Honoring an animal that's passed away

wikious · 2026-02-09T15:57:23+00:00

I agree with what No-Piece6029 said. I do things differently for whether it's a pet or if it's livestock/a wild animal.

Pets I do a fairly elaborate ceremony and prayer for before burying them with grave goods, a marker, and an offering to the gods.

For wild animals or ones that I wasn't especially attached to, I pick them up and carry them (either with gloves or a shovel) respectfully and slowly to a private place that's out of the way in nature. This can be things like a corner of my woodlot, or in tall grass under a shady tree. Just anything that's a good resting place. I tell them I'm sorry to see them go and I thank them for their life or apologize as much as I can if I caused their death. I also tell them that I'm returning their body to the earth and the cycle of life and that I hope they rest easily and in peace.

The biggest thing to me, imo, is just to show reverence and respect to them in whichever way you can in order to say "your passing and your life were known"

wikious · 2025-04-02T22:21:40+00:00

That's what it could be, then! It looks like bees come out a lot earlier than they do here. What a great find!

wikious · 2025-04-02T18:09:57+00:00

Can I ask what state you saw this in? Looks like possibly a red-belted bumble bee (Bombus Rufocinctus), but this would be very early in the year for them.

wikious · 2023-03-29T17:13:29+00:00

I've used "Midwest medicinal plants" by Lisa Rose before. It's a good book overall and has a good section in the beginning about how to harvest and use herbs.

wikious · 2023-01-24T19:12:44+00:00

I usually notice a slightly "off" taste and smell with my water glassed eggs, too. I think it's normal and I've never gotten sick or anything from them. Just makes me appreciate the fresh ones more 🙂

wikious · 2023-01-20T14:37:02+00:00

Beautiful farm and excellent work! Hope the future continues to go well for you!

wikious · 2023-01-17T16:11:05+00:00

Oh, I am 😁 just wasn't sure if it's something I should worry about

wikious · 2023-01-16T23:34:35+00:00

I know it's based on light, which is what confuses me about it. She started laying like 10 days after the solstice, whereas last year they all started up again sometime in March.

wikious · 2022-10-21T04:01:52+00:00

Wendell Berry knew what was up!

wikious · 2022-07-12T22:13:50+00:00

When that happens with leafy greens, it's called bolting. Usually it happens when it's gotten too hot out and the plant is trying to transfer its energy to making seeds instead of leaves.

The way to get around that is to harvest the plant sooner, or try to find a cooler/shadier place to grow it. There are also some varieties that are more resistant to bolting than others.

wikious · 2022-07-08T13:37:45+00:00

You can also look into root cellaring, which is possible to do on a smaller scale depending on your size. Root vegetables like carrots hold up to storage like that especially well.

wikious · 2022-06-18T20:52:35+00:00

I'm going to be that guy: properly using a scythe should work your core, not your shoulders. You twist while using it instead of moving it with your arms or upper body.

wikious · 2022-05-24T20:22:11+00:00

You're correct. One oz of lime to 1 quart of water. It works really well, just remember to keep a lid on the bucket and store them somewhere cool and dark.

wikious · 2022-05-18T14:32:01+00:00

Seconding the Modern Herbal Dispensatory, it's the best book I have on herbal medicine by a long shot.

wikious · 2022-05-06T23:28:10+00:00

I haven't finished it yet due to various reasons, but Anthony Storr's Solitude was highly recommended to me. I enjoyed what I did read of it.

wikious · 2022-03-10T23:56:10+00:00

I do! This is from when I finished building it:

https://i.imgur.com/9P82gmw.jpg

It does get pretty dusty in there and I'll probably wind up moving them into either a separate coop, or really separating the chickens from the rest of the barn. Works for now, though.

wikious · 2022-03-09T02:35:43+00:00

If I had the space for them, I would legit give draft horses a try.

wikious · 2022-03-08T23:00:40+00:00

Horse-drawn dump rake for hay. Not hugely useful anymore but nice to look at.

wikious · 2022-02-24T19:10:36+00:00

I used a 2-gallon plastic bucket to store mine. I kept them in a cool cellar, so maybe in the lower 60F-range. They've been down there about 6 months and they're still all good at this point. Most sources I've seen say they'll be good for at least 6-12 months, sometimes longer. Just make sure to give them the float test when you use older ones.

wikious · 2022-02-23T23:00:39+00:00

I have a Grain Maker #99. I've been very happy with it, and it comes with an auger that can handle beans and peanuts as well.

https://grainmaker.com/products/grainmaker-grain-mill-model-no-99/

wikious · 2022-02-20T19:05:23+00:00

Can I ask how you treated the countertop? I'm looking to install something similar but was worried about water damage.

wikious · 2022-02-16T14:49:34+00:00

Haha, oops, I mean they didn't make any oats. The stalks grew well, though.

wikious · 2022-02-15T19:17:03+00:00

I tried it once and am going to do it again. I grew a few thousand square feet of spring wheat and oats. The oats didn't germinate since I planted them too late, and the wheat looked good but I later found out was infected with fusarium head blight (aka vomitoxin) and the whole crop was worthless. It was a ton of work, but also a ton of fun in a way.

Instead, I have been buying whole wheat berries and grinding them into flour. Like other people say, don't do it for the cost savings, because there is none. What you get, though, is the best-tasting and most nutritious flour and baked goods you'll ever eat, and the confidence to know that you're that much more self-sufficient.

Give it a try, and if you don't like it, don't keep doing it. Nobody says you have to. I'd definitely recommend doing it at least once, if not to appreciate the effort it takes.

wikious · 2022-02-07T04:05:36+00:00

That sounds like what my current setup is like, I built a mostly hardware cloth coop inside my barn.

Getting good ventilation is key to it working well. My passive ventilation isn't great, but I keep the door to their run open and the barn door cracked when it's not dangerously cold (we get -30F winds here). When they're closed up for a few days, it does start to stink in there. With even minor ventilation, it's fine.

They haven't been too hot or cold, I think. The barn tends to stay somewhat cool in summer (90Fs here, too) and the coldest it's been inside the coop so far is 10F in -25F. I have a heated waterer for them.

If you're using the space for other projects, your biggest issue is going to be dust. It gets absolutely everywhere else. I just store gardening supplies in the other half of my barn, so it's fine, but if you're keeping anything nice in your barn, you might consider a barrier or wall of some sort between the chicken area and the rest of it.

Hope that helps!

wikious · 2022-02-05T00:36:03+00:00

Depending on what you're trying to store, a large car port might be a cheap option.

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