Ausra Farms - Updated

[frustratedearthmother]

They are beautiful and that's an interesting cross. I guess the erect ears threw me off... both of those breeds have dangly ears don't they?
'

 

[farmerjan]

Saw your post and have another suggestion. If the bins are butler, and there are several different brands but usually they tend to be mostly the same in a general area; try checking with a poultry supplier if there are any commercial poultry farms around or ask your local feed mill who sells bulk feed bins. Anyway, you can often find sections to replace the rotted section from these companies. Maybe a little more money than homemade, but you are looking at 1-4 tons of weight on these bottoms. Also, you need to consider the angle and all for a bottom door to get the feed out unless you are going to go with an auger system which will require electricity etc. We have several as we buy feed by the ton and they are great. We just put 5 gal buckets under them and slide the door up, fills the bucket FAST and slide the door down. The slide needs to be on an angle not flat across the bottom or the weight will push it down and it will bow or not even open. The bottoms rotting out like that is most likely because old feed was left in them, it got wet and it caused the rot. Bolt or rivet the repairs, easier to replace if you have to. But do consider the great amount of weight on the small area that is tapered into the cone. Not knowing the exact dimensions it looks like they are 2-4 ton bins, the cone will hold nearly a half ton alone. Keep the top closed but do not make it too tight as the feed will sweat some in the hot weather. We have several small patch pieces riveted on the inside of our bins to fix small holes, less than 1 ft square. It might be easier for you to lay them back down to work on them as it is hard to work above your head all the time. We went with a replacement "boot" from the company rather than try to construct one and it fir right on/in the hole since the previous owner used an auger. I am all for fixing it myself and it seems your partner is very knowledgeable etc., but it might be a waste of valuable time to do all that yourself when there are replacement parts available. And you might not be able to find any but you might want to look into it. Just make sure they can hold the weight there would be nothing worse than coming out to find something didn't hold and you have 2 tons of feed pouring out and it is starting to rain.
It you use a specific feed that comes in bags figure you will save approx 1.00 per bag on bulk price so 40.00/ton. If you have custom mix, and if we pre-order so that they can put it on the same bulk truck coming our way in a couple of days there is a little more discount. We usually call in and say the next time you are coming this way we need 2 tons of pellets or whatever. That gives the feed company a chance to figure their loads more efficiently. Best of luck.

 

[Alexz7272]

@frustratedearthmother
They typically do. They were shelter pups, they knew mom was a catahoula curr but not sure about dad but the former owner said he was a curr mix as well. My catahoula group thinks the dad was Malinois which would've given them the erect ears and apparently is commonly done. But who knows? haha!
They TOTALLY act like Catahoula's though. Through and through. They are not LGD's but they protect the property, us and the animals fiercely. They are so cute though

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Makes sense to me - but whatever the mix is it's beautiful and totally unique!

 

[Alexz7272]

@farmerjan Thank you so much! We actually have a representative from our bulk suppliers coming out in the next week or two. We use Ranch-Way Feed in Fort Collins, we are about 45 minutes south of them. Thank you for the information on using bulk, I will definitely try and schedule it for when they are coming down and see if I can get any additional discounts, excellent idea!
I may have been wrong about how he is re-doing the bottom. I picked up 2 stainless steel 4x10 sheets on Wednesday for the project. Apparently we are not welding them, we will do the bolt and rivet as you suggested. We'll be working on it this weekend, so I get more clarification from him and then explain more. Thank you so so much!!

 

[Alexz7272]

@NH homesteader
Their temperament is pretty good! They are 2 now, so MUCH calmer then when they were puppies. They are very athletic and require lots of space. They are also extremely protective of their family and protective of their property. The girls know the property lines and wont pass it but they let us know if anyone or anything passes close to it. Actually on Wednesday our neighbor had some people over whose dog crossed into our field. Zasha (she is alpha of the two) barked, corralled and cornered the dog while Keisha came and got my partner and I who were on the opposite side of the field working on the silos. They are amazing with the livestock, even the chickens and quails! Their breed is for Boar hunting, and they do great hunting mice, squirrels and raccoons but have never gone after livestock. They are also total sweethearts once we let them know its okay. Their bark is mean but they will love on you if we tell them you are okay. The dogs literally sleep in my arms every night

 

[NH homesteader]

Oh man I need one! Haha! I have a Spanish Alano, who is also bred for boar hunting. She's kind of numb though, and is way too impulsive. At two, she is barely becoming calm enough to be fun. Our other dog, a chow mix, watches the property for us. He has the best instincts. He's come to find us when a bear walked onto our property, and as soon as we know of a threat he stands right next to us while we deal with it. The Alano would probably try to go after it, she thinks she's much bigger than her 53 lbs (her father, who is 90 lbs, held a moose down by the ear while hunting once)

Your dogs sound like perfect farm dogs. I showed my husband your pictures and now he must find some similar ones for the future!

 

[Alexz7272]

So got two large window wells for free. Stacked them on 2 4x4x6 for additional height. Will get some metal we can bend for the backside on our next steel order for the company. There is some rust, bf thinks we should pressure wash all loose stuff off then coat with galvanized paint (?) Cant remember the exact name. Also, any siggestions on what I can apply to seal the bottom edges to make it leak proof? Thank you!

 

[farmerjan]

You know what else makes good shelters? The truck "caps" or "shells" or camper tops, or whatever they are called in your area. Put up on some kind of sides if they need to be higher like you did for your sheep. And if anyone has any old satellite dishes, the old solid ones (maybe fiberglass?) they make really good "tops " We used to put them on top of pallet pens for the hogs...shade in the pasture.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Love it - reduce, reuse and recycle!