Jodief100--- random stuff and BIG news

[jodief100]

I am just putting a tarp over the panels. I want to keep it as lightweight as possible. I have electronets I put around it so they can forage and we haven't lost a bird to anything but my own dogs. I have the pen in the fields doing cleanup after the goats with the electronet around it. I move it every week or so. Occasionally a bird fly's over the net and the dog will get it. It has only been roos and one guinea. The hens tend to stay put. I doubt chicken wire will stop a fox and it will not stop a raccoon.

For meat chickens you can leave out the roosts and nest box. They are ground huggers by nature.

The next dog I get is going to be trained to guard the chickens.

 

[daisychick]

I really need to get an electronet that would work great. Thanks for the info.

 

[Ms. Research]

Thanks for the pic of what a Hoop house is.

How's Ginger doing? Any more signs of pending babies?

K

 

[jodief100]

It rained all day yesterday. I thought I would get some housecleaning done but nooooooo, I spent all day unclogging the tub and fighting with a vacuum that just doesn't work right anymore. So I ordered a new vacuum and got the tub from stopped to slow. I need to rent a power snake. The clog is way down the line. Everything in the house is draining into the tub, except the toilets, thank goodness. So I can't do laundry or the dishes. I can't mop the floors unless I want to dump the bucket outside and my shower had to be real quick.

Then work calls, I have to go in tomorrow and Friday to do inventory. We got a bunch of unexpected orders for the beginning of the year which is nice but it means we can't loose next week's production for inventory. All the salaried people have to come in and count stuff. They would have to pay the hourly people double if they come in. It's OK, my boss already said he will make it good with some "off the books" days off next year. I would rather have my days off when hubby is here to enjoy them with anyways.

Big J came by last night and helped me feed everyone. It was nice to have a big strong man carry the hay bales since my back still isn't feeling great. That young man needs a girlfriend. He has way too much time on his hands and is too nice of a fellow to waste time with an old lady like me. He plays arena ball and couches high school football but neither are in season right now. I guess he needs something to do.

No babies yet. I let Ginger out since it is a nice sunny day. By the end of today they will have their field expanded considerably so I will have happy goats! I am moving the six nets from the front field and combining them with the 4 I have at the barn field. My rough calculations says this gives them about 5 acres of late growth grass to munch on.

 

[jodief100]

I have happy goats and happy dogs. I moved 1,660 feet of nets today. 6 sets I walk down the hill, 200 feet, pack it up carry it back to the truck. Then drive to the other field, carry them one by one 600 feet up the hill, put them in place...repeat. I am tired and sore but my goats have their 1 acre opened up to 5 acres. Jack and Snows immediately followed the entire perimeter, checking things out. Jack marked his territory the entire way. How they carry that much pee is beyond me?!?!?!

There is a lot of late cool season growth in that field, that should keep them happy for a few more weeks. Feeding only 1-2 bales a day as opposed to 4 makes me happy.

Ginger still has soft ligs but not gone yet. No one else seems to be that close but there are several with discharge and growing bags.

 

[Ms. Research]

Glad to hear about happy goats and happy dogs. I have to laugh about the pee. Yea, Jake seems to store lots of it when we go for a walk and distributes everywhere. They have to make sure that all know where their boundaries are. Good job Jack.

So how's Ginger doing? Still hold on to those babies?

K

 

[jodief100]

No babies yet Ginger is lying down a lot and hanging out by herself. I think two didn't take in July/August so I am going to put them back with the bucks when hubby gets home tonight. I was going to have the vet out to ultrasound everyone but hubby and I decided it wasn't necessary. There is still plenty of time to get any rebred that didn't take. And if they don't take in January they go bye bye. Sounds harsh but that is reality with farming.

It is a beautiful day, mid 50's and no rain- for now. It did sprinkle a little this morning and it is still really muddy out there. All of the goats are out in the upper field I just fenced in. They seem content. I put one bale of hay in for them last night and half of it is still there this morning. That is a good sign they are eating well on the new browse. Jack loves havign the big field. The one he was in before was about 2 acres. This is the biggest space he has ever had to run in, except when he gets loose. Darn dog can climb fences. Fortunately he likes to stay with his goats. Unfortunately it makes it difficult to let them loose to browse. He is still a big puppy, turned 1 in November (and about 150 lbs). Hopefully he will outgrow it. He has the best natural guarding instinct of any dog I have ever had. He could be left with babies at 6 months old. Good thing too because since he decides which goats he stays with I couldn't have kept him out of the gen pop pen if I tried, which I did.

I am sick- fever, chills, stuffy head and sore. All I want to do is lie on the couch and sleep but there are farm chores to do and a house to clean.

Have to go blow my nose.....

 

[elevan]

Sorry you're feeling bad.

 

[jodief100]

Hubby called, they are on their way home!!!!!

 

[jodief100]

Not much got done this week. The clogged drain has really put a damper on things. I couldn't do dishes, laundry or take a shower longer than 5 minutes. The kitchen sink,dishwasher, laundry and downstairs bathroom sink were all draining to the downstairs bathroom tub. The downstairs tub was draining very slowly, as in it took all day to drain out the 6 inches of water from my five minute shower. The toilets and upstairs sink and tub were fine. The upstairs is just a tub, no shower and it is pretty low and shallow. I could bathe up there but it kinda sucks.

So I plunge it, nothing. I use baking soda and vinegar, nothing. I use the small hand snake, nothing. I use Drano, nothing. I work on it all day and then give up and wait for hubby to come home. So for four days I have no use of my sinks or tub. Every dish in my house is dirty, I washed dishes in the tub upstairs to feed my boys yesterday.

Hubby rents a big power snake and snakes the mainline, nothing. He tears my ceilings down to trace the lines and vents, nothing. He goes back to the hardware store and has a long talk with the guy there. The guy suggests our 2" lines don't tie into the 4" line immediately like they are supposed to. So hubby rents a small power snake. He snakes the tub, nothing. He jackhammers the floor out in the bathroom closet and snakes into every line he can reach. Nothing. This morning as a last ditch effort, he snakes the bathroom sink. Nothing. He snakes the kitchen sink and................. THE TUB DRAINS

Turns out, the 2" lines all drain into a 2" line that runs parallel to the main 4" line the length of the house. Then that 2" line dumps into the 4" line at the very end. Stupid way to plumb a house and violates about 10 codes. Maybe some day we will get it fixed but for now I can use my plumbing.

I just took a long hot shower and SHAVED!!!!!!

My house is torn apart but it will get put back together.

This is the tub. It is an improvement. Last night the interior of the black ring was solid black goo all over my tub. I scrubbed the tub thoroughly, twice before taking a shower.

Here is my bathroom closet behind the tub. Hubby will work on that later today.

It is very windy and my buckets and lawn furniture are flying everywhere. The weather is supposed to get cold tomorrow. The dogs have dramatically increased their food consumption the last two weeks. I hope that means winter is finally here!