Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Taking advantage of a break in the weather...
With Bev working full-time, we have to really maximize our "brawn work" on Saturday and Sunday.
With several days above freezing and no precipitation, we're able to get to some projects... including loading a series of 16' tubular horse pen panels. The lady who got Dusty for us is giving/loaning/selling her horse stuff to us.
While we were there, we were also given an 8'x8'x12" frame that had been used as a temporary chick brooder. We're going to cut it in half and construct our first worm box, making it 8'x4'x24".
The panels and that frame are all loaded into the horse trailer and will be delivered in a week or so... when we catch the next break in the weather.
To orient you, here's a series of pictures that show where we're doing the first projects.
We got the worm bed area pretty well cleaned up. The remainder of grading and leveling will be done once the frame arrives. We won't order worms until after we see how many "natives" we can attract and/or capture by hauling in composted manure from horse barns and the local dairy.
Since the lambs loved to go "walkabout", especially as they grew up, we had to fortify the fencing. The easiest (that's a relative term) was to pull the existing posts and fencing that extended about 40 feet beyond one corner of the lamb pen.
You can barely see that extended fencing on the right side of this photo. We pulled it by hand, and then used the truck and a come-along to help stretch it as far as it would go around the pen.
After working all afternoon on Saturday, and most of Sunday morning, here's what it looks like. We still have to re-connect the remainder of the small fence and do some minor hardware work on the gate. We needed to let the gate posts set and hope for a little moisture so the sand will set like concrete.
If you take a close look at the sky... moisture is on the way. Within a couple hours of this photo we had a quick snow storm. Over the course of about 4 hours we gained 2 inches of snow that melted off yesterday.
Now, we're expecting another storm Thursday night and maybe another one on Sunday, so we may be working on the "inside" projects for another week.
One reason for moving that fence was to make way for the barn site. Here's a picture of where the 36'x60' Monitor-style barn will go.
The barn will have 4 stalls, and a loafing shed area for the lambs. We're really hoping to get a mustang from the BLM in the next year or so. Of course, it's time to train Dusty so that should keep us busy this year.
Either shortly before, or after the horse panels arrive, we have to clean that site. There's a pile of railroad ties as well as tumbleweed, and lots of junk wire. Don't want any of that in the pen, so will spend a lot of time "kicking sand".
Here's where the first horse pen will go.
Ok, off to update Sarah's blog... She's been dying to share pictures of her buddies.
Labels: Around the farm, Chickens
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