Turning Forest Into Pasture

We are raising pigs and goats for meat this year but also using them for clearing raw land with only a chainsaw. The animals do great work of choosing brush and tilling up the land. Dominic will cut trees with his chainsaw and burn logs and brush.
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We are Jenny and Dominic and we moved from BC to Nova Scotia in Summer 2020 to learn to grow our own food. We are trying to live more sustainably and stop throwing away so much spoiled produce. We are releasing a vlog every Sunday to share what we have accomplished in the world of growing food (and a little of life in Nova Scotia).
If you want to follow along to see what it is like trying to be Canadian Homesteaders, drop a comment and introduce yourself below!
2021 Growing Season Playlist
• Growing Season 2021
The music I use in my videos is from epidemic sound. If you are interested in receiving one months free membership I have a referral link: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

Пікірлер: 107

  • @DomDaBomb77
    @DomDaBomb772 жыл бұрын

    I think I am one of the animals she is talking about

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely.

  • @kevinrowbotham545

    @kevinrowbotham545

    2 жыл бұрын

    Just so long as you're the Alpha animal! ;o) The animals are a big help with clearing for sure. Nice progress!

  • @bettinah.7429

    @bettinah.7429

    2 жыл бұрын

    Dominic,watching you lead the goats made me think of the little goat herder song (I think it is from the movie Heidi with Shirley Temple) and of course I was also imagining some yodeling. 😂

  • @aj15549

    @aj15549

    2 жыл бұрын

    No way 😂

  • @Mythos131
    @Mythos1312 жыл бұрын

    The 3 little pigs are rocking your homestead!

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    They are doing some good work!

  • @TheAdamballah
    @TheAdamballah2 жыл бұрын

    I have learned that Joel salatin uses a wooden gate as the pigs learn like elephants. Once they learn the border of the fence they don't cross it. But a wooden gate they can see and rub against so they happy walk through. Love the channel, will be moving to Nova Scotia soon.

  • @pboyd4278

    @pboyd4278

    Жыл бұрын

    EXACTLY the comment I was looking for. Terrified of the wire. Wooden gate for future years a strong suggestion.

  • @illtrax
    @illtrax2 жыл бұрын

    Our first year homesteading. We have two mud puppies 🐖 It's amazing what their noses can dig up. Cheers from NB. Some nostalgia seeing that chip bag.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hahaha it certainly is nostalgic! I hope you're enjoying it so far! Cheers neighbour 😁

  • @CountryLivingWithTheHarnishs
    @CountryLivingWithTheHarnishs2 жыл бұрын

    You guys have a beautiful spot! The goats are loud but they are so cute! I loved watching them follow Dominic across the yard. We have lots of rocks in our yard too, they can be a real pain. ~Jen

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much! They are too funny!

  • @dieselfitter4466
    @dieselfitter4466 Жыл бұрын

    Great video thanks for making it! Good to see some Canadian content thanks again.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!!

  • @donnathecoach
    @donnathecoach2 жыл бұрын

    You guys are doing awesome 🤠❤️ with your animals...

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Donna!

  • @aj15549
    @aj155492 жыл бұрын

    Well as usual very well put together . You have lots of helpers. And I love the Quidi Vidi Brewery t.shirt. Kudos to the pigs.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you kindly!

  • @QuiChiYang2
    @QuiChiYang22 жыл бұрын

    Creating a dirt mounds kiln around the tree stumps in paddock clearing for biochar production. Gets rid of stumps, produces biochar 2b spread in garden or paddock. Increase fertility in soil.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    I've been thinking about a way to do this. Hadn't heard about the dirt mound idea. I was thinking about having a metal barrel to place over the top and give it a try. I'll look into the mound idea thanks for the tip.-Dom

  • @RemsFamily
    @RemsFamily2 жыл бұрын

    You guys are doing great! Keep up the good work!

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! You too!

  • @RemsFamily

    @RemsFamily

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ODriscolls Thanks

  • @metmedon15
    @metmedon152 жыл бұрын

    I think you really enjoy your life. Love it 👍👍👍👌🙏

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    I do! Thanks!

  • @JadziaCee1977
    @JadziaCee19772 жыл бұрын

    Hello! A fellow Nova Scotia here. I discovered your channel a few months ago and have been binging all your past videos. I am officially caught up today! I love finding local KZreadrs. Your family is amazing... It's so cool watching you learn as you go. I bet your children are having the best hands on learning experience! I would have loved to have grown up around animals. How many more years do you think until they'll be useful help on the homestead? Then the real learning begins! Thank you for sharing such cute, fun and funny at times, educational videos. Wishing you guys a productive rest of your summer.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Colleen! I think they will let us know when they are able to really help haha. We will keep opportunities open. Thanks so much, have a great summer!

  • @albertorodriguez6287
    @albertorodriguez62872 жыл бұрын

    Watching from NYC-very cool

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hello!!

  • @deangulberry1876
    @deangulberry18762 жыл бұрын

    Oh this is great! Just today I was looking at buying acreage in Prince Edward Island. And I was wondering if I could turn some of the woodlands into pasture within a year or two. And your video here popped up when I searched for how to naturally turn woods into pasture. When you mentioned “maritimes” and ketchup chips I thought I bet she’s in that area of Canada I was looking at. Anyway, I’m from the Midwest in the US. And my question is: are the winters too rough up there to keep any cattle or chickens?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    That's awesome! We're on Cape Breton Island, just a little east of PEI . There are lots of cattle and chickens here, no worries! The winters are quite long and snowy but not bitterly cold. PEI is beautiful!

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Where I am they wouldn't be able to forage on their own over winter. We get 4-5 feet of snow piled up in the yard. Other places are probably a lot more forgiving. And I imagine PEI would be. For example jennys parents live 90 minutes away and barely had any snow. So very dependent on where you live. -Dom

  • @bettinah.7429
    @bettinah.74292 жыл бұрын

    Everything is looking great,the land is really changing! The pigs look very healthy,instead of just fat.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    They are pretty fast actually hahaha

  • @Tanyahotmama
    @Tanyahotmama Жыл бұрын

    Hey!! Just found your channel. I am born & raised in Cape Breton (Isle Madame) and my hubby in Antigonish, NS. We are living in North Carolina, just bought a small farm and are getting started. Small world. Cheers, enjoy NS. We will get back there one day.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    If you are starting a homestead than you are in the right spot now! Good luck to ye. -Dom

  • @edwardbridges2061
    @edwardbridges20612 жыл бұрын

    I really like the process. I’m ab to work on clearing a 2acre future mini pasture for my goats. And I’m trying to think of a good process since I’ll be doing most it by myself and this is a great idea of the pigs tilling the ground.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes using the pigs is a great system imo. Perimeter fence is important so make sure the pigs stay where you want them haha. It's possible to make half decent pasture with no big equipment using goats and pigs. Plus they are covering a big part of the grocery bill for you. Good luck to you.-Dom

  • @minihorsekorea8535
    @minihorsekorea8535 Жыл бұрын

    it is very insightful video for me. Thanks from South Korea

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    You're most welcome! Dominic and I actually lived in Seoul for 4 years, we love South Korea very much!!

  • @minihorsekorea8535

    @minihorsekorea8535

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ODriscolls Oh my god, did you? We have been taking care of American miniature horse for about 10 years. These days, I am greatly interested in permaculture with my mini horses. We have big lands on Jeju island but it has not been used for such a long time. I am thinking about how we change it into pasture by animals. At this point, you give me insight and inspiration into how pure forest can turn into pasture. Thanks for your conment and keep in touch!

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    @@minihorsekorea8535 oh wow that's amazing! Jeju is beautiful! We should definitely keep in touch 😀

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    You should raise some of that Jeju black pork! We ate some when we visited Jeju in ~2014. -Dominic

  • @MyCapeBretonRetiredLife
    @MyCapeBretonRetiredLife6 ай бұрын

    As soon as you said hinge I know you were from eastern Canada, sounds like Nova Scotia Hubby sounds like he's a caper

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    6 ай бұрын

    Haha good ear! I (Jenny) am a caper (this was all filmed in Cape Breton) and my husband is a Newfoundlander

  • @greenstar3411
    @greenstar3411 Жыл бұрын

    Great use of music/animal interlood

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @trentcharles4814
    @trentcharles4814 Жыл бұрын

    Good job. Your channel will be 50,000 subs in a year or two if you keep up the videos.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Trent! We will see!

  • @PeterSedesse
    @PeterSedesse2 жыл бұрын

    Nice video. Yeah, one of the tricks with moving animals is to plan ahead, and have them miss a meal before you try to move them.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    That has worked well for us so far! Thank you 😊

  • @xxsadcatxx_
    @xxsadcatxx_2 жыл бұрын

    Damn O'Driscoll s

  • @monikastep5711
    @monikastep57112 жыл бұрын

    Do the goats ever jump the fence? And, how early do they start their talk/yelling? Are they early risers that you have to feed them early or they don’t let you sleep?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    They haven't jumped yet! They started yelling immediately hahaha. We are having them graze and eat the brush so we aren't feeding them really. The plan is that they will eat all that brush in the woods. They don't always yell but if they see us on the yard they will yell lol.

  • @NotASnowflake
    @NotASnowflake Жыл бұрын

    Speaking of letting the animals do the work, drill some holes into the remaining tree stumps and add a little honey. Bug's will do the rest over time.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    That's a good idea!

  • @josefnewsom7992
    @josefnewsom79922 жыл бұрын

    You may have explained it in your video but i didnt catch it. Why are you leaving the trees cut about torso height? Just wondering. Im about to use hogs for the same thing. Also what joule energizer are you using for the fence?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    They are that height so that when they rot a bit they will be easier to pull out by hand. We have the Gallagher m1100 which is 11 joules I think. That one is a bit of over kill for us but because we have so much brush, we went with a much more powerful energizer. It's still overkill for sure though.

  • @deepfriedcherrypie5366
    @deepfriedcherrypie5366 Жыл бұрын

    Please plant some keystone trees in your pasture! Some chestnuts and hickories would be great

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    I've planted a lot of shagbark and some red oak around the edge. Once I start removing the bigger coniferous trees within the fence(If ever I do) I'll replace each of those with some sort of nut tree.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Neither of those is native to here, but I do leave the good maples and birch behind.

  • @bobcat9314
    @bobcat9314 Жыл бұрын

    ..this is just what I was looking for. Question: .did you find it daunting to bring home your first animals to get your project started....im a few years away yet..im still cutting down trees so they don't fall and kill my future animals..

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Everything is daunting if you try to think of it all at once! Just focus on one thing at a time I think. Also, give yourself a deadline 😀

  • @tritchie6272
    @tritchie627220 күн бұрын

    If I had a hog/pig that wanted to bite me,it would probably become MY food quickly.

  • @atubeviewer4942
    @atubeviewer49425 ай бұрын

    re the fencing used for goats- I look up polywire or mobile net, not see what you have. Is there a name for that kind of fence system or did you make it from various items?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    4 ай бұрын

    If you google portable sheep netting you might find it. We got it from a company called fence fast in canada, as well as one at our local coop. The brand name of the one we had was Gallagher

  • @joshgreen8986
    @joshgreen89862 жыл бұрын

    Wicked! I’m loving your videos. What do you seed the pastures with?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    He bought something expensive that we can't remember at first. Then he bought a giant bag of "highway mix" the second time

  • @lancetheobald4108
    @lancetheobald41082 жыл бұрын

    Do the stumps pose a hazard to the livestock? I’m looking at clearing a few acres for cattle and am not sure if I should leave the stumps in

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Dom here. I think the only problem you would have is if you remove the stump and leave a sneaky hole that a leg falls into. Stumps themselves would not likely be an issue I don't think.

  • @hectorperez7655
    @hectorperez7655 Жыл бұрын

    I heard that if you do rotate them every week or so, no need for deworming.

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes! Greg Judy does this, I believe. They were moved quite frequently for that reason.

  • @plainandsimple1
    @plainandsimple1 Жыл бұрын

    We're starting to clear for our pigs, why did you leave some of the tree stumps 3-4ft high? Is there an advantage to that?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    4 ай бұрын

    When they rot, you can pull them out completely! I'm so sorry this is like a year later. I hope it's going well!

  • @plainandsimple1

    @plainandsimple1

    4 ай бұрын

    @@ODriscolls it's ok. I left all mine pretty high too. I figured when they rot the pigs will rip them apart for the bugs lol

  • @joshgreen8986
    @joshgreen89862 жыл бұрын

    Will you/did you process the pigs?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Tomorrow 😳😬

  • @patrickbaitman8336
    @patrickbaitman83362 жыл бұрын

    Piles of rocks from many decades ago might be grave sites.

  • @xxeebbk
    @xxeebbk2 жыл бұрын

    What's the plan for all the tree stumps?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    When they rot you can pull them out

  • @xxeebbk

    @xxeebbk

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ODriscolls And use them for hugal beds?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Possibly! But we might just toss them in a pile. You'll have to ask Dominic!

  • @DomDaBomb77

    @DomDaBomb77

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@xxeebbk probably heave them over the fence as a secondary barrier outside the electric. They take an age to rot so I left on the 3-4 foot section so I can lever them out in a year or two when they dry.

  • @MrGigi-dz9cv
    @MrGigi-dz9cv Жыл бұрын

    I can hear goats... 😂😂😂😂😂

  • @odin7682
    @odin76822 жыл бұрын

    Your accent sounds like you're from the cape bahd

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm from Cape Breton, Dom is a Newfoundlander

  • @rubenceballosjc
    @rubenceballosjc Жыл бұрын

    Have you or do you worry about predators with your goats and sheep?

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    We have an electric perimeter fence which seems to keep them at bay. I think it's mostly been luck so far.

  • @hokiebama1187
    @hokiebama1187 Жыл бұрын

    so what's the point? you guys just want more grass covered acreage? why? also why not just use a tractor to clean up the areas?

  • @TheAdamballah
    @TheAdamballah2 жыл бұрын

    I heard that pouring food on ground will lead to worms in deer as they will eat the dirt to get the food. I imagine it's the same in pigs.

  • @MistressOP

    @MistressOP

    Жыл бұрын

    if you move it enough your worm load is left behind. You can also plant some plants that lower the worm load over time. Give em one solid worm then start to slowly just leave the worms behind. But even in a good permaculture/silvo/moving system you always will have some worms. The difference is you are always leaving it behind and never showing back up to the worms again too early.

  • @canadagirl9173
    @canadagirl9173 Жыл бұрын

    How do your goats not escape all of that?! Our goats will not be contained…

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Our goats were much better behaved than our sheep. They liked it just fine in there haha. Minimal escape attempts, though there were a couple

  • @HoniValeGreatDanes
    @HoniValeGreatDanes Жыл бұрын

    Ketchup chips? 🤢🤮 Nasty!

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey they're a canadian classic - have you tried them?

  • @HoniValeGreatDanes

    @HoniValeGreatDanes

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ODriscolls No I have never tried them. Never heard of them either. And I’m in minnesota 3 hours from the Canadian border. 🤷‍♀️

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    Жыл бұрын

    They don't actually taste like ketchup. They are decent enough chips once Ina while

  • @lexL2255
    @lexL22552 жыл бұрын

    U guys destroyed a forest.

  • @EdmundhmlifePEI

    @EdmundhmlifePEI

    5 ай бұрын

    Where do you think uncleared farmland comes from

  • @Adirondack_Accountability

    @Adirondack_Accountability

    4 ай бұрын

    Perfect!!!

  • @theshortschanal2723

    @theshortschanal2723

    4 ай бұрын

    Well duh😂

  • @oakridge7783
    @oakridge77835 ай бұрын

    Terrible video too much word salad

  • @antonhuman8446
    @antonhuman84462 жыл бұрын

    This loud music is disgusting! You are addressing civilised human beings.

  • @metmedon15
    @metmedon152 жыл бұрын

    I think you really enjoy your life. Love it 👍👍👍👌🙏

  • @ODriscolls

    @ODriscolls

    2 жыл бұрын

    I do! Thanks!