Perma Pastures Farm
Billy from Perma Pastures farm and Youtube Community. Link to youtube channel -> Perma Pastures Farm on Youtube.
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Feeding your animals for free video questions
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Feeding your animals for free video questions
Billy, I was watching your latest video on how you feed animals for free. When you were explaining what you we’re adding to the bucket for the pigs, you mentioned that you add diatomaceous earth. I had never heard of that before, so I googled it real quick. That stuff is literally used everywhere!
Obviously food grade is what we would want to search for, for anything around the farm. Unless of course, you’re going straight to using it as an insecticide or bug killer, in a concentrated area.
What kind(s) do you use, or would you recommend, that are high quality safe food grade?
Also, how could I bring in crows, or possibly other birds, that would keep the hawks away, other than large food scrap or compost pile? We live in an urban setting, and don’t want to get neighbors complaining, so it will have to seem “natural” 😂🤣. Any ideas?
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10 Replies
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Hey, I just wanted to chime in about the crows and hawks. I decided to use Black Australorp Chickens in my chicken tractor on steroids because from the air, to a hawk, they look like crows – which are a hawk’s natural enemy. The black feathers have an greenish iridescence to them just like a crow has. Pretty chickens.
My neighbor had all of his ducks snatched up by hawks but they have not bothered my chickens at all. I don’t even see them in the air anymore.
I hope that’s helpful! 😎
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Great idea! Plus they are so pretty!
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I do the exact same thing
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I have a question too on the video about feeding for free..
Seems like there would have to be a reliance on outside sources other than just buying feed to supply carbs. How could this work if all outside sources were for any reason unavailable? Just grow enough yourself? Have you guys ever tried that? If so, any idea how much would be needed per bird? Per year?
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I could see, once the food forest and orchards start really producing, you could use excess from those to feed your animals. Maybe even plant in a bed or three of sunflowers and wheat? It may take a few years, but I could totally see the Perma Pasture Farm being 100% self sufficient. 100% my goals!
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Great point my Toni! Using outside sources is a great way to get started immediately but we are shifting ourselves over to the model described in the book The Independent Farmstead by Sean and Beth Doherty
We are currently using both methods can be used simultaneously… but in light of the status quo it seems wise to eliminate the need for outside sources.
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Thanks Billy, I’ll grab that book!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Toni.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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Chickens love pumpkins. They are easy enough to grow. Seminole pumpkins will stay good for a year or more and you don’t need a root cellar for them. Other varieties will last nearly as long. Figure out something else that you can give them that is easy to grow and will keep through the winter and early spring. Crush up some acorns now and then. Grow and dry sunflower seed. Grow and dry some comfrey (I hear that some P.I.M.P. guy named Billy sells it 😃).
Right now we have our hens on just Seminole pumpkins for the last week and no drop in egg production.
Best of luck to you Toni.
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Diatomaceous earth directly from the shelf of a place like tractor supply is sufficient. The number one attractant for crows in my area is Bread. The chickens eat some of it but they prefer the rice so they seem to leave a fair portion of it for the crows.
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