[Rod]

Thanks Carl ,Ill try to locate that back issue at SFJ.

[Rod]

I got some good information from Tillers international. http://www.tillersinternational.org/sales/pubYokes.html
They have some guides on making yokes, templates and other publications for sale at reasonable prices.

[Rod]

One reason I feed grain is my steers are new to me and the feeding is part of the process of getting them to know me and making them easy to catch. My other cattle (Miniature Lowlines) get no grain ever and stay very fat and sleek on free choice hay alone. I will be phasing the grain out to these as they get older and more used to me but I think it also helps I think as they are still growing.

[Rod]

I feed mine, 14 month old Durhams, 4 Qts of coarse 14 feed plus free choice good dry hay. They have a lot of growing to do yet. The hay is a round bale so it’s hard to determine how much they are eating daily.

[Rod]

Hi James

I have been following your posts for a while and do not have anything to add about the trucking but have been a beekeeper for 40 years and also have raised sheep for market lambs.
All these enterprises have a learning segment which if you are like me is where you can make all your mistakes which usually usually means costs and frustrations. Lamb taste varies with the breed, the coarse wool breeds usually have less of the oiley taste. I think a commercal lamb with some Dorset in may be a good start and I would suggest buying some weaned lambs to start. Parasites are a major issue with sheep but usually not as bad the first year on new pasture. You need to be in shape to manhandle the lambs for worming etc. and with your back issues is something to think about.
Bees also have a big same learning curve and it’s best to start out small to keep the mistakes from overwhelming you. Buying few good nukes in the spring and setting up in a good honey flow area can yeild you a decent honey crop which at retail can be profitable. Wholesale is hard to justify because of the low prices. Sometimes you can sell direct to small stores at a better price but a farmers market or sign at your house will bring the best price. I get $5 a lb. this way. Bee have thier problems the biggest ones of which are mites and colony collapse. What a good start up senerio can be is to buy nukes in the spring and taking all the honey in the fall. Pollonators want strong hives and moving them is very physical, and they need to be moved often and at night. The honey stuff needs a way to extract, clean and bottle the product which usually involves a honey processing house and then thier is the equipment issue. Used equipment is not a good idea because it often has disease spores etc in the combs which can lead to a hive disaster.
I hate to be so discouraging because but the worst is to invest in something without having open eyes and then having to deal with the train wreck after the fact. I have always found that the best enterprise to work at when you need the money to live on is work at something you know. From that platform then you can try something new part time and learn as you go.
Good luck.

[Rod]

I seem to recall seeing a nice example of an old ice house at the Billings Farm in Woodstock. Might be worth a look see if you want to build something like it.

[Rod]

[QUOTE=. Whoa starts being a reward on the ground when they stand quietly in hand and you stop contacting or giving them any signals on the head and scratch them on the withers for standing quietly.

Hi Jason

I want to be sure I understand what you wrote above. Do you mean its not good to give them the contact, scraching etc when they stop, or that it is good to do that?

[Rod]

Thanks, that is something I can try before going to the trouble of making something.

[Rod]

It’s a Farmi (sorry) 290. pulls 6400 lbs. I had a professional welder add to the bottom to fit my bigger tractor when I upgraded. Come over and take a look at it. 802-376-5474

[Rod]

Hi Frank

I have a nice Valby winch I was planning to post in the for sale catagory. It’s in very good condition, used very little. Price is $1500.

[Rod]

Good points. One of my pet peeves is the computers which have replaced the library card file which IMHO worked much better for the using public but I suspect the computer is easier for the Library staff. That’s the case often with computers that they make the staff work easier but are not that great for the using public.
The vast amounts of money and time being spent on computerizing the voting process is another example of mass stupidity IMHO. If some people cannot mark a card correctly or punch out a punch card how will they be on a computer. I think it would make more sense to require voters to pass a test on putting a black mark on a voting card ( like we do in Vt.) or punching out a card than to go the the vast undertaking of revising the whole voting system and replacing it with a hackable, power dependent, and vulnerable computer system.
Anyway I agree with you.

[Rod]

No complaints, I think the forum is great. I used to be on symilar one for Dexter cattle until it shut down. These Forums are really helpful and a great resource. Thanks for setting this one up for us and the effort it takes to stimulate and keep it going.

[Rod]

It’s hard to know the configuration of your trailer floor, but if you think you might have a strength problem with the floor boards consider overlaying them with some 3/4 plywood. This will help distribute the point loads from the oxen hooves over a a wider area and more floor boards.
I recently have put a 5000 lb. Bobcat in my 16′ stock trailer with no floor reinforcment and no problems. That load would be around 1250 Lbs. per wheel on the 2×6 floor boards.
Hope this helps.

[Rod]

Great poem.

[Rod]

I think you are on to something with the treadmill Idea. Who will be first to hook up a small generator to the tredmills in the fitness centers and sell “green” excersize? Save oil while you tread.

[Author]

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