Over the last few months I have lost a few chickens to an opossum. Awhile back I picked up a .177 caliber air rifle to deal with predators for this very reason. I hunt regularly and own firearms as well but our neighbors are close enough that I didn't want to freak anybody out and fire off a rifle at 1am.

Anyway, a few days ago I hear the chickens freaking out around midnight because the opossum was back. I was able to get within about 10 feet and trap him in a corner. I put a .177 pellet right in the middle-top of his head which is where I was told was the best place for a kill shot. A blood stream poured out but he was a big bastard (probably because I'd kept him well fed) and he was still moving around. I put several more right around the same area and he slumped down and I assumed I'd gotten him. I had locked the chickens away in a different area so I decided I'd go to bed and I'd get the body in the morning. (For those of you who don't hunt, often times there might be a little fight left which is why you wait it out before collecting the kill.)

Lo and behold, all to be found in the morning was a blood trail that disappeared a bit outside my chicken run. Realistically there's a good chance he went and bled out somewhere in the woods. But regardless, I feel horrible he had to suffer at all and am looking for a better (but still quiet) varmint rifle.

I also wanted to use this post to express my remorse since my friend's are making fun of me for feeling bad about shooting the opossum that had killed several of my flock. But I just love animals. I aim to be a 100% ethical hunter, I train my aim all year, I've never shot more than once to take down big game (knock on wood). So this whole situation is foreign to me and it feels horrible.

Recently I have been looking to start homesteading and growing my own food forest, rearing chickens and goats to start small and scale up from there. I've looked into farm credit and USDA loans and I'm not sure if I should be looking for land first before contacting USDA about some of their first time/beginning farmer programs or if I need to have land scouted and zone for ag beforehand as well as a plan drawn up or if they have resources to help with that. I'd appreciate any advice, thanks I'm brand spanking new to this process

This past summer I installed a new shallow hand well pump at a local community garden where I volunteer. Once it's primed (by pouring a few cups of water into the top of the head), it pumps water like a champ. However after 10-15 minutes of sitting idle, it loses suction and needs to be re-primed before more water can be pumped out. I then installed a check valve at the bottom of the uptake pipe (about 15 feet down from the top of the head), which only gives it an extra 10 minutes before it again loses suction.
The company where I bought it claims this is normal operation for any hand well pump, but I'm seeing info online that claims shallow hand well pumps should stay primed for at least a few days, if not weeks.
Before I continue to chase this down, what is a reasonable amount of time I should expect this to stay primed? More info below:

- Pump is mounted above a cistern. Static water levels vary from 4' below the pump head, to around 12' if we're in a dry spell.
- I installed a check valve at the bottom of the intake pipe, but kept it a few feet above the bottom of the cistern to avoid pumping up sludge or leaf debris.
- All connections are sealed with plumber's tape.
- Seals inside the head are all rubber, free of cracks, and don't appear to be misshapen.
- I've checked the seals and check valve numerous times to make sure they're not clogged with leaf litter or twigs.

Thanks for your help!

I am finally getting the hang of my wood furnace and burned through a ton of wood early in the season while trying to fine tune my usage. I’ve seen cords from $200-$300 and expect to burn 6-7 next season with oil as my backup. On the property we have 25-30 trees (mostly >60’ red oak) I could identify to be taken down and processed. I’ve never felled a tree or split wood and I’m sure I could eventually but for next season I’m wondering if there’s cost savings to be had by either a) buying in the off season b) paying someone to fell and process. I guess the proper way to figure it out is to get an actual measurement of the trees and figure out how much wood I’d be getting and then price it out from there but if it’s generally not worth it I’d like some thoughts on it in advance.

Thanks!

Edit: I'm not debating whether or not to get them. It's probably too late to say this based on the number of comments I got already, thank you for the comments by the way. I just wanted to see the comparison because I wanted an idea of how much I would be spending on four hens so I can add it to my budget.

Original: I'm genuinely curious about the comparison. I may have the opportunity for our family to move somewhere we can finally have chickens. We're only allowed 4 hens but I'm sure that's more than enough.

I'm sure if all I did was give them feed it would have to cost more than buying the eggs and I don't know what foraging is like in Florida but I imagine the bugs are quite plentiful. Plus we would have space enough to grow some crops without issue.

Do any of you have any idea what a dozen eggs is worth to you as far as trying to divide up the time you spend and the amount you have to invest in the daily lives of your chickens. I don't ever hear anybody talk about shots for chickens the way every other animal seems to get them. I'm probably just missing part of the conversation or they might just be unnecessary because I think most of you guys cull The entire group if you have sickness and start again.
Chicks do seem pretty cheap (ha) and I've seen a lot of people say they do nothing but let them forage and eat the leftovers from the garden. I've even seen some people claim they safely let theirs into the garden to eat the bugs and somehow they don't eat anything else.

I'm not looking for one of those "what to do before buying chickens" conversations. Not currently. I'm just genuinely curious if anybody has done the math on what a dozen eggs from their chickens cost them

ProOne no longer makes a behind the fridge filter that also removes fluoride. Anyone have a suggestion?

I just learned about Experimental Farm Network. I also love Cicada Seeds and Small Island Seed Company (they are based in Canada and you want to make sure you have a phytosanitary certificate for what you are ordering ready.)

What are some of your favorite places that are U.S.-based or abroad that will ship to the U.S.? Just curious of other places with other variety that I haven't seen yet!

Re introducing my chicken

One chicken ended having coccidiosis so we brought her inside to give her medicine and to help her eat and drink. She seems to be all healed but yesterday when we brought her back outside to go back into the coop, the other chickens started pecking her. What is the best way to reintroduce her to the chickens? Help me please

Hi all! I have been collecting a lot of data to try to decide what states would be good options for my wife and I and potentially some other LGBTQ friends to purchase land in. Top of our list is safety for LGBTQ folks, and then also looking at climate risk. I made this map that combines both; I outlined the states with policies that support LGBTQ folks, and overlayed it on the FEMA climate risk map (https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/map and https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps). Thought I would share if it was helpful for anyone else! (This is still very rudimentary and not the prettiest lol). Next I plan on adding a layer that looks at affordability.

https://preview.redd.it/7hwg0hqikyge1.png?width=964&format=png&auto=webp&s=24cbaadad7a689aa29fc293bc39adb74718ecaf3

I've been looking for a piece of land to build a homestead on for a while now, and I've found a piece that with work would be suitable as far as I can see.. the estate agent recommended Swansea Building Society for a mortgage for the land but on speaking to them, they can't lend for what I plan on doing with it..

I think their red tape was around the non-traditional building style, because I want an eco-friendly container home type building as my main residence. I also have two horses to bring with me and over time would like to keep some more animals like chickens and possibly goats, and I would like to grow as much food as I can.

Does anyone have any suggestions for mortgage lenders that are able to support this kind of thing? I currently live in Essex, and have been struggling to find any information about land mortgages in general, let alone ones that can help me in Wales!

Thanks in advance!

I keep sheep, and I'm fortunate to have both a local butcher and tannery within 20 minutes of my place in SE Pennsylvania. The tannery only does a fur-on tanning process, so I have a nice collection of hides. However, they cannot and will not produce leather. Does anyone here know of a tannery in SE PA that will process fresh hides into leather? I'm not interested in doing this myself.

Recently set up an electric solar fence for pigs. I have a gear reel for the excess wire. Is it okay to hang the metal hook directly on the electric fence line? Or will this short it out?

I’m guessing it doesn’t cause any problems because the wheel is plastic?

Just unsure if I’m doing this right. Ty

PS: Me and my gf are both 18 living at our parents in New Jersey planning on moving to the Ozark/Tenessee/Kentucky area to start a homestead. We are planning to save up 100k+ within 4-5 years to buy land and to build a small home.

I'm having trouble finding anything that pays above minimum wage in New Jersey that doesn't require me to commit to it for more than 4 years (such as the trades). My gf is going to college for radiology but so far I can't find anything that works for me.

I don't like college but suggestions involving it are encouraged because I can apply for FAFSA. I do have a little automotive experience if that helps but I don't like the industry for personal reasons.

Hi there, So, at the moment I am fighting Houdini the mouse. I have a trap like in the picture, and the mouse got out of it 3 times. It ate the chocolate inside, but the mouse got out ,How? Like I don't get it where does it escape? Has anyone got a clue for me please? Thanks for the help.

Hi there. We bought 10 acres in central Virginia a couple years ago and are planning our homestead. Our land was timbered in the past, and they planted TONS of loblolly pines, so we have many trees in the 70’+ range. For the sake of being frugal, we have contemplated using them for fence posts. I know the species is not rot resistant at all, but I’d like to use them for something. We are not interested in getting logs pressure treated, but I was wondering if anyone has insight on how rot resistant yellow pine logs become if you burn them first. Would we be better off considering other options for wood that will be exposed to the elements and ground contact, or does charring yellow pine provide any significant rot and bug resistance? Thank you!

Hi all. I have the regular red walking onion, but I'm looking for the heritage white variety for a more sweet onion option. Most places won't ship until fall but I'd like to go ahead and get some and get them going. I'm in zone 8a and I've never had an issue getting them started at any time of the year. Southern Exposure, Planting Justice, and the EgyptianWalkingOnion.com website I found all won't ship until fall. If you have resources or are willing to trade, I'm game!

I'm in Zone 8A and want to know if currants are even a viable option to grow here. If so, what variety is recommended? It would be nice to have some of each color, but I'm also being realistic. Also, what gooseberry variety do you recommend? Also, where have you had the best luck ordering from? I'm finding shipping is ridiculous for such things (sometimes more than the plant itself). If there are some hidden gem places to order from, that would be helpful! Also, I'm willing to trade!

Any advice or recommendations are welcome!

If anyone is interested in raising meat rabbits or silver fox specifically, I am in central KY and started a substack to help educate people on how to raise rabbits. If anyone is interested you don't have to have an acct, you can simply subscribe to my substack via email, and it will email you stories i create directly. Its a pretty neat platform. I am trying to post a complete "how to raise meat rabbits" effectively with as little effort and issues as possible. Subscribe and follow for more information! If you are interested, if not, I don't give a poop.... -Justin Danger Nunley -_- lol. Have a good one everybody.https://substack.com/@countryviewhomestead/note/p-156278339

I like the idea of a thermal mass heater with a rocket stove to heat it up and radiate heat into the room its in, but thinking about cooling as well.

My current thought is running copper piping through the mass that would be filled with a fluid and lines that run underground. The liquid would absorb heat from the mass and cool it using geothermal and a circulator pump to circulate the liquid underground to be cooled. This would of course be used when the rocket stove is not being used.

Does this sound plausible? Would the thermal mass collect heat from the room and cool it down in the way I'm thinking here?

Does anyone in the Houston area ever need help? I would love to learn.