It's officially summer, and it's officially the busiest summer I have ever had, and I mean that in it's most literal sense!
I now have 4 jobs, if you count raising broiler chickens as a job (and you should).
One full time job, a part time job at a homeless shelter, a sideline gig washing windows, and of course, the chickens.
The old days of working one job, one job per family, are gone, probably forever. In order to make ends meet, a family needs multiple income streams, and I wanted to talk about that a bit.
FARM INCOME
We have lived on farmland for nearly 6 years, and we have yet to fully realize the income potential of our property. There are thousands of dollars that could be made off this land, and we're only getting started. My optimistic goal for this year is 500-700 broiler chickens, and the start of a permanent homestead flock that will produce fresh eggs, which we eat a lot of.
I've calculated a rough profit of $10 per bird, which is pretty good, but we can only raise a max of 2000 birds, and that would be a LOT. That would also be $20k per year too, and that isn't too bad. I really feel like I could maximize earnings on those chickens by doing a few things differently.
Right now, we are using commercial feed, which is expensive, although it is pretty complete. It's about $0.25 per lb, and it takes about 2.5 lbs to make one lb of actual chicken. I can buy some of the grains in bulk, really cheaply, but I've been trying hard to solve the protein problem. Normal grains, like wheat, barley, oats are not high enough in protein, and there doesn't seem to be anything that would be high enough, except for soybeans, and you can't even buy those in my area!
What is the solution? Bugs. More specifically, fly larvae. Way more specifically, Black soldier fly larvae. I intend to build some special collectors, which I will load up with manure and organic waste of all types. I might need to "import" some of the eggs of this particular fly, but once a population has been established, it should sustain itself well enough. The larvae are high in protein, fat, and are clean and disease free. Once they hatch, and eat, they will actually crawl up a ramp, and then drop down, to be gobbled up by hungry chickens. I can easily obtain nearly unlimited amounts of manure, which can be composted by flies. Once it is composted, it can be shoveled into the garden!
Not only does this save me money, although it does cost a lot of labour, it is also waaaaay more sustainable, and the fly larvae are the natural food of the chicken, among other things. Combined with some chopped and possibly fermented grains, I just might create a race of superchickens, if I can get this idea going on a large scale. It would take about 4-5 large harvesters to really create enough larvae to provide adequate protein, and they would need to be managed nearly every other day, the old compost being collected, and fresh "stuff" added. Having this in a central location would be a huge time saver, where I could bring in truckloads of manure, or have them delivered, and fill the collectors when they need it.
In the real world, my 120 chickens are delightedly scarfing down beak-fulls of weeds, such as thistle (yes, for real), dock, and dandelion. For some reason, when my septic field was installed, the drainfield started growing monster patches of thistle, which I have avoided for obvious reasons. Now, I finally have a use for it, which should also keep it under control (chicken feet can tear through weeds like butter.) They also seem to be eating less feed, and I am seeing all of them foraging voraciously. I did also lose just one to a heart attack, but there have been no more casualties.
WINDOW CLEANING
I said I was going to talk about multiple income streams, and I bloody intend to! One of my four jobs is window cleaning, which I got into by complete accident last year. I was hunting for a part time job, and an old friend of mine asked if I wanted to make $20/hr cleaning windows. I was quite interested, and he quit after 5 days...but I ended up learning to clean windows, and gaining a small starter collection of tools, which I have greatly expanded. I charge between $100, up to about $140 for a cleaning job, and my costs are gas, and...not much else. I bought a very nice expandable ladder, which goes from 6 feet to 24, and fits on a car mounted roof rack. I put an additional smaller (and lighter) ladder on there, as well as a couple of poles. I have dozens of cloths, and several squeegees. I can clean one house in as little as an hour, although I average 2.5 to 3 hours. It is strenuous work, and I am always tired at the end of a day.
The important thing is, I have far more work than I can handle, and my only advertisements are free ones on Kijiji. I have no business cards yet, and I don't feel like I need them yet either.
Of all my income streams, other than my full time job, this one is the most profitable. It is also very seasonal, although I have done cleanings in the winter using washer fluid, and it works just fine. One of my best days earned me about $400, although it was a very long day...
Someday, I can envision this being one part of multiple income streams that will replace my full-time job, maybe, and give me that sweet, sweet, self-employed freedom!
Someday.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Chicken update
This 11 day old Cornish Rock Giant is nearly 4 times his "birth" weight. As soon as they feather out, or even sooner, they will be outside foraging.
Another view of the size of the birds.
I pulled out the "brooder box" that was in here, it was just too difficult to manage the birds. I put a simple lid with a hinge that can be propped open to any height, including fully closed, and fully open. This allows me to spread the food out better, and keep an eye on the birds. The heater also has a better spread, pushing the heat throughout the entire brooder.
REPORT:
Day 12/Day 6.
The CRG (Cornish Rock Giants) are 12 days old, and the Buffs are 6.
Fatalities: 7/1
One of the Buffs was crushed last night, to my great dismay. Since the chicks cost $5 each, and I only have 25, each one that dies is a larger loss than the CRG. The heater apparently turned off, and I can't figure why. I think there must not have been enough oxygen or circulation under the box, which is why I removed it. Of the 7 deaths of the other birds, 5 were due to piling, or when the birds are literally standing on each other. This is typically when they are cold or scared, so my thought is to keep the heat in better with a full sized lid. Two of the birds simply died, so they may have had some kind of trauma, or they just weren't fit enough.
Fatalities at this age aren't too costly, since I'm really only out the cost of the chicks themselves. Still, I don't want ANY of them to die! Regrettably, it is going to happen whether we want it or not, but we can minimize it with good practices.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Chickens!
We've done it again! Another batch of chickens, growing up to become delicious food for your family and mine!
This picture shows the brooding setup that we have got new for this year. I built the brooder bunker (as I call it) inside my shed, which I have sealed and fixed up nicely for this year. You can see in the very top edge of the picture, the brooder "box" that I built (I will have some better pics next time). There are two heat lamps, and a reflective insulation lining along the top of the brooder box. The heat from the lamps gets trapped under the box, but the raised legs allow the chickens to come and go as they please, regulating their body temperature. If they are cold, they can run back under, if too hot, then out. There are 6 or so waterers both under and around the brooder, and as many small trays of food.
These chicks are not the "hardy" breed that I raised before, but I do have a pending order for a Heritage breed called the Buff Orpington. They should be here in about 4 days, and they will join their brothers under the brooder, because, why not?
The brooder box idea allows you to cut down on the amount of heat lamps used, I am only using two because the chicks were huddling when they first arrived, and I didn't want them to get too cold. After a couple days, I will probably turn one of them off during the day to save energy.
We picked up the birds at 8 am, and basically "poured" them from the box into the brooder. After a brief few minutes of huddling, they became more active and comfortable, and seem to be doing fine. My biggest concern was that they might be chilled, because chilled chickens will die, and quickly!
The kids love the birds, and it seems to be a big hit with the family. More to follow!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Spring?
Tentatively, without making any sudden movements that might scare it away for another 2 weeks, I am quietly celebrating the arrival of an early Canadian springtime. Yes, early. Normally, the middle of April is the melting of snow, but who can really say what normal weather is these days? (yaaaaaaay)
What's on the menu for this (spring)?
1. Chickens: After a several year hiatus, we're bringing chicken back, and it's going to be smaller and better than ever! Instead of a flock of 400, which was a challenge to manage, I'm starting with about 150-200. I've built a chick brooder, which I will post a picture of soon, when it's painted and ready to go. I've got some very specific plans for this years flock, namely that I'm going to build a breeding flock of hens who will hopefully then supply me with eggs and babies throughout the next season. I've picked the Buff Orpington as my Heritage breed of choice, since they grow large, they are not jerks (more on that later) and they will brood their eggs to hatch babies. It takes the Buff-O about 18-20 weeks to reach it's full size, and it's sexual maturity, which is quite a bit longer than the "normal" broiler breeds, but here's the secret...caponizing.
Caponizing is when you take the male (rooster) around six weeks of age, max of 14 weeks, and you castrate him. It's no secret that testosterone makes meat taste gamey and tough, so cattle producers will always castrate a male cow, unless they want him to be a bull. He'll grow up without his oysters, and his meat will be nice and quite edible. He will not be aggressive, nor will he be fertile. The same goes with chickens, but the procedure is somewhat more challenging, since the boys "parts" are actually inside the bird. You have to make a small incision and pull them out. It is as difficult as it sounds, but the meat stays tender and flavorful, and the chicken still gets to a nice size in about 20 weeks. Since it costs a lot to process a chicken, every pound of weight makes it worth more to sell. No sense raising a bunch of tiny 3 lb chickens and paying $5 each to process, instead I will raise a smaller number of 7 or 8 lb birds, which are nearly turkey sized. I have a feeling that there is a hidden market for this kind of chicken, particularly among immigrants who might have actually eaten caponized chicken before. Instead of a turkey, why not eat a large tasty pastured chicken?
2. Bottle calves: Originally I wanted to buy a gaggle of weaned calves, and feed them on my free grass for six months or so, then sell them again for some sweet, sweet profit. Unfortunately, prices for the young calves have never been higher, and I run a serious risk of making absolutely no money at all if the price of the larger cattle falls. Since I am not interesting in running a gambling operation, I've decided to go another way. Bottle calves are babies that, for whatever reason, have been separated from their mother at a very young age. You can buy them for a decent price, but you take a risk; they might die on you, and they also take a lot of work to raise. Assuming you buy some that aren't going to die, you have to feed them a milk replacer. The most efficient way that I have discovered is called "acidified milk", and you basically mix a few days worth of milk, add some formic acid to bring it to a pH of 4.5 (so it doesn't spoil), and let the calf drink when it wants to, without adding heat to it. This is becoming popular, and in my opinion is waaaaay easier than the well known method of bottle feeding fresh milk replacer twice a day by hand. You do have to stir the milk somehow, because it does settle. I plan to have four bottle calves at some point, and raise them to full size. Then, I will either breed them if they are female, or sell the meat if they are steers (castrated males). That will take about 20 months to complete.
3. A cottage and a barn: I've been slowing working on my small shed, it just needs some shingles on the roof, and a better door and it will be quite useful. I really want to build a multi-purpose barn/workshop/garage, and this will be the year to to it. My wife wants me to build a very small old-fashioned cottage that you could sit and read in, or play music, or nap, or escape from the world for a bit. By winter I ought to have a covered frame and waterproof roof done. I can work on the inside over the winter, since we plan to put a small wood burning stove inside.
4. Small but productive garden: As though all of the above wasn't enough, I would like to build my garden area up, making some permanent pathways with gravel, and planting some peas, carrots, beans, and some pumpkins.
5. Part time job: Oh, and I have a part time job working at a homeless shelter.
What's on the menu for this (spring)?
1. Chickens: After a several year hiatus, we're bringing chicken back, and it's going to be smaller and better than ever! Instead of a flock of 400, which was a challenge to manage, I'm starting with about 150-200. I've built a chick brooder, which I will post a picture of soon, when it's painted and ready to go. I've got some very specific plans for this years flock, namely that I'm going to build a breeding flock of hens who will hopefully then supply me with eggs and babies throughout the next season. I've picked the Buff Orpington as my Heritage breed of choice, since they grow large, they are not jerks (more on that later) and they will brood their eggs to hatch babies. It takes the Buff-O about 18-20 weeks to reach it's full size, and it's sexual maturity, which is quite a bit longer than the "normal" broiler breeds, but here's the secret...caponizing.
Caponizing is when you take the male (rooster) around six weeks of age, max of 14 weeks, and you castrate him. It's no secret that testosterone makes meat taste gamey and tough, so cattle producers will always castrate a male cow, unless they want him to be a bull. He'll grow up without his oysters, and his meat will be nice and quite edible. He will not be aggressive, nor will he be fertile. The same goes with chickens, but the procedure is somewhat more challenging, since the boys "parts" are actually inside the bird. You have to make a small incision and pull them out. It is as difficult as it sounds, but the meat stays tender and flavorful, and the chicken still gets to a nice size in about 20 weeks. Since it costs a lot to process a chicken, every pound of weight makes it worth more to sell. No sense raising a bunch of tiny 3 lb chickens and paying $5 each to process, instead I will raise a smaller number of 7 or 8 lb birds, which are nearly turkey sized. I have a feeling that there is a hidden market for this kind of chicken, particularly among immigrants who might have actually eaten caponized chicken before. Instead of a turkey, why not eat a large tasty pastured chicken?
2. Bottle calves: Originally I wanted to buy a gaggle of weaned calves, and feed them on my free grass for six months or so, then sell them again for some sweet, sweet profit. Unfortunately, prices for the young calves have never been higher, and I run a serious risk of making absolutely no money at all if the price of the larger cattle falls. Since I am not interesting in running a gambling operation, I've decided to go another way. Bottle calves are babies that, for whatever reason, have been separated from their mother at a very young age. You can buy them for a decent price, but you take a risk; they might die on you, and they also take a lot of work to raise. Assuming you buy some that aren't going to die, you have to feed them a milk replacer. The most efficient way that I have discovered is called "acidified milk", and you basically mix a few days worth of milk, add some formic acid to bring it to a pH of 4.5 (so it doesn't spoil), and let the calf drink when it wants to, without adding heat to it. This is becoming popular, and in my opinion is waaaaay easier than the well known method of bottle feeding fresh milk replacer twice a day by hand. You do have to stir the milk somehow, because it does settle. I plan to have four bottle calves at some point, and raise them to full size. Then, I will either breed them if they are female, or sell the meat if they are steers (castrated males). That will take about 20 months to complete.
3. A cottage and a barn: I've been slowing working on my small shed, it just needs some shingles on the roof, and a better door and it will be quite useful. I really want to build a multi-purpose barn/workshop/garage, and this will be the year to to it. My wife wants me to build a very small old-fashioned cottage that you could sit and read in, or play music, or nap, or escape from the world for a bit. By winter I ought to have a covered frame and waterproof roof done. I can work on the inside over the winter, since we plan to put a small wood burning stove inside.
4. Small but productive garden: As though all of the above wasn't enough, I would like to build my garden area up, making some permanent pathways with gravel, and planting some peas, carrots, beans, and some pumpkins.
5. Part time job: Oh, and I have a part time job working at a homeless shelter.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
How to buy cars (for filthy rich peoples)
Hi everybody! I thought I would give you some useful tips on how to spend as much money as possible on vehicles, especially for you lottery winners out there.
1. Buy new: Buy the newest vehicle you can, making sure that you purchase every "upgrade" available. Wipers that turn on when it rains? Oh yeah! Now you can save your self the strenuous task of flicking that switch when the first drops of water hits the window.
NEVER: Buy a good quality used vehicle more then three years old, but less than 12. By then, most of the "hit" in value has occurred, and you'll just end up saving money, which you will then be forced to spend on something useless, like food. You will also pay less for insurance, and then what will happen to the children of your broker? How will he pay for them to attend Harvard? They might have to settle for Brown, and it's all your fault.
2. Insure it against everything: Giraffe attack? It could happen! Solar flares? That could scorch the paint! Always get glass coverage, and hail coverage. Your $65,000 truck needs to be protected against all perils, and the payments will suck that dirty, dirty money from your overflowing bank account.
NEVER: Insure only against liability. That's for suckers. Most places charge a pittance for liability only, and who would want that? After all, we should be...
3. Drive like an @$$hole: Tickets are like showers of secret jealous adoration for your matchless driving ability. You should feel honored to send your $$$ to the coffers of our benevolent benefactors, but make sure you don't ever change your driving habits, it makes you look weak, and you will be eaten by bears.
NEVER: Drive defensively. That $65k truck will basically flatten every vehicle in sight, while you nap in luxury in the driver's seat, texting your other rich friend's butlers. Besides, more tickets, means higher insurance, and your broker can finally buy that swimming pool!
4. Borrow to make your purchase: Even the filthiest of the rich should be borrowing money they don't have. You can always pay it back tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes! You can't lose!
NEVER: Pay cash for a well researched used vehicle. You might accidentally touch something a poor person touched, and then you will have to shave your fingerprints off. Again.
Lastly..
5. Do not fix your own vehicle: Take it to the dealer! He will always charge you the most, and keep your vehicle forever, which means you can just drive your butler's car. Wear gloves though, you don't want to catch poverty from the steering wheel.
NEVER: Learn any basic mechanical skills, like oil changes and changing a tire. Always pay someone to do those things, so you can establish your position amongst the ultra-weathly. Lester McMonneyBaggs tried to do an oil change, and he got DIRT under his fingernails. Imagine his face when he went for his weekly manicure! That could be YOU!
*****So, this is intended to be a humorous how-to for people trying to save money on buying used cars. My family and I have saved thousands by following the NEVER advice above. Just today, unfortunately, my beloved farm truck died on the highway, and had to be towed back home. The head gasket gave out, and coolant (mixed with oil) found it's way to the roadway. After a short, but cold wait, we got towed back. Since I need a truck for the farm, I get to buy another one! I set myself a limit of $2000, and within a few hours I found a good used Chevy for $1700. It's not a luxury vehicle, but I'm not a luxury kind of guy. I don't mind a little rust, it is a farm truck after all. Best of all? The insurance is $380. Per year. The truck that just died lasted me about 6.5 years, and I paid about $4500 for it.
I also plan to keep that old truck, and put a new head gasket on it. It really needs more work than that, but I only want to get it back to running condition, then I will use it around the farm. If the new truck goes kaput, then I will have a back up!
Remember "Two is one, and one is none"
If you have no back up, then when the machine/device/item breaks, you will be out of luck.
Some thoughts from a poor country hick who would like my bank account to be overflowing with money NOT spent on vehicles!
1. Buy new: Buy the newest vehicle you can, making sure that you purchase every "upgrade" available. Wipers that turn on when it rains? Oh yeah! Now you can save your self the strenuous task of flicking that switch when the first drops of water hits the window.
NEVER: Buy a good quality used vehicle more then three years old, but less than 12. By then, most of the "hit" in value has occurred, and you'll just end up saving money, which you will then be forced to spend on something useless, like food. You will also pay less for insurance, and then what will happen to the children of your broker? How will he pay for them to attend Harvard? They might have to settle for Brown, and it's all your fault.
2. Insure it against everything: Giraffe attack? It could happen! Solar flares? That could scorch the paint! Always get glass coverage, and hail coverage. Your $65,000 truck needs to be protected against all perils, and the payments will suck that dirty, dirty money from your overflowing bank account.
NEVER: Insure only against liability. That's for suckers. Most places charge a pittance for liability only, and who would want that? After all, we should be...
3. Drive like an @$$hole: Tickets are like showers of secret jealous adoration for your matchless driving ability. You should feel honored to send your $$$ to the coffers of our benevolent benefactors, but make sure you don't ever change your driving habits, it makes you look weak, and you will be eaten by bears.
NEVER: Drive defensively. That $65k truck will basically flatten every vehicle in sight, while you nap in luxury in the driver's seat, texting your other rich friend's butlers. Besides, more tickets, means higher insurance, and your broker can finally buy that swimming pool!
4. Borrow to make your purchase: Even the filthiest of the rich should be borrowing money they don't have. You can always pay it back tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes! You can't lose!
NEVER: Pay cash for a well researched used vehicle. You might accidentally touch something a poor person touched, and then you will have to shave your fingerprints off. Again.
Lastly..
5. Do not fix your own vehicle: Take it to the dealer! He will always charge you the most, and keep your vehicle forever, which means you can just drive your butler's car. Wear gloves though, you don't want to catch poverty from the steering wheel.
NEVER: Learn any basic mechanical skills, like oil changes and changing a tire. Always pay someone to do those things, so you can establish your position amongst the ultra-weathly. Lester McMonneyBaggs tried to do an oil change, and he got DIRT under his fingernails. Imagine his face when he went for his weekly manicure! That could be YOU!
*****So, this is intended to be a humorous how-to for people trying to save money on buying used cars. My family and I have saved thousands by following the NEVER advice above. Just today, unfortunately, my beloved farm truck died on the highway, and had to be towed back home. The head gasket gave out, and coolant (mixed with oil) found it's way to the roadway. After a short, but cold wait, we got towed back. Since I need a truck for the farm, I get to buy another one! I set myself a limit of $2000, and within a few hours I found a good used Chevy for $1700. It's not a luxury vehicle, but I'm not a luxury kind of guy. I don't mind a little rust, it is a farm truck after all. Best of all? The insurance is $380. Per year. The truck that just died lasted me about 6.5 years, and I paid about $4500 for it.
I also plan to keep that old truck, and put a new head gasket on it. It really needs more work than that, but I only want to get it back to running condition, then I will use it around the farm. If the new truck goes kaput, then I will have a back up!
Remember "Two is one, and one is none"
If you have no back up, then when the machine/device/item breaks, you will be out of luck.
Some thoughts from a poor country hick who would like my bank account to be overflowing with money NOT spent on vehicles!
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