tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026557319568945115.post656936207851157529..comments2023-12-18T03:00:04.192-05:00Comments on The Concrete Gardener: Manual labour and meaning, drip irrigation with a handpump, vegetables, and seed-startingConcrete Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368862362127742038noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026557319568945115.post-72541507431221187882017-10-30T14:48:04.028-04:002017-10-30T14:48:04.028-04:00Thank you so much for commenting Carina-- really a...Thank you so much for commenting Carina-- really appreciate it. <br /><br />Re: Hugelbeds-- Do you have any source of manure around you? Hugelbeds are quite a bit of labour, and if I did it again I think perhaps it is better to bury the wood in a climate like Cape Town's to conserve water. But I think they're really good over time, if you're patient. They can also double as a wind break if you build them high. If you search youtube for Sepp Holzer or Paul Wheaton, there are some great examples (though in different climates). I think it's a great way to make use of sticks and wood. <br /><br />I've read that one should never eat anything that died without intervention (or was going to)-- so roadkill, a chicken killed by a raptor, old hen etc, are fine, but a sick chicken, better not to, sadly. Did the vet say otherwise? Unless she's being bullied and her feather loss is related to bullying? A lot of bullying tends to happen with a new flock. With bullying, we've found it is not a good idea to remove the hen that is being bullied, as she'll just be attacked more when you reintroduce her. It's better to segregate the chicken who is doing the bullying-- then we she's re-introduced the bully is in a different place in the pecking order. Chickens can be crazy aggressive dinosaurs.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_S3P0eU0lE This video is pretty good for killing a chicken, roosters are a bit more intense and fighty, so we've found the best thing is to tie their legs together with a length of rope-- they go quiet-- then hang the rope to the branch of a tree, then slit their throat while they're calm and hanging upside down, so they bleed out-- the same idea as the video here (that bleeding out is the most gentle/quickest method). We used a killing cone for a while but found it wasn't helpful or necessary. The key is a very, very sharp knife. Concrete Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12368862362127742038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026557319568945115.post-56125666959404222942017-10-30T07:28:50.948-04:002017-10-30T07:28:50.948-04:00I love this blog and post, Jo. Thank you. "Y...I love this blog and post, Jo. Thank you. "Yuppie homesteading" sounds just right for me. I am now investigating the flexipump - I want to install a home-made grey-water system and pump it into a tank that catches water from the gutters, too (when it does decide to fall here in Kimberley). I've also found growing from seed to be very satisfying - it forces me not to rush to the nursery, and while they germinate I do the slow and patient work of preparing beds. <br /><br />Re:hugelbeds - I Would love to know more about that. I have a large pile of wood and sticks. We use it for making fires, and I used the long ones to make a frame for a raised bed - but this seems even better. <br /><br />Would you mind sharing the best method to kill the rooster? We only just got chickens, they aren't laying yet, and one is sick she has lost a great deal of feathers. The vet said we could wait a bit but I think need to start preparing myself to prepare her for the pot <br />Carinanoreply@blogger.com