Mud Farm

January has been an extremely rainy month.  As such, it's pretty much brought all projects to a halt.  However, it's been interesting to have this much rain because it's allowed me to monitor how well the new pond is working.

After several days of soaking rain, I was able to get a picture of what is probably going to be the ultimate high water mark.  I was also able to see where the leaks are.  Luckily there are only two.  One is a small trickle where the natural drainage used to be and the other is a low spot by a tree where the picture below was taken from.  I'll have to see how things look in the summer when the water is down enough to get the bulldozer in to fix it.

I was pleased to see how long the water levels stayed up as well. There are a couple of sites, that I drive past on the way down, that have dug out ponds recently and theirs drain much more quickly.  I take that as a sign that I have a really good pond.

The next step will be to get grass growing on the hillside that feeds into it, to make the water more clear as it runs off.

From 2013-01-09

One problem with all the rain is that it soaks the hay as I set it out.  It also soaks the animals as they stand out there and eat it.  The donkey doesn't mind, but wet, cold goats have a tendency to get sick and die.

To remedy this problem, I put up a hay tent to keep the water off.  It works better for square bales since I can just set them in the middle.  The big round rolls are much tougher to line up, so we were happy to roll this one under the tent at all.

From 2013-01-09

I finally got a chance to whip out the chainsaw.  With all the rain, it seems like forever since I've been able to cut and burn.  I'm surprised at how much I missed it.  We still didn't get to burn, but at least I got a little cutting done.

From 2013-01-09

Here are the animals enjoying the hay tent.  Note the sloppy, muddy mess on the left and the dry goats under the tent.

On a sad note, this was Stinky's last day.  The day after this pic was taken, the feral dogs got into the pen and killed him.  RIP Stinky.

From 2013-01-21

The low spot by the football field turned into a lake.

From 2013-01-21

It's amazing how much water collects and how quickly it disperses.  A day or two after this, there was little evidence that this had formerly been a lake.

From 2013-01-21

This stretch of the perimeter trail was especially sloppy.  With this much standing water, I need to look for a place to make another pond.

From 2013-01-21

WARNING if your're squeamish, don't scroll down further.  WARNING









The feral dogs totally destroyed poor Little Momma.  She always kept her distance from the other goats, so it's not surprising that she was the first one that the dogs targeted.  I was very disheartened to see that they'd totally destroyed her.

I think we've held the dogs off for now, but there are still about 4-5 of thems running around the area.  RIP Little Momma

From 2013-01-09

Fall Is On It's Way

The subtle signs of fall are starting to show. The brush and undergrowth are getting a bit thinner, the leaves are getting just a little less green and the days are getting a just a bit shorter.

All this means that it's time to start planting grass and getting food stored away for the animals for winter.  Also, now that I have a full year of caring for the herd under my belt, it's time to start fixing all the mistakes I made in the first year and making big plans for year 2.

One big mistake I made was intentionally putting gaps between the boards on the side of the shed so they'd have airflow. At the time I built it, the temps were roasting hot so all I could think of was how hot it would be and thought airflow would be a good idea.  The picture below shows Sadie enjoying her airflow.

From 2012-09-10

I didn't realize that the heat isn't a problem as long as there are trees for shade. The real problem is cold. They need protection from the winter winds and airflow isn't a good thing.

Luckily for all, I figured this out before winter and put some tarps around the shed to keep the wind out, but it looked ugly and so I took some time last weekend to fix it.

From 2012-01-03

I think it looks a lot better now. It's not as airtight as it was with the tarp, but it should be good enough.

Our big plan for year two is to increase the herd size.  We're planning a play date for the goats with a billy in October in hopes of having some babies in the spring.

This is a big step and so I want to make sure to fix all the little things that I've let slide like the shed and gaps in the fence etc.  With any luck, we'll have a lot bigger herd next March.

From 2012-09-10

Here's a closeup of the boards.  It looks pretty wind proof.  I guess we'll find out this winter.  If not, I still have all the tarps.

From 2012-09-10

I had a few boards left over so I decided to put them on the tree house. The big question is do you level them with the earth or the tree. Hmmm.  In this pic, they are perfectly level according to the level, but they seem a little slanted to the eye.  Just another reason I avoid finish work.

Below the treehouse is our growing pile of hay.  I'm going to have to get a couple big 5x5 bales to add to the collection.  I really need a barn!

From 2012-09-10