Forum Replies Created

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 15, 2022 at 7:52 pm in reply to: Quail decisions

    The best ways to keep the roos quiet and calm are darkness, plenty of girls, or freezer camp. Or keep them farther away from your house if you’re able. We have one in our tractor that is just as loud as our chicken rooster. 😀 But really he’s the only one that makes much noise, and not that often. The others are usually very quiet, and we have six boys out there.

    If we add roos to our flock, we add them in the proper ratio to hens at about four weeks old. They still get a hormone surge at 7-9 weeks and can get a bit uppity, but if they draw blood, they’re gone. No sense keeping them when they’re easily and quickly replaceable with a gentler roo.

    If you have a bachelor pad, keep them away from the sight and sound of the girls as best as you can.

    I’ve found the best way to keep the aggression down with my Coturnix quail roo growouts is to keep them in the dark to postpone maturity as long as possible. It also means they crow later and less often.

    We separate boys and girls as soon as we can. I only have feather sexable colors, so we start at two weeks and rarely have to switch anyone (the lighter colors can “change their spots” at the last minute more than others). From that point, the girls have a light but the boys are in very dark conditions. It postpones maturity as long as possible. It also helps to keep them busy with greenery they can eat and play with, and of course every quail’s favorite, sand baths. 😀

    We can usually make it to seven weeks without a scuffle. Our last batch actually made it to eight weeks (and processing day) without a single issue. Our batch this time is seven weeks today and we had someone get mean last night. Thankfully my daughter was able to single out the bully right away, so he’s in isolation at the moment and will probably stay that way until we process them next week.

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 11, 2022 at 1:04 pm in reply to: Suggestions

    I guess I’m being dense, what happened to the Site Suggestions / Feedback forum?
    I moderate the Georgia group and instead of having to go back to the beginning, I need to be able to sort by recent activity instead of newest posts, so I can see the new comments.

    • FortElswyrFarm

      Member
      September 11, 2022 at 1:06 pm in reply to: Suggestions

      Haha wow – found it – on page 2! It is growing fast, here!

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 9, 2022 at 2:54 pm in reply to: Online marketing/youtube channel

    I’m also concerned with OpSec but how do I balance that, when I’m trying to sell farm goods? Don’t people sort of need your address when you’re trying to sell food and animals? I’ve always been careful not to show my house from the street, or other identifiable parts of the property and vehicles. But now I find that a PO box isn’t enough when applying for farm licenses, inspections, etc…
    I guess just don’t advertise my address unless I’ve already got a transaction for someone coming to pick something up? Or should I deal strictly with farmer’s market sales?

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 5, 2022 at 3:24 am in reply to: Hello! Ages of Your Homeschoolers?

    We’re pretty relaxed schoolers here, too. Life skills, character building, scripture studies, work ethic, and the basic three Rs. I also try to follow what the kids are interested in.
    Ages are 14, 12, and 9.

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 2, 2022 at 8:57 pm in reply to: Launch!

    Hooray! I have recently purchased a pile of your books. Great material but nice to stick into a purse for a long wait somewhere. 😀

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    August 29, 2022 at 2:43 am in reply to: Help settle a debate

    I’m a fan of glass block, myself. Here in this area of Georgia they like to put windows right next to the toilet. Full-length windows, mind. In the last house I was in, it overlooked the driveway and front door. Joy. Someone coming up to the door could see you sitting on the toilet if you forgot to pull the blinds.

    At least in this house I’m only flashing anyone in my backyard.

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    November 3, 2022 at 6:21 pm in reply to: Stockpiling Medication

    Thank you very much!

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    October 26, 2022 at 12:13 pm in reply to: Stockpiling Medication

    It doesn’t look like I can just pick a medication and order it without going through a doctor visit and prescription.

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 13, 2022 at 9:15 pm in reply to: Homesteader Perspective on Preserving & Building Wealth

    “If a nap attacks me – who cares.”
    🤣

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 9, 2022 at 8:12 pm in reply to: Online marketing/youtube channel

    One of those brilliant replies, something so easy and I was too close to see it. We have an adjacent property I could use for “business” when needing to meet people in person. Thank you for the suggestion!

  • FortElswyrFarm

    Member
    September 5, 2022 at 8:15 pm in reply to: As a member, what would you like to see on Freesteading.com?

    I love this one!