Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[fuzzi]

View attachment 117372 Big Bro (Kuya) Robert already has his babybrother in a headlock. The first of many to come I am sure. DDIL2 has her hands full with 3 babies 2 years apart. Luckily both older boys are in preschool until June.

The pump shed is finally painted and ready for the shelves to go up. DS1 and I worked on them today. The first picture is looking straight back from the shed door. The second picture shows the heavy duty shelf unit installed on the side wall, We put up the upper shelves first then assembed the lower shelf system. The shelves are 24" deep x 6' long. The heavy duty shelf unit is 6' wide x 6' tall x 24" deep. We will pick up another heavy duty shelf unit tomorrow at Costco on the way back from the VA. When we buiot th one there nw, we moved it out 24" from the rear wall to allow enough room for another to fit on the wall where the orange ladder is leaning. It will fit from the corner to the pump pipes. There are several electric outlets in the shed in case we want to instal a freezer or fan for ventilation, or need electric outlets in that area of the field. They still need covers. Can't wait to get all the Christmas stuff out of my front hallway! All my canning jars and equipment can go in there too. I will be bringing some of my orse tack back from California and the winter blankets can go on the top shelves since I won't need them until we have covered barn space for the horses. On the side of the shed over the pump equipment DS1 is planning to put a 30" deep "loft" shelf from wall to wall. It will be 6'+ above the floor so we can get under it to service the pump equipment. Not sure what will be stored there

It is supposed to rain heavily over the weekend so on Monday we will all get out in the fields to drive in the PVC T-posts for the electric fencing. DS1 has laid it out. We just have to decide what kind of gates we want to install and put those posts in with their braces. We will use the auger on the tractor for those posts. We will put the LGD access in those gates. Looking forward to having permanent rotational pastures. The sheep are already starting to ignore some of the lovely tall grass in favor of the new grass growing back in. We moved the rams and lambs into new pasture using our last roll of electric fencing. We have to get a breeding pasture set up too.
View attachment 117374 View attachment 117373

What does the LGD access look like?

 

[Ridgetop]

Tht depends. We have had several kinds. Some were simply low places under the fences where the dogs crawled into adjacent pastures. Not in favor of those althought the sheep don't crawl under fences. Some were low fences that the dogs went over an the sheep ignored. Again, I dont like that option either. The two former options can lead to dogs that learn to jump out of fenced areas or dig under fences. Both are bad.

There are three other access options we are considering. The first is an inverted V opening in a fence or gate. It is usually made wby affixing 1 x 4's or 2 x 4's to frame in the V opening. The LGDs will jump or crawl through it while the sheep don't seem to recognize it as an opening in the fence. The problem with that with very large dogs is that some of th don;t want to jump through it. Bubba (at maximum height for an Anatolian and 160 lbs.) hated it and would never use it because it hit him on the back when he went through. The bitches were fine with it.

Option 2 is one that Bill Turnquist used with his Pyrs on his sheep and Boer goat ranch. He cut 2 holes in the fence wire about 18" x 24". The holes were about 3' apart. Then he hung slightly larger pieces of 3/8" plywood over the holes using wire so the flaps could swing open one way. One flap was on one side of the fence the other on the other side so that he had an "IN" and "OUT" door for the dogs. The sheep couldnt figure it out.

Option 3 is an old fashioned style of ladder steps over a corner post in the fence. This option is more difficult to build and requires more sturdy fence corners and suport posts.

Since we are fencing the separate pastures with 5 strand electric wire, we probably won't go with Option 3. Either Option 1 or 2 will work. DS1 is not a favor of the inverted V gate. He is afraid that the sheep will eventually learn to follow the dogs through the opening into the adjacent pasture, especially if that pasture has better grass. LOL DS1 and DH are leaning towards Option 2 - the In and Out trap doors. We can buy a Priefert gate (seconds or thirds at the factory) and cut the welded wire in 2 places for the openings. Hanging the plywood doors over the holes with wire loops will be the easiest build. Since we have to have gates in each pasture the dogs would have access to all parts of the ranch. The best way would be to place gates at each end of the long narrow pastures for easy human and LGD access, but for now, we will just have one gate at one end. It will be easy to install a second gate at the other end of the pasture at a later date when we will have more money for more gates. (And once we see how the dogs handle the In and Out openings in the original gates.) With good LGD access to all pastures, we can leave the sheep out at night to graze instead of bringing them in.

 

[fuzzi]

Tht depends. We have had several kinds. Some were simply low places under the fences where the dogs crawled into adjacent pastures. Not in favor of those althought the sheep don't crawl under fences. Some were low fences that the dogs went over an the sheep ignored. Again, I dont like that option either. The two former options can lead to dogs that learn to jump out of fenced areas or dig under fences. Both are bad.

There are three other access options we are considering. The first is an inverted V opening in a fence or gate. It is usually made wby affixing 1 x 4's or 2 x 4's to frame in the V opening. The LGDs will jump or crawl through it while the sheep don't seem to recognize it as an opening in the fence. The problem with that with very large dogs is that some of th don;t want to jump through it. Bubba (at maximum height for an Anatolian and 160 lbs.) hated it and would never use it because it hit him on the back when he went through. The bitches were fine with it.

Option 2 is one that Bill Turnquist used with his Pyrs on his sheep and Boer goat ranch. He cut 2 holes in the fence wire about 18" x 24". The holes were about 3' apart. Then he hung slightly larger pieces of 3/8" plywood over the holes using wire so the flaps could swing open one way. One flap was on one side of the fence the other on the other side so that he had an "IN" and "OUT" door for the dogs. The sheep couldnt figure it out.

Option 3 is an old fashioned style of ladder steps over a corner post in the fence. This option is more difficult to build and requires more sturdy fence corners and suport posts.

Since we are fencing the separate pastures with 5 strand electric wire, we probably won't go with Option 3. Either Option 1 or 2 will work. DS1 is not a favor of the inverted V gate. He is afraid that the sheep will eventually learn to follow the dogs through the opening into the adjacent pasture, especially if that pasture has better grass. LOL DS1 and DH are leaning towards Option 2 - the In and Out trap doors. We can buy a Priefert gate (seconds or thirds at the factory) and cut the welded wire in 2 places for the openings. Hanging the plywood doors over the holes with wire loops will be the easiest build. Since we have to have gates in each pasture the dogs would have access to all parts of the ranch. The best way would be to place gates at each end of the long narrow pastures for easy human and LGD access, but for now, we will just have one gate at one end. It will be easy to install a second gate at the other end of the pasture at a later date when we will have more money for more gates. (And once we see how the dogs handle the In and Out openings in the original gates.) With good LGD access to all pastures, we can leave the sheep out at night to graze instead of bringing them in.

Fascinating.

 

[Ridgetop]

DS1 has continued his investigation into how to install this fence and have an area for the dogs to get in and out. He has decided on the V shaped opening. He will leave a 3' space between the end of the fence wire and the cross fence. That 3' area will be the bracing posts and have a wooden fence with the V opening. On the other end of the electric wire fence will be the same thing except he will use that post to swing the gate. That space with the bracing posts will have another V opening. The dogs will have pasture access at either end of the long narrow rotational pastures. He bought the round wooden gate posts today. Says he has it figured out.

DS1 is finishing up the "loft" today. It is actually just a large wooden shelf 30" deep across one end of the pump shed. The bottom of it is 6' above the floor to allow access to the pump and gives us 54" for a freezer if DH decides to put one in there. I am not interfering with them and their plans. I will get out there once they are finished, admire the work they have done, and drag all the stuff out of the front hallway to put on the shelves. Soon I will have access through the front door to the porch. The canning jars and equipment will be stored there as well which will free up an entire set of shelves in the tool shed, as well as several shelves in the laundry room. Storage - How I love it!

DH has almost gotten an area 2' x 4' dug out for his tomatoes. When we do the garden we will have to till it with either a tiller on the tractor, or a walk behind rototiller. I am trying to encourage him to do raised beds since our garden floods badly in the rain. When we go back to CA I will get the PVC compost bins and bring them back with us. Also the tomato cges Daddy made for me years ago. They are just rounds of 6' concrete wire wired together. I put them in with T-posts to hold them in place. Currently, we will keep the dogs away from them with the 36" high, black, fancy garden fencing.

I am making a list of all the stuff we have to bring back with us. It is amazing how much we have left behind that we now seem to need. We will bring back our good sturdy oak dining room chairs. Our current ones are the original chairs that go with our 100+ year old set. They are rather fragile - people back then weren't as big as DH and DS1 I guess. The chairs are also very old so . . . . Then we need to bring back several boxes of our financial records which I need. And so on . . . .

But at least another milestone has been reached! Pump shed is complete - shelves installed and entryway clear!
Left - Darling DS1 finishing the last shelving unit. Below left - The loft and empty shelving unit. Below right - Christmas decorations safely stowed. Plenty of storage left for boxes of canning jars, canners, and equipment. I can also store our suitcases on the loft area. The green box holds the Christmas tree and only takes up a third of the loft area.

And on to the next project - the electric fencing for rotational grazing pastures.

 

[Baymule]

That is beautiful! Wow! Nothing like empty shelves to warm a woman’s heart! I’ll have to come spend the day so I can admire them!

 

[fuzzi]

That is beautiful! Wow! Nothing like empty shelves to warm a woman’s heart! I’ll have to come spend the day so I can admire them!

And fill them!

 

[Ridgetop]

DS1 and DH have started on the electric pasture fence. DS1 did all the research on what to run and on the bracing at each end and for the gates.

I tried to tell them to put in 16' gates, but both of them laughed at me and said that 10' would do. I insisted and they upped it to 12'. After driving the truck and tractor through the flags they had up for the gate position, they announced that they could just clear it but have decided to use 16' gates. I tell them what my friends with farms and ranches tell me but they hear MY voice and don't believe me. Someone else says it and it is gospel. Oh well.
Here are the PVC posts. He prices them at $9.00 from the distributor in Tennessee. Then he checked arund ad found them at the Northeast Farmers Co-Op in Suophur Springs for $3.35 each. That is cheaper than standard T-posts. The fence will be 42" high since it is an interior fence. The holes for the electric wires are predrilled 3" apart. The electric wires gothrough the holes and no offsers are needed. That will save money there. The bottom wire won't be electricified, but the others will be. The fenced pasture is about 1.5 acres and the others will be about the same size. We will have to move the sheep through fairly often but we can feed hay as well. Lots of clover in this section of the pasture. The far end and rear of the acreage has Bahia and Coastal. I will over seed this winter with a combination sheep pasture mix.

DS1 installing the posts. The chair is for DH who has to sit down frequently because of his knees. While he can't work all day on his feet like he used to, he can help DS1 measure, line up the posts, and carry posts to their position. A second person is always handy.

DS1 also has done research on LGD access and decided that the V access through the fences will be best. He plans to put them in the H bracing at the gates and at the back of the run. I think I might suggest a walk through gate at the back fo the pastures. He drew up the plans and they look good. DS1 and DH bought 12" diameter round posts to hang the gate off, possibly overkill but they want it to be sturdy for a large gate.

After feeding they attached the auger to the tractor to drill the holes for the posts. Also DH decided that the best way to plant the rosebushes is to use the auger to dig the holes. Anyway they came in to shower and after a few minutes DS1 came out and said he couldn't find the tractor keys. He thought they might have fallen ut of his pocket when he and DH checked the generator in the 5th wheel. DH said "Good luck finding them in that high grass!" NOT HELPFUL! DS1 went out to look for them. After 10 minutes he came back for a flashlight and the rolling magnet we use to pick up nails. DH said he remembered seeing DS1 put the keys in his pocket. After another 20 minutes I got a flashlight and went out to help him. I told DS1 that if we couldn't find them, we should order a metal detector to look for them. I was beginning t panic because both keys were on the same ring and Hazine likes to eat things she finds. The thought of having to find her poo on 15 acres and look thrugh it was not appealing. An unsuccessful 20 minutes later, DS1 said he would go check his room and the clothes he had taken off in case they had fallen out of his pocket inside. I continued with my flashlight retracing his path to the house from the tractor. Just as I got to the back yard DS1 came out and yelled he had found them.

Where did he find them? THEY WERE IN DH'S POCKET!

Neither of them remembered DH even having the keys so how that happened they don't know. I told DH no Blue Bell for him after dinner! At least we found them. Both the reguar key and the sare were n the same ring. DS1 immediately separated them and t ne with the other spare keys. Then he said he would order a large boat key ring in fluorescent orange in case they got dropped again.

We don't have any gutters so DS1 got these blocks to put by the back door where the water puddles badly. Eventually we will do something about gutters or drainage. Water also drains into the barn. We have to do something about that so DS1 went on line and found some one piece French drain pipes 10' long that can be placed in the ground around the house and barn. They don't need to be set in gravel and are fairly cheap. We will drain the barn to the rear pond just behind it. The house can be drained to the front roadside ditch. He plans to do this after the fences are in and he extends the barn. LOL

Today we are relaxing due to sore muscles from fencing. LOL

 

[farmerjan]

Put a gate wheel on the bottom of the gate so that when the gate is closed all the weight does not "hang" on the hinges and the post. All our gates get a rock or something, at the post it closes against, under the non-hinge side to take the weight off the post, when closed. A wheel will roll if there are bumps in the ground and open much easier... and support the weight of the gate in any position as long as it is touching the ground. Ds doesn't "like the wheels" but they will be on all my gates here at the house. I intend to never drag a gate here at the house..

 

[Baymule]

Wow! That is already looking great! Smart to check at the co-op for the posts. I’m watching with great interest, I’ll be needing to cross fence too.

 

[fuzzi]

DS1 and DH have started on the electric pasture fence. DS1 did all the research on what to run and on the bracing at each end and for the gates.

I tried to tell them to put in 16' gates, but both of them laughed at me and said that 10' would do. I insisted and they upped it to 12'. After driving the truck and tractor through the flags they had up for the gate position, they announced that they could just clear it but have decided to use 16' gates. I tell them what my friends with farms and ranches tell me but they hear MY voice and don't believe me. Someone else says it and it is gospel. Oh well.
View attachment 117469 Here are the PVC posts. He prices them at $9.00 from the distributor in Tennessee. Then he checked arund ad found them at the Northeast Farmers Co-Op in Suophur Springs for $3.35 each. That is cheaper than standard T-posts. The fence will be 42" high since it is an interior fence. The holes for the electric wires are predrilled 3" apart. The electric wires gothrough the holes and no offsers are needed. That will save money there. The bottom wire won't be electricified, but the others will be. The fenced pasture is about 1.5 acres and the others will be about the same size. We will have to move the sheep through fairly often but we can feed hay as well. Lots of clover in this section of the pasture. The far end and rear of the acreage has Bahia and Coastal. I will over seed this winter with a combination sheep pasture mix.
View attachment 117470


View attachment 117471 DS1 installing the posts. The chair is for DH who has to sit down frequently because of his knees. While he can't work all day on his feet like he used to, he can help DS1 measure, line up the posts, and carry posts to their position. A second person is always handy.

DS1 also has done research on LGD access and decided that the V access through the fences will be best. He plans to put them in the H bracing at the gates and at the back of the run. I think I might suggest a walk through gate at the back fo the pastures. He drew up the plans and they look good. DS1 and DH bought 12" diameter round posts to hang the gate off, possibly overkill but they want it to be sturdy for a large gate.

After feeding they attached the auger to the tractor to drill the holes for the posts. Also DH decided that the best way to plant the rosebushes is to use the auger to dig the holes. Anyway they came in to shower and after a few minutes DS1 came out and said he couldn't find the tractor keys. He thought they might have fallen ut of his pocket when he and DH checked the generator in the 5th wheel. DH said "Good luck finding them in that high grass!" NOT HELPFUL! DS1 went out to look for them. After 10 minutes he came back for a flashlight and the rolling magnet we use to pick up nails. DH said he remembered seeing DS1 put the keys in his pocket. After another 20 minutes I got a flashlight and went out to help him. I told DS1 that if we couldn't find them, we should order a metal detector to look for them. I was beginning t panic because both keys were on the same ring and Hazine likes to eat things she finds. The thought of having to find her poo on 15 acres and look thrugh it was not appealing. An unsuccessful 20 minutes later, DS1 said he would go check his room and the clothes he had taken off in case they had fallen out of his pocket inside. I continued with my flashlight retracing his path to the house from the tractor. Just as I got to the back yard DS1 came out and yelled he had found them.

Where did he find them? THEY WERE IN DH'S POCKET!

Neither of them remembered DH even having the keys so how that happened they don't know. I told DH no Blue Bell for him after dinner! At least we found them. Both the reguar key and the sare were n the same ring. DS1 immediately separated them and t ne with the other spare keys. Then he said he would order a large boat key ring in fluorescent orange in case they got dropped again.

View attachment 117472 We don't have any gutters so DS1 got these blocks to put by the back door where the water puddles badly. Eventually we will do something about gutters or drainage. Water also drains into the barn. We have to do something about that so DS1 went on line and found some one piece French drain pipes 10' long that can be placed in the ground around the house and barn. They don't need to be set in gravel and are fairly cheap. We will drain the barn to the rear pond just behind it. The house can be drained to the front roadside ditch. He plans to do this after the fences are in and he extends the barn. LOL

Today we are relaxing due to sore muscles from fencing. LOL

I like those PVC posts.