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View Full Version : Of homesteading, harvest festivals, grain bins, racoons, and other issues



Sal Kurban
08-06-2013, 1:13 AM
Fellow creekers,

I originally wanted to post about grain bins (please see below) but I have more than one problem so I chose the OT forum.

I have always wanted to grow our own food so we purchased a "gents farm"; turns out it is not as easy. First our young orchard has been bountiful, but so far we have not harvested a single fruit! All are eaten by 'coons and 'possums, and despite my attempts at repellents, trapping, they keep coming! The possums prefer ripe fruits but before the fruits can get there, coons decimate them. All I see is pits under my nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots etc. I have trapped about 12 critters this year but they keep coming and the fruits are long gone. Not to mention the deer and the rabbits!

I called my good horticulture buddy from Iowa, and upon hearing my predicament Dave commented "It seems whenever you have anything of value, every $#@^X wants a share of it!" That pretty much describes it folks!

Anyhow, thanks goodness my first grain harvest went well and I even celebrated the start of the harvest by playing the horn and the drum I made:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?201918-Drum

Now for Gus and others who wondered how the drum sounds, I offer the following snippet:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12qo3d_drum-horn-celebration-of-harvest_lifestyle

This is the first time I am growing grains (oats and sorghum due to gluten intolerance) and I had a blast hand harvesting the oats. These are the so called hulless oats and they are great because they do not require machinery for hulling. After modifying a leaf shredder and threshing the oats, and using a Clipper 2B fanning mill, I am ready for some serious breakfast. However I am having a hard time figuring out how to dry the oats after washing them. After all this humid Midwest summer is no good for drying grain. Any suggestions? Kiln may be? Also anyone with ideas for a grain storage bin? I have about 4-5 bushels of oats and am expecting more sorghum.

Also please do not forget to give some feedback on the coons and critters! Any good repellents out there? I use liquid fence for deer and rabbits but have not found any good ones for coons and possums.
Thanks,
Sal.

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Gordon Eyre
08-06-2013, 10:00 AM
Sal, you play a mean horn. Now if you could keep that up the critters would probable stay away. Your food growing experiment is quite the challenge and I take my hat off to you. I'm afraid I am not much help with the Racoons and Possums as they beat me into submission at a home I owned in New Jersey. A spotlight and a few nights with a 22LR would go a long way towards their elimination.

Jerome Stanek
08-06-2013, 10:59 AM
Around here we use an electric fence to keep out critters coons, possums, and deer

Biff Johnson
08-06-2013, 11:18 AM
Around our acreage, an active dog keeps the critters away. She's an excellent mouser, too! Maybe get a decent outdoor dog that likes to hunt?

Sal Kurban
08-06-2013, 11:24 AM
Sal, you play a mean horn. Now if you could keep that up the critters would probable stay away. (...). I love this idea but this mean horn will probably keep the neighbors awake :)

Jim Laumann
08-06-2013, 1:55 PM
Sal

I feel your pain - been there - doing that - it takes time, you will get there.

'Coons and possums - live traps - baited with meat scraps from the table, canned cat food, etc. Yes - you are doing that, keep it up.
The critters I get in my traps get 'lead poisining' - from a .22. There is no being nice about this - you can't re-locate them - they will be back.
Years ago, there was a fellow in my area that owned 'coon hounds. If there is such a fellow in your area, invite him over.

I get mostly skunks and 'coons (am a bit far north for 'possums) in my traps.

Deer - human hair inside a ladies nylon stocking. My wife uses mine after each time she cuts mine. If that fails to deter them, a pellet gun (or shot gun/rifle in season) does wonders. A dog is also good. Elec fence, as prev noted is also good. Just keep in mind that if a deer wants in your garden, it will get in.

We don't grow oats - we are doing wheat. We cut ours, then tye it in to shocks (winter wheat). The shocks are in my shop right now (drying down), waiting for the spring wheat to mature....

Our sweet corn we protect w/ a 4 strand elect fence - the 4 strands top out at knee high. This is for the 'coons.

For storage of your grain - it will need to be indoors, or out doors. If outdoors, it has to be in steel (the galvanized garbage cans is one option). It's what we use for our chicken feed.

Rabbits - a .22 or .410 are good medicine for those - you won't trap them easily - as everything is food to a rabbit. A dog does wonders on them - especially one that likes to run. Our 'attack' cat gets his share of them.

Hope this helps.

Jim

Gus Dundon
08-06-2013, 4:36 PM
Thanks. That is cool Sal.
With regards to your problems with coons, Your best bet is a big dog..Wait, are coons nocturnal?
You should keep your garbage secured, coons are attracted to that.

Von Bickley
08-06-2013, 5:09 PM
The deer, rabbits and coons destroyed my garden this year..... I have decided that I will not plant a garden again. I can buy produce much cheaper than planting a garden.

Jerome Stanek
08-06-2013, 8:08 PM
The rain destroyed my garden flooded it 3 times. I am mowing 2 times a week now normally it is once every other week this time of the year

Bill Bukovec
08-06-2013, 9:01 PM
I agree with the electric fence. All animals respect high voltage. The best fence I saw was seven feet high and had nine wires. every other wire was a ground wire. A couple deer did get in, but it was rare. This year we put plastic sandwich bags around each apple on the tree. This was to prevent the apple flies from laying eggs in the apples. We stopped bagging after 550 bags. We still have a few bugs sneak past the bags, but our efforts are well worth the results. Good luck. Billl

Kevin Bourque
08-06-2013, 9:08 PM
Try putting a portable radio near the plants being eaten. Tune it to a talk radio or news station. This will keep most critters away.

I have a radio on in the barn 24/7. Scares almost everything away that needs scaring.

Sam Murdoch
08-06-2013, 11:19 PM
Can't offer a good solution for raccoon deterrence - man they are strong determined and dexterous. I have tried loud noises, music and talkies, bright lights, ammonia soaked rags, smoke and moth balls - all for naught. I only heard laughter and derision from the raccoons.

However, when it comes to outside storage containers in the 30 gal range that will keep critters from bears to squirrels out, these are nearly impossible to beat - http://www.discountwildlifesupplies.com/store/AnimalProofGarbageCans/BEARLOCKSTANDARDBEAR30.html There are other such products on the market if you are inclined to look, but I have friends who use the above and they do as advertised. Don't have any idea if they suit your needs though - just tossing out the option.

Tom Fischer
08-07-2013, 5:13 AM
I agree with the electric fence, but you don't have to have that many multiple wires on it (positives and grounds), if you just bait it. That means if you put peanut butter (and maybe some grape jelly) on small pie tin scraps along the positive wire, all the critters will come to try it, and quickly find out the magic of 6K volts. They will not return for several seasons.
***
If you want to run the fence only at night, you can add a 24 hour timer (popular with Christmas tree lights)
Of if you want to run 24X7, perhaps add an outdoor wireless remote (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007F7U9SY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) (also for Christmas tree lights), with a single bright tree bulb in series in a conspicuous place, so you can see from a distance if the fence is on or off.
***
Here's pic of mine - a pair of one ground and one hot lead on the top (4' up).
Then I have two copper ground stakes for the entire fence.
And I have since added one hot lead 8"" from the sod, for squirrels.
All that cedar fencing is just for show. The real purpose is to hold up the electric fence.

268092

Sal Kurban
08-07-2013, 11:59 PM
Thank you all for great ideas and feedback...
Sal.