So I'm all out of hay... I pulled out all the pallets to clean and air/sun dry them and let the ground underneath get some sun and air. When I load the feeder, it normally lasts 2-3 days. So everything has been drying out that long. Called my regular source and guess what... He's all out of alfalfa. I guess there was a run when we started into all that wet weather and as such, none could be delivered. He's not getting a new shipment till Saturday. As a result, I spent this morning searching online for anywhere close that had (reasonably priced) square bales of alfalfa. Finally found some 114 miles away down in Kaufman. I called and they have the large squares @ ~100lbs vice the 65lb ones I normally get (and built the hay feeder to hold). The hay feeder will only hold about 2/3 of the bale and it's so high the roof doesn't close completely... Sure nice looking alfalfa though and the goats seem pleased with it. Aside from the gas to get there and back, it was only about a penny a pound more expensive. $21 a bale as opposed to $12 a bale for the smaller ones.
Oh well, goats gotta eat, so I asked when I could get some. She said like after 4pm today. I was like I have to drive over 100 miles and 2 hours each way and do NOT want to deal with traffic in both directions. Not to mention the goats have no hay to eat till dinner tonight when I get back... So she called her DH and he said he'd be there at noon if I could get there. I said I would be and arrived at 11:30. There was someone else at the house besides DH and he helped me load 6 bales and I was on my way back home. So the goats got fed at lunch time (late lunch) rather than dinner time.
I have to say, I'm VERY impressed/happy with the feeder. Though there is still some waste, it's very minor compared to before. I'd say the equivalent of less than a flake total. Maybe less than 3/4 of a flake. I find when they've emptied the fencing, I just leave it empty and they start to clean up everything that's dropped into the catch tray. They still pull out stems and drop them on the ground, but it's nowhere near what it was.
ETA forgot to add, first thing this morning while there was still frost in the shade, I went ahead and applied the expanding foam to all the cracks and holes where the red wasps were entering/exiting the eaves. I did see one sitting outside on the trim late this afternoon but none entering or exiting. Hopefully the ones trapped inside will starve and I won't have them nesting around here.
Got 4 "H" braces completed this afternoon before my back said take a break. Supposed to be a chance of more rain tomorrow. If not I'll do some more. May just do more anyway. The first one took the longest. Never done them before, always suburbia before and 6' privacy fencing. Got it pretty much figured out now.
With what's done now I can complete the fencing on one side and hang one gate. Next shot should get another side (or two) ready for fence stretching. Nice to have better weather. On a side note, the red wasps managed to thwart my expanding spray foam somehow. And they are all over the place and pestering me.
We just suck em up with the lady bugs in the vacuum with a couple of moth balls in it....they be dead within a couple of hrs....we've tried everything and that works the best for us. Every one ya get now is many more that won't be around for summer....once they start nest building the wasp Math surely starts.
Corners look good. I've done a couple with the high horizontal brace but you could probably tell from my place, that I'm not a big fan of them over time.