October 4, 2008

First Frost

We have had alerts, alarms, warnings and watches. But today it happened for real.
Our first frost.

Posted by roosterh at 7:36 AM | Posted to Weather | What do you think?(0)
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October 2, 2008

Fall Colors

Leaves in the rain.
Maple tree.
Looking out over the chicken coops.
Valley view in the morning.
Curious turkey hen.

Posted by roosterh at 6:42 AM | Posted to Poultry | Weather | What do you think?(0)
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September 28, 2008

When it rains, we demolish

We looked around the kitchen and decided the cupboards had to go.
We started disassembling the cupboards that were attached to the ceiling and decided the ceiling would look better with drywall. So down it came too.
As we started removing the ceiling in the kitchen we realized the ceiling in the main room should go too.
Gary uses his stilts to remove the tiles and molding.
The previous owner had told us of a fire that happened in the oldest part of the house a long time ago, and once we removed the tiles it was obvious where it occured.
We took apart the chimney and stove area in the kitchen.
Panelling had to go.
By the end of the day, the dust was flying. Now we rebuild.

Posted by roosterh at 5:21 PM | Posted to 910 | What do you think?(0)
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September 19, 2008

the AI Guy

With only 3 cows to breed, it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to keep a bull. So when they come into heat, there's one guy we call: the AI guy!

AI is short for artificial insemination, of course! Using this method, we can choose what breed of bull will father the next calf. It is also easier on the cow than most bulls would be. The AI Guy wears long gloves and inserts a long tube into the cow.



It's done right in the field and takes about 20 seconds, tops. All 3 of our cows have now been inseminated (unfortunately not on the same day so it was 3 separate trips for the AI Guy!) and we will know in about 21 days how successful he was. He's pretty good at what he does so I think we won't be seeing him for another year. Thanks AI Guy!

Posted by roosterh at 4:58 PM | Posted to Cow | What do you think?(0)
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September 18, 2008

Pounding the day away

The fenceline at 910 has been there a long time. As the previous owner stated, "the horses stayed in from memory, not from the fence." Since it is our plan to use this main pasture as winter ground for everyone including cows, the fence has to be solid. and there are many apple trees right inside the old fenceline that we would like to preserve. So adding a new fence and moving the apples out as much as possible was our goal this week.
Gary has been cutting locust trees down for quite some time. He peeled the bark off of them. Although the bark can make this hardwood last longer, as it peels away it makes the post smaller than the hole and the post is not as solid as it once was.
We walked the entire fenceline and removed the old fencing and insulators. Then using string, a tape measure and some marking paint, we created a new line for the fence.
Gary marks each spot where a locust post will go. They are about 18' apart. T-posts will fill in the gap in between.
We rented a post hole pounder the next day and got to work. Although we had to make a quick trip back to the dealer for a replacement hydraulic fitting, we still made good time and pounded about 90 posts in a day.

Here it is in action.

Posted by roosterh at 12:24 PM | Posted to 910 | What do you think?(1)
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Previous 10 entries...

More Turkeys! Sep 10, 2008
You say cabrito, I say Where did you come from anyway? Sep 9, 2008
Hay there! Aug 23, 2008
Random Bits Aug 19, 2008
Joel Salatin I am not Aug 13, 2008
Hail yes! Aug 10, 2008
Echinacea are blooming Jul 28, 2008
Beulah's calf Jul 27, 2008
The Big Reveal Jul 26, 2008
Betty has her calf Jul 22, 2008