# Anyone Keep Goats?



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 7, 2016)

I am thinking of getting 2-3 smaller breed goats to keep the back part of the property "weeded".  I already have a small animal barn and fencing.  The previous owners kept goats, chickens, and bunnies.  The fencing at the back of the property will need to be worked on a bit, but I have a good 6' wood fence that will keep the goats separated from the backyard and anything I don't want them to eat.  Not looking for dairy or meat goats--just brush goats that are also friendly.  I don't want to be saddled with milking and I could never eat anything I name, so they would be pets and weedeaters.


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## Keef (Jun 7, 2016)

THG -- I had a Billy goat once and have been around them !--My little brother showed up at my house with a half dead Billy goat that his Chow had attacked !-- D.D. and I performed surgery and I fixed things best I could but Billy lost his test tickles-- Repaired him best I could and gave him a round of antibiotics !--- It was touch and go for a few days but Bill lived !-- He spent the rest of his life on a farm as a pet !--- Goats have twins about 3 times a year !-- It is an almost perfect food animal !-- Goat herders keep the girls to build the herd and eat the boys !-- Don't name them or name them for the holiday U plan to eat them !--- Or trade them for something else !--- The perfect "Watchdog" for a herd of goats is a male and female donkey !-- When a predator threatens the herd the Jill rounds up the herd and acts as close security ---The Jack goes out to face the threat !-- A Jackass is a coyotes worst nightmare !-- I mean they will stomp a mud hole in a coyote !-- It ain't 't pretty !


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## umbra (Jun 7, 2016)

Tons of my neighbors have goats. There's a store where you can buy baby critters around here. My dogs would just go nuts and try to eat them.


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## RubyRed (Jun 8, 2016)

their great for keeping like that.  we use ours for the blackberry brush.  they keep it all clear.


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## orangesunshine (Jun 8, 2016)

sounds like good fun thg---can we help name your new weedwackers


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## zem (Jun 8, 2016)

eat something that i name... lol i just remembered an age old scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZltVL-wn4Xk LMAO


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## Hackerman (Jun 8, 2016)

We ate all our pets as children.... LMAO (might explain a few things about my personality).

Every year at Easter, we would go to the farm and buy pet chickens and ducks (Easter tradition back then). We would keep them all Spring and Summer but when Winter would start, Mom would say that she took them to the zoo where they lived for the Winter.

However, you have to remember that my Mom came from the old country and when it was time for fresh chicken for dinner, she simply went outside on the patio, grabbed a chicken by the neck and..... bingo, dinner is served. LOL So, for her, it was just something she had done all her life, growing up.

It wasn't until we were all older adults and grown up that we all learned Mom's destiny for our chicken and ducks.

I can't believe I ate Fluffy and Donald. LOL


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## St_Nick (Jun 8, 2016)

Hack, I grew up on a farm in the hills. We ate our 'pets' too.  My daughter has goats. They make pretty good pets, not very good weedeaters. My problem with them is that you just can't keep them from climbing on everything.


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## Keef (Jun 8, 2016)

I know that's  true !-- Goats can climb a tree sometimes !--They also escape artist !-Growing up we hunted fished or grew our own meat and veggies !--- I knew what we were eating I never had goat when young but chickens , calves and rabbit! --- I don't eat animals I knew anymore !--


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 8, 2016)

Yeah, well, I did not grow up on a farm and I am not raising goats for meat.  My grandparents were farmers, so I am familiar with butchering animals for food--I just cannot and do not wan do it.  I am getting where I don't eat a whole lot of meat and I want these to be more pets.  I am thinking of them for weedeaters as the previous owners had goats and according to the next door neighbors (who ran a brush hog over the back area this last weekend) they did a great job.  This is not a grassy pasture--this is a weedy pasture and has the kind of things that goats love to eat.  The alternative is a riding mower and a lot of weedwhacking around the fence and trees.

Although i do have dogs, mine are herding dogs--a border collie and a border collie/heeler cross--and will not hurt the animals.  They have been around "livestock" with no problems.  My sis's dogs are smaller and will be contained within the back yard area...and I am not sure they would be a match for a goat, which as St. Nick noted can really climb.    I am in farm country  and I have found that there are a lot of goats for sale around here--tons of different breeds and crosses.  The pygmy and dwarf breeds are just so cute.

Keef, bless you for taking in an injured goat and nursing it back to health.  I really don't want to raise meat goats, so willmost likely get all one sex or castrated males (called wethers I have discovered).  I love donkeys, but do not really have the room for one.  I am not sure that coyotes are a problem out here, but I can find out.  I imagne that my male border collie would be a great guard dog for them.


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## Keef (Jun 8, 2016)

THG -Nursing Bill back to health was just the right thing to do !--- U remind me of the lady we gave Bill to -- I could tell right away that he was going to be precious to her !-- She beamed when I led him around to the truck on a leash !-- I just know he had a great life !

 I think it was selfish of me !--- I did it because it made me feel good inside !


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## Rosebud (Jun 8, 2016)

THG, how will you keep them out of your pot? Do you have a good fence? I love goats.. I love how they stand on tables and each other.. They would be great keeping your pasture down.


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## Keef (Jun 8, 2016)

I would suggest a big chicken pen !-- Big market for free range chicken eggs I hear ! --


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## Keef (Jun 8, 2016)

In high school I raised a big Hereford calf for a  big livestock show !-- One day in Ag. Class the teacher said U boys raising steers for the livestock show !--- I told U that the steer needed to walk about 4 miles a day !---He produced a picture of me riding Rebel down the side of the road and said --This is not what I meant !


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## St_Nick (Jun 8, 2016)

THG, the little pygmies are pretty nice pets.  About a year ago I stayed with a couple who had little miniature ponies.  They were great little lawnmowers!


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## burnin1 (Jun 11, 2016)

There are people who rent goats out for weeding.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 12, 2016)

I snapped a pic of the back of the backyard from the deck so you could see what I have.  Unfortunately the big beautiful steel building on the right of the second picture is not mine, but the neighbors next door.  Good neighbors--they came over last Sunday and ran a brush hog over the back area.  I am not sure I have enough room to justify renting goats--my sis did do that with her 2 acres in Idaho, but here the entire property is just .62 acres.  And not all of that will be "goat habitat".  There is a decent sized piece fenced off for plants.

We had a chance to pick up a couple of free goats, but I could just not get a gate made and the fence repaired in a timely manner.  I had a bunch of inside stuff to do.  After going with no kitchen for 3 weeks, we are getting the kitchen cabinets and countertop installed tomorrow!  So, by the end of this week, we should have a functioning kitchen again.  I am going to do the backsplash tile, the flooring, and (of course) the plumbing.  Other than the plumbing, I can do the other things at my leisure.  

I am loving living in a legal state so much. It is scary being in your mid 60s and risking incarceration every day of your life, just because you choose to grow your own medicine.  Half the states have seen the wisdom of legalizing MMJ, let's hope the rest of them see the folly of their ways and follow suit.  Congrats to you in Ohio. 

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## High (Jun 12, 2016)

That's a beautiful view you have there. Looks like the perfect spot for relaxing with a smoke. 

I had a goat when I was a kid. I loved that goat, even though she was a stubborn sob. I wish I could see her again. I live in the city so it's probable I'll never get a goat again, but if I could I'd get another one in a heart beat.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 13, 2016)

I lived in the mountains before and was surrounded with trees.  While I loved it, I couldn''t actually see the sky out my windows and missed that.  It is kind of nice to look out my windows and see sky and land again.  I love the mountains, but grew up in high desert farmland and appreciate the beauty of the desert, too.   

High, you may not live in the city the rest of your life.  I am not one for a lot of traffic and crowds.  Living in a big city would be my worst nightmare.  Even though we moved to a very small town--around 12,000 people, we specifically looked for a place in the country so we could have all our dogs (5) and other animals should be want.  I can't wait to start working on the yard...tright after we get the kitchen put back together.....


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## High (Jun 13, 2016)

Yeah I'm living in the nightmare now. My wife loves the city and I hate it, but I love her more than I hate the city. I've tried to convince her to move to the country to no avail :joint4:

I know what you mean about the trees blocking the sky. When I was young I had the best of both worlds. I was surrounded by wide open farm land, but there were trees in my yard and trees surrounding the woods. It was awesome. I'll try to find a picture. 

Our kitchen is in shambles too. As soon as my car is paid off at the end of this year we're going ours. Sucks because that money would be a good start to buying a couple acres in the country. Oh well. I have to be grateful for all that I have right?


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## Rosebud (Jun 13, 2016)

Hemp Goddess going to be a farmer!!!!


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## Keef (Jun 13, 2016)

E.I.E.I.O. ?-- With a quack - quack here ( that would be me ) and a quack -quack there !-- No I think U need chickens !--- With a bock-bock here --Sing along !
I hope U love your new place THG !--  I live 1/2 mile from the beach but I miss the swamps of Louisiana !-- Over there I'm out at a Gorilla grow and hear U coming you'll never see me !--- Ain't no trees around here and no place to hide !-- After surviving Katrina we know it can all be gone tomorrow so we enjoy it while we can !--  Anyone see two people --4 dogs --and a fist full of clones headed north from the Gulf-- that will be us !-- I can't do another hurricane!


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## zem (Jun 14, 2016)

it is the same everywhere, I live in a suburb, and more and more it gets more populated, it got to a level now, that i regret going out every time that i do  because of the crowd of rushing people with anger issues, road rage, i have a baby in my car and they come around my tail flashing lights sometimes hitting the horns because i am in their terms slow, i look at him surpass me to get stuck with the traffic ahead, and here comes another idiot behind me, jeez. I like to live in close suburbs because i like the services to be close, but the city eventually invades and one would have to move farther. whenever I went for a few days to small far away towns, I find it hard to live there forever, it is understandable for someone who lived for long in or close to a city to find it hard for him. I have a network of people, friends and acquaintances whom I like to keep as my friends, and it becomes hard when someone is living very far. This is maybe the hardest part for me, the loneliness, I would be seeing a lot less of the people that i know


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## yarddog (Jun 14, 2016)

thg, you have a nice view there. congrats on your move. maybe you will slow down from moving in a few months. so much to do to make it the way you want things to be !!
zem, yous speak so much truth. i hate when i have to go to atlanta for my job. i live in a small town, no traffic signals. and i still cant wait to move back to the woods.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 14, 2016)

Leaving my friends behind is the hardest part of this moving thing.  However, there are more than a few who are also looking to move.  Two of my closest friends have their homes up for sale now and will be moving to different parts of Oregon.  And the little town has changed and is not really the same place that it used to be--there are those that want to make it some hotsy-totsy place like Sun Valley and we are not that.  

Keef, don't blame you with the hurricanes--I feel the  way about those and tornadoes--don't want to live anywhere either of them might be happening.   I am a long ways from the gulf, but if you got west and north far enough, you would have a place to rest your head here.  And when you already have 5 dogs, what are 4 more?

High, a kitchen remodel almost always pays for itself--it is one of the best home improvements you can make and brings the highest return.  That and bathroom remodels--which is next on the agenda.  Bless you for being such a good husband and putting your wife's wishes before your own.  I don't think I could move to the city for anyone....even George Clooney....

Rosebud,  not sure I am farmer material--that is a lot of work.  I know you know that.  However, I can see the progression....you start with a couple of goats.  And since you are feeding and watering goats and as you have nesting boxes, you throw a few chickens into the mix.  Then someone has bunnies that need a home....

Raining here today.  It is kind of cold and miserable, so absolutely an inside day.  Hope everyone has a great day!


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## Rosebud (Jun 14, 2016)

Yep, i bet that is how it starts. How many plants can you have?  I have a Blue Dream and a SSH for you. I might have a buckeye purple that is looking maybe girl? are you interested? The clones are in one gallon pots. We will need to get together someday soon.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 14, 2016)

Yes yes yes, I would like them.  I am hoping that we can get together soon--maybe next week.  The cabinets will be all set today and the countertops should be done by Friday.  I will do all the plumbing (duh), the backsplash tile and the flooring, but the plumbing is the only thing that needs to be done now.  I have heard so many good things about Blue Dream and I really want to try a Haze, so thank you.  And I am looking forward to seeing you and Mr. RB...and Kali and Howard, of course.  Your yard is a wonder and I look to you for inspiration and ideas for my own.


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## Keef (Jun 14, 2016)

I was in the military for 8 years and everytime I settled down somewhere I'd have to pack up and move somewhere else !-- Life continued like that since 1973 !-- Left them Piney Woods of east Texas and never came back but for visits !--- Longest I've ever been in one place is 10 years !--- Not long after  D.D. and I married we returned home from a trip to Dallas to find our house burned to the ground !-- So we moved to the swamp half way between New Orleans and Baton Rouge and started over !--  Anyway fact is home is where U at !---- Hope all works out !-- I have a sink to replace !-- I was gonna just get rid of the garbage disposal --Now it's a whole sink !--- I hate plumbing --I hate carpentry --I hate electrical  ( Crown Royal and electricity do not mix )-- and I hate yard work! -- U get the picture !


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## High (Jun 14, 2016)

zem said:


> it is the same everywhere, I live in a suburb, and more and more it gets more populated, it got to a level now, that i regret going out every time that i do  because of the crowd of rushing people with anger issues, road rage, i have a baby in my car and they come around my tail flashing lights sometimes hitting the horns because i am in their terms slow, i look at him surpass me to get stuck with the traffic ahead, and here comes another idiot behind me, jeez. I like to live in close suburbs because i like the services to be close, but the city eventually invades and one would have to move farther. whenever I went for a few days to small far away towns, I find it hard to live there forever, it is understandable for someone who lived for long in or close to a city to find it hard for him. I have a network of people, friends and acquaintances whom I like to keep as my friends, and it becomes hard when someone is living very far. This is maybe the hardest part for me, the loneliness, I would be seeing a lot less of the people that i know



Amen. I can't figure out why everyone is in such a rush. People just need to learn how to enjoy slowing down and taking it easy. The world would be such a better place.

International Institute of Not Doing Much


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## zem (Jun 14, 2016)

High said:


> Amen. I can't figure out why everyone is in such a rush. People just need to learn how to enjoy slowing down and taking it easy. The world would be such a better place.
> 
> International Institute of Not Doing Much



Everyone is stuck with duties jobs and stuff that is over their heads, and they are rushing to get to their jobs on time when everyone else is, so there becomes traffic and more time and more stress, and then a check in machine will discount a penalty from their already low wages for every minute that they are late. That "life" that most people get themselves stuck into, is very stressing, and it could cause road rage to turn into violence and murder


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## Rosebud (Jun 14, 2016)

Retirement is wonderful. No traffic.


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## WeedHopper (Jun 14, 2016)

Hey THG,,,Weedhopper miss THG,,,,Yehaaaaaaaaa


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 15, 2016)

Part of how much hubbub and rush rush goes on depends on where you live.  Small towns just seem to move at a slower pace.  I have never lived anywhere that the population was over 150,000 and that seemed too much as too many people are trying to get somewhere too fast.  I do much better in a country setting.  I like neighbors...just not too many of them.  Rosebud, I agree that retirement is wonderful.  I am just as busy--maybe busier--but I am doing things I want to do, not things I have to do.

It is hard to leave friends, but I did it when I moved the last time in 1998.  And I made tons of new friends and still kept some of old ones. If one is lonely they only have themselves to blame.  There are new friendship opportunities literally everywhere!

Keef, that is what I did yesterday--sink plumbing.  I'm sorry that I am not there to help you with your sink plumbing.   I rather enjoy work that is above floor and not wet and muddy.  And I hate electrical, too.  There is a reason I became a plumber and not an electrician--if I make a mistake, I just get wet.

WH, you and the missus are just going to have to come visit one day!  It is nice to. have enough room that I can have guests without having to ask them to bring sleeping bags.

I have been smoking something with a bit too much indica in it that a friend gave me.  Not up to working with power tools, but I think I am just high enough that painting the small bedroom is a doable task.  After all, how much trouble can you get into with water base paint....


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## Keef (Jun 15, 2016)

Paint a little have a toke and admire your work for a minute then maybe paint some more !---- I grew up in the country where we built it or fixed it !--I traveled and lived in different states --- I like to visit the city sometimes but my heart needs some space !-- We used to go to New Orleans and stay in the Royal Senesta  with a balcony over Bourbon street !-- That way we could go out on the balcony get high and people watch !-- Watching the drunks , hustlers and dealers and tourist interact --It amuses me !---Since my head injury I don't do so well in things like concert crowds anymore !--- 
I myself have smoked something a little heavy on the indica so I go do a little pharming then come take another toke or 2 !--- I got no problem with it !---


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## Keef (Jun 15, 2016)

THG --I'm getting rid of the stupid disposal !---I don't want to hurt my neck so I'm doing it in stages !-- Anyway I had a question !--- When I drop that disposal there is gonna be a big ole hole in the sink and I got a regular sink drain pipe and it ain't gonna hook up to the sink when I remove the disposal !--- I'm gonna replace the sink later but I'd like to use that side of the sink too !---What I do ? --They got an adapter? --


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## High (Jun 15, 2016)

Much mojo in your new place THG!


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## tcbud (Jun 16, 2016)

Your place looks wonderful THG.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 16, 2016)

Keef, you will have to change the thing that the disposer connected to--that metal flange thing.  There is no adapter, but most of the disposer mounting is easy to remove.  Was it an InSinkErator disposer?  I can probably tell you how to remove the old flange and put a new basket strainer and continuous waste in, if ytou would like.  The thing that looks like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQYBSU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 will have to be removed.  It is easy and I can tell you how.  Then you will need tt something like this in https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K187VPS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20.  And then use piping like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K187VPS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20. or like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OMMGY0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20  under the sink.  And you will need a P-trap.  Whether you use the first one or the second depends on whether the drain pipe for the sink comes out of the wall on  the side or whether in comes ou. in the middle.  If the drain pipe comes out of the floor, you will need something else.

High, thanks.  I am liking it here.  I know I have said this before, but it is so nice to be able to smoke legally.


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## Keef (Jun 16, 2016)

Thanks THG !-- It's a insinkerator thing !-- The basket strainer !-- Is what I need !-- I got the rest under control  ! If I can hook the drain pipe to the bottom of the sink then I'm good !---- Old plumber told me once --- U need to know 3 things about plumbing !--- Sheet runs down hill --- The boss is a S-O-B and payday is on Friday !--- Never been that simple to me !--- Don't mind the water pipe but I hate working with the waste side !--


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 17, 2016)

Actually, the waste lines under the sink should be a lot easierto work with than the water lines.  And if something is not quite right, you usually only have a little bit of water instead of a whole bunch with a water line that is pressurized.  Using PVC continuous waste and p-traps makes it quite easy.  Can. you (did you) get the old disposer mounting flange off?  Do you have a dishwasher?  If so, you will need a piece like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000DZH8GQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20. to connect the dishwasher drain to 

Keef, I am going to be doing sink plumbing today, too.  We should have our kitchen mostly put back together by the end of the day!  We have been without a kitchen over a month.  All that is left for my cabinet people to do is install and laminate the countertops and some electrical.  We are waiting on a couple of light fixtures still.  As soon as the laminate is down, I can install the sink and dishwasher.  I got a new RO for the kitchen and the old one will go downstairs for me to use for gardening.  We are in farm country and there are nitrates and arsenic in the water.  I still need to run gas line for the stove, but I think I can get that done in a couple of hours.


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## zigggy (Jun 17, 2016)

I tried keeping a few small animals ,,,a pot belly pig,and three chickens ,,my dog killed all four of them in one night ,,,I felt bad the little pig was kinda cool ,,,,,,,,ssbw


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## Keef (Jun 25, 2016)

THG - Thanks for your advice on the plumbing !-- Disposal is gone and the sink is plumbed !


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## WeedHopper (Jun 25, 2016)

Someday THG me and my partner in crime/wife will visit you and Rose. Well that is if my old *** can afford it. Money is getting harder to make,damnt.  Lol


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## Rosebud (Jun 25, 2016)

Oh WH, that would be nice.. your welcome any time.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 25, 2016)

I would love that WH!    I hear you on the money thing, but traveling is a lot cheaper when you have friends you can stay with.  

Keef, congrats on getting your sink done!  I still have to finish running gas line for the stove--been putting it off--but going to try and get it done this weekend.  In the meantime, we do have the microwave, an electric skillet, a crock pot, and a barbeque grill.  

I'm trying to get all my outside stuff done.  We have 10 days of 100+ temperatures coming.   Rosebud, you must have this heat wave forecast for your place, too, don't you?  Our weather seems to be much the same.  It sounds like a cliche and I won't go so far as to say "...it is not the heat, but the humidity...", however that is somewhat true.  We will have temps over 100, but the humidity will be in the lower teens.  Somewhat like the Mohave Desert.  Fortunately I have a basement if the heat gets to be too much.  Love, love love having a basement.  

Those of you in the heat, don't over exert yourself and stay hydrated.


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## WeedHopper (Jun 25, 2016)

My Wife loved Oregon.  Her family were migrant farm workers,,and she said Oregon was her favorite state.  She has been bugging the crap outta Weedhopper to take a trip and visit that state. i lived in Cali when i was a kid. My father died in Medler California when i was 11,,he was 36.
Im betting someday you will meet Cowboydawg/Weedhopper and his side kick/Pothead Wife. Lol


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## Rosebud (Jun 26, 2016)

THG, your clones that are waiting for you are now plants.. that is good, you should be able to just plant and water when you get them.  They are outside in the sun and growing well. So don't think you are too late, just think of them as vegging is Washington and flowering in Oregon.  I may have your whole grow here. lol


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## Keef (Jun 26, 2016)

Rose U are an angel !-- Always taking care of people !--
THG ---I hate digging trenches for any plumbing !-- We have an all electric home and I'm about maxed out on how much power I can pull for the grow without drawing unwanted attention !-- We have natural gas at the street !-- I plan to replace the electric stove --clothes dryer --and water heater with gas appliances --So I can use more power on the grow !-- Be glad when national prohibition ends ---Growing weed under these conditions task me !


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 27, 2016)

Keef, isn't she just the best!  One of the greatest things for me with MP was meeting Rosebud.  She and Mr. RB are both just great people.  Electrical usage doesnt not draw unwanted attention unless you are stealing power or not paying your bill.   You should have seen my bill when I was heating with electricity, had a grow, a hot tub, and was allowing a friend to use my shed to do some welding!  Your big concern is probably maxing out your amperage.  Our furnace here in Oregon is gas, so running gas for the stove is not a big deal.  When the water heater needs to be replaced, I will probably go with gas on that, too.  I absolutely hate cooking on an electric range and have converted to natural gas or propane in the last 3 homes I have lived in.  I hear you on the growing under trying conditions.  I spent many many years growing under the same trying conditions.  I believe that Idaho's laws may be even tougher than Texas.  

Rosebud, I figured that they had gone from clone stage to real plants by now.  You are such a dear for doing this for me.  We have had some vehicle troubles here and the vehicle that is running good has A/C problems.  That is being repaired this morning.  You are only about 4 hours away now--we do need to set a date for me to visit that will work for you.  Now that the kitchen is mostly back together, there are no jobs that have to be done yesterday.  

My cabinet people are putting the finishing touches on the kitchen today--new lights going up in the kitchen, hallway and entry way.   Then, as they are from Idaho, we are going to visit a dispensary if time allows.  This little dispensary that is about 30 miles fre Idaho border gets an awful lot of Idaho dollarsd.


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## Keef (Jun 27, 2016)

Is your to do list getting any smaller THG ?-- Sooner or later it'll come together !--- My next project is a new light fixture in the kitchen !--- The kitchen has an island and above it is a recessed light fixture !-- The ballast for the florescent tubes went out !-- At the time I just took the wires loose and wired it to a regular light socket !---Been several years and D.D. wants more light !--- I need to go get a florescent fixture and mount it !--- Same with the front porch fixture !-- All over head !--The position that Hurts worst !-- 
The power company down here seem to work with the po-po !--- U can use all the power U want but they may come around to see how U use all that power !--- Purchasing that hot tub gives me a reason to use more power !-- I promise U though that if the neighborhood  average power usage is say $200 a month and U using $1,000 worth U will have a visitor with questions !


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 28, 2016)

Keef, I do not believe that it is legal for the electric company to indiscriminately give out information about electricity bill.  Truly, the electric company only want their money.  Working with the police is countercroductive (and most likely a a violation of your civil rights).  I have never ever heard a verifiable story of someone getting busted for a personal grow because of their power bill.  It will be a moot point if you switch to gas though.

I hate electrical work and do as little of it as possible.  Changing out a light fixture is fairly simple though.  Just make sure that you have the breaker turned off and that all your connections are tight and that the fixture is grounded.  I have a tough time working overhead anymore, too.  

It is hot here--forecast is 102.  Heat like this just wipes me out and makes me mostly useless.  So, better get morning chores done before it gets too hot.  It is 80 already.


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## Keef (Jun 28, 2016)

THG --U know how paranoid old pot farmers can be !--I don't want to give anyone a reason to get curious !
On my power bill is a line that says what percent of power I use compared to the rest of the neighborhood! -- I run about 100 % -150% more than average !---That is the line that scares me !--


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## Keef (Jun 28, 2016)

THG -- Umbra said in New Jersey they came to find out why he used so much power !


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## Dalahaze (Jun 28, 2016)

In Florida operation eagle claw netted about 200 busts about 6 years ago, a month before the electric company came by asking why i was using so much electricity, I told them a random excuse that made perfect sense....a month later a whole lotta people got busted. They played it off as a public service initiative to stop electrical theft and to shut down all the grow houses in south Florida....seems the Mexican cartel would rent houses in nice neighborhoods and grow out the whole house 2 times then not renew the lease.....it was all politically motivated, and i don't know if those people affected were stealing or what, but it was a state wide deal started by FDLE. Just fyi...me personally i have never had a problem, but I always make sure I have a reason to consume, and i pay my bill on time every  month.

all the links are dead now to the news stories...you'll just have to trust me 

South Florida's operation "no grow" & operation "eagle claw"

Postby xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx » Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:29 pm

hey yall just keeping track of whats going on locally, here we go first up is Operation "No Grow" a multi-agency operation that targeted marijuana hydroponic labs throughout Miami-Dade/Broward County, netted 900 marijuana plants with a street value of about $3 million. - link to article dead.



operation eagle claw and south Florida

Statewide raids strike pot growers in Broward, Palm Beach counties
June 13, 2009

Fort Lauderdale - Investigators arrest a total of 142 people and more than 6,800 marijuana plants were seized in one of the largest statewide operations targeting marijuana grown in Florida homes, authorities announced Friday.


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## Keef (Jun 29, 2016)

Hot Tub burns through some power !-- Just fired up 3 more lights !--- Only time the hot tub is on is when we in it !--Plus I use LEDs so my power use is not too excessive !--They have never asked but I do have a reason for my power usage !-- Thinking about getting a little MIG welder too !-- I wish they would let us use solar or wind !-- If nothing else I could confuse them about my power usage !-- 
Hey THG --How goes it ?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 30, 2016)

Yes, hot tubs burn through some power.  Mine cost me about 50-75 a month depending on what time of year it was and how cold it was outside.  I kept my hot tub around 90-92 all the time and then turned it up an hour or so before I wanted to use.  Most hot tubs actually do use power all the time--it will keep the water at the temp you designate and the jets automatically turn on a couple of times a day to keep the water clean and not stagnant.  Not all of them are that way, but the better hot tubs will be.

Maybe it is because we have an abundance of cheap electricity out west here where a lot of power is supplied by hydroelectricity, but the power companies out here don't seem to care how much power you use if you pay your bill.  Within reason, of course.  I can see where whole house grows with a power bill in the thousands could give them probable cause for a warrant.  However, we are talking smaller personal grows here, not whole house cartel grows.  I cannot imagine that I am drawing attention to myself because my electricity bill is $300 in the winter and my neighbor's is $150.  Never ever have I had a call or inquiry from the power company about my usage.  And I used to have a hot tub, a welder, and a grow.  However if it worries you a lot,  you can do things to lower power usage in other areas to offset the power consumed by your lights.  Use all CFLs or LEDs for household lighting.  Set your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer and a few degrees lower in the winter (do you have winter there?).  Hang clothes outside rather than using an electric dryer.  Turn your water heater down afew degrees and take shorter showers.  Use a cold water detergent and wash your clothes in cold water.  There are a lot of ways to cut your household use to offset grow usage.

I did not save that much using LEDs.  I tried to replace a 1000W HPS with 700 working watts of LED (a 700W Mars II fixture and a 768W Apollo Sun) but it just did not cut it.  I have not given up on the LEDs, but they do not produce what the HPS does.  So, if ultimately, I have to have 1000W of LED or so to equal the growing power of a 1000W HPS, I am not saving anything.  And in the winter, the heat from the lights is directed back into the living space to help heat that.  They do produce a bit less heat, so A/C costs in the summer will be somewhat lower...if I do an inside grow in the summer.    

Who does not let you use solar or wind?  I have looked into solar, but the cost would be so prohibitive that I would not even begin to pay for it in my lifetime.  

It is HOT here.  Temps will be over 100 again today.  I am trying to get a bit of yard work done in the morning and then hunker down inside in the afternoon.  I do have to go to the grow store today and they do not open until 11.   Yesterday, it was 90 degrees before 10.  But the humidity was 14%--that does make a huge difference in how much heat you can handle.


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## Rosebud (Jun 30, 2016)

We have such cheap electricity here I am shocked at what folks pay. I know having a small house helps, but we are very lucky.


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## Keef (Jun 30, 2016)

We run our central air unit most of the time !-- We haven't had as much as frost in 3 years !-- Our winter is when the temp goes into 50s !-- That's one reason it's  hard to grow weed down here !-- The bugs are never killed off by the weather !- I use Mars 300 Reflector Series lights one box - One light ! !-- It is more about heat than power usage for me !--- I put them " Hell Lights" up I  cook everything !


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## Hackerman (Jun 30, 2016)

My electric bill is $200 to $300 except in Summer with the A/C it pops up another $100.

My house is old and has a lot of leaks so all my utilities are high.

However, the important thing is how much per KWH (Kilowatt Hour) you pay. And, don't let all the "special" charges slip by. I take the total payment divided by the KWH used.

In my case, this month's total bill was $207.00 and I used 1528 KWH. So, my cost per KWH is  13.5 cents per KWH.

I'll bet you that's one of the highest in the country. What do you people in Cali pay per KWH?


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## mrcane (Jun 30, 2016)

Best thing we have done "this winter" is put 20 solar panels on our roof ....
  our electric bill "summer months" is just the hookup fee  &20.00 & So far this summer we have banked one month of winter useage "lights on" The house runs all electric... We pay 15.cents per KWH ...but have never used that much power....
   As Rose was saying our power is cheep in the PNW ...but I like Spinning my meter backwards.....


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## mrcane (Jun 30, 2016)

O..Ya 20 top of the line solar panels "this past winter" 30K....$10K Back from the fed.s out the door fully installed $20K......Ouch....:48:...


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## Keef (Jun 30, 2016)

This is the part of my bill which scares me ! 

View attachment 20160630_215531.jpg


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## WeedHopper (Jul 1, 2016)

Wow,,,that is scary,,they even put the % of electricity used and stated how much more then it was then your neighbors. 
Big brother as usual ,,,WATCHING everything we do. Can we say NSA.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 1, 2016)

Mine has that too and also tells me how much mine has changed from a year ago.  There are a hundred reasons for one person/family to use more power than their neighbors.  First, there aren't a lot of all electric homes anymore--that alone can make a huge difference.  I cannot remember the last time I plumbed an all electric home.  The number of people in the family makes a huge difference.  Is there 1 shower in the morning or 6?  Laundry for 1 or a whole family of active children?  A difference of 79% could well be simply that your home is all electric and your neighbor's isn 't.  Homes with gas appliances--furnaces, water heaters, stoves, and dryers (the power hogs) will consume a lot less electricity.   Unless it it is 790% higher, I cannot see how this would raise a red flag or be considered probable cause.  Just how much wattage are you using for your grow?  I believe that you use LEDs don't you?


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## WeedHopper (Jul 1, 2016)

The problem is called Red Flags,,,,same way the IRS works,,,Red Flags. Dont get so relaxed in an illegal state that you dont pay attention, ,,because they do.


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## Keef (Jul 2, 2016)

Yes THG  I use LEDs --- Right now I'm running 8 Mars 300 Reflector Series !-- Gonna be adding more when I convert to gas appliances !-- There never has been a spike in my usage that would say this is when he fired up the grow !


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 3, 2016)

I didn't realize you had that many. You must be running  around 1200w then.  How big a space are you lighting with these?


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## Keef (Jul 3, 2016)

THG -- I run the 6 in this pic --one in the nursery  and I got a test box in bloom elsewhere !-- I'll be putting 20 of these in a spare bedroom as soon as they even think about ending prohibition in Texas ! 

View attachment 20160702_094407.jpg


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## Keef (Jul 3, 2016)

Mars Hydro 300 Reflector Series --One box -one light !-- 2 boxes equal about a square meter / yard !
Pic of the nursery! 

View attachment 20160702_094537.jpg


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 4, 2016)

Oh Keef, good luck with that.  I figured that I would die before Idaho (the Texas of the west) ever legalize MMJ.

How do the two lights per sq meter work out for you?  I was disappointed with the results of a 700w Mars in a sq yard area.


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## Keef (Jul 4, 2016)

Doing the best we can under the circumstances THG !-- Still got questions but I think we can make it work !-- Things evolve !-- Come a long way since that store bought aerocloner !-- Built my own dam system !--U ever ran an aero cloner U know plugged microsprayers and the pump  warming up your res. will make U crazy !-- Been one problem after another and it seems to have all come together finally! -- Now if I can make it produce consistently !


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## sopappy (Jul 4, 2016)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I snapped a pic of the back of the backyard from the deck so you could see what I have.  Unfortunately the big beautiful steel building on the right of the second picture is not mine, but the neighbors next door.  Good neighbors--they came over last Sunday and ran a brush hog over the back area.  I am not sure I have enough room to justify renting goats--my sis did do that with her 2 acres in Idaho, but here the entire property is just .62 acres.  And not all of that will be "goat habitat".  There is a decent sized piece fenced off for plants.
> 
> We had a chance to pick up a couple of free goats, but I could just not get a gate made and the fence repaired in a timely manner.  I had a bunch of inside stuff to do.  After going with no kitchen for 3 weeks, we are getting the kitchen cabinets and countertop installed tomorrow!  So, by the end of this week, we should have a functioning kitchen again.  I am going to do the backsplash tile, the flooring, and (of course) the plumbing.  Other than the plumbing, I can do the other things at my leisure.
> 
> I am loving living in a legal state so much. It is scary being in your mid 60s and risking incarceration every day of your life, just because you choose to grow your own medicine.  Half the states have seen the wisdom of legalizing MMJ, let's hope the rest of them see the folly of their ways and follow suit.  Congrats to you in Ohio.



Nice pictures, yer livin' the dream, THG, I'm stuck in a 3bed rowhouse


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## sopappy (Jul 4, 2016)

WeedHopper said:


> Wow,,,that is scary,,they even put the % of electricity used and stated how much more then it was then your neighbors.
> Big brother as usual ,,,WATCHING everything we do. Can we say NSA.



Those damn smart meters. We got sucked in thinking we'd all be able to take advantage of lower rates... WHAT LOWER RATES?
Bastids.
Very scary when you see it in graph form by day too, those patterns really stick out. But I hear they just want the bill paid and only get testy you're stealing it.


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## sopappy (Jul 4, 2016)

WeedHopper said:


> The problem is called Red Flags,,,,same way the IRS works,,,Red Flags. Dont get so relaxed in an illegal state that you dont pay attention, ,,because they do.



I've heard of the flags but I also think they look at their return these days.
I'm a loser, small, stumbling business, huge debt, I pay my personal tax and remit HST, but I haven't filed a company return in 10 years. They just remind me every year. There's bigger fish in the sea and less resources these days.
Hopefully.

You're absolutely right though, no complacency, never relax.


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## WeedHopper (Jul 4, 2016)

That is very true,,,they mostly just want thier money ,,,but never ever let your gaurd down. Lots of ppl in prison because they thought,,,it will never happen to them,,or nobody cares,,nobodies watching . Most likely they arnt,,,but what if they are because they have been alerted or you have been Red Flaged. Chances are nobody has a clue,,most the time they dont give a crap, ,,but sometimes ppl tell ppl things they shouldn't.  Ive seen best friends turn on each other and snitch,,,or punks that dont wanna do time,,,turn into freaking snitches. So tell no one,,and you probably will never have a problem.

 But damn 79% more?  :rofl:

I am so high and messen wit you.


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## Keef (Jul 5, 2016)

Blame it on the ha-ha -Hot Tub !-- Many of these houses are weekend beach houses --Some belong to Snowbirds-- Winter Texans who come down for the winter to get away from the cold !-- So it looks worse than it is !--- Around $300 a month for household and grow power ?--Really not that bad !-- The plan is to level out about here then start switching to gas appliances and cutting power use while adding more lights !--


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 5, 2016)

Sopappy,  I am loving our place.  A lot of people would think a little 60s ranch house that needs a lot of work a nightmare, not a dream.  But me, yeah, I am quite the happy camper.  I am not sure what a rowhouse is, but it sounds better than an apartment.  I hate living in apartments.

Weedhopper, you are right about never letting your guard down.  I have grown for decades without getting popped.  You only do that by being careful.  However, my electrical usage was usually the least of my worries.  One of the reasons that I grew hydro is that it looks awfully funny dragging in bag of soil and additives when there is 5' of snow on the ground.  I also worried about odor and the trash you create when you grow and took steps to never have stuff like that lying around.   I still believe that 99% of busts are because someobne has loose lips.

Keef, sounds like your place is opposite of where I used to live in Idaho.  We had "flatlanders".  People who spend the summers in the mountains and then closed up their places for the winter and went someplace warm (like where you live).  I lived in a "subdivision" (I use that term very loosely) that has 366 properties.  Of those, only about 60 residences were occupied all year round.  Even though we have cheap power, it was not unusual for my power bill to be $300 in the winter.  The last 3 places I have lived, I have removed the electric stoves and ran gas.  I just hate cooking on an electric stove.  If you have not done it before, I think you will love cooking with gas and you will be amazed at the recovery time of your water heater.

It has been so darned hot here, but is starting to cool down some.  High today is predicted to be 87.  A real relief from the 100+ we have been having.  Looks like we have about a week of this before its back to 100 again.  Hoping to get some yard work done.


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## WeedHopper (Jul 5, 2016)

Yep,,,loose lips 99% of the time THG,,,and thats with anything to do with the Popo. The Electricity usage is just one way for them to get your butt once the Popo has been alerted.


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## Keef (Jul 5, 2016)

THG --This is the first electric house I ever owned !--There is a natural gas line at the street but not to the house !-- If they ever let us have those meters like Cane has with his solar system --I confuse the hell out of how much power I'm using !--  So many things to look out for !-- The Po-Po down here have a special task force !---If any weed is found in a bust that is not brickweed the case goes to them !-- They are tasked with tracing it back to the source !-- (The farmer)---No way in hell would I turn loose of any of my weed down here !-- They get to jack thier arrest numbers up busting people for simple possession! ---


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## sopappy (Jul 5, 2016)

WeedHopper said:


> That is very true,,,they mostly just want thier money ,,,but never ever let your gaurd down. Lots of ppl in prison because they thought,,,it will never happen to them,,or nobody cares,,nobodies watching . Most likely they arnt,,,but what if they are because they have been alerted or you have been Red Flaged. Chances are nobody has a clue,,most the time they dont give a crap, ,,but sometimes ppl tell ppl things they shouldn't.  Ive seen best friends turn on each other and snitch,,,or punks that dont wanna do time,,,turn into freaking snitches. So tell no one,,and you probably will never have a problem.
> 
> But damn 79% more?  :rofl:
> 
> I am so high and messen wit you.



Yer absolutely right of course, I thought about it when I opened my email this morning. 

View attachment yikes.JPG


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## mrcane (Jul 5, 2016)

Keef said:


> This is the part of my bill which scares me !


Please be  careful..that's a lot of power...


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## Keef (Jul 5, 2016)

Cane --Papa said --If U can't dazzle them with brilliance !-- Baffle them with B.-S. ---I might better practice up on my baffling !--


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 5, 2016)

mrcane said:


> Please be  careful..that's a lot of power...



Lol, I used 1753 kWh last month...and I dont even have a grow going on.


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