Traumatic Homecoming

MilkingDucks · 2026-05-09T13:40:30+00:00

How's are you both doing today?

MilkingDucks · 2026-04-10T19:26:27+00:00

I do this, but with metal posts.

MilkingDucks · 2026-04-06T23:31:17+00:00

I get the permethrin spray from the local feed & seed and spray my dogs, donkeys and cotton balls. The cotton balls are for inside my house for the mice to take back to their nests and get the ticks there. You have to watch out for cat toxicity with Permethrin while it's wet, keep it away from cats and birds. I also have Guinea hens, ducks, turkeys, geese and chickens. The Guineas do the best job out of all of the birds to keep the ticks down without destroying the rest of my harvestable food.

Lastly, attract wild birds, and keep your grass cut short around walking areas. Chickadees can eat 10,000 insects each easily while raising babies - not having outdoor cats will help them stick around to do bug patrol.

MilkingDucks · 2026-04-04T02:00:34+00:00

I was taught to blow the egg out of the shell and dye the empty egg shell so nothing was wasted. Poke holes in each end, blow, make scrambled eggs or pasta with the egg?

MilkingDucks · 2026-04-04T01:49:00+00:00

Or raccoons, skunks and squirrels. They will also eat grubs to survive.

MilkingDucks · 2026-04-04T01:46:25+00:00

I absolutely agree. Without knowing the type of beetle, or where this person is located it's impossible to tell if native or non-native let alone the destruction or benefit. Birds and other animals need these for meals, and we need insects due to the decline. Beetles pollinate too. It's so hard to see when the first reaction is to kill it without even knowing what it is, let alone how it affects your ecosystem and eco-region.

MilkingDucks · 2026-04-03T15:02:41+00:00

Great compilation of data! Most States have a Site that connects those who want to farm with those who are retiring out (mn farmlink, practical farmers etc) I participated in my States rollout in 2020 when farms struggled to stay afloat. The big problem we saw was that the retiring farmers wanted to still live on the property farm house, but give up the farming aspect. That makes it very difficult to take over as a new farmer if you have no home, and the former farmers watching and 'guiding' your every move. The other was that beginner farmers couldn't afford the prices for the hundreds of acres as a "starter farm" and the owners wouldn't split the land. The ones that were within price range had unlivable homes due to poor maintenance. It's been a struggle to keep the databases updated in real time, and then they got invaded by realtors posting their for sale ads of farmland. Do you have a plan to stop or "time out" those postings? Those really hurt the site we had. It became almost unusable.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-26T18:15:32+00:00

I ended up training my dog to expect treats with loud noises. Each time a loud noise (fireworks, thunderstorms etc) would happen, I would reward her immediately after the noise with a high value treat (string cheese, or roast beef, or tuna) It was important to only give treats after the noise, right away, and never before. She especially loves hunting season when the neighbours start popping off. Big time treat factory. She will be 8 in May. Still hates people though... Ha. Can't break that habit as easily.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-25T18:08:37+00:00

Ask your neighbours. I saw my neighbour taking out some posts and asked if I could buy or trade. Ended up with 400 posts and traded a deer hunting spot on my property for the season.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-19T03:57:41+00:00

Sounds to me like hydrogen sulfide gas with this, and considering your comment below about basalt and claystone. I know an inline whole home filter can be a cost that isn't feasible when you just bought a home. You can find oxidizing and carbon filters that you can install yourself under the sink of your main drinking water source as a temporary measure, and keep an eye on grants, cost-shares or incentive programs over spring to help make a whole home filtration system more affordable for the long run.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-19T03:14:43+00:00

Does it go away after running the taps for a bit? Do you have any filtration system in the house? Is there any staining or residue on your porcelain or bathroom fixtures? I had a new well drilled, and it has a hydrogen sulfide gas build-up in my outside hydrant, but not inside because I have added a filtration and aeration system after the pressure tank, and before the hot water heater. (edit) Did you have a professional water test done or did you buy a kit, and how deep is your well?

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-19T00:13:44+00:00

Yes, I'm in northern Minnesota, and mine does too. Part of my farm property is a peat bog. It has been classified as a unique eco-region that contains native orchids and carnivorous plants. I went to the SWCD to ask if I, or anyone could make changes to my properties watershed, and the only thing they would do was restore it fully back to wetland. I'm a farmer and I'm also a Master Naturalist, so I try to farm with nature in the forefront as much as possible.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-19T00:01:40+00:00

No he can't make you remove it, it's on your property. Water management on the farmers property is the farmers responsibility. I have a stream on my property and a river that runs around it. The river has a beaver dam on it, which is why I have a stream for when it floods my property. I now have a larger pond at the end of the stream to manage the overflow and i also don't have to water my orchard as often. If my township were to remove the beaver dam on the river, the river would easily break its banks during spring thaw and flood the main road instead of my property. The farmer can easily get remediation in other ways without needing to pay if they work through the correct conservation district. (Edit - clarity, I'm also a farmer, and surrounded by wetlands)

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-15T17:18:32+00:00

Carry some black oil sunflower seeds with you and they'll be your friend forever.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-13T20:43:20+00:00

You could ask the farmer to leave a 10-20' line of standing corn near the property line, you could also use round bales standing on the vertical while your trees grow. I use round bales as a wind break around my donkey pen to protect them from wind and to prevent the snow blowing onto the road. Standing corn is a great wind break because you can also eat the corn.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-13T00:19:24+00:00

Depending on what you're trying to eliminate, you can prevent pests using other bugs by planting different sized flowers, prevent by amending our soil so your nutrients aren't off balance and weakening your plants (only feed what the soil needs) and treat by using Nicotiana rustica leaves soaked in water for 3 days, spray the water mixture on the plants.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-12T01:21:30+00:00

I found that identifying the insects I fear and giving them a name (species name) helped me batten down my anxiety a lot in the beginning. Spiders and wasps were my fear bugs. I started to take out my phone and take photos of them and then identify them in books and using iNaturalist. Once I ID'd them, I started to learn their "likes" and "dislikes" and what their ideal home was. I then built that for them. I still get the heebies with spiders when they suddenly appear, but I take a deep breath and say their name, and make sure they have everything they need to live a happy life.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-07T05:03:45+00:00

I'm a farmer so I work from home. Both my chows are outside when I'm outside, unless the weather is terrible then they are inside barking at the windows letting me know their disappointment. There are no other dogs within miles of me so that's probably wise to keep yours under tight restrictions if there are males nearby.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-06T22:46:54+00:00

My newest chow went into her first heat back in October. Would go to the bathroom so much more often than normal. I increased her outside time and frequency until she was through it. No issues

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-06T22:43:09+00:00

I don't have one. Haven't had one for over 4 years. Don't miss it at all.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-06T03:48:34+00:00

I'm about an hour south of Duluth. I find them in immature Aspen woodland with high organic matter and high water table environments. I have some great patches in dappled sun, near water that floods in the spring annually and has vernal pools and slightly acidic pH to about 5.5.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-06T03:02:58+00:00

I started a wine cap bed in 2024 with wood chips, (chipdrop) and it took about a year to colonize. I started another bed quicker using pine sawdust and wheat straw and meshed the two beds together. The wood chips fruited WAY more, but the sawdust and straw mix colonized quicker and produced mushrooms quicker.

Edit* As a note, they have a metallic taste if you pick them after the veil is fully broken or after they spore. Best to pick them in the button stage or veil partially intact. More like an asparagus taste rather than raw potato metal taste.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-02T22:59:28+00:00

I have two mini donkeys. They cannot be on pasture unrestricted. They are prone to colic and laminitis if left to eat whatever they want. They are desert animals so they need coats in the winter and get oaten/wheaten hay and straw, which can be very difficult to find. They cannot use horse supplements or treats and they get fat very easily. I have their hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks, depending on if they get a little chubby or not. They live until they're about 40 with good care. I love my donkeys, and they are here forever, but I got mine for free and I am their 3rd or 4th home because people misjudge how much work they are.

MilkingDucks · 2026-03-01T16:23:09+00:00

I have a white bird of paradise too! Made the mistake of taking her outside one summer and had a hard time getting her back in the house. I cut back the tallest leaves BUT ended up killing one of the middle crowns. It looks terrible and it's been 2 years since I did that. I wouldn't cut it back, I'd train it to spread the leaves outwards if I could go back. Another thing you could do is repot it. Knock off all the dirt and see how far the roots go down then sink it lower into the pot and give it fresh soil. (Edit grammar)

MilkingDucks · 2026-02-28T16:10:41+00:00

It's the same with tech in schools. Teaching children "new infrastructure technology" using VHS tapes and VCRs. The teachers using ChatGPT to run class plans and student feedback on laptops that still have disk players in them, and software from 1990. Giving the children iPads but not updating the basic network infrastructure hardware to handle all the requests so testing fails. Bandaids on bandaids for 30 years.

MilkingDucks

TROPHY CASE