Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Surviving Minnesota. We hope you enjoy your visit. Feel free to post comments or questions and post topics you believe would be of interest to the group. You may do so without becoming a member.

If you wish to post a comment as a guest, you first must hit the "submit" button and a space to post will come up. DON'T forget to fill in the anti-spammer question, (it looks like an ad) - if you don't your comment will not be posted.

If you're serious about preparedness, self sufficiency, or simply want to learn more about it, we encourage you to become a member. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. If you become a member we only ask that you introduce yourself to the group. Thank you for visiting!


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
cheese making; cheese
Topic Started: Apr 29 2012, 07:42 AM (294 Views)
Mommacat
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
Oh, dear.... I dunno, a goat and chickens sounds an awful lot like commitment...might have to give that some longer, more serious consideration!! :)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raven
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
I think that a dog would be less of a hassle all the way around...Grandbrat would like a dog wouldn't he? We have a naughty Golden Retriever that could fit in your backseat...(just kidding Griz-not an option)
The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
HandFarming
No Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
Well a cat is out of the question and doesn't fit the pioneering spirit of celebration. Other options are pot bellies, so the options are really limited as if you hook up, this guy has dexters, belted and an extensive history of setting up giant (lobster size) crayfish systems.
You can lead an ass to knowledge, but you can not make it think.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mommacat
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
Uh-oh, a naughty retriever?? What did he do - is he in the "dog house"?! LOL

Crayfish - I've often seen them on menus and recipes for cooking them, but I've never actually eaten one. In the south they're called crawdads - I think... might be a different creature altogehter, I dunno. Is that what people refer to as "freshwater shrimp?

Hey, Raven did your friend's cat ever have kittens? Remember, I was looking for a short-haired one for the grandbrat? Damndest thing - when you DON'T want a kitten, people drop them off in your driveway, when you DO, nobody in the world has any that don't cost a fortune! Story of my life!!

So, silly question; are Dexters the kind of cattle that you have, Raven? Are they considered a beef cow or can they be raised for milking?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
HandFarming
No Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
He is an expert who can grow these:
http://farmingcrawfish.com/crawfish_redclaw_crayfish/crawfish_pictures/giant_australian_redclaw.html
Other than myself, he is the only one (I know of) who can raise them up north. As you can see- they are more like baby lobsters than swamp crawdads. I was working on building an aquarium market for them because they are so pretty! But, alas....so tasty!

Dexters are both meat and dairy (they are called the "Irish Family Cow") though they seem to mainly be used for meat. Most dairy cow breeds need to be handled by people at a young age so they are trusting of being handled when milking so people tend to specialize in doing that. They are not huge milk producers...if you think a gallon a day is not a lot but would work for me.

Kind of a surf-n-turf guy.
Edited by HandFarming, May 2 2012, 12:06 PM.
You can lead an ass to knowledge, but you can not make it think.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mommacat
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
Funny girl - surf 'n' turf!! Actually, I can't imagine needing more than a gallon of milk a day from a cow for a single family's use. True, if you were going to make a lot of cheese or yogurt, etc. you'd have to stockpile it for a couple days, but I suppose if it got to be a huge deal, you could have a few of them, no? I really like the small size of the Dexters - they don't seem as intimidating as full size cows and I imagine they eat considerably less, too.

That site was interesting and, no they don't look like swamp 'dads! Which is good cuz those things look like big insects and I just could not chew and swallow one of those! These, however, look like a lobster and according to that article, taste quite similar - so, I would give them a chomp if asked!! :) "Alas, so pretty, but so tasty..." umm.... HF, did you eat all your breeding stock!?!? LMAO!! Couldn't resist!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
HandFarming
No Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
Well they are like baby lobster....more like a hotdog size lobster and down in a few bites....with butter.

They take a lot of heat as they are tropical freshwater fish so I didn't keep them going when we moved to the farm until I have a full setup system. The guy I'm talking about set systems up in Paraguay and knows their habits in detail. I hope to work on rewriting a book about them with him as he has a lot of insights! They are one of the most amazing creatures on earth. If they loose an claw-it grows back. So do the eyes and legs. Insects don't do that. They are also the highest, dense protein of any fish.

What's really cool is they breed prolifically. Some of my females had hatches of 300 every few months and I ran out of tanks too fast. I was keeping them in tanks under beds and filled my basement with tanks. Then in summer-I had pools out in greenhouses....too many!

Anyway, one day I will have the farm setup for production that doesn't drive me nuts. And hopefully, there will be others near me to trade breeders with.
You can lead an ass to knowledge, but you can not make it think.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mommacat
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
HF, I was looking at the pictures on your posted link and as that was in Florida, I kept thinking that it would be hard to keep native "wildlife" out of the ponds. Up here, in the great frozen north, frogs and turtles might decide to enjoy the habitat, but in the southern climes, I had visions of other, less friendly species. I suppose if you did it all in tanks, you wouldn't have the problem, but ponds would seem like an open invitation to things that bite!

From a business standpoint, if a person could get local people familiar with the species, you might do very well with it. How long does it take for them to mature to eating size? What do they eat? Would it be possible to have another type fish living in the same tanks - sunnies or crappies? How well do they "winter-over" in tanks indoors - do they even live long enough to make it through a winter and then, in the spring be moved and reproduce outdoors? Very interesting stuff, lots of questions. Do you have any live ones now?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raven
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
MC, that friend is holding a kitten for grandbrat as we speak. It will be ready for pick up at the swap. As for Dexters, they are actually a triple purpose bovine. They are meat (dressing out at a slightly better rate than many others), milkers (giving about 1.5 and 2 gallons a day) and oxen (their center of gravity is lower so they have more "pull" power than other breeds by size/weight pulled). I am sorry that I am not on here very much. I can no longer get it at work and have so little time when I am not at work.
I love my Dexters and would not be without them in my SHTF plan.
The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mommacat
Member Avatar
Active member
[ * ]
Grandbrat is gonna be SO surprised!! I haven't said anything to him as I didn't want to disappoint him if it didn't happen. Thank you! You know, of course, you were way high on his list of fave people and this is gonna shoot you over the top, in his book!!

I have been doing a bit of reading about Dexter's and I agree that they would be a better choice for a survive/thrive situation than any of the other breeds I've been reading about. I also think the little Highland cattle would be good for our cold climate and the articles say they are good milkers as well as meat producers. There is a hobby farm a little north of here that has Highlands and they must do pretty well without a lot of shelter - they just have a two sided shed in the pasture.

I understand about you not being able to be on much - I know with spring here you're probably pretty swamped at home and that's just life on the farm! No worries, about that. It is a bit of a bummer that you can't get on at work anymore. I know, for a while, my computer wouldn't let me go on a bunch of different sites, including this one - I'd get a message box that said something along the line of "internet cannot open the web site - website not found - check your brower's connection...blahblahblah. I finally did a total backup and restore to a point a few months before I had the issues and, for some reason, it worked after that, but I still get it on a lot of sites, but this one works.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Food stuffs · Next Topic »
Add Reply