So you think you're a homesteader? Part 21

So you think you're a homesteader? Lessons from the MAYFLOWER... In the last post we discussed the importance of your "Mental Tool Kit" and the importance of flexibility. We left our colonist friends struggling with sickness & death while completing the first small structure on shore. Now in February 1621, They've also constructed another shed to store their supplies in and when weather permits they are having their worship meetings on shore. Cold, snow, rain & ice are hampering the boat work but still they begin to move their irreplaceable supplies from MAYFLOWER to the storage buildings. The master of MAYFLOWER, Christopher Jones has given up the idea of a speedy return to England because his crew is just as ill as everyone else. The mortality is reaching its peak now and the few able people are strained by caring for the ill, building the shelters and burying the dead. Natives have been seen for the second time so the need to secure their supplies ashore adds more of a burden. We won't name the dead individually but in memoriam of them all, let's remember Rose. Most people have heard of Myles Standish, the military advisor for Plimouth, soldier of fortune soon to be formally tasked with the defense of the colony, but who remembers his wife Rose ? Sadly Rose Standish dies at the end of January and is buried in that frozen ground. A party out duck hunting sees a dozen natives moving toward the build site and later their fires are seen from shipboard - the colonists fears seem realized as it appears the "sauvages" have found them and are closing in when they are most weak. Cheerful aren't I? So let's look at a lesson here, farming / homesteading always has been & always will be a daily gamble. A bet against the weather, the economy, animals, machinery & neighbors - all that on one side and just you with your body & brain on the other. So when the snow is falling, ground is frozen & you're surrounded by hostiles you've got two choices - sit down and give up or stand up and plow ahead. My observation of people who can live this life is that they're stubborn as hell. We will fight, we might die but we don't quit and that's the attitude that built this Nation.

- Unicoi Ludd

So you think you're a homesteader? Part 20

So you think you're a homesteader? Lessons from the MAYFLOWER- We left our colonist friends working on the first 20x20 building at Plimouth in the early part of January 1621, and examined the phrase "those that were able". Now it's late January and the time has come in this series to stop naming the dead individually. They deserve to be remembered but for the purposes of these posts it's enough to quote William Bradford about this period of time -" But that which was most sadd & lamentable was, that in 2 or 3 moneths time halfe of their company dyed, espetialy in Jan. & Feb....". If you've followed me this far I ask that you pause a moment and really think about that. Bradford goes on to say the cause was lack of shelter and the ravages of scurvy that caused "there dyed sometimes 2 or 3 of a day". You might ask why they didn't give up & return to England, well besides being committed to building a new life in the new world they couldn't go back if they wanted to. So many were ill that there weren't enough crew to sail the ship. Those that were able completed the building ashore only to see the thatched roof catch fire, fortunately only the roof burned and they were able to repair it. They plowed ahead (those that were able) and layed out sites for "meersteads" or individual homesites & drew lots to determine who got which site. Let's ask ourselves a question - why did they lack shelter ? After all they have seen plenty of native housing built from local materials that were functional, warm & dry- why not copy those? They faced vast forests and had the tools and man power to throw up log cabins in a hurry, why didn't they do that ? The answer to those questions is the lesson for this post. All people have a tool kit with them, some more complete than others but we all have one. The old saying- "If all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" applies to the tool kit we carry. No I'm not speaking of that metal box of hammers, wrenchs & screw drivers you keep in the garage ! I'm talking about your Mental Tool Kit - our friends on MAYFLOWER carried a mental tool kit from England & Holland that was limited to certain ideas of what a house was and couldn't see options that were better suited to the time & place. Log cabins were an idea brought to America by later immigrants from forest rich Scandinavia and Native housing was too "crude" in their eyes to be considered proper housing for civilized people. Failure to be flexible & imaginative led to the terrible mortality of 50%. In our lives today, many people neglect building their mental tool kit because they can "Google it" - that's fine but does "Google" know what you have to work with ? What local conditions & resources you have available? If you want to be independent you must stock you're brain with as much knowledge as possible and be able to adapt. Most problems aren't nails so make sure your brain isn't just a hammer.

-Unicoi Ludd

Why a Horse needs Shoes

I finally got a few minutes to explain a little about horse hooves and shoes.  The wall of the hoof continuously grows, similar to our fingernails. It basic purpose is to protect the bottom of the hoof (see 1st diagram) and the internal structures of the hoof (see 2nd diagram) from damage caused by normal ambulation.  Immediately inside the hoof are delicate laminae (see pic).  If a horse doesn't naturally keep hooves worn down, they require regular trimming to keep the hoof in proper balance.  When hooves are chronically overgrown, broken, split, cracked, diseased or improperly trimmed, the horse's hoof no longer functions at the proper balance or angle for the horse to distribute its weight on the hoof correctly.  Over time, that hoof takes on a different shape because the heels become narrowed, the frog becomes contracted,  the sole becomes tender, etc.  The laminae become very congested due to improper blood flow, and become very painful. The other internal structures of the hoof become damaged as well.  Over time, bone actually rotates and can even protrude through the bottom of the sole.  The old saying "no hoof, no horse" is a golden rule.
Shoes can help prevent those problems from ever starting and help existing problems from becoming worse (as long as it hasn't gone on too long).  Shoes are routinely used on most horses who are ridden or worked regularly simply because without shoes, their hooves would become overly worn.  Shoes provide better traction on rough terrain.  Shoes also provide better grip and traction for horses competing in running or performance events.
For the average pasture decoration horse, shoes aren't a necessity.  However, proper regular hoof trims are a necessity for almost all horses, donkeys, and mules.

- My Father's Daughter

So You think you're a homesteader Part 19

So you think you're a homesteader? Lessons from the MAYFLOWER..... we left our colonist friends not celebrating Christmas but burying their dead & building a 20 x 20 building to shelter themselves & their supplies. The weather is cold, windy & rainy in Plimouth harbor and the colonists and crew are very ill. Now is when we see a simple & grim phrase enter the record, "Those that were able". This sums up the situation succinctly- Those that were able went ashore to fell trees. Those that were able hewed timbers. Those that were able sawed lumber. Those that were able  to get up, to work, to not give up in despair. Those that were able build platforms to mount cannons for defense from the Spanish as well as the Natives. Degory Priest died Aboard ship & those that were able took him ashore for burial. The colonist's treasurer Master Martin ( the man who annoyed the shipwrights working on SPEEDWELL ) dies & those that were able bury him as well. This is a dark times for our friends, but I think there is an important lesson here. Too often we don't look at ourselves and the things we do from the perspective of "Those that are able". In America today we are pretty damn exceptional. We use the internet for information and entertainment but don't need to Google "How to start a fire". We build our shelters, grow our food and stay at home because we can, because we choose too. Right now thousands, maybe millions of weak, dependent people are in a panic because there no more bread in aisle 12. Take a moment anytime you are doing for yourself and puff your chest out, be proud of yourself. You are able & most of this country is not. Family talk trash about your lifestyle? Ask them a few questions, how able are they if the job dries up, if the power goes out or the stores run out of food. Be proud of yourself because YOU ARE ABLE !

By Unicoi Ludd

How Food Works in the Body of the Livestock

How Food Works in the Body of the Livestock

People don't really understand their own body and how food affects them, much less their animals/livestock. Some think they do, but when you ask specifics, they don't really. Lots of information out there, but who has time to read and figure it out? This is meant to be a brief overview as a continuation of "How to keep your Livestock Warm without looking like the Gentle Barn."

Carbohydrates have 2 main categories: simple and complex. Simple burn up FAST while the complex take more time. Example of simple: white sugar or starch like corn. Example of a complex: molasses. You will hear them referred to by medical professions as "Simple Carb" or "Complex Carb."

Proteins are how muscle is built and maintained. If your livestock does not get enough protein they will be diagnosed with "Wasting Disease" and the animal will deteriorate to skin and bones and expire. If you want to eat the animal, you want a good amount of muscle to then be able to put on your table. So, proteins must be fed to build it. When the body has more than it can use, it will store it as Fat. Fat is flavor. A healthy animal has a rounded belly and a ripple effect when it walks in its stride. The rounded belly indicates a build up of fat.

To know how much to feed, there really is not hard science to it, only recommendations on the bag. Like anything else in homesteading you have to develop an "eye." Does your animal have a rounded belly? Is it to round? Is there a ripple when they walk? Is there a healthy shine to their coat? If the answer is no, then try upping their feed for a few days and see what results you get at the end of the week. If it is what you want in a good way, well done, now maintain it.

Is it a warmer time of year and the animal is blowing it coat? Cut back on the protein. (Refer to How to keep your Livestock Warm...) They might be to hot on the inside and are trying to cool off. Feed them a cooler feed--grasses, browse, etc are all as cold of a feed as you can get. Sometimes I pull them off all their feed and just feed grass and browse for a week and see how they look. If they are improved, awesome. If not, might be time to start looking to see if they have parasites or a fungus. If they do, pay attention to their stools.

Sometimes, the temps drop drastically, and I will see the animal shivering inside their shelter. That is where the simple Carbohydrates come in. I will grab a scoop of cracked corn or oats and take it out there to them to "jump start" their internal heater. Then leave extra mixed grass and alfalfa hay in their feeder for the long steady burn they need to keep warm all night. I apply this to my fowl as well.

Here in E. TN the temperatures have varied from 22F one week, then 60F the next. So on the cold week, I feed.  22% protein grain twice a day and a constantly full bin of grass hay. During the 60F week, I feed half a bale of grass hay twice a day. Why? I didn't want them to blow their coat knowing colder temps of January were coming. The green grass literally started growing so they were out grazing too. So watch your area's temps and adjust accordingly.

Keep your shelters dry and warm with hay on the floor as insulation. Proper feeding and shelter then means heat lights are an unnecessary expense ($45/mo per bulb extra on an electric bill.) and an unnecessary risk for fire.

Remember: livestock have been existing in ALL climates since the beginning of time. They know how to keep warm. They just need you to provide the appropriate amount and type of food if they are fenced and have no way to get what they need themselves.

Happy Homesteading Twisted friends!
Boots N Lace