BlessedWithGoats
Herd Master
You're not crazy Babs... you're working hard to do something you love!
Jumping the Moon Dairy - the next chapter
- Thread starter babsbag
- Start date
Moody
Loving the herd life
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2014
- Messages
- 495
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Following your dream is not a mistake.
That doesn't sound too bad to start up a grade A dairy. Although a small operation you could easily expand if desired.
Good luck and enjoy your retirement!
That doesn't sound too bad to start up a grade A dairy. Although a small operation you could easily expand if desired.
Good luck and enjoy your retirement!
- Thread starter
- #33
babsbag
Herd Master
A few weeks ago I got the pad for the new barn done; we have almost no level ground at our place so we had to bring in some blocks for retaining walls. It doesn't look level, but part of that is just an illusion, it is really pretty level. Also had to pull out a bunch of trees.
This weekend we put in some posts for the pony wall of the new barn. We bought a quonset hut type fabric Clearspan structure from Farmtek and we are putting it up on a 6 foot wall to give the goats some exits on the sides and also to keep the fabric out of reach of the goats. Next weekend we will finish the walls and then put the rafters together and then on 6/6 and 6/7 I have some friends coming to help with a barn raising.
We weren't going to do this until Sept. but the friend that did the grading needs to come back and do the area where the processing trailer and milking parlor trailer will be going and he needs to repair our leach field. He also wants to sell his backhoe so I need to get him back here ASAP so he can sell that. And the area where the trailers will be going is where my current shelters are for the goats so I need to move the goats and dismantle all of those structures.
Sometimes I feel like the farmer with the rowboat, the fox, the chicken, and the corn. If you aren't familiar with that puzzle...Google it.
This weekend we put in some posts for the pony wall of the new barn. We bought a quonset hut type fabric Clearspan structure from Farmtek and we are putting it up on a 6 foot wall to give the goats some exits on the sides and also to keep the fabric out of reach of the goats. Next weekend we will finish the walls and then put the rafters together and then on 6/6 and 6/7 I have some friends coming to help with a barn raising.
We weren't going to do this until Sept. but the friend that did the grading needs to come back and do the area where the processing trailer and milking parlor trailer will be going and he needs to repair our leach field. He also wants to sell his backhoe so I need to get him back here ASAP so he can sell that. And the area where the trailers will be going is where my current shelters are for the goats so I need to move the goats and dismantle all of those structures.
Sometimes I feel like the farmer with the rowboat, the fox, the chicken, and the corn. If you aren't familiar with that puzzle...Google it.
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WhiteMountainsRanch
Loving the herd life
Awesome babs!!! so happy for you!!! this is exactly what I want to do too!!! please post pictures if you get a chance, way to go! I'm going to bring my 5th wheel and my 40 goats and dairy it up with you, lol!!!
frustratedearthmother
Herd Master
- Joined
- May 7, 2013
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That's great progress!
- Thread starter
- #36
babsbag
Herd Master
So last weekend when our part of the country broke the record for heat we decided to start on the barn. We bought a fabric structure from FarmTek and this is the beginning of the installation. It is 30x40 and installed on a pony wall that is about 2.5' on the lowest end and 7' on the highest. There will be a bottom kick board and the final layer or dirt/gravel installed later. Also some siding and barn doors, just not sure where; the goats will let me know what works the best.
I have the best friends in the world. Saturday we quit at 1:30 and had lunch and announced that it was too hot to go back outside...100° So one friend said "well, let's all come back on Sunday at 7:00 AM" and so they did. God bless my friends, it was hotter on Sunday...
This is the foreman on the Kubota. She checked on us off and on all day.
This is the first rafter going up. It is balanced on the material lift and has a rope tied around it to keep it somewhat plumb and for safety. We used a rope on each one as we installed them. The lift is like a hand crank forklift that can lift something 24' high. It was a God send once DH figured out how we could use it safely with non-locking wheels. He strapped it into the bucket on our tractor; that worked better than it ever would have worked sitting on the ground. Sometimes the best inventions are out of necessity.
This is the south end of the barn and the side to the left is the west.
Here you can see the lift getting ready to pick up a rafter. We would lift them up and hold them horizontally and maneuver them onto the arms of the lift and then tie a rope around it and have someone on the rope to keep it taught. A person would be at each foot of the rafter to help guide it onto the pony wall. As the lift raised the center of the rafter it would of course become vertical and the feet could them be guided fairly easily. The rope really helps control the swing otherwise this could have been a risky task.
Rafter number 2 is up. You can see the lift extended with the rafter sitting on it. I would go and mark the location for each rafter foot and then we would pre-drill the holes and use lag bolts to attach it to the board. Only once did someone miss the mark but we caught it quickly. We had 3 drills, could have used 3 more.
My friend doing the ladder work. He wouldn't let DH do it because of his bad foot. There are 9 purlins, he did 2 of them; the rest still need to be done. Each purlin is attached to each rafter with a clamp and then the clamp is screwed to the rafter and to the purlin. There are 11 rafters...I haven't done the math but that was a lot of screws, especially when working from a ladder. He spent most of the day up there and NO shade.
The three hot chicks...also known as the the brains. They were 2 others on Saturday but they couldn't come back on Sunday. There is a town a few miles from here called Happy Valley so we were the Hot Chicks from Happy Valley.
The brawn...couldn't have happened without them. There was one more of that team on Saturday too.
I also had a friend that did some shopping and laid out all the food stuff on Saturday for us.
Sunday night we took most of the crew to dinner and just said a huge thank you. I had made the neck bands with the water holding crystals in them and gave one to everyone that helped; they were worn with gratitude. My friend brought a spray bottle of water too that we kept in the ice chest. We worked from 7-2:30 on Sunday with no breaks and our lunch was peanuts and almonds. No one wanted to stop until we were done. I guess our area set some heat records this weekend too...boy do I know how to pick them or what? So thankful for good friends and that we all survived.
Monday we DID NOT work on the barn, I was ok with that.
Tomorrow DH and I will work on some more of the purlins. The plan is to start at 7:00, work for about 3 hours, take a long break, and go at it again in the evening. I think the high tomorrow is supposed to be about 106 and then 103 on Sunday.
I have the best friends in the world. Saturday we quit at 1:30 and had lunch and announced that it was too hot to go back outside...100° So one friend said "well, let's all come back on Sunday at 7:00 AM" and so they did. God bless my friends, it was hotter on Sunday...
This is the foreman on the Kubota. She checked on us off and on all day.
This is the first rafter going up. It is balanced on the material lift and has a rope tied around it to keep it somewhat plumb and for safety. We used a rope on each one as we installed them. The lift is like a hand crank forklift that can lift something 24' high. It was a God send once DH figured out how we could use it safely with non-locking wheels. He strapped it into the bucket on our tractor; that worked better than it ever would have worked sitting on the ground. Sometimes the best inventions are out of necessity.
This is the south end of the barn and the side to the left is the west.
Here you can see the lift getting ready to pick up a rafter. We would lift them up and hold them horizontally and maneuver them onto the arms of the lift and then tie a rope around it and have someone on the rope to keep it taught. A person would be at each foot of the rafter to help guide it onto the pony wall. As the lift raised the center of the rafter it would of course become vertical and the feet could them be guided fairly easily. The rope really helps control the swing otherwise this could have been a risky task.
Rafter number 2 is up. You can see the lift extended with the rafter sitting on it. I would go and mark the location for each rafter foot and then we would pre-drill the holes and use lag bolts to attach it to the board. Only once did someone miss the mark but we caught it quickly. We had 3 drills, could have used 3 more.
My friend doing the ladder work. He wouldn't let DH do it because of his bad foot. There are 9 purlins, he did 2 of them; the rest still need to be done. Each purlin is attached to each rafter with a clamp and then the clamp is screwed to the rafter and to the purlin. There are 11 rafters...I haven't done the math but that was a lot of screws, especially when working from a ladder. He spent most of the day up there and NO shade.
The three hot chicks...also known as the the brains. They were 2 others on Saturday but they couldn't come back on Sunday. There is a town a few miles from here called Happy Valley so we were the Hot Chicks from Happy Valley.
The brawn...couldn't have happened without them. There was one more of that team on Saturday too.
I also had a friend that did some shopping and laid out all the food stuff on Saturday for us.
Sunday night we took most of the crew to dinner and just said a huge thank you. I had made the neck bands with the water holding crystals in them and gave one to everyone that helped; they were worn with gratitude. My friend brought a spray bottle of water too that we kept in the ice chest. We worked from 7-2:30 on Sunday with no breaks and our lunch was peanuts and almonds. No one wanted to stop until we were done. I guess our area set some heat records this weekend too...boy do I know how to pick them or what? So thankful for good friends and that we all survived.
Monday we DID NOT work on the barn, I was ok with that.
Tomorrow DH and I will work on some more of the purlins. The plan is to start at 7:00, work for about 3 hours, take a long break, and go at it again in the evening. I think the high tomorrow is supposed to be about 106 and then 103 on Sunday.
Last edited:
bonbean01
Herd Master
Babs, when you need to ship and keep it all cold....ValleyVet ships with blocks of dry ice and that does the trick Your dream is taking shape quickly now!!!! EXCITED for you!!!
Your dream is taking shape quickly now!!!! EXCITED for you!!! 
Hens and Roos
Herd Master
Looking great 
OneFineAcre
Herd Master
Looking good
Mike CHS
Herd Master
I'm envious at how fast you are progressing but also know how proud you guys have to be at the same time.
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