January on the homestead

[LeatherneckPA]

2 Jan 2009

Time to start a new month. *On New Year's Day I took my "egg log" off the refrigerator and totaled my egg production. *I have 12 layers who produced 229 eggs for the month of December. *On ten days they produced 8, four days of 9, four days of 10, and one day of 11. *There was one day of zero, and no other days below 5. *Based upon this kind of production I have ordered egg cartons from my favorite hatchery (http://www.meyerhatchery.com) to start selling them. *I'm going to make a sign for the front porch advertising:

100% Natural - 100% Humane
Fresh Brown Eggs
No Hormones, No Antibiotics, No Steroids
$1.50 per dozen

... and then we'll see what happens. *It's kind of egg-citing to think of making money off extra eggs. *I figure if I make at least $28 a month it will pay for my feed. *Cool, huh?

[kldickinson1]

Forgive me if I'm tainted by Massachusetts pricing, but your price seems a bit low. Around here, free-range eggs sell freely for $2.50-$3.50 per dozen.

I'm sure you're not interested in soaking your neighbors, but I wouldn't want to see you sell yourself short, either.

Good luck with the egg sales!

[LeatherneckPA]

Alas, my eggs are not yet "free range", at least not in my interpretation thereof.

My girls (12 of them) share their digs with 2 attractive, noisy, and totally useless roosters. The 14 of them have a totally roofed yard that measures 8' x 16' (128 sq ft) and a house that measures 4' x 8' and 6' tall (32 sq ft of floor and 250+ cu ft). Inside there are three nest boxes and four roosts for them to choose from, although all but two manage to crowd onto the two higher roosts. I'm guessing they are at the bottom of the pecking order. I believe this spring I will add some roosts out in the yard for them, just for variety sake. They might prefer roosting out in the nicer weather. And then I'll remove them when the nights get nasty so they roost inside and get to share body heat.

Once we move onto our land the birds will free range from about noon or 1pm until bedtime. Hopefully, that way I'll still get the vast majority of my eggs in the nest boxes.

But when you consider that a commercial layer lives her entire productive life in a cage that's only 1 cubic foot I am comfortable with my natural and humane claims.

I thought about $2 a dozen, but eggs in the grocery here are only about 89¢ or 99¢ depending on size. And I have no intention of bothering with sizing. Right now, what I'm planning on is $2 a dozen for the first time and then only $1.50 a dozen IF they bring back the carton. Or maybe I'll just try $2 a dozen right from the git-go. I can always drop back to $1.50 if I'm overloaded, like I am right now.

[flatwater]

Jan here was about the same as Dec was. Plowed some more and had to break out the bucket to move some fallen off roof snow. I have 12 foot berms of snow now and I figure that the trees where I stacked it won't need water for the next two years.

[bee_pipes]

A little excitement today – got two shots off at a bobcat as it was carrying away a duck. We were inside in the living room; the weather was mild enough to have the front door open. I heard a racket with the guineas – like they were sounding the alarm about an intruder. When I looked outside I saw three ducks scampering away from the creek in different directions and the rest of the poultry in an uproar. By the time I figured out where the ducks were running from and looked across the creek I saw something tan carrying something white. I ran back inside for the shotgun and took off after it. It dropped the duck after the first shot. Poor thing came tumbling down the hill the cat was climbing when I shot. Must have missed by a good bit, the duck seemed to be unharmed. It should have been a cloud of feathers with a well placed shot. The range was probably too far – past the effective range of a 20 gauge. I ran after the cat and got another shot off, but it didn’t seem to be in that much of a hurry. It made steady, deliberate progress out of sight, but did not seem to be running or anything. It was a big critter too – at least the size of our biggest dog. I would not want the dogs tangling with a cat that big. The vet bills would financially ruin us. Fortunately, they don’t seem to want a fight – just an easy meal. Still, if the dogs managed to get a critter like that cornered…

Finally got two posts mounted in the ground – one on the dog house and one in an area to be used for rabbits. After over a month of procrastination, got off my duff and started the work. The day was beautiful, sunny and temperatures breaking the 60’s. After the posts we went about shoring up some tin roofs that needed a little work. The roof over the firewood had a generous overhang on the sides, but the roof was unsupported. The roofing extended past the rafters, so we cut triangular pieces of 2x6. These pieces were mounted on the outside of the rafters with 3 inch screws. Roofing was screwed into the top side of the triangles using roofing screws. In the last bad wind I had some concerns the wind would catch the edge of the roof and peel it back. The new supports work well and have done much to firm up the edges of the roofing. The angle butting up to the rafter was cut at 80 degrees, giving the roofing edge a 10 degree slope to the ground. This is one of those annoying little jobs that takes time, but with an electric miter saw set up on a small table and all the tools available, the work went quicker than I would have thought. Nothing like ending the day with a sense of accomplishment, even if it is a minor job.

Regards,
Pat

[pinetreefarm]

Boy Pat, after that ruckus my January seems very dull. Our weather is a "bit" different than yours also. We have snow up the gazoo and it is cold. -10 with windchill in the -30-40. Here is the north all we do is plow snow and stay cozy.

So we dream of our gardens over the seed catalogs, read lots of books, spin a little wool, and watch a little TV. We are formulating our spring/summer plans with chickens and garden. We have increased the raised beds and made room for another 4 yr. apple tree to arrive.

Actually we do like our cozy winters but about March/April will get stir-crazy.

Pine

[bee_pipes]

Ah yes, seed catalogs! We got our order in yesterday. Karen likes Baker Creek. I went through the remnants of last year's seeds and got a list on a spreadsheet and sorted it so we could see what we needed. I think that's going to become a new spring routine - made it much simpler than shuffling through packets and trying to figure out what you have.

Last year we built the seed starter rack that Humbug posted (Grow Lights? (http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=flo-farm-garden;action=display;num=1198723588;start=8#8) and Grow Lights? (http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=flo-farm-garden;action=display;num=1198723588;start=12#12)) .

I love the early springs here. In Indiana your tomatoes were not out of danger of overnight frost until mid-June. This year I'd like to try my hand at peanuts. Like you, we're dreaming of gardens, and hope to get some plants started soon. Karen would also like to try getting some lettuce and other greens going in the seed starter - maybe growing them to maturity inside - we shall see. Still, I am anxious to start the garden. I have been hoarding old coffee grounds for the fruit trees - hopefully get off to a good start there too. We live in a small town - no starbucks or anything like that, but I did find a local AA meeting and they are saving their coffee grounds for me - man, those drunks can put away some coffee!

This year I'd like to try a new breed of chicken. We started with Buff Orpingtons, which are good layers but leave something to be desired for meat. They are great chickens, but it's time to try something new.

Hang in there Pine - Spring's a comming!

Regards,
Pat

[rideaway]

It rained like heck last night, then today dawned clear and cold, with some minor frost on the deck and cars and ground. Enough to make my dog, Bo, do some sliding on his way outside. He runs and slides, on purpose I think, because he usually repeats it.

Since I spent New Years Day doing some pretty major sorting in the house, I think I will spend today doing the same, either in the house or in the garage. My sister and nieces belonging are still there and piled deep in one bay of the garage. Family has promised to help me sort it into what to keep for my sister and what to get rid of (after her stroke she does not need two boxes of high heels) but no one has followed through so I guess I will start it myself.

Going to take a look today at the old goat shed and pen area to transform it into a small chicken house and run. Getting 5 hens and a rooster soon, so it's time to get it together.

Other than that, just a relaxing weekend to get a grip on what I want my year to be-more organized, more serene!

[Catalpa]

Pat, that's just way too much excitement and outdoor work for January! Were you using slugs or shot in your 20 gauge? I keep the shotgun handy because of our coon problem; I haven't seen a bobcat for 20 years or so. I really like the description of your chicken coop; when I get moved to my land I'd really like to get some chickens.

Jen, I'm glad it was camber bolt and not the tie rod end or ball joint. That would have been ugly. Glad it all worked out ok. You can slide the flashing in underneath your panels on your cabin; remember you'll want drip edge when you do the roof, too. Yep, just the way that mesquite tree looks, and the brush in the other pic, it looks like a 'Nature' scene from Africa.

Flat, that's just a whole lot of snow....any ski hills by you?

Finally! The fireplace doors are on! There's a four-inch difference between the top of the door and the top of the opening; that was filled in with some metal, but I had a great idea.....I'm going to use metal screws to attach a wire mesh, and then I'm going to tile it with the same tiles I used to make the hearth. I think it will look really good.

Still working on the basement; hauling out all the boxes that got wet is a good way to whittle down my Overabundance of Stuff.

[flatwater]

We have some hills but I don't sky , Me and my DW snowshoe though. Unfortunatly By the time I get done plowing , I'm to tired to play.>>Bummer :-/

[goldengate]

We have gotten so much snow that the only outside activity we can take part in is snowshoveling or snowblowing! Not for lack of wanting to, but for lack of time. It is taking us 3-4 hours per day to keep the snow clear of the house and make paths to the shed where the chickens are spending their winter. Then every second day or so, the 1/2 mile long lane has to be cleared so that the money earner can get out and do just that. That is a 3 hour job, at best.
Actually, we are revelling in the beauty and quiet of this season.
Looking through the seed catalogs is different this year. Just as I get excited about all that I might order, I remember that we saved seed last year and don't need much this year. Of course, that is the point, isn't it? It's been kept in a dry,cool place and we are excited to see how much of it germinates. We'll let you know.

[LeatherneckPA]

WOW!! *I haven't been grocery shopping in a long time!

Based upon advice I went and checked prices on eggs today while I was getting the Sunday paper. *Plain old caged eggs are selling for $1.89. *"Organic", "Cage-free", and Eggland's Best are selling for $3.79 + per dozen. *I think I'll try selling mine for $2.50 a dozen.

In the meantime, I think I've finally gotten bored with "retirement". *Basically I haven't done much of anything productive since June 24th, except teach occasionally. *Cindy has never been able to get into my truck easily. *(She's got really short legs.) *;) *And since she broke her elbow on New Year's Eve she can't get in at all without assistance. *So yesterday, instead of loafing in front of the boob tube I went into the wood shop. *I built her a little step stool that will stay in the truck. *It fits under the passenger's seat, when laid on it's side. *And I'm going to put a little cord on it so she can pull it in after she's seated. *She's tickled to death with it.

And that is probably the secret to why I am still married after 28 years. *It takes so little to please her!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll15/LeatherneckPA/DSC_0003.jpg

Ooops! Oh well, you get the idea.

[fnfredux]

We have gotten so much snow that the only outside activity we can take part in is snowshoveling or snowblowing! * *Not for lack of wanting to, but for lack of time. *It is taking us 3-4 hours per day to keep the snow clear of the house and make paths to the shed where the chickens are spending their winter. *Then every second day or so, the 1/2 mile long lane has to be cleared so that the money earner can get out and do just that. * That is a 3 hour job, at best. *
Actually, we are revelling in the beauty and quiet of this season.
Looking through the seed catalogs is different this year. *Just as I get excited about all that I might order, I remember that we saved seed last year and don't need much this year. * Of course, that is the point, isn't it? *It's been kept in a dry,cool place and we are excited to see how much of it germinates. *We'll let *you know. *
I don't know how you do it! I guess you must be fairly young. Our little bit of snow makes us real homebodies. We have NEVER so far, ever had to shovel our way to the sheds. Wishing you an early spring and a gentle thaw.

[fnfredux]

2 Jan 2009

Time to start a new month. *On New Year's Day I took my "egg log" off the refrigerator and totaled my egg production. *I have 12 layers who produced 229 eggs for the month of December. *On ten days they produced 8, four days of 9, four days of 10, and one day of 11. *There was one day of zero, and no other days below 5. *Based upon this kind of production I have ordered egg cartons from my favorite hatchery (http://www.meyerhatchery.com) to start selling them. *I'm going to make a sign for the front porch advertising:

100% Natural - 100% Humane
Fresh Brown Eggs
No Hormones, No Antibiotics, No Steroids
$1.50 per dozen

... and then we'll see what happens. *It's kind of egg-citing to think of making money off extra eggs. *I figure if I make at least $28 a month it will pay for my feed. *Cool, huh?
Check with your state for regs about selling eggs.
Some states have them.
And $1.50 a dozen would be VERY cheap.
EVERYBODY wants good fresh farm eggs, they are so much better. Soon you will buying more hens and enlarging your henhouse. People will pay more for a better product.

[DM]

Check with your state for regs about selling eggs.
Some states have them.
And $1.50 a dozen would be VERY cheap.
EVERYBODY wants good fresh farm eggs, they are so much better. Soon you will buying more hens and enlarging your henhouse. People will pay more for a better product.



Large farm fresh brown eggs here sell for between $1.50 and $2.00 per doz...

DM

[sbemt456]

Ok so it was 50 degrees today and the sun shined for a while then rain shower and thunder. Got the fidgets and told hubby to get off the couch the tv would be there when we got back and took him to the garden to start taking down the fence so it can be plowed when the ground gets dry. A task we have put off all fall. Mission accomplished.
And the 50 cabbage plants I thought I planted last fall did turn out to be broccoli and woohoo they got the size of golf balls and then froze out. Darn it! And the plants were so pretty. Oh well guess I need to plant earlier next time.
We are still tossing around the idea of maybe renting garden plots in the 5 acre river bottom on the farm. Do have several people who are interested in raising a garden but dont have the land for it. Has any one here rented garden plots themselves to or from others? Ideas welcome.

Have a great day!

stella

[LeatherneckPA]

6pm last night, when I take the girls their evening dose of scratch, I noticed one of the girls had a gaping hole (approx 1" in diameter) in her back. *It's right where the roosters have been tearing up the feathers on the girls as they mount them. *At least I hope that's what's happening. *I had also read that if they weren't getting enough protein they tend to eat each other's feathers. *But I don't think that's what's happening here. *They have free-feed layer ration that is never allowed to run out.

Anyway, I pressed our indoor wire dog kennel into use as an emergency hospital. *I set it up in the dining room because without the others for heat their is now way she'd survive the cold nights here. Fitted it out with cardboard knee walls to keep the litter in, set her up with a waterer and feeder from the currently empty brooder, and I'll make her a nest box this morning. *Hopefully, time is all the healing she will need.

I think I might look into where I can buy some sulfa powder for disinfecting wounds like this in the future.

[bee_pipes]

...noticed one of the girls had a gaping hole (approx 1" in diameter) in her back. *It's right where the roosters have been tearing up the feathers on the girls as they mount them...


Is this just a bare spot in the feathers, or a wound to the skin?

Our hens get pretty bare-backed by the end of summer - all due to breeding behavior. Storey's suggests making a chicken-cozy to protect them, but that would be ludicrous. The spurs can also be removed from the roosters. We haven't seen skin injuries, so we let it go for now. They fill back in during the molt.

Best of luck to you.

Regards,
Pat

[TNDadx4]

I built her a little step stool that will stay in the truck. It fits under the passenger's seat, when laid on it's side. And I'm going to put a little cord on it so she can pull it in after she's seated. She's tickled to death with it.

And that is probably the secret to why I am still married after 28 years. It takes so little to please her!


That was a very neat and thoughtful thing to do for your wife. I'm sure that she really appreciates it!

[LeatherneckPA]

Pat, this is actually a tear through the skin. I had noticed a loss of feathers on several of the girls in this area, but this is the first time I've seen one actually wounded through the skin.

[bee_pipes]

Then it might be time to look at removing the spurs on the roosters. Storey's says you soak them in mineral oil and pull them out by twisting - never tried it, so don't know how easy, or painful for the rooster it is. Yeah, Isolation and medication for the injured hen is a good idea. Maybe bag balm? Seems to be a cure-all.

Regards,
Pat

[jen_in_southtexas]

Happy New Year everyone!

This year has already started off on a good foot. My boss, whom I am a subcontractor for, offered me a permanent position and of course I accepted. So that was good news.

This weekend was no different than any other. I had Jan.1-4 off but it was working on cabin as usual. On Friday I had erected the ridgeboard. I took Kawalekm's idea on the gusset because it seemed easier for me to do. Thank you Kawalekm. When the first rafter went up I had "a moment". I stepped off the ladder and went outside the cabin for a better look. It was a sweet moment and as I stood there in silence I really began to feel that sense of accomplishment. I grabbed the camera and took some pics of the first rafter. When I ran out of material I did some tweeking to other areas and next thing you know the day is gone.

Saturday I was able to put in about ten rafters or so. I dont remember exactly how many but when my battery was drained from my Sawzall I called it quits. My power inverter bit the dust. Sunday I piddled and didnt get much done. It was getting late and I had to start thinking about heading back home to the city.

I thought this was a pretty "African sunset". That is probably what Catalpa would call it. It was a beautiful evening and i regreted leaving.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/rafters008-1.jpg

Part of the backside of property.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/rafters011-1.jpg

Rafters so far. I could not get this to load normally hence the blue strip.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/rafters013.jpg

Side view. The roof sits low as compared to some peoples standards but I did what i could do SAFELY as I was working alone. Any higher and I felt unsteady and an accident waiting to happen.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/lillybug71/One%20acre%20homestead/rafters015.jpg

I think that I will be done with rafters this coming weekend. My work at eL Chiquito is cut out for me for the next ten years or more. I hope that everyone and their families are off to a good start this year and I hope that you are enjoying your homesteading projects as you begin to prepare for the spring.

Until next time, see ya on the backroads!

-Jen
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[RocketMan]

Hi All,
I was able to get the plumbing re-done in the house while I was visiting family for Christmas and New years. I have a buddy who is a plumber, so he did most of the work for the price of supplies and permission to hunt deer on the property during muzzle loader season. We also got a woodstove (for free!) and hooked it up in the back cabin (it ain't pretty, but it works fine!), and finally cut up a couple BIG branches that fell beside the driveway.
I'm like you Jen...I regret having to leave every time.

Chris

[LeatherneckPA]

jen, it's really starting to come together. And I wouldn't worry about the low pitch on the roof. I doubt you'll have much cause to worry about snow loads.

Meanwhile, I have been fighting with Google Sketch-Up and I am getting pretty good at it. I have sketched a 3D model of the bare blocks and roof line for "Flanagan's Freehold".

In British occupied Ireland most farmers were either sharecroppers or tenant farmers. The highest the average Irishman could hope was to become what was known as a "free-man". And if he were a truly lucky man he would own or inherit his own land, which was called his "freehold".

According to my grandfather (back in 1988 ) the Flanagans still hold their ancestral freehold. I want to start a new one in the USA.

[sbemt456]

Leatherneck did you know that the Irish are a very frugal bunch? My family (McGuire) were to the point of being pack rats. I guess I inherited the trait and trying like heck to pass it on. And they are attracted to rocks. In their houses, fences and land in general. ;D

Bee pipes that kinda sounds painful. I would think that would equal to soaking a toenail in mineral oil then pulling it off. :o

Jen congrats on the permenant position and the building progress. You go girl!

Didnt get squat done here today. Had a dentist appointment in the big city, no fun, cept we got to go to Sams club. Hubby let me have a 3 lb box of gold fish crackers. So I'm all set for breakfast and lunch for a week or two. Yippee!

Have a great day all!

stella

[flatwater]

It's funny that you mentioned your chicken problem because a friend of mine gives me his chicken mag. and as I was looking in it a lady had an add for chicken protectors that fit like a little sweater to protect the hen from the rooster when he mounts. I thought to myself who in the world would buy something like that? I didn't think there was a need. Who would of thunk it?

[LeatherneckPA]

Went out this morning and found two more hens scratched and bloody. Enough is enough. Stuffed those two roosters in a cat carrier and took them to the processor. Will pick up the pot pie fixins tomorrow after work.

Took Agnes back out to be with her sisters this evening.

[cubcadet]

LeatherneckPA,
I am in Susquehanna Co. PA, and the going price for backyard eggs is about $2. I get mine from a Portuguese guy and his eggs are really large, way too big for them to close the carton. I pay around $2 there. 3-4 dozen at a time. 4 of those babies are enough to keep me going all day. Some health food stores down in the city charge about $4 for extra large brown eggs. Regular commercial eggs go for about $3 to $4. I think your price of $2 is good, as long as the overhead is kept down and you don`t have to deliver.

Joe

[TNDadx4]

Jen,

Congratulations on the job! The cabin looks cool. Keep up the great work!

[rideaway]

Working on converting the goat pen and shed into a chicken pen and shed today, then getting chickens home tomorrow. House is pretty clean right now and not much more to sort, so I'm cleared to work outside, and since it's not raining, just chilly, I'm heading out to do that. Have a great day, all!

[bee_pipes]

1/4
A pretty good day today even if the weather was gloomy. The head of steam gathered the last few days seems to be staying with us. The weatherman predicted a 50% chance of rain, but it held off until evening. Occasional drizzles and mists, but nothing long or heavy. Three jobs got prepped today – the roof over the cover materials for the compost bin, the area around the rabbitry, and the roof for the shed. The roof for the cover materials bin still had the 2x4 supports attached. They were removed and rubbish that had collected around the posts – broken boards and wood scrap from mounting the roof frame – was collected. It has been a few months since the compost bins could be walked around without stepping over supports and other boards. The area around the future rabbitry was cleared out. It is located under a roofed in area in front of the old trailer. Much of the roof is falling down, but some of it could support itself free standing. The damaged parts of the roof will need to be cut away. Some of the area to be cut away was an old pen used to store rolls of fencing. The fencing was moved and two good rolls of weld wire were cut away and salvaged from that area. Landscape timbers were laid out along the posts, describing an outline for the walls of the rabbitry, allowing measurements to be taken and ground to be dug to make the foundation level. The last owners had a dog that was a wolf-cross penned in this area. The dog would dig itself a den below the ground and they would fill it in with old firewood to discourage digging. There must be half a cord of wood buried out there. The old wood is being fished out of the ground, leaving a depression. Cart loads of gravel will need to be moved from the creek bed to fill the ground back in after the wood has been completely removed. The last chore was getting ready for the roof on the shed. A line with a level that clips onto the line is being used to get the highest mark. I have a few ideas about the roof and will play around with the designs after we have determined where the highest point will be. We are rethinking the floor joists too. The original design was going to use 2x6 for joists, but we will go with 2x8 for additional strength.

No predators today, we had the same number of poultry this evening as we did this morning.

1/7
Rain the last two days. Last night a fellow at a meeting told me that the woman I was planning on buying rabbits from wanted out and was selling all her stock. She has 23 rabbits and all sorts of equipment and is selling it at a bargain price. Karen and I went down to see her today and talk about it. I had gone down there with the idea of just buying two does and two bucks. The cages/hutches were an excellent set of professional racks with pans to collect droppings and urine. They did not look pretty because they had been in use. She is an elderly gal and said her arthritis was giving her problems with the slaughter and skinning. We had struck a deal for four rabbits, five hutches and associated gear. As we were driving home, Karen asked me if I wanted to get the whole shebang. I didn’t think that was a good idea at first, but as we drove I got to thinking on the matter. Many of the rabbits were ready for slaughter, meaning they could begin generating income immediately and recoup part of the cost of purchase. They have feeders, water bottles and all the associated gear – she’s even throwing in the feed – so there will be little additional cost there. When we got home I resumed working on the rabbit shed/hootch. It was late – 2 or 3 PM, but by the time it got too dark to work I had framed in the corners of the posts and I’m ready to begin putting on sides tomorrow. The work went quickly and is coming together as I imagined it would work. We will need some poultry wire to cover the windows, and hinges for a storm window system similar to that used in the chicken house, but it should be a simple enough structure and other than hinges and wire we should have enough salvage materials on hand to make it. I had purchased some 10 inch nails for the roof frame over the compost cover material bin. We didn’t need the nails because carriage bolts from the salvage job worked. The 10 inch nails came in handy for attaching nailers to the cedar posts for the rabbit hootch. Those things are the very devil to drive! Smaller cousins of the railroad spike, I had a heck of a time driving them in with a standard hammer. Two swings showed me how silly hat idea was. I couldn’t find the framing hammer (that idiot that used it last time didn’t put it away). I finally wound up driving the nails with the maul. After the nailers were fixed to the posts, they were anchored to each other with 3 inch screws. They are not perfectly square, but they close the corners off from access by rodents and provide ample surface for affixing the horizontal wall boards.

1/8
The sky has cleared and temperatures are inclined to rise for the next day or two. Yesterday was cool and breezy, but the sun came out and warmed things up decently by late afternoon. Yesterday’s work went up to about 5 PM, about as long as daylight will permit this time of year.

This morning we got bread started - this is going to be a baking day too. When baking the last batch we ran out of whole wheat flour. I had forgotten how nicely white flour rises. Whole wheat is heavier and does not get the nice rise that makes good sandwich bread. Fortunately, it does not demand attention every minute of the process, so it can rise and wait while we attend to other matters.

1/9
Yesterday I started a batch of bread. We got busy outside working on the rabbit shed and I didn’t get back to it until after dinner. The dough was in a bucket for the first rise, so no worry there. I broke it our and made loaves, but it took forever to rise in the loaf pan. I was up until 11:30 last night before the loaves were out on the cooling rack. That threw me off schedule for this morning – Karen finally woke me up around 6:45.

This was planned to be a busy day. Tony and Kay came over with his truck and 12 foot trailer. We went over to the rabbit lady’s house about 9 AM and started loading the rabbits on the trailer. We managed to get all the gear and animals loaded on and got them home around 11:30 or so. http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/patandkaren/trailer_o_rabbits.jpg
After a small break, we set about unloading the rabbits and gear into the shed – still under construction.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/patandkaren/r003_rabbits_loaded.jpg

After unloading we had lunch – fresh chicken and noodles put on by Karen before we left this morning. It was an excellent lunch and served as the big meal for the day. Seemed like we had been working all day up to that point, and we were all feeling pretty sluggish. Tony and Kay left, and about 2:30 I started thinking about what needed to be done to get ready for the night. A board had been removed from the front of the rabbit shed to make it easier to unload the trailer and load into the shed. That board needed to go back up, but it also provided an opportunity to put in an additional door. Since the time we first started working on the shed, Karen has been asking “Why on earth did you put a door on the back side?” I thought my reasoning was good – that was the high side of the sloping roof. When Tony came over, the first thing out of his mouth was “Why on earth did you put a door on the back side?” Tony is no slouch about construction, and sometimes I forget what a smart woman I married, so I caved to pressure and put a door on the front. Actually, don’t tell Karen, but the only reason I put the door on the back, excluding my dandy EXCUSE, was that I had three posts on that side, making t easier to frame a door without having to dig a post hole and bury another post. Seeing the inevitable, I put in two more posts, replacing the front board in two pieces, rather than the single board.

I also learned how to not handle rabbits. I had caught one to transfer it to a cage – one of the animals ready for slaughter, and was holding it by the hind legs. It was frightened and really flailing around. It broke a hind leg at the ankle. The poor thing was in pain, so this provided the rabbit lady with the opportunity to go through rabbit slaughter for me. I have read the procedure and it doesn’t look too difficult, what I was looking for were any tricks she may have picked up over the years to make the task quicker and simpler. I don’t know that I would use exactly the same method, but it did provide perspective – useful when rereading the procedure. Compared to chickens, dispatching a rabbit is brutal, so it is important to do it as quickly and humanely as possible.

I got the posts put in and reattached the front board. Each addition makes the structure stronger, important for the day when the surrounding roof and trailer are torn down. Because we have not completed the walls, the rabbits are exposed to the weather even though they are under cover from rain. We are expecting rain and some nighttime temperatures well below freezing in the next few days, so we hung cheap tarps on the side and attached them with nails through the grommets. They are cheap tarps and I don’t expect them to survive long, but if they can make it three weeks they will have served their purpose.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/patandkaren/r004_temp_walls.jpg

After we got the tarps up, I checked inside to ensure all cages were locked – the rabbits had had quite a rough day with the transporting and moving around. In the brief time that the tarps had been in place the interior had begun to smell strongly of urine, convincing me of the wisdom of making an open type structure with plenty of functional windows. It was also quite obvious that the rabbits were enjoying the sunshine and fresh air – many of them basking in the sun like house cats. All total, we received 24 rabbits (including the one slaughtered) and 18 cages. 12 of the cages are in a rack – 4 racks, each 3 cages high. The remaining 6 cages are loose, with stands to hold 4 of the cages up off the ground. At least 3 of these loose cages are over-sized, making them quite useful for holding does with young litters. The rabbit lady also threw in a lot of extras – she didn’t need it any more. Feed, a 50 gallon barrel with lid for holding feed, a number of buckets with lids for feed, a gutting knife, boning shears, and at least 6 nesting boxes. We are well-heeled for raising rabbits and should only need to purchase feed in the near future. Any other supplies we will need can be fabricated from materials readily at hand. The slaughtered rabbit was given to Tony and Kay, with our thanks for all their help. It is wonderful to have knowledgeable friends and neighbors that we can swap work with and learn from. If not for these considerations, we would still enjoy their company. I can always count on Tony when I need a hand, and I can always count on learning something when he needs a hand – or whenever we get together, for that matter.

Regards,
Pat

[jen_in_southtexas]

Beepipes,

Congratulations to you and Karen on a heck of a deal with the rabbit outfit. It is great that you got cages and all accessories to go with them. It will keep the both of you busy for a little while(not like you aren't already). I am eager to know the outcome of them generating a little income for the both of you. I know you will keep us posted.

It is great when you have friends around that you can count on for help. I've not met but one couple that lives about 8 miles up the road that i consider my friends now. I know that if one day I need them to check on/do something for me because i cannot be there I can count on them to do so and vice versa.

Anyhow, congratulations again and I look forward to hear from of your progress with the rabbits.

-jen
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[SPIKE]

Hey Beepipes,

Very nice score on the rabbits and euipment.
Be careful, home grown rabbit is soooooo good that it will make you wonder why you bother with chickens (except for the eggs).

SPIKE

[Anon001]

I guess I'll chime in. *I have enjoyed reading this thread. *
Jen- I like what you're doing. *
Leatherneck, I am about 28 miles west of Atchison, KS or 35 miles NE of Topeka. *I know several people that sell nice sized eggs and one person sells all he has at 2.00 a dozen and another can't hardly find any buyers at 1.50. *So.... good luck... I bet you will make enough to at least pay your feed bill..

I visited West Texas (home) for two weeks over the holidays and have tried to play "catchup" since being home. *I began my little house (24x24) several years ago and got to a point that I never finished it. *SO.....reading all the postings has motivated me to get it finished. *I still have to add the soffits, siding on the two ends, and put up the wallboard inside. *My floor plan is one open plan with the only interior walls being around the bathroon. *In the bathroom, the walls are finished. *But the walls are still open in the rest of the house with me always looking at the insulation backing. *

I figured if people like some of the ones I read here can do so much with only weekends to work on their homes or homesteads, then I sure as heck should be able to get more done since I don't work off the farm! *I guess I'm getting off my lazy backside and getting things finished this spring.

I decided to use OSB on my walls with a polyurethane finish rather than drywall or gypsum board in the main room of the house. *However, in the bathroom, I used wood up 30" and then drywall from there on up. *I saw a wall done in OSB once, and it looked really sharp so that is what gave me the idea. *I already have all the OSB.

The only problem is that I have no outbuildings yet, except for one that the goats and chickens share for now.... until Spring when I will build a new chicken house. *So... since I have no outbuildings to store tools, my house is full of my tools and other such things making it difficult to get in here and work. *Since my house is built post and beam and up off the ground, next week, I am going to start setting everything under the house so that I can get around in here and start working on things and get this mess of a house finished. *

There is another thing I want to get done this coming week. *I have an 8' island that is sorta the separator for the kitchen/dining area.... *I want to get rid of my big cookstove. *I have a small RV cookstove that I am going to set into the top of the island which will give me more space. *Then I will put a pantry where the old cookstove is now.

I stayed in a 27' travel trailer when I first moved up here and had no problem with the small cookstove/oven. ....and it really chaps my hide to have to light a big ol' oven just to cook for one.... so, that is when I decided to locate an RV cookstove/oven.

Other than that, I have been cutting a little firewood and chopping ice twice a day for the cattle and not much else..... sorta boring here.. lol

Later,
Paul

[rideaway]

Yesterday, with some help, I got the chicken shed (term used loosely) finished yesterday and some plastic fencing over the run area, so hopefully nothing can get in to get the ladies. Today I brought home 5 young hens (about 12 weeks old) and one rooster. I don't really want the rooster, but the person selling them said that he was part of the deal...lol. She had bought a mixed batch from McMurray. I got two Barred Rock and three Red Star hens. The rooster is a Red Star also. I figure with three of us at home, occassionally four, we should get plenty of eggs, since we don't eat them everyday.

Its clear out, but chilly, here in southern Oregon. Giving the ground some time to dry out before the next deluge. I need to go pull some carrots out of the garden, but need my boots as I'll sink to my ankles in the mud.

Back to work tomorrow! Oh well... They are supposed to come put in the tiedowns so the engineer can qualify our home for the FHA refinance. State building codes say the manufactured doesn't have to have tiedown straps, but FHA is requiring it, and we really need to refinance, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[bee_pipes]

1/10
Today we returned to poor weather conditions. Yesterday we saw temperatures in the 50’s, today we dropped to 39. Rains came through about 2:30 this morning and continued off and on for the first half of the day. The dogs, poultry and rabbits were all tended to by 8:30. All rabbit feeders were empty, and the single water bottle for the cage containing 6 adolescents was empty. I added an additional water bottle and refilled the original. Each rabbit received about 3-4 ounces of pellets. I checked again at the end of the day and all feeders had some small amount of pellets remaining. They don’t seem to consume water that quickly either. None of the bottles, with the exception of the litter cage, have required refilling since yesterday. During a lull in the rain I took the opportunity to take some measurements for continuing work on the rabbit shed. An additional post was put in on the rear entrance also. With the iffy condition of rain lately, I set up a pair of saw horses and a stack of boards under a small roof on the rear of the house. There is an outlet handy where I can go down the list of measurements and cut pieces of 2x10 for framing in the corners and entrances of the shed. So long as it is a shower and not a driving rain, I will be able to continue working. We will need an additional two rafters to re-engineer the roof, providing complete cover from rain. The rafters are 16’5” and we just happened to have a few pieces. After pulling wood from our salvage wood pile, I consolidated the pile so that it was spread out over less ground and be easier to cover with the tarp.

We still have some nice posts left, and I am hoping to start on the water tower this year. A small creek runs behind the garden. It doesn’t have a tremendous volume of water except during heavy rainfall, but it is consistent through the year. I have been toying with the idea of a 10 foot tower made from crude timbers. We have a pair of barrels with spigots left from the well project that would be suitable. With the barrels elevated 10 foot, the only trick would be getting the water up into the barrels. Someone gave me the idea of using a bilge pump from a boat and a solar panel. The boat pump is 9v, so it would be no problem to rig a solar panel to power it. You wouldn’t get a lot of pressure from 10 foot elevation and gravity feed, but a constant trickle would be valuable to the garden during the dry months.

1/11
Chilly this morning. It did not reach freezing over night, but about as close as you can get. Tonight calls for a low temperature of 29, and it goes down hill from there. Wednesday night lows are predicted at 12 degrees. Some days next week will not have highs exceeding freezing. The poultry and dog waterers were all ice free. The rabbit hootch was not too bad – the tarps may not be air-tight, but they do seem to keep some heat inside. Almost every feeder was empty, but all waterers were ice free. We have a number of extra waterers that will need to be set aside and made ready for swapping out with frozen waterers on these icy mornings. They are a different style than the ones normally used, so brackets will have to be installed on the rabbit hutches to make this substitution a quick one. Time also needs to be taken to ensure that the hutches are escape proof. They were in satisfactory shape, sitting in their original location at the rabbit lady’s barn, but moving may have caused wires to come loose. I found one feeder on the ground with its owner looking at me through the hole in the hutch. If there should be a mass escape from the rabbit hootch it would loose a plague on the area. Every garden in the neighborhood would be threatened.

Today we put up two flying rafters. We wanted to extend the width of the roof over the rabbit hootch by a foot on both sides. I have seen a similar technique used on porches and see no reason why it shouldn’t work. Metal roofing is light enough to get away with it. Should the edges sag or droop, the worst it could do is improve runoff. Each flying rafter was attached to a fixed rafter with 2x6 blocks and three-inch screws. If we can get another day of temperatures in the 40’s, we just might get the roofing finished before the next arctic express comes steaming through. We have ample roofing in the sections set to be torn down to cover out needs, so will be able to complete this project for the price of screws and some poultry wire.

Last week we received our peanuts in the mail. They aren’t for eating, they’re for planting. The variety is called Tennessee Red Valencia. Never tried growing peanuts before – we’ll have to see if we can get them first, or they fall prey to the local wild rabbits. After last year’s soybean massacre, we will need a fence around the back field. It is a sizeable plot to fence in, but not as monumental as a pasture. Some cedar posts have been scavenged from the tops of poles used in old projects, and a few surplus fence posts are here from the dog pen. We’ll probably go with stretched wire, topped by two stands of barbed wire – pennants on the fence should keep deer out. Then a 3 foot course of poultry wire – two feet above ground and one foot buried to prevent burrowing under the line. We’ll need gates big enough to allow the ATV and disker into the field, maybe additional room for turnarounds and such. Peanuts might be safe behind such a fence…

Regards,
Pat

[LeatherneckPA]

Cindy outdid herself yesterday. My one complaint about our homegrown chickens was that they were kind of tough chewing. granted, some of that is due to the fact that these birds actually exercised as opposed to those fat things sold in the stores. well, what she did was roast it in a covered pan for several hours. This was one of the two roosters we butchered last week, so they were about 9 months old or twice what the others were. But boy did he come out tender and juicy. the key, low heat and keep him covered. she roasted him at only 250 for something like 4+ hours. and the gravy was delicious.

In the meantime, I put two new bags of pine shavings in the henhouse. today I'll give the girls a fresh bale of alfalfa hay in the yard area. Putting that plastic roof over the yard is working out great. The girls never get wet, rain or snow. And they have the yard to scratch around in all the time with no problems from the 6" of snow we got Saturday.

I had a very tough time walking back up to the house yesterdday when I was finished though. You know how a bull will lower it's head and drive a bullrider along the ground in front of him? well yesterday, my Airedale was pretending to be a bull. He had his muzzle down in the snow and was goring the snow and driving it all over the yard with his muzzle held right down in it. too funny for words. when he'd lift his face all you could see were two mischievous black eyes in a face of snowy curls.

[sbemt456]

BeePipes the biggest problem I had several years ago when I raised peanuts was the moles and underground critters got more than I did. After getting robbed that year I made a deep wide ditch in the garden and lined it with a nylon rat wire type stuff to keep the thugs at bay. worked like a charm.
Dig trench, fill with dirt plant and at harvest time loosen the dirt and pull up wire and peanuts. Will be planting peanuts again this year, same method. Hope my misfortune gives ya some ideas to prevent being disappointed at harvest.

Nothing happening on this place except trying to get braced for the frigid cold we are supposed to get the end of the week. May put the heat light on for the laying hens. Dont think they like cold weather. Young flock that started laying at 5 months old and did really good till it got cold. We have had the same breed(black australorps) in the past and they would lay through winter with no problem. Think I got some wimps this time.
We had to make a place in the house to store the rest of the winter squash that had been in the outbuilding to keep them from freezing. More stuff under the beds. ;D

Stay in and stay warm, and have a great day!

stella

[rideaway]

Yippee...it only took two times of me "tossing" the young chickens into their shed at night for them to learn to go in there and get on their roost. Much nicer to deal with when I get home from work. It's been nice weather here, so the field is drying out some and I am looking forward to getting some stuff done outside this weekend!

[bee_pipes]

1/12
The mercury was just barely breaking 20 degrees this morning at 5 AM. With another hour or two to go before hitting the low for the day, this will be an ice breaking morning. Last night we checked the well house to be sure the light was working. The weatherman is predicting a high of 47 degrees today, which is workable on a sunny day with little or no breeze. After today we will be dropping into lower temperatures. Tonight we will stack a few days of wood next to the door and keep at least two days on-hand to ensure a ready supply for the cold nights. It will be a good time to look at tasks/chores that can be completed inside.

Some precautions have to be taken with outside water sources to prevent plumbing problems. We have learned from experience that any amount of trouble is worthwhile to ensure that hoses do not have water in them. Our first winter here we forgot to drain a hose connected to the well house spigot. The water froze and split the short length of steel pipe that contains the deep valve. We won’t repeat that mistake again. Watering is generally the last task of the day, after which hoses are disconnected and laid out to take advantage of the gentle slope we have towards the creek. Hoses are opened at both ends to permit draining.

Today we got a good bit of work done on the roof of the rabbit hootch. We built it under and existing 15 foot roof. Another 15 foot span of roof is connected and runs between the old trailer and a set of cedar posts that make up the back wall of the hootch. This span was attached to the trailer by a sill, lagged into the trailer. Leaks over a decade old have rotted the sill and that side of the roof is drooping. Water leaking between the roof has collected leaves and such, increasing the weight of the roof and aggravating the condition. The roof had to go, but we wanted to shore up the remainder before demolishing it. Today we tore it down. I had hoped to salvage a good deal of the old metal roofing, but between the age and sitting under decomposing vegetable matter, much of it had the consistency of foil. On the good side, I was able to save some decent timbers from the structure. I hadn’t expected much trouble, but this was an older roof and the metal was attached using ring nails. Ring nails are the very devil to remove. This resulted in large holes in some of the serviceable panels, but by the time we got to the bad part of the roof we gave up and just tore it down. The rotting vegetable matter fell on the ground below and it will be interesting to see what grows there when it is exposed to light for the first time in a number of decades. Particularly after the chickens have been digging and fertilizing this area for the last three years. The weatherman predicted temperatures nearing 40 degrees tomorrow; we may be able to complete the roof. About 12 inches of the interior of the rabbit hootch is exposed to open sky (covered now with a tarp) and 12 inches on both sides (our flying rafters) require covering. Between scrap we already had on hand and any we can salvage from today’s work, we could complete the project in 2 or three hours of fair weather. Once the roof is done, we can concentrate on the walls.
I had horrible visions of the entire structure falling over when we broke the attachment to the old trailer. Should have known better – the collapsing roof on the trailer would have been more likely to pull it over.

1/13
Today we got the roof finished. Salvaged sheets were used to cover the rafters and leave a decent overhang on the back. We can rest easy now if rain should come. Today was sort of a backwards day. This morning’s temperature was 43 degrees, by 6 PM it had dropped to 23 degrees. We got out early in the morning and used the pressure washer to try to remove old leaves, hickory nuts and compost from the roof. The pressure washer, a small and anemic washer made more for cleaning sidewalks at point-blank range, did not do very well. Probably a good thing. The metal roofing is so old it might have bunched up like an old gum wrapper. We couldn’t get enough reach with the push broom, so I fashioned something out of scrap wood to push the gunk off. Hopefully it is clean enough for a good rain to finish the job. It looks like a crazy patchwork quilt of a variety of roofing panel styles – there must be at least three different types – no two of them have corrugations that line up. With good overlap and abundance of roofing screws it should be watertight against the rain. Temperatures, dropping as the day went on, were down in the low 30’s by the time we finished. I didn’t have another panel left in me; my fingers were getting too numb to handle screws. We came inside to warm up after the job was done. Then end of the day was spent picking up and putting away tools, then serviced the livestock to ensure water and feed were good for the night.

Afterwards the tarps are snugly nailed down - we’ll see how the menagerie does tonight. We will no doubt have frozen water bottles to swap out, come morning. The last four days have been busy. With the roof done (and the weather turning) we can slow the pace down. I have a list of measurements and a work area set up so that I can cut and label pieces of board for the next opportunity to work on the structure. Tomorrow, Friday and Sunday all have meeting obligations, so we’re going to take advantage of the cold weather and work indoors.

1/15
Yesterday was a chilly morning. After seeing to the dogs and poultry I checked on the rabbits. All the watererers were frozen solid. Fortunately the rabbit lady included a complete set of extra waterers and we were able to swap the frozen ones out for freshly filled ones. Some of the cages have more than one occupant, they receive more than one waterer to ensure they do not run out over the course of a day. An old milk crate we had lying about the place was just big enough to hold all the waterers and made a convenient way to carry them between the house and the rabbit hootch. There are two styles of waterer – a square bottle with a broad neck and a brass fitting at the bottom. The rabbits push in a pin while drinking and water is released, in a manner similar to a tire valve. The alternative set is a round bottle with a steel tube and ball bearing – the rabbits likewise press against the ball bearing at the end of the tube to drink. Of the two styles, the rectangular waterers are more convenient to use – they remain in an upright position that allows for refilling while they are attached to the cage. The alternative set has the cap at the bottom of the bottle and requires removing the bottle, turning it right side up and removing the cap before refilling. The neck is also quite narrow making it more difficult to refill. Bottle holders had to be fashioned for a number of cages, but this was a simple matter of cutting and bending lengths of wire. The entire operation went smoothly, and should be quicker next time with the new holders in place.

Temperatures for the next two days will not break 25 degrees. We are expecting a low of 2 degrees for Thursday night and a low of 8 degrees for Friday night. Chilly weather, but I am glad it is such a rare occurrence in this part of the country. Those of you in the northern Midwest have my condolences – I know you are getting hit pretty badly with low temperatures and snow.

Books recently arrived from Amazon. One on trapping and one on tanning hides. These are subjects I am not familiar with and the reading has been interesting. The book on trapping looks like it has real potential for catching our bobcat. The snares are most promising and fiendishly simple. For a few dollars worth of materials, snares can be set that would catch and hold the cat without posing a danger to dogs or people. The cat, if caught, would still be alive and no doubt mightily perturbed at being snared. It would have to be dispatched with the 22. I was interested in the tanning as a way of preserving the rabbit pelts and, hopefully, the bobcat’s pelt when caught. I have always wondered about the tanning process and the reading has been quite entertaining and informative. Parts of the process can be quite messy and labor intensive, but as a casual reader (as compared with an experienced voice) it does not look too difficult to be feasible. Professional tanning is impractical for most hunters and there looks like some opportunity might exist for finding unwanted hides during hunting season. At present our plate is quite full enough this year, but the information will be filed away and kept in mind as an enterprise with real potential for next year.

Regards,
Pat

[LeatherneckPA]

Bee pipes, you gotta love Amazon, no? I just received my two straw bale building books. Two, you say? Yeah, I always look for at least two sources when considering info, figuring it's more reliable than just one source. And conflicting advice sends me searching for more info.

Cindy was absolutely adamant that she would not live in a straw bale house. But the other night her broken arm wouldn't let her sleep so she was reading one of the books. She has now decided that building a timber frame and then wrapping it in straw bales is a fine idea.

As for the rabbit bottles, we're a little colder up here than you are. My solution has been to work my way up to having two of every kind of waterer. I use the 1½ gallon plastic ones for the hens and quart ones for the rabbits. Everybody gets warm fresh water in the morning and another bottle exchange of warm water in the afternoon, when I get home from school.

I have plans to run underground water lines on the homestead once we buy it.

[bee_pipes]

Amazon is not always the best price. I worked for a time in a used bookstore and it was shocking what was paid for used book when compared to a new book. Amazon has a marvelous search facility, and sometimes it is the best price, or convenience outweighs the price difference. Amazon also has used book vendors. One site I have had a lot of luck with is AbeBooks (http://www.abebooks.com/). If you can locate the book on Amazon, you can get the ISBN and quickly check AbeBooks. Sometimes the difference in freight is enough to buy at Amazon, an occasionally they will have the book on AbeBooks freight-free.

Regards,
Pat

[LeatherneckPA]

It's bloody cold out there!! My 1½ gallon waterer for the chickens was frozen completely solid this morning, as were all four rabbit bottles. I suspect I might make three trips out for fresh water today instead of only two.

I really don't like it when it gets this cold. Unfortunately, I only know of one place in the USA where it never gets below 60 and seldom above 85. And I don't really want to live in Hawaii.

Chickens apparently don't like it this cold either. Egg production has dropped drastically this last week, from an average of 8 to an average of 3 per day. Considering an electric heater in the hen house. Just don't like the idea of what that would do to my electric bill.

Hens are slowly healing and re-growing their back feathers, now that they aren't getting raped several times a day by horny roosters.

[sbemt456]

Leatherneck sounds like your egg things froze too. My young hens are on strike. I thought about the electric heater too, hubby said no way, heat lamp maybe. There building is pretty tight so they will be ok. Just water issues here too.

Thought I would go to the public library today and get some reading material while I couldnt do any thing else out side. My truck said " aint goin" Guess the battery was to old and weak. I didnt put up an argument, so here I sit. Might be best any way, its cold at 4 degrees.


Have a great day!

stella

[bookwormom]

all water containers for all the critters are frozen solid. *we have one of those dipstick heater things, that keeps the rainbarrel in a liquid state, but the moment you dip any out and it freezes. Seems like the critters are not that thirsty, I thought they would be standing in line, nope, the dumb things wait til it is frozen and then complain. *In case this lasts a while we put a 150 gallon tank in the hay barn with a hose down to the stalls, covered it in bales so it won't freeze. *still we carry hot water, to add to the tubs. Blacky seems to have a cough, I hope that is all it is. *One of our ewes had a lamb, during daytime hrs three days ago, and we found it froze to death and the legs gnawed off. we suspect neighbor dogs harassing the ewe as she was lambing. *
I just cleaned up my shop, it needed it. * Lost my circular knitting needle, I just had it and put it down, heaven knows where. I even moved the furniture out in case it fell behind. *You do stupid things like that? *Since the simple life aint simple there is never a dull moment. *a few things I could do without, paperwork for instance, *I much rather unload a truck full with manure.
well, this too shall pass, in about 8 weeks the daffodils will start blooming, in four weeks I have to start some seedlings. *Before that ,a staircase needs sanding and painting, more shelves need to be built, *and one of us needs to do something to Aunt Bessie's Hoosier cabinet that I inherited and that did not improve in MILs garage while we lived overseas.
well, slowly but surely. Like my mother always said, a horse does not pull all the time.

[tufhelp]

bookwormom look up high - That is my typical misplace destination! I get distracted from my initial mission and set something down on top of the bookcase or the fridge... have spent hours looking and then two days later I'll be looking for something else I misplaced and viola, there it is; "camouflaged" with some other inane junk... Good luck!

[bookwormom]

Cindy was absolutely adamant that she would not live in a straw bale house. But the other night her broken arm wouldn't let her sleep so she was reading one of the books. She has now decided that building a timber frame and then wrapping it in straw bales is a fine idea. end of quote

Hi Leatherneck, this strawbale house stays a lot warmer than most houses we know, snug is the word. and it stays cooler in summer. From what I have seen on line there are some downright fancy models, our simple house can not compete with that. Husband calls it the "Humble house" but it is ours, and we did it ourselves. Good luck.

[Catalpa]

bookwormom, I hear you about the paperwork. Though my rating system says I'd rather cultivate 40 acres of beans than do paperwork, go to the dentist, empty the mousetrap, or other unsavory but necessary chores. I used to HATE doing the cultivating when I was a kid, forking the manure wasn't too bad.

I may have done a very silly thing today. The wind is blowing about 20-25 mph, it's spitting snow, and the windchill is about -10. So what did I do? Washed my linens and tried to hang them outside. The second sheet had actually frozen into the laundry basket before I could get it hung. It was like wrestling cardboard on to the line. But there's such a feeling of contentment and bliss to be snuggling into bed with fresh-washed, hung out on the line flannel sheets. They smell like heaven after drying outside, and I sleep like a baby. So I'm very stubborn about getting them washed and on the line every Saturday. But I'm afraid I may have gone a bit far this time. My hands are still hurting and clumsy, even though I've run them under warm water. And I still have to go back out and bring the linens in....

My house is still cold, even though I gave in and turned the thermostat above 60. A cold windy day like today makes me want a strawbale house, or at least a better heating system that doesn't put me in debt all the time!

I don't have any animals to care for, except the dog who lives in the house, but I've been feeding the birds all along. I have woodpeckers, finches, cardinals, everybody. Can't fill the feeders today, the wind is too strong and knocking the feeders around like wind chimes.

I love winter, but just today, if the wind would die down some it would help!

[rideaway]

Since today is a day off from work, I want to get some stuff done...it's nice again today, tho chilly out. Went down the road and helped a friend get her Christmas lights down, then after I warm up a bit, will go outside and put in t-posts and string hog fencing across the back of the field so the lambs will stay contained. The rest of the field is already fenced, just have to put the wire where my sister's pole fence is so the critters don't wander. Then, who knows...always lots to do on our 5 acres...

[humbug]

January has been an odd month here. We started the month with cold and snow. It then proceeded to warm up and melt off. It has been almost like spring here...but no doubt a false spring.

I have tackled indoor projects. I am in the process of painting the inside of my house. Taping is time consuming.

I have also been hauling free firewood. The tree cutter has been out trimming peoples trees and they have been calling me and asking if I wanted the trimmings. So I have almost half of my next years wood now. Whoooeee...Most of it is in three to four foot lengths so will only require a couple of cuts to turn it into firewood. Quite a bit of it is elm, which is some of the better firewood in this country.

[Catalpa]

We had a warm up today, all the way up to 33 degrees! Felt like going out in my shorts, it was such a difference from the below zero stuff.

Been fighting with the road commission again, they came right up into my property with the road grader. Makes me so mad! There's no reason for them to do that.

Today I borrowed my Dad's snowblower to try and clean out the driveway, and was almost done when the belt broke. So now the blower is in two peices in the back of my truck, and I'll have to get a belt when I'm in town tomorrow. Hopefully we won't get anymore snow before I get it fixed.

Hey Leather, how did things work out with your eggs for sale sign?