Promise Acre: Our Journey

[promiseacres]

Yes very aware about chicken math...we're planning on raising some chicks for meat next year...but still should have plenty of room in 1/2 of the building. BUT it won't be hard to change it over to all chickens someday if we want even more (and we get a real barn for the other critters.)

BTW Bonbean THAT color matching is 100% on accident! The bird house was left here from previous owners and the door is off of our old farmhouse. DH plans on painting the door...I never noticed this....
Oh and other than the roof steel and the floor/runners we've been able to reuse/recycle the material which is also why it's taking forever, beside the fact my DH is a service tech for Case IH...

 

[Southern by choice]

I really like the style, did you guys have a kit or was it designed and then stick built? I'm asking because I was wondering if the siding was hard to work with or easy or somewhere in between. It looks so "crisp" and that it would be easier to maintain than wood.

 

[promiseacres]

the steel siding (not the roof due to nail holes, we bought the trim too) was from a very large hog building we took down a few years ago. It was pretty easy just the 2 of us (I held then he screwed in place). We designed and stick built it, it's on runners too so we could move it if we need too...
Biggest thing was cutting it to fit, most of the pieces we have are very long! Oh and we have shelves above the walk in door so for storage. We went from a 3 acre farm with 5 huge barns (not including the one we took down) to 4 acres with 2 small garages and 1 shed.... so all of our hay equip is outdoors :/ and vehicles...and critters...

I have some other photos of it in progress if you want to see them.

He has the nest boxes to build and a door to attach inside and the inside chicken area will be done!

Then we're going to build some shelters for the donkeys horses and sheep.

 

[promiseacres]

Off to get the sheep today!

 

[promiseacres]

I'm now a Shepherd! Here's my little herd! Everyone rode in the trailer fine! And are enojoying some grass. The horses and donkeys are wondering what are these new creatures!

 

[Southern by choice]

Nice looking group! Those horns . What kind of sheep? Is that high tensile fencing behind them?
Isn't it funny when the other critters are looking at the new ones... they always get that look like....hmmmm I don't know about this!

 

[promiseacres]

They are a mixed up bunch, some painted desert, barbados and several other breeds, the prevouis owner mentioned about 10 breeds but wasn't sure which ones were what...

yes high tensile fence (it's HOT) so far they've been very good about it.

 

[promiseacres]

Interesting Poopy day....Got the trailer cleaned, critters fed and the chickens tank all cleaned up, tried to cox the sheep into a different pen...without luck but they didn't act too crazy. Came inside and Miss Jocelyn my 9 mo old was awake from her morning nap. So we had lunch and she filled her pants during (she usually does while in her booster seat...:/) So I went to change her post lunch and got POOP EVERY where fun fun...all the while I"m getting worried because I need to go get the laundry I hung out at 9:30 and now there were some VERY serious rain clouds coming in! But a bath was needed plus new clothes for my darling daughter (DD) and Mommy. Luckily got it all taken care of and go out with DD in her backpack. Get the laundry, and the mail and the dogs then decide I really should bring in the chickens as they have no shelter in the dog pen they're in during nice days...so take DD inside and go out to catch chickens and the 1st one promplty poops all over my front/jeans!

So when DH gets home we decide with 2 of us we can get the sheep to the other pen. He goes in first and BOOM! 2 ewes are thru the 2 top strands of fence...luckily it was just my small pasture, my Mini Stallion Nautilus was in there but he knew it was supper time and came right up... open the gate and get the 2 girls back into the origanal pen with the others. Attempted to move them again with both of us in there...but no luck they WERE not going into that other pen? (Well at this point we weren't pushing it.) They didn't attempt the fence again even with both of us in there. Probably good for them to just get used to us. They're "used" to people but definatly were never treated as pets...not that I want pets but I don't want it to be a tramatic thing when I need to do something with them or move them pen to pasture. While we were walking around the pen discovered wat looked like an aborted embryo... the ram had been after 1 of the ewes, I call her crooked horns...and mounted her so not sure if him being in with them is a very good thing....? or maybe stress of the trip. Here's a pic of it...(not very good as I took it with my phone)

We finally gave in, got the horses and donkeys put up for the night and fed. DH worked on nestboxes til supper and he's back out there...not sure he's still getting anything done b/c he took our 4 year old son John with him...Thankfully for some peace as DD is already in bed.

 

[promiseacres]

so the coop is VERY close! those shelves with tools those will soon be nest boxes.... the floor was painted the other day. Am hoping I cleaned out and put new shavings the chicken tank for the last time!
I'm worried the roosts are little high but we can ad a ramp....a few of the hens can fly over the 6' dog fence so we will see. he didn't want them roosting in the nest boxes.

on a sheepy note they're getting used to me (at least when I'm not in the pen) learning that I mean FOOD! I am hoping I can get some time next week to hang out in their pens...hard to do when you have a 4 yr old who doesn't get that the Sheep are WILD!!
They are VERY intelligant and if I go into either of the pens we have open for them they move to the big pen, they DO not want to be stuck in the small one....I'm not pushing it b/c eventually I'd like to be able to put them where ever. I really wish they weren't SO flightly as it sucks they can't be in any of the pastures (only 4 strands of HT...)

Enjoyed our Indian summer now the weather is very normal fall cold and windy!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Nice looking set up there. Can't wait to see your finished coop-it looks solid.