jason | KW Homestead

Author: jason (page 4 of 13)

Some Thoughts on Fencing and Homestead Design

Fencing is an integral part of farming, homesteading and permaculture. But there is more to a fence than just a boundary or barrier.

By laying out fencing, you create an element on the landscape that you can now design off of. Instead of having a blank canvas (sometimes the hardest thing) you have a structure that can be used and integrated into your homestead or permaculture design.

Fences create, define and reinforce zones and actvity centers. They can be also be used as trellises or in creative ways like chicken moats.

Once these sort of elements appear on your property, it becomes easier to build out around them and add other elements that coalesce into your design. An example would be: this fence divides the garden and the chickens, we need gates here, we could have 2 dwarf trees on either side of the gate, comfrey at the base, and vegetables trellised up the fence.

The next iteration of elements seems to spill out form the edges of the first, just like a forest with an advancing front of blackberries and other woody plants. I’m so excited about our new cattle panel fence, and the future of our homestead design, that I recorded this quick video today.

Also, be sure to check out Episode 2 of our his and her craft beer review series where we do an Ommegang’s Three Philosophers Review. Also, don’t forget to use our Amazon link before you do your last minute holiday shopping! Thanks!

Beauty and the Beerd: A His and Her Perspective on Craft Beer

December 16, 2014 / jason / 1 Comment

Today we are officially launching our new project, Beauty and the Beerd!

Beauty and the Beerd (with 2 e’s) is a video series where we review and talk about craft beer and boy are we are excited to bring a couples perspective to the world of craft beer!

We noticed that most of the internet activity about craft beer tends to be from men, and we thought that the time was ripe for a change. On our new video series, Emma and I will talk about topics ranging from introducing your spouse or significant other to good beer, the prettiest beer labels, which types of beers are best for beginning beer enthusiasts, and many more.

We want to bring both a male and female perspective to the table and are excited to see where we agree and disagree.

So, if you’re into craft beer reviews, beer or Kuska Wiñasun Homestead, be sure to check out beautyandthebeerd.com. You can subscribe to our Youtube channel where the latest episodes will be published twice a week and follow us on Facebook.

Be sure to check out episode 1, our review of Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale!

Cheers!

A Visit to Old Salem

December 15, 2014 / jason / Comments Off

Looking for something to do this holiday season around Winston Salem? Do you like old things? Then check out Old Salem. We went for a visit the other day and really enjoyed ourselves. If you’re into architecture, history, archaeology or homesteading, I think you’ll find Old Salem a fun and informing trip.

Moravian Stars on the Covered Bridge are just an appetizer

Old Salem is a living history museum based on the local Moravian community during the 18th and 19th centuries. As you wander the streets, you are able to interact with and question gunsmiths, bakers, doctors, and other members of the community.

Dressed in historically accurate garb and often performing traditional activities like candle making, baking, and soap making, these members recreate and help you to re-imagine life in a simpler time.

St. Nick at Old Salem

As someone interested in homesteading, and deeply curious about the skills and techniques of the past, our visit to Old Salem had my head spinning with new ideas fro our own homestead. Particularly, we enjoyed the old rail fencing styles, as much an art form as anything, and the candles made from beeswax and tallow.

a cool trough made from half a tree in a 200 year old barn

Because it was winter, the gardens weren’t in full production, but it was nice to see examples of espalier fruit trees and trellised vines in most of the gardens. I couldn’t stop admiring the different types of wooden fencing and can’t wait to try some out on our little homestead.

an example of some of the beautiful fencing

medical paraphernalia from the past

There is a lot to take in, and we will definitely be visiting again. Old Salem is a great place to bring kids, and I can see us going there for “field trips” in the future. You can buy tickets and memberships online at http://www.oldsalem.org/, and while anyone can wander the streets and enjoy the architecture and atmosphere of Old Salem, the exhibits do require a pass.

Be sure to check it out if your in town!

Bolt’s New Cattle Panel Fence!

December 11, 2014 / jason / 2 Comments

Bolt has a new fence! We built him a cattle panel and t-post fence in the backyard so he can stretch his legs a bit and burn off some extra energy.

bolt enjoying his new fenced in area

We used 16 foot welded wire cattle panels to enclose approximately 1/6 acre. We secured them to 6.5 ft. metal t posts that were pounded a few feet into the ground with a heavy duty post driver. A pair of bolt cutters helped to make three easy access gates, 1 to the garden, 1 to the corn crib/wood shed, and 1 to the side yard.

cattle panels make great fences for sloped land and small spaces

This fence also fences in our backyard food forest, and forms 1 edge of a future garden fence/chicken moat. I for one am excited to do some more fencing on the property, particularly fencing that establishes and defines permaculture zones and use areas. The fencing also can serve as a trellis for grapes, air potatoes, kiwis and even annual climbing vines.

I highly recommend cattle panel fencing to any homesteader out there needing to fence in a small area. They are easy to put up, take down, and last for decades. Stay tuned for a more in depth post on exactly how 1 person can put up a whole lot of fence in a short period of time with cattle panels.

Hawk Attack and Chicken First Aid!

December 10, 2014 / jason / Comments Off

We had another hawk encounter today, or rather our new bantams had a hawk encounter. I was outside working on bolt’s cattle panel fence when I heard strange chicken noises coming from the side yard. I looked over, and saw our banty hens and Roosty jumping and flying about making all kinds of racket. As I started in that direction, one after the other began to run away, and that’s when I noticed 2 black shapes off to the side.

cleo, recovering after a hawk attack.

1 was Cleo, an older black bantam hen, and the other was a small hawk! Once I realized this, I started running, and the hawk made one last effort to fly away and carry off the small hen. She got about 4 feet high, but dropped her, thankfully. The little bantam hit the ground running and shot straight into the new chicken tractor.

the hawk returns!

She let me pick her up, and I noticed that she had a few good cuts on the side of her head, but didn’t seem too bad off. her heart was racing, but she let me apply some plantain to her wounds and was soon drinking water and scratching around.

The other bantams, including Roosty the not too brave rooster, spent the rest of the day on the lam, hiding out in bushes, and even making their way into the standard chicken coop. I dont know if they felt safer there because of Rex, but it was funny to seem them all huddled in their together.

the rest of the banties taking cover in the old chicken yard

The hawk came back a few hours later, but with everyone well hidden and on the alert here wasn’t much for him to do. I was bale to snap a few pics as he sat atop a strawbale, looking for his next victim, before he flew off into the woods.

All in all, a pretty eventful day for the banties, and one we learned a few lessons from.

1. Little Roosty ain’t that bold.

2. The geese were not about to come in and save the day.

3. The Hawks around us much prefer to target the smaller bantams vs. the larger standard chickens.

Cattle Panels for Bolt’s Fence

December 4, 2014 / jason / 1 Comment

We have a new batch of cattle panels at the homestead ready and waiting to be put to use. Cattle panels are a versatile farm tool and can be used for fencing, trellising, flood gates, or even greenhouses. They are 16 feet long, about 4 feet high and have rows of welded 5 gauge steel wire that make 6 or 4 inch boxes. These babies are strong, and with some t-posts, can fence in/out bulls, goats, dogs, and men.

16 foot cattle panels and t-posts will make up bolt’s new fence

We have used these panels as part of our movable chicken coop, and our portable goose enclosure. It’s easy to tie chicken wire or bird netting to the panels as an extra later of protection for small animals and birds. The panels are sturdy enough to stand on their own if made into a small square or circle, but light enough that 1 person can heft them from place to place.

We’re going to use these new panels to fence in a section of our backyard as a dog yard for Bolt. We’ll pound in 6.5 ft. t-posts and create an area that he can safely run around and exercise in. This will also fence in some of our food forest, and form one part of a future garden fence–a chicken moat perhaps.

These panels should last 50 years easily and are well worth the 16-20 dollar cost. They hold their value well, and used ones never seem to sell for much of a discount, so they make a good homestead investment and definitely deserve a place on small farms across the country.

Chicken Moats: Permaculture Ideas in the Garden

December 2, 2014 / jason / 4 Comments

I just came across a new concept while researching fencing and it’s pretty cool. Chicken Moats.

A chicken moat is essentially a perimeter chicken run that performs the functions of insect pest control, weed control, deer fencing and protection, trellis, and off course chicken protection and grazing control.

chicken moat diagram from Edible Forest Gardens

The basic concept is to have two fences spaced a short distance apart that encircle a garden or orchard. This creates a laneway where you let chickens graze and scratch. Here they are able to much on bugs, and help control some of the tougher weeds that spread by rhizomes and runners. They are also in a prime location to receive garden scraps, fallen fruit, and pulled weeds and because the two fences create a hallway effect, deer are less likely to try and jump over them, keeping another potential threat out of the garden.

Other benefits include a nutrient flow, where chicken manure washes from the moat into the garden area, or perhaps deep litters are simply thrown over the fence and into the garden as compost. This type of structure can also be used as laneway and set up strategically with gates that allow the homesteader to graze their chickens in certain paddocks at certain times, or even let them loose in the central garden space to clean things up for winter.

an example of a chicken moat in action

Edible vines (kiwis, grapes etc.) and fruiting plants can be planted along the fences of the moat providing both shade and snacks for the birds, as well as pollinator habitat, and fruit for the farmer. Herbs like comfrey and rue can be planted on the edge of the moat, outside of the fence, where the chickens can eat some, but not completely scratch it to pieces.

A concept like the chicken moat is permaculture thinking at it’s best. It demonstrates the principal of function stacking wonderfully, while producing a yield, caring for the earth, animals, and people. As we think more and more about fencing, and multi-species rotational grazing, concepts like chicken moats make me excited to see what our farmstead will look like in the next few years.

Funny Ducks!

December 1, 2014 / jason / Comments Off

This is a short post today, but these are the funniest ducks on the planet. They are called Indian Runner Ducks, and they look like cartoon characters. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

November 27, 2014 / jason / Comments Off

We hope that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday and meal! Hopefully it was full of great food, family and friends!

Our’s was great. A nice relaxing day of cooking followed by 20 minutes of gorging ourselves until we passed out on the couch. We used our roaster oven to cook our turkey, and that turned out fantastic. It kept the oven free, and the bird moist and juicy.

Turkey!

We wanted to take this time to thank all of our readers and everyone who follows us on facebook. We really appreciate you letting us be a part of your day.

Also, if your going to take part in any of this year’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or other online Christmas shopping deals on amazon.com, don’t forget that you can support our blog by clicking through our amazon link. It’s that easy!

Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastured Heritage Turkeys for Next Year’s Thanksgiving??

November 25, 2014 / jason / Comments Off

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, along with the potential hatching of our incubated chicken eggs this weekend, Emma and I have been perusing our favorite hatchery, Murray McMurray, for ideas and inspiration on expanding our flock next spring. With all of the turkey talk going on, we naturally checked out their turkey selection (fun fact: Baby turkeys are known as poults), and boy did we get excited. It’s looking like next Thanksgiving we just may sit down to a feast of pasture raised heritage turkey!

One reason we were so impressed with turkeys as livestock is their size. As you probably are aware by now, having bought your Thanksgiving turkey already, they can reach considerable size. Dressed out, a turkey can be over 20 pounds, and easily 15. Compare this to a 4-5 pound broiler chicken and it’s pretty exciting.

A Bourbon Red Heritage Turkey

Turkeys are also native to North America, and as such are well adapted to our climate and habitats. Wild turkeys are very successful in our area, foraging among mature woodlands, old fields, crop fields, and pastures. I can see turkeys (fun fact: a group of turkeys is called a rafter) fitting in nicely in a restoration agriculture/silvopasture system grazing among fruit trees, sunchokes, and berries.

It takes about 4-5 months to produce an eating size turkey. Heritage breeds take longer, and put on weight slower, but they make up for it with their hardiness, ability to breed and raise young, and beautiful plumage. We’ll definitely go with heritage birds when we order poults next spring, but it will be hard deciding on which breeds to choose!!

KW Homestead

Pasture Raised Poultry & Edible Landscaping Plants Since 2013