rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

In regards to my window maker danger tree, we had a guy out to do a fencing estimate that was a logger by trade and he quoted the trees at $300 each and strongly suggested we get the health of the giant pine tree that is leaning towards our house evaluated. Last time we had trees taken out we were charged $1000 each and they were half the size or less, so $300 sounds great. Even if we don't get this guy to do a fence I may have him do some trees instead. The halfway down tree is going to go along with a few other dead or dying ones.

 

[farmerjan]

If he comes and does the trees, and does a decent job, then even if he is not the lowest bid on the fence, it might be smart to give him the business too. Then he will be more likely to come back sooner and do other stuff for you even if he is busy....Maybe the pine just needs to come down on purpose, instead of coming down on its own in the wrong spot or direction. Got 2 tall pines here that have about died, and I look for the owner to keep fiddling around until one bad storm/wind takes them down on the house because he is too tight to do anything PRO-active....

 

[farmerjan]

No daytimes sightings yet, although last night I heard coyotes howling and the dog barking through my dreams. Someone nearby has been shooting at night a lot.

Disbudded doelings. 2 had round wedged buds coming up and one didn't, so two got white rings and decapped and the other got copper rings and if any new growth happens she will be redone. Aw man, I hate disbudding. I don't want pointy dairy horns. They aren't like meat horns. Avalon's breeder had a few horned goats and the horned goats would flip and throw babies and really beat on the unhorned ones and each other. So for the peace, NO HORNS. Also horned goats sell for almost nothing and any time I have to sell anything for chicken scratch I always wonder how things will go for them as "discount" animals.

As for the selling of horned goats not bringing much, maybe try to time any sales just a bit before some of the ethnic holidays. They always do better here if we sell sheep and goats a week or 2 ahead of an ethnic holiday. There are quite a few and I would think that there that it might help the prices.

 

[rachels.haven]

I may consider that in the future. There's also a processor 10 minutes away from here. I'd like to buy a freezer and fill it. Too good of an opportunity to pass up. The dairy doelings I want to get right though.

And yes, I think we'll go that way with the fencing guy. I'm slightly concern. At the end he kind of vaguely gave me the impression he doesn't know how to put up livestock fencing. He thought I meant I wanted him to run cattle panels around the whole place (we clarified that). So we will proceed with caution, but will definitely let him do what he does best and pay him what he asks for that. I can run cattle panels myself if I wanted to go that way.

Tomorrow I need to call the town conservation board and ask them what I'm allowed to fence in on my land so I can run my brush control dairy goats and what will be sacrificed to the rapidly growing asian bittersweet jungle in the name of wildlife conservation. If they don't let me fence, my bittersweet has already jumped the creek and is charting new territory on the way to their conservation land so I'm hoping, hoping, hoping they'll work with me. Wish me luck and eloquence and the ability to communicate clearly and that they'll be having a good day and will give me any paperwork I need to do to put up the fences to make our acreage work for us, help the dogs keep us safe, let the goats eat, with the added bonus of keeping our woods safer by preventing tree girdling and protecting their precious coyote breeding ground.

 

[Baymule]

You have to get permission to fence your land?

 

[rachels.haven]

Yep. Because of the dry creek and pond.

 

[Baymule]

I hope you get permission to put up a fence.

 

[rachels.haven]

Thanks. Me too.
Bailey was barking this morning. I didn't think much of it because I couldn't see anything. Suddenly there is bear poop by the chicken coop (I thought they were only supposed to do that in the woods?). This is my first time seeing it out of pictures. Bear poo is grosser than dog poop. Hurry up fence and working LGD's. I'd rather shovel after dogs than bears.

Also, fence guy said there are totally mountain lions here. He a population on his property about an hour from here. I hope they read the memo and respect mass state border and stay in Rindge, because fish and wildlife says they're not here, despite joggers "allegedly" seeing and taking pictures of them in town. I'd forgotten about them, so I guess I'm glad it's not giant cat poo I'm shoveling this morning. That stuff gives me asthma.

 

[farmerjan]

Bears are somewhat common here and they will tear into anything they want to get into if they smell something enticing. A friend just recently had one tear into one of the premade coops, like you see at tractor supply, and tear the nest box part off that stuck out on the side. The dog may not be a great deterrent to the mountain lions - that of course don't exist there - once it gets familiar with an area, it will learn to "work around it", but maybe you will get lucky.

If he is not familiar with doing woven wire fencing, then do not have him do it. It is an art to get it up and stretched tight and if someone doesn't know the how's of it, it will not keep the tension. Find a farmer in the area, with the kind of fencing you are wanting, and ask if they do their own or if they have a fencing person to suggest. Whether you put up standard woven wire - field fence - or do the smaller sized goat and sheep woven wire or even the no climb, it is still all woven wire and needs to be braced right in the corners, and stretched properly in order for it to last.
I would not suggest the no climb in your case for the simple reason that if one of you were in the pasture and say a predator like a bear should get in there, you would want a chance to be able to climb the wire to get out. Any fence like that will not stop a bear, or a cat, although it might slow a bear down for a minute for you to be able to get over it. The no climb type, the openings are too small and there is no way a person, or a goat, can get their feet in it to get purchase to climb it. There is no climb at one place we rent, they had for their horses. It keeps the horses from being able to paw it and eventually "walk it down", or get their feet stuck in it, but there is no way in or out but the gates for most anyone except the tallest most agile person that might be able to vault over it.

 

[rachels.haven]

Wow, that's good, good advice. Field fencing it is. I did not think about that.