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Senin, 13 Juni 2016

Our muscovy ducks ♫ ☠Do the ducky dance ☠♫

We just recently picked up a trio of Muscovy ducks and its really starting to feel like a farm around here. With 2 chickens, 2 goats, 3 ducks, 6 barn cats and a caboodle of kittens We are on our way!.

The one thing I can tell you is, out of all the animals we have so far, the ducks are a delight to take care of. They waddle around, with no big hurry, feasting through bugs in the air and grasses on the ground. Corralling them to a certain location is beyond easy, just walk behind, helping guide them in the right direction, and off they go!. The only slight gripe I have is, sometimes, if Im a little forgetful and leave the goat pen door open, the ducks get in and start eating all the left-over seed on the ground, THEN POOP.
Muscovy ducks cleaning themselves


Muscovy duck closeup ( male )
Our male Muscovy has a wonderful demeanor, he shows no bother to our two goats, even going as far as to compete with them over snacks on the ground. When he flaps his wings, you can feel the air move all around you, freaks my goats right out!, Hes also one snazzy dancer, If you walk up and bob your head slightly, he does his little dance and shakes his tale.
One of our female Muscovys has blue eyes and is the more timid of the bunch. The other female seems to like de-feathering her, it was only a big issue when we first got them, everything has seemed to calm down now, Thankfully.
Muscovy closeup
 Our other female is in the background and has been laying eggs quite voraciously.
 Im not sure what these are, if anyone has an idea please chime in!
I dont know too much about flowers but I sure can appreciate them! From what I understand, this is an iris. It grows wild under our maple trees in our front yard and what I find interesting is, How similar in looks it is to a vanilla vine
Our rhubarb has started to flower and I figured I would collect some seeds and see what comes of it.
I understand quite well the complexities of growing plants whose seeds pop out like the roulette effect. Yes, it will not be like the parent plant but thats the whole point!. When it comes to these things, the more genetic variety the better, after all, I would hate to see what happened to the banana happen to rhubarb, I couldnt go on with out my pies and strawberry rhubarb deserts.
I swear on that giant spaghetti monster in the sky!

Are these prickly poppies?

Now, Ive grown poppies before, mainly for leaning about the medical aspects and how theyre grown but I never got that into all the other varieties. They look vary similar, the flower pod, the stem, the spikes on the flower bud, but the leaves are soooooOOOOOO covered in thorns it just didnt look like what I know. Ive only grown papaver somniferum, some Hawaiian blue poppy and a few others I piked up from Richters herbs.

If anyone out there knows what this is please let us know!












Its certainly something living out in eastern Ontario. The amount of wildlife here is extraordinary.
BUT! I feel there is a warning I must give to future property investors,
The one thing that might wreck it for SOME people is......
THE BUGS.

Man OOOO man are there bugs.

Ive never experienced anything like the bug population here. If you breath in to heavily, youve just consumed you protein for the day. The black flies will dive bomb your eyes and the mosquitoes will suck you inside out. Now, there is a benefit to all this chaos. The ecosystem is THRIVING. The amount of bird species here is unlike anything else in Ontario, the butterflies are everywhere, the parasitoid wasps are around in apocalyptic droves. Bees and wasps are a plenty here, at least on the organic farms that is.
So, if you can put up with a mouth full of bugs, you will do fine down here. lol.

Cheers!














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Senin, 30 Mei 2016

Baby muscovy ducks

Our Muscovys have been producing eggs since spring and now, of all times, is when they decide to hatch them out; they certainly picked a funny season those silly little quackers. With fall just around the corner we still have enough time for them to grow, the only problem now, keeping walking bait away from the barn cats.
                                                                                    ?          ?
(,,?????,,)
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As soon as they hatched the father duck wouldnt leave the coop, I thought it was just some nice gesture to the moma but boy was I wrong. So the next day I walked in and gave them some feed, then, out of nowhere, the male duck bends down and snaps up a little baby duck by the head.
WHAT THE!!

So after a little research I found out this can happen, the male might be trying to stay in his hierarchical position, so any new male competition is lunch, regardless of whether its his babies or not.

The interesting thing of all this is, one day, the moma duck looked like she had left the kids with the other duck, well call her auntie. I thought to myself (how nice), it almost seemed like some type of companion parenting, after all, it does take a village, right.
But soon I realized something was off. Whenever moma duck came around, auntie would hiss, then  start biting and I could tell auntie wasnt letting moma near her babies.
This must have been happening for a while as when I separated the babies from auntie, they chirped away very unhappily. Auntie did not want to give up those babies, she hissed at me, bit me twice and fluttered in my face with her wings. Im starting to wonder if maybe she doesnt think shes stealing them, maybe she thinks there her own for some reason?. not sure why all this happened, but very interesting to watch the drama unfold.
In the picture here is moma duck and babies. Moma is a blue eyed, all white Muscovy, with a very friendly attitude. Her sister on the other hand,......



The little yellow one was just stepped on by our new goat, it was terrifying.
I thought she was a goner. But she literately dusted herself off, pushed her wing back into place and went off hunting for bugs with the rest of the family. Not even a sign of hurt or shock. I figured Id give it a day or two to really know how she was doing and so far, shes a trooper.
The old nest. As soon as the young ones hatched she gave up on the old eggs.

< )
(__)/
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Kamis, 26 Mei 2016

Colloidal Silver for agriculture

Take a sec to check out this mans blog, ?very informative?,  He explains all about colloidal silver and its uses,
everything from washing your produce to killing blight on your tomatoes. very interesting read, I will be testing the idea this year. Thanks for all the info Steve!



Colloidal Silver Secrets: Using Colloidal Silver for Healthier Fruits and Ve...: Using Colloidal Silver for Healthier Fruits and Vegetables by Angela Kaelin Many grocery stores and chain supermarkets now sell organical...
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Rabu, 25 Mei 2016

Our Aqua Cycle of Life

So much has been written about AP and the cycling of systems and understandably so. This is the one thing we must get right. Every person having a go at AP has to come to terms with the cycle, the size of the pond, the amount (and size) of the fish, the quality, type and amount of the fish food provided, the water quality and quantity and the cubic area being used in grow bed production and how all of this fits together.

Of course if we read a lot of whats on the www, you are sort of led to believe that just about any combination will be OK provided the water quality is OK. Well this not true. There is a vast difference between what is acceptable and what will bring really great results over an ongoing system life, which after all is what each of us should be aiming for.

So I thought I should get some sites that give a better indication of what is the safe path to follow.

We need to be aware that despite what some people claim and there are many great stories around with claims of success after success but not too many people are prepared to include figures showing fish losses,  or other problems that have arisen that would help others to get through the tough times as they learn the craft.

So we are going to dedicate some effort into searching for figures that could be of help.

However while we are doing this, we shall continue to provide as much associated info as possible with each issue. Like Now......

http://sowingseedswithchristinemilne.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/worms-fish-and-the-greenest-veggies/
http://food.1tt.net/?p=1336

...and heres Afnan again with an Update

An A/P Blog coming from Vancouver

Cant forget Christie from this Site

Or this DIY special on greenhouses

Another Greenhouse design - well why not....

There are several places on FaceBook as well


Finally, a video on a home A/P system


OK Have fun with these and well be back real soon.


Oh by the way you can contact me at aquaponics@gardener.com
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Jumat, 20 Mei 2016

TIME FOR ANOTHER LOOK AT B S F

Its been a while since we put some information up here about the value of Black Soldier Fly. There is so much they offer us in helping a sustainable community lifestyle. So here is some reading for you. Please enjoy....

Soldier fly maggots and their adult counterparts pose no threat and are quite beneficial to your compost bin. Adults do not carry diseases as

...and the next one goes......
Here are some points he shared in his email:
  • Black Soldier Fly larvae look like maggots, off-white in colour with a segmented body (each segment looks like a ring)
  • BSFs are beneficial insects – they are

And another.....

We love this system, because with it you can compost all food scraps from your household

Now that should keep you reading for quite a while..... Good Luck
See you soon
Bruce
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Senin, 16 Mei 2016

Bella rose our newly adopeted Corgi Chihuahua

Meet Bella rose, our newly adopeted Corgi Chihuahua. We just so happened to be out at a cat store in Cambleford trying to find some toys for our abandoned kitten and sparked up a conversation with a fellow shopper. She mentioned how she was going for surgery and had to find a new home for her dog, so we offered to babysit while she was away, but she declined and said, "she just wants to find it a good home". WHAT PURE SERENDIPITOUS LUCK! Our previous dog had just passed away a week ago and we were pretty glum, as he had been apart of the family for a good 14-15 years.
 
The energy in this dog is unlike any other weve ever owned. She can jump like a show dog and is even pretty good around the kitten; which we were truly nervous about at first. I cant wait to start teaching her some tricks!
While she is friendly to us, she needs some work with strangers, as she can become very nervous around new people, especially around woman for some reason. She is fascinated with our ducks and rooster but hesitant of the goats. All in good time I suppose.
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Jumat, 06 Mei 2016

Fixing our failing school system



Im glad this is being brought to light, I have felt this way for years, the school system has been flawed and most teachers seem unwilling to admit anything should be done, I dont discredit the idea of school,
education is key, but Im fed up with publicly funded (prison like) institutions who are to scared to make a change, even if 50 percent of there business model is failing. ( on top of things they want raises, extended vacations, and paid personal expenses increased every year or so, lol. Now, I have no problem paying taxes for any of these things providing the teachers are worth it and the system works, but if your failing the same amount year after year and not doing anything about it IMO you dont deserve anything, well.... maybe a wake up call. )

Its like this man said, they wont even listen to basic science/statistics/math or analyze/solve a problem, just keep repeating it over and over, and we pay for this as taxpayers, I say we because we are a just as much like the states in these terms as they are like us, North american standards.

At least people are talking about this, change is in the air, and while it seems every government  organization is falling apart, corruption abound and greed infested, there is an awakening happening,
things will get better.
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Senin, 04 April 2016

lets go home so I can poop

says Thim.

So thats how I got to Thims house...cause she had to poop lol. I mean she missed class so she could come home and poop.

so were thinking of something to do. Think Im just gonna google it.

wow so Thim just sniffed soap

XD

Anyway I was playing WoW and I told some dude to shut up and danced with him and he gave me money. Does that make me a prostitute?

Or maybe its cause I run around in panties =]

So in class today my teacher was talking about how Dr. Phil sucks. Apparently her friend went on there for marital problems and they tricked them and staged the show to make her look like a money hungry jerk and him look like a fat slob. Like they filmed at a hotel in Cancun and claimed it was their house.

WTF Dr. Phil!

Ok so I googled what should we do today and it took me to the church of the flying spaghetti monster...lol
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Senin, 28 Maret 2016

The Future Its In Our Hands

A Growing Trend In Aquaponics

“Most of the soil on Kaua‘i is junk,” says Glenn Hontz, program coordinator for advanced education and training in agriculture and business programs at Kaua‘i Community College. “It’s not because of the plantations either. You can blame it on the sun, the rain and the incredible amount of heat that the soil is exposed to all the time.
“That soil can be built back up within a few months,” Hontz continues. “But it’s a lot of work. It’s easier to build an aquaponics facility.”

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On March 8 of this year when I got an email from Udemy.com asking me to create an online Aquaponic Gardening course for them.  At first the idea was honestly completely overwhelming.  We were in the midst of getting our arms around large system sales and shipping, I was one month away from teaching for nine days at the Green Acres Aquaponic Farming Course in Florida, and I was leaving for ten days in Japan with my son in the next two weeks.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was actually the perfect way to bring the book to life!

The result is a comprehensive course that I feel incredibly good about!  It contains 33 video lessons, most as PowerPoint Mashups, that each average about 10 minutes in length.  It also contains twelve of my most educational (or entertaining!) blog posts and a couple of charts for tracking data and maintenance tasks.  Most of all, this is the visual life that I wanted to give to my book all along.  I hope you give it a try!  To learn more, please click here – Aquaponics Course.

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Mini Aquaponics Set

Been toying on this for quite a while now, ever since knowing that I will not have any space  for a bigger setup. Using siphon on smaller set may not be feasible, multiple growbed with one master siphon is do able but will be difficult to maintain due piping and space required.


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Solar & Hydro-Electric Powered Aquaponics For Sustainable Vegetable & Protein In Every Season & Education Facility.
  For the construction & development of a solar/hydro electric powered Aquaponics greenhouse used for sustainable, nutrient dense food production year round, & educational purposes via farm tours, video & printed materials.  Powered by nature: solar & hydro electricity.

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  Home Aquaponics: 1 dead fish and flowering tomatoes- YouTube
One fish has died and left me with too much tomatoes for 1 carp that already has Ich, having ...

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Gardening provides job skills, behavioral benefits for developmentally disabled clients

Published 11:23 a.m., Friday, August 10, 2012

Doris Wallace, of Springfield, a program participant at Bridges Training Center, holds one of the centers egg producing chickens, July 13, 2012 in Tallmadge, Ohio. Developmentally disabled adults are learning to raise food at the center
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 aquaponics update 8-5-12 - YouTube
We have some issues with the squash fruiting and more bean problems. The fish are doing well ...

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 Solutions cultivates idea to end homelessness
North County nonprofit Solutions for Change has opened an aquaponic farm, which they say is the largest in San Diego County. The farm basically consists of fish swimming around in pools with rafts of produce growing above them.
VISTA — Ami Richter is a single mom with four kids who was stuck in a cycle of abusive relationships, leaving her and her children looking for a home. Now she’s a farmer of sorts, working at Solutions For Change’s latest project, Solutions Farms in Vista, and trying to end her homelessness for good.

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Harbor grad starts up sustainable, local aquaponics farm business here

Published as part of the August 8, 2012 edition.
Editor’s Note: This is another in an occasional series profiling Harbor Springs High School graduates pursuing unique and interesting paths in life. It also fits with our series of stories celebrating people who are dedicated to protecting our area’s natural resources, and who celebrate small town living, and the promise of a creative, vibrant local economy. If you have a suggestion for such a profile, please email us at news@ncpublish.com
By MARK FLEMMING
HARBOR LIGHT NEWSPAPER
In 2010, while sitting in the LAX terminal en route to Australia, Michigan State University (MSU) junior Josh Graybiel (also a 2007 graduate of Harbor Springs High School) began talking to a fellow traveler who hailed from the Caribbean. The man explained that he worked in the field of aquaponics,
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Saturday Aquaponic Farm Tours

For the next Month I will be offering weekly farm tours, Saturdays from 1-4 pm, this is a great chance for Floridians to see Aquaponics
Come visit our farm in Central Florida to see what aquaponics is all about.
$10 recommended donation per individual or $20 per group.
Donation can be applied to purchase (I just need to keep my time productive.)
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 Recirculating Farms Help Florida Families Through Tough Economy

Winter Park, Florida (PRWEB) August 08, 2012

The paved alley behind the Winter Park Commerce Center strip mall does not look like fertile farmland. But there, urban gardener Sahib Punjabi grows an abundance of lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and more, all with the help of water and fish, instead of soil. Sahibs Aquaponics Research Farm — or as he calls it, his "living food jungle"

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 Ok Folk, Hope this helps or encourages or pricks your interest. And if You have the time take a look at the Video below......

Back Soon.....

O Z Z I E

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Selasa, 22 Maret 2016

Golden laced polish chickens in Ontario ☼Canada ☼

As being new to owning chickens we wernt sure if they would come back after being let out, and the first time we tried it, it didnt turn out well. It resulted in me running around the property chasing after these birds with toes like velociraptors
( I may be exaggerating on that ).
But after a good hour or so I maged to corral them back in the coop.

We then found out chickens need time to grow used to theyre new home, so we gave it a few weeks and then crossed our fingers. Now, we really couldnt wait the full two weeks, we dont like animals being locked up, so, it was decided, enough is enough, if they fly off they fly off, it will be a $40 lesson.

Luckily, now that weve added a few more animals, everything seems to have changed. When the chickens were let out today, they didnt immediately run off, they stayed to watch what the ducks were up to. After that, they started to act like chickens, rustling through the leaves and dirt looking for bugs, climbing up trees and looking for places to lay a nest.

The golden laced polish chickens just happen to be one of my favourite breeds, The colour pattern on them is brilliant, with theyre boisterous hairdo resembling something of a mix between Einstein and don king. One thing to keep in mind, while they are an attractively showy bird, of coat and hairstyle, they are in no need of specialized care, in fact, they are an extremely hearty variety of chicken, putting up with frigged Canadian winters and our boiling heatwave like summers.

They enjoy scraps from the table, red wiggler worms from our compost, oats, sunflower seeds, cantaloupe, apples, kiwi, sprouts, and many other fresh foods.

Here is our rooster, youd think it would be annoying having a rooster right out back in your yard but honestly, I dont even notice. It also adds to the ambiance of a farm, with the goats mehing, and the ducks squakings, it only makes sense to have a roster crowing, after all, it is only just a few times in the morning, he doesnt seem to do much during the day. This might all change, depending on if we add more birds ( competition ) to the mix.
Muscovys and chickens getting along

He seems to like this corner, its close to the coop door but far enough in the bush that he can feel like a real chicken.

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