to have the grave blasted and the company we hired to do the blasting used 14 half sticks (nothing like a little overkill LOL) - we could have driven the dumptruck into that hole & buried it After that incident the cemetary changed that section to cremations only.

When we were caretakers of 3 of the local cemetarys people used to joke we were full service - if you called an ambulance there was a good chance my father or myself would be on call and if the person passed away there was a good chance we would be doing the burial -the joke was you call, we haul, we plant. At one time or another my sister & I have worked at every cemetary here in our town and the next town over.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:15:50 GMT

I noticed its usually the children that die that get planted in the winter only because it saves the parents from a Spring time grave side service again. ???

Incidentally my Great Grandfather was digging a grave in 1923. It was November and they wanted to get the hole dug before freeze up. So he dug it in the rain, contracted pneumonia and died. They always said he "dug his own grave", and funny enough, this was my Grandmother's father whom she never saw as her mother was pregnant with her when he died.

Myself I have only dug one grave and it was as a helper. We have a town selectmen that is not very nice, nor does he like to spend money. When the sextant that we had quit, the selectman took over and put a dead woman in the wrong spot. The family was furious, but he went right on TV and said, "the town is not paying to move her. If the family loves her enough, they can pay to have Grandma moved."

Well mistakes happen, but so what. So a bunch of us guys got together, dug the lady up, had a pastor say a quick prayer and moved her over to the right spot and replanted her. Done deal, middle of the night, no one knew, etc as it was highly illegal. But hey break a silly state law about disturbing a grave, or have a person forever buried in the wrong spot??? Sometimes you got to break laws to do what is ultimately right.

Come to think of it, I get involved in some crazy things doing what is right sometimes...

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Farmermom — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:35:54 GMT

DB they normally wait until spring because it's cheaper, the ground might be easier to break right now where we did have that warm snap but usually they have to rent a jackhammer to break the top layer so the backhoe can do it's work. We had a few we had to do that way and it stinks, because it's so much harder to dig in the winter cemetarys down this way charge a min of $500 extra to do a winter burial.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:12:03 GMT

Well at least you can shovel Cweick, here the dirt gets a little hard after it hits 0º for a week straight!

I was surprised though that they are going to bury my Grandmother due to the frost that is in the ground. A friend of the family said he would be nice enough to dig the grave for her with his excavator. (You southerners call them trackhoes) It's a nice gesture because they typically plant people that die over the winter, in the spring making for two services.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

cweick — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:17:06 GMT

Right now it's not keeping the file in the bucket. You just don't know how many roots you have to deal with until the shovel is dull.

I though the soil would be nice and easy to dig with the rain and all. Well now P2 and I are digging gum/sticky Mississippi red clay. I guess we could be in bigger trouble if it was the white sponge clay.

Not getting that extra bag of cement. P2 and I got another bag and now hubby is asking for 40 more........now how many trips will that be in a 2002 Jeep liberty. The bright side I can drive only 4 miles one way to the hardware store. Look out Mr. Goings "I'll be back."

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Farmermom — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:32:28 GMT

Another mistake that you should never ever make is putting eggs in your jacket pocket & forgetting you did it until you stick your hand in the pocket the next day & find out it's way too late

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

chet — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:32:22 GMT

Senior Member,

Thank for your wisdom. Makes mucho cents$$ to me!

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:56:11 GMT

Too bad you could not get some of that camouflage military netting Wichman. That would shade your house and the beans could climb it. I think your idea has merit after all...just needs to be tweaked a bit.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Wichman — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:13:10 GMT

One year I decided to grow pole beans against the west side of my house.
The concept was to get some fresh food from a wasted space and to shade the house from the afternoon sun (that wall of the house would still be warm well after sundown)
I used trellis netting to provide support.
All went well until it really got hot, the beans turned their leaves perpendicular to the sun. I harvested plenty of beans, but got little shade when it was needed.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

cweick — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:27:45 GMT

Using cheap tin to cover the chicken coop.. Just went to Patten's and laid down my b-day money for 26 guage tin to replace the thinner than paper tin that we got from Lowe's. However that tin will be reused as the outside walls for the pig shelter just got to find the person who barrowed the tin snips.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:22:34 GMT

I made a mistake last year and that was listening to the State of Maine livestock expert. She came over to check out the farm and said that my 3 sided sheep shed should be enclosed to keep out the southeast wind.

Figuring she knew what she was talking about, I went ahead and put up some plastic.

BIG MISTAKE.

I live on a hill so the wind is always blowing and that plastic would often snap with the wind jumping the sheep. They also could not see me coming, so as I stepped through the plastic, the skittish sheep would jump. One actually jumped over a gate it was startled so much. She landed hard upon her stomach and the thrashing ultimately caused her to abort the two lambs she had within her.

Now I realize that cold dry sheep are very happy sheep. I took the plastic tarp after last years mishap and will never put it up again. Sheep are very hardy and do not need a lot of shelter. As I type this, the wind is blowing hard and we have 6 inches of snow on the ground...the sheep are outside despite having a barn they can get into and be out of the wind, snow and cold temps. As a farmer I have learned that the sheep know what is best for them.

So watch your animals and take cues from them, not "livestock experts".

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:16:21 GMT

Farmermom...as I watch the Amish treat their women like larvae lower then whale poo...and the women seem to love being treated that way...I wonder if I should go over the rock wall and find my next wife. I am not really into having 13 children, but not having to do the dishes sounds good! Dish washed pruned hands are WAYYY over-rated. (LOL)

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Farmermom — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:05:29 GMT

DB you might want to check with the monument company I think they can sandblast the engraving off and redo it.

Either that or just buy a bigger monument to cover #1, #2, #3, #4 ect.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:18:43 GMT

I would warn people to be wary of getting roped into the con game of "while you are at it, you could add..."

I did this when my sister died. She was 19 and killed in a car accident. Since my parents were completely devastated, I took care of most of the arrangements. One thing is for sure, when you do such things, you often think of your own mortality.

So as I bought her headstone I figured I could get a deal if I bought two headstones at the same time. One for her and one for me. No big deal, so I had it all laid out and delivered and set up with my sisters. (we are side by side).Now all was perfect in the world, I got a spot for her, a double spot for me and my wife, and of course the headstones.

Then I got divorced....

Ummmm, this is not good. I got this really nice headstone with Tina's name on it even though I am now married to a Patty. To be honest with you I am not sure what I am going to do, I have a few options I think.

1. Chisel a slash through Tina, add a little carrot and add in Patty above it
2. Use duct tape with Patty written on it with a Sharpie
3. Add a #1 in front of Tina then add a second line with #2 and add Patty since I know full well with my attitude I certainly will have a #3 wife, a #4 wife, A #5 wife, etc
4. Just take the rock home, flip it upside down and use it as a huge granite surface block

(LOL)

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:08:36 GMT

I so agree Start Up Man. You talk to people today and they have this huge notion that for some reason they need to OWN land to farm, but I assure you, you don't need a lot of it. It depends upon where you live of course, but where I live, plenty of landowners are willing to let you graze your animals on them just to keep the fields fields, and there is something peaceful about grazing sheep...even more peaceful when they know they don't have to deal with those sheep much.

As I move forward, I am drafting up some leases because I am getting more and more requests from people hoping to have me graze their fields. For me that is a great move because they are paying the property taxes on it, and I am not paying a cent. Even on the big dairy farm the vast majority of the land is farmed on other peoples farms of which we rent. Again all this saves a huge amount of money and is why we are profitable.

I often laugh today when people say it is too expensive to farm, it really is not, it is just that people want to start way too big. They are not content to start with a few animals and see where it goes. They want 5 of everything, or 100 of one thing, instead of starting with 4 and letting the natural reproduction of the animals build their flock/herds. People want now what their grandparents took a lifetime to achieve...shame on them.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

thestartupman — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:31:38 GMT

I think another mistake to keep from making, is taking on debt. Its best to pay for things as you go if at all possible. Nothing causes stress more than debt.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

cweick — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:16:11 GMT

Ma-Roo (Production Red Rooster) did that to me only once and I gave him his first flying lesson that day. Once we got that over with, when I entered he made sure that I was a good arm reach away and then some.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Farmermom — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:36:00 GMT

Turning my back on a rooster that thinks it's fun to attack. You know what happens when they hit you in the back of the knees? He's not happy with me right now I kick back

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

covergirl — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:25:07 GMT

Mistakes are merely discoveries waiting to be found.
and I have found...

a boar pig will find a way out of his pen.

your stud horse will get out of any halter and lead rope
you tie him up with.
the mare that is tied up near the stud horse
has [u]no idea how to get out of her halter and lead rope.
[/u]

goats will chew up and eat anything, and they are fast !
they can chew your stud horses lead rope in half
before he can get out of his halter.

so we all know
armor all on a motorcycle seat is bad,
I can personally report that show sheen on your horses back is worse !

Rats will bite you, especially the ones that are tame.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

mystnd — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:45:17 GMT

I've made so many mistakes, I didn't know where to start but last night (or yesterday rather) the goats and pigs got out AGAIN!!!! I can't tell you how many times I have fixed this area's fence. And it all started when I hired two "temp" workers and my 13 year old to put up the fence while I was doing something else. I would come over and ask if they were doing OK and they said yes. Guess the reason was because they weren't doing it worth *&%*&%*%^&%^ At any rate, the lesson learned is not to trust people who don't know what they are doing. Next spring I am going to take it all down and start over. Oh the joy of wasting time!! Mary Ann

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

cweick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:33:11 GMT

Just let your chickens have an hour or so on them and they will cut you down to none. P2 is now down to 14 chickens and it took them a few hours to wipe out the mustard greens that he planted. This morning I saw his keets had found his crimson clover, so I'll see what is left when I get home this evening using my rechargeable flashlight to feed up. Old habits whether right or wrong are oh so hard to break. But you still got to love it.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

thestartupman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:50:32 GMT

That is one thing I have gone away from completely. No more flashlights with throw away batteries. Always dead when you need them, or coroded. If you have a battery operated drill, get a flashlight to go with it. I also keep a hand crank flashlight around for a backup.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

cweick — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:38:58 GMT

Not throughing away the rubber boats with holes in them. It never falls on a muddy day they are the ones I reach for and walk in. I've tried using an intertub patch kits on them, but the repair does not stay for long.

As BB and I had a conversation going on another post. I WILL NOT BE PLANTING FAVA BEAN ANYWHERE ON THE PLACE.

Not keeping the flash light fully charged. Now with the bobcat along with the coyotes running around I need it going strong on me in the middle of the night and not going out on me half way back to the house.

Kicking myself here...feeding old grapes to the flock...lost an Americana to one stuip grape when she ate it whole and it got wedged in her throat. Found her dead the next morning and when I turned her upside down and put a finger in her throat out came that stupid grape. NO MORE GRAPES FOR THE FLOCK EITHER.

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Williams — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:57:55 GMT

Bad animal mixes I will not try again:

pheasants and meat chickens

pigeons and chukars

bird dogs and barn cats

bird dog and pony

ram and pony

goat and pony - ok, I see the pattern develping on this one

meat birds and bottle rockets (ok, that's more a problem of mixing meat birds with an 11-yr old boy, but I won't repeat it :)

Some of these resulted in sudden death, slow death, or simple inconvenience - I found it's best to check with folks before I start throwing animals together and assuming it will work :)

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:18:16 GMT

The ONE big mistake I made was buying some cheap sheep. A local University had their flock of sheep for sale and a rock bottom price, I mean pennys per pound. They told me they had some "foot issues" so I asked around. Most people said pass on them as it could be worse then what they said it was.

I was pretty cocky and thought "its probably just due to a lack of management, not having one person in charge, and not knowing what they were doing." So I brought them home.

So far these sheep have cost me around $12,000 dollars in labor, vet bills, meds, time, culls, etc. The worst part is, I have introduced a bacteria that is forever present in the soils here. Without a question it was by biggest, most far reaching, most stupid mistake ever, all because I thought with some hard work I could beat it.

Yes I will eventually get some genetic resistant sheep to it, and I will eventually be able to farm profitably despite it, and I have learned a lot as I dealt with it. But it was an expensive education and an expensive way to get my genetics improved.

Stupid sheep! (LOL)

RE: Mistakes to keep from repeating

Drawbar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:11:38 GMT

I found the things I lust after the most are typically the things that once I get, I seldom use.

For instance I wanted a set of forks for my tractor in the worst way, and finally I went out and bought the steel and built them. I very seldom use them though once they were built. I just got so used to using the bucket to push up tree length wood, move bales around and other stuff that its more of a waste of time to put on a set of forks then it does to use a chain to move stuff with the bucket.

In my woodworking shop, I lusted after a hollow chisel mortise attachment for my drill press...same thing once I got it, I seldom used it. And the same thing for my panel raising router bits...never use them as I found other ways to get by.

So now when I find myself lusting after this or that, I try to take a step back and say, "would I really use it?" Its saved me money thinking that way.

Mistakes to keep from repeating

thestartupman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:45:40 GMT

Not having garden tools right next to the garden where they are easy to get to, and put away. Its better to have one shovel in the barn, and one in shed right at garden. Any one else have ideas? Plants not to plant near....? What not to feed animals....? What crop not to plant...? What tool was a waste of money to buy?