CrabGrassAcres

Daughter is gluten, soy and corn free. I don't eat soy or any beans at all as they badly affect my kidneys and I get gout. I'm on a chronic kidney disease diet so have to watch the protein and phosphorus intake and avoid oxalates.

I bake and cook nearly everything from scratch. I cook separately for daughter and for myself. I raise most of our meat, all our eggs and dairy. I have to be sure the goats don't get any gluten as daughter will react to the milk. The only meat I don't raise is beef and I try to get organic grass fed whenever possible. I just put a goat in the freezer and will be butchering the pig shortly. He is over 300# now. We eat a lot of home grown chicken, some duck and turkey. Right now I'm in eat down mode and trying to use up all the meat I've got canned.

If you buy production hens, they will lay nearly every day, but rarely will one set. Then get some game type hens for your setters. Old English Game bantams are absolutely the best setters I've seen. I've got one setting down in the barn on the bags of oats and she doesn't even budge when I'm in there moving bags around and making noise. She didn't even get up when the feed delivery came and two strange men were in there stacking bags. They almost tossed a bag of oats on top of her! I have some OEGs that set nearly continuously all yr. They will take care of the babies unless I grab them first and put them in a brooder. In that case the hen will usually go right back to setting.

I'd keep the setters in one area with their rooster and the egg layers in a separate area with their roosters. The setters will cover the larger eggs, just not as many if you are using bantams.

Cornish hens will set very well too, though I haven't found them to be the best moms. Most of mine will set constantly (except to get off once a day to eat and drink) and not get off the nest to care for chicks, I have to grab the chicks as they hatch.

We had barely pulled out of the drought, hit extreme this past summer, and are sliding back in.

When I was hauling water and ran out during snow season (because the road was too bad to pull the water trailer over) , I would keep a large pot next to the stove, full of snow. Have some HOT water on the stove and add snow to it until it is full of slush. Let it get hot before using if you aren't running it thru a really good filter. If no filter, boil whatever you are using for cooking or drinking.

50s yesterday, 60s today, 70s tomorrow. Freezing overnight last night again. Most of it is missing us again. We rarely see very cold here.

I'm willing to share info and encourage others online because very few who are reading this know my name or address and none of them live near me. I figure gov snoops have ways of finding stuff out, but I'm such small potatoes that I don't think I have anything to fear from them. It is the "I know whose house I'm going to when SHTF" crowd that concerns me that would recognize me on national tv. I try to keep quiet about such things close to home. Everyone around here knows I have the animals and they also know I do a monster shop every month or two. One of the neighbors drives me to the store. What I have stashed is my business.

Might be a good time to get an order of broilers and raise them yourself.

Sounds interesting, but I don't particularly care to have myself "exposed" to millions for their entertainment.

Interesting. My method of bulk chicken requires an order to a hatchery, 8-12 weeks of grow out then slaughter, and clean, etc. I usually just eat the extra roosters though.

They are fun and cute, but a lot of work! I got them all on the bottle now. Still need to take some pix, but it has been so cold.

Stare out the window.

Ducks are always good for a laugh. Kids bouncing around in their pen. Geese playing in the pond.

I love to listen to good sermons online and good Christian music.

Sometimes, I just sit and pray and cry a while though.

I swapped some molasses I was never going to use to a friend for 17 glass, 1 gallon pickle jars.

I don't particularly like the idea either. I prefer to see the jars well supported from the bottom.

As an RN, I'd say a LARGE number of doctors would score very high on that scale! LOL

I use dry green peas some. They are commercially dried though. I soak them then pressure cook. They do require a good bit of seasoning, but I use them in soup or some other dish, not alone. Daughter likes them ok if i mix them with other things in soup or a casserole type dish. I can't eat them because of kidney problems. I normally use a lot of onion and garlic in the dish with them.

12%

You are warm and empathic with a heightened awareness of social responsibility and a strong sense of conscience. You like to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of a situation before you act and are generally averse to taking risks. You are very much a ‘people person’ and dislike conflict. ‘Do unto others…’ are your watchwords. But, although you avoid hurting others, those residing at the higher end of the psychopathic spectrum might not be as considerate, so stay vigilant to avoid being hurt unnecessarily.

Not sure I could even take a selfie doing that! LOL

I am so exhausted that I just let the other two moms in the yard. I'll separate them tomorrow and get started with the bottles. I still have evening chores to stagger thru.

More pix later. Too tired now and need to eat. Peach had one huge buckling this morning at crack of dawn. Then Meggie had boy/girl twins. Then Mocha had boy/girl twins. All on their feet and nursing. I put Marla and Glennis out this morning, so when they come back to the house I will milk them and start their kids on the bottle. Not truly my favorite job, but those little boogers were sure hard to catch this morning to put in the crate, so it is definitely time to start the bottle. More work up front, but the rest of their lives they will be easier to work with.

Feed prices are down, so this would be a good time to get a batch of broilers to go in the freezer.

Yes, G names this yr! Last yr was V names.

Thanks, Mt Rider. I wish you could find a good buck!

Here are Geraldine (nursing) and Giraldo, (facing the camera)!

Thank you, Jeepers.

Should have more kids real soon!

Yes, MILK! Soon anyhow.

I have 4 that should kid any time and look like all are carrying at least 2 kids. Two others that may be carrying singles but if they settled, they did it just before the buck left the premises. I'm hoping for a good crop of doelings since these are the last from that wonderful buck as he died suddenly last week at my friend's farm. I'm really sad about that. I was working on a new paddock for him to come home to.

Thanks! They are moved to the back yard on the nice thick grass with mama. Both on their feet and nursing. All is good.

My Senior doe, Glennis had twin doelings today! This makes 7 doelings she has given me. She had triplet bucklings one yr and I milked her thru one yr. 3 sets of twin doelings and one single doeling. She is a fine doe! The babies are Gertrude (black and brown) and Genevieve. They were born in a grassy field, but I moved them to the fenced off portion of the driveway till Glennis passes the afterbirth then she will go into the fenced, grassy back yard with the babies. I will let her keep them two or three days then put them on the bottle along with the rest of this yrs' (yet to be born) kid group.