hello. I noticed one of this community's listed interests was "green building." I created a community for the USGBC's LEED system, if you'd like to join. learnleed :)

Hi everyone

First post of a main topic here. Just wanted to let everyone know about our completely FREE projects and websites - we run the control-free network (http://www.controlfree.net - a network of sites) and we are spreading the word around.

The control-free network is a resource with free information in text, audio and video files, as well as links to a collective and other helpful websites.

The files not linked to from the website can be downloaded from us for free on SoulSeek (download this great file-sharing program for FREE at http://www.slsknet.org) - and to do this, just add our username, freeinfo.

All of the items we share are free and we take careful precautions not to share copyrighted material, as the fucking feds are always watching our shit (and your shit).

Also, this has been crossposted a bit.

So take care, check us out if you get a chance,
Peace, solidarity
-mc nf1
http://www.controlfree.net
http://www.TAKEPOWERBACK.info
http://www.notfooled.com

Last fall we built an tractor based on the A-frame design we saw City Chickens web page. When winter came we realized we would have to enclose the sides, but doing so made the ark too heavy for me to move by myself. We parked it around the yard until spring then tilled in the dead patched, and used the chicken tractor foot prints as the layout for my vegetable gardens. I know I'm suppose to wait a year before I use the chicken manure as a fertilizer, but so far I haven't had any ill effects from tilling in the old tractor sites. I figure it is because I let the manure weather. If anyone knows why I shouldn't do this, please let me know.
Since spring we have parked the tractor in the back corner of the lot. I have tried several different ways to make a yard for the chicken. It was easy in the winter, I'd just let the roam free, but I can't do that in the gardens, so my options, as I saw it, were to either fence in the chickens or fence in the gardens. This is were material comes into question. We don't have a lot of "extra" money, if there is such a thing. Infact our tractor was made 100% out of reclaimed and salvaged material.
Assess what we have on hand and what we can scrounge up, we came up with three methods of yard, two fell down. The third we call the chicken bus. It's made out of the door frames from what use to be aluminum screen doors, laid horizontally, reclaimed fiber glass from a marquee these aren't attached they just provide shade when needed, and rabbit fencing, around the sides, and top, but not the bottom. It's tremendously more mobile than anything we attempted to make out of wood. We put the chickens in them and park the bus where we want the chickens to clear out weeds or turn the soil. It's good for day trips, but not overnight. It's too vulnerable to predators.
We intend to build a new housing arrangement for the chickens. In sketch we have been calling it the chicken condo. Our goal is to be able to park the bus under it so the birds can come down into it and then we can move the bus around and at the end of the field trip bring back to their house so they can lay or roost. We want to be able to secure the house with the birds inside, move the bus and clean out the manure. I am open to design suggestions and chicken behavioral input that I might be overlooking.

If this is not appropriate, please remove it.

My name is Nora, and I'm the field manager of a modified CSA in Berks County, Pennsylvania. We're currently looking for interns - the weather is warming up and there's lots to do! Benefits include room, board, and a stipend. If you want some experience working on an organic farm, please feel free to contact me, or check out our website - http://www.coveredbridgeproduce.com. Thanks!

*crossposted

I'm new to this community, so I thought I would say hi. This community looks cool, but there hasn't been much posting recently :( I'm mostly interested in sustainable living from the standpoint of peak oil. But I also think the whole way people live right now isn't sustianble. We're using up all the earth's resources, and we need to find better ways of doing things that use less.

If you want to talk about preparing for peak oil, you could check out my community peakoil_prep :)

Sowing seeds outside in winter WinterSown.Org

very cool, check it out.

found via one of the many marvelous blog at homesteadblogger.org

With two people and a love of cooking, it's not that hard to get enough food for our vermicomposting bins, but our gardens could use a little love.  Kelli and I had the bright idea to put up "Don't throw away your pumpkins, we recycle them!" signs around halloween, and our neighbors dropped off like 24 pumpkins for us!

( A pumpkin graveyard )

We've also grifted some donkey manure from our very sweet neighbours who raise miniature donkeys, and $tarbucks coffee grounds.  Any other successful tips for tapping in to local waste streams?

My boyfriend and I just boiled down a bunch of vegetable scraps for stock. We have a whole lot of boiled veggies left over. Is it alright to put those in our compost? It's just a pile compost, nothing fancy. We're just not sure if it would be ok to put cooked things in there, whether they be vegetables or not.

x-posted like crazy

I don't usually post political things, but this really has me disturbed. Does anyone else know anything about this? It's something that anyone here who has livestock or plans to get livestock should read.

since this act includes animals from Horses to Chickens, and applies even if you only own one of the specified animals.

This is the explanation of the problem on someone's private site:

http://www.amberwavespygmygoats.com/news/scripts/full-news.php?2005_09_18_09_21_00_ba2dd195e32d6d62721a91cf8b9df0f6

You may have to paste the link in two pieces; sorry.

And here's the official stuff:

http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml

This is scary stuff. I mean having to register your farm with the USDA even if you only have one horse? I can understand the need to control infectious disease, but this seems really super invasive, and a good way to put local small farms out of business.

I got this info today and really feel that people should know.
Ruth

Current Mood: worried

Hi, I'm Casey and Katrina has caused me to start taking action for things I've been thinking about doing for awhile.

I already have a list of things I want to put in Bug out Bags for my family, but now I'm looking for something a little longer term. I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't a memories section where I could find handy links or recommendations so I'll ask some questions instead.

If you had to leave today, what three books would you insist on taking with you for survival? I'm not talking The Bible or family photos, I'm talking how to do things from scratch like our great-grandparents did.

Also, what are your favorite links for information? The best on-line stores? Products that you swear by? Also, are there groups, other than militia, that I might contact locally for some info?

Oh, and is there a new webpage because the one listed says it's for sale.

Thanks ahead of time.