Once upon a time, in the middle of nowhere... (Pic heavy!)

Leshy

Full Member
Jun 14, 2016
2,389
57
Wiltshire
Brilliant! It must feel great to finally have the sun shine down on your house again . 🌞
Long may it last and hope the race to get everything done is a great success.

👍👍
 
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Big G

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 3, 2015
3,144
0
Cleveland UK
Ayra, Beautiful place you have there :cool:

Sorry to hear the loss of your dog :( we lost one of ours last year... our Bella a staffy aged 7 :(
 

Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
40
Norway
Thank you! I'm sorry for your loss too 😞 You had a Staffordhire Bullterrier? Mine was an Amstaff. The best dogs ever!
 
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Big G

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 3, 2015
3,144
0
Cleveland UK
Thank you! I'm sorry for your loss to �� You had a Staffordhire Bullterrier? Mine was an Amstaff. The best dogs ever!

Hi Ayra, she was a English Staffordshire Bull terrier.. the most loyal.. loveable.. placid dog you could wish for. But she had to go on medication for skin allergys.. caused complications as she got older. :(

Yes the bull terrier breeds are great dogs!
 
Jan 19, 2013
139
1
Finland
I know what I'm talking about, at the moment I worry about 2 houses and a summer cottage...
Not to mention horses, dogs, family etc.

A long wait till it's just leisure and relaxing. With your line of business, it will never end.
 

Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
40
Norway
I've kind of made the same conclusion my self, haha! It is a never ending cycle of work, but it is worth it. It is the life I've lived since I was a child.
Sometimes I wonder why I didn't just start with stamps or gel nails, especially when I'm preparing to put new shoes on a horse, but those days pass quickly 😉
 
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Jan 19, 2013
139
1
Finland
Oh yes, shoes, or even better, replacing worn studs on those shoes and with only a cold stable and a headlamp...
Still waiting for the development of a working tool for that.

But to make life easy we just got 2 puppies today, 7week old... So more mess the merrier.
 
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Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
40
Norway
Oh yes, shoes, or even better, replacing worn studs on those shoes and with only a cold stable and a headlamp...
Still waiting for the development of a working tool for that.

But to make life easy we just got 2 puppies today, 7week old... So more mess the merrier.
There are cheap tools to make it easy :) Like this one:
1a9b421b5d92a57af9a298f205162764.jpg


Congratulations on your new puppies!
May I ask what breed? Both dogs and horses 😊
 
Jan 19, 2013
139
1
Finland
Gone though dozen of those, even grinding away the taper in the opening, but if studs are worn, it's hopeless. 10mm wrench with 30cm tail welded on it has been the best so far.

Horses are finnhorses and the pups are unwanted labs, need to find a home for the boy. Older dogs are mixes, one a complete mutt with unknown background, one is a silken and one border collie x australian koolie. Our pack was cut by three during last year so starting to slowly replace the numbers :)
Just not so easy when married to a vet, most breeds are out due to health.
 

Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
40
Norway
The easiest solution to your stud problem is to change them before they get completely worn out 😁 (just teasing).

Finnhorse, isn't that an endangered horse breed now, or am I confusing it with an other breed? We have the same problem with the Norwegian breeds, so my next horse will be a Dølahest/Dole horse I think 😊

Mixed dogs can be great!

Lucky you, being married to a vet 😁 That is very handy!
 
Jan 19, 2013
139
1
Finland
That's an excellent advice :lmao:
Yeah, at times it has been very handy especially now that all small animal emergencies are centered over 100km away and these things rarely go ouch between 8-16...

I think there is a population around 20 000 of the finsk kallblod, so not quite extinct, but not a lot if looking at it world wide.

Thank god I don't actually have a farm, there would be exponential numbers of various animals :cool:
 

Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
40
Norway
Spring is finally upon us, even though we might still get some snow the next month, and we are starting to prepare for the new season.
That means full panic... :lmao:

Yesterday I added Quails to my feathered collection :D Funny little creatures.
I was expecting them to take a few days in their new home before they start laying eggs, but they have already started!

V1 by Lykketrollet, on Flickr

V7 by Lykketrollet, on Flickr
Perfect camouflage!

V2 by Lykketrollet, on Flickr

V3 by Lykketrollet, on Flickr

V5 by Lykketrollet, on Flickr
 

Leshy

Full Member
Jun 14, 2016
2,389
57
Wiltshire
Great addition to your homestead Arya!

The quails eggs are smaller than chickens but on average a good quail will lay about 300 eggs a year , so almost twice as productive as a good chicken.

Also i think quails eat less than chickens (?) ...and quail tend to produce eggs after just 6 weeks!!!👍👍
They're like the rodents of the bird world ! 😄

From birth to maturity just 6 weeks 😵...

That is great, as it means you can keep a easy and steady quail meat supply, for it has a fairly quick turnaround time 😉
And they stop producing eggs at 1year old ...
I hear those things are tasty too ! 👍

Also, as a bonus... their poop is like brown gold used as compost! Save it and use it for your flowers and forest garden!!!👍👍

The only thing with quails is that they are much better at flying than chickens ... so clipping them wings may have to be done if they're kept outside.

Or ...If in a big cage , maybe fit some wheels around the bottom (old supermarket's shopping trolley wheels) so you can move them around your fields ... Change of scene is good for birds too....😄
Saying that , is probably too cold there for them....

Either way , I'm sure you probably knew all that anyways , so apologies for the rant.😉

Just wanted to say , Congratulations on your first egg !
May it be the first of many!!!

Happy spring!!!
👍👍


PS- here are some links related to your new venture ...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/coturnix-quail-zmaz81sozraw


Small ebook:

http://greatlakespermacultureportal.../2013/12/BD-Ebook-quail-for-meat-and-eggs.pdf
 
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Arya

Settler
May 15, 2013
796
59
40
Norway
@Leshy Thank you for that info and those links! This is my first experience with quails on my own, so I have a lot to catching up to do.
They are supposedly even easier to keep than chickens! We'll see about that, but they seem to behave a bit different from the chickens. They seem more friendly with each other.
Chickens can be brutal!

We have wild quails here in Norway, but they are endangered now. But that means they are well suited for our climate here :)

@santaman2000 Is there any meat at all on those tiny bodies?
 

Leshy

Full Member
Jun 14, 2016
2,389
57
Wiltshire
You're very welcome !

And yes , there's plenty of meat (high protein, low fat ) on those...
I think you cook it like you would cook venison....

👍

Edit:
Damn , i meant pheasant ...NoT venison 😵
 
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mr_magicfingers

Full Member
May 15, 2012
53
2
London
What a wonderful place. How far out of town are you there, how long does it take to go to get stores/supplies?

Also, do you have an instagram account? You take lovely photos and I'm sure folks would enjoy following along with your homestead adventure.
 

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