Devonviolet Acres

norseofcourse

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Get a copy of The Revised Horseman's Scrapbook by Randy Steffen. It's got sections on fencing and gates and latches and ropes and knots and all kinds of helpful 'around the farm and ranch' type stuff. It's a collection of tips and ideas published in the Western Horseman magazine. Really good useful book and reference.
 

Devonviolet

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This morning DH remembered that we have a 16x10' shade cloth, that came off a gazebo, that the previous owner put in the front yard. We never liked the gazebo, or where it was placed, so last year we took the shade cloth off and planned to dismantle it, to put in the back pasture, as a shady spot, for the goats, once we have the fencing done.

Yesterday afternoon, we butchered the last of the 12 roosters, from our September 2016 poultry order. Now that they are gone, we have two 8x16' chicken runs (that we built last Summer), that are side by side, across from the new barn. When Ruby had her twins, we moved Falina and Woody to one of the runs, so Woody wouldn't be too rough with the new kids.

I have been wanting to separate the kids, from their mama's, at night, so I get more milk at the morning milkings. But, with the remaining Roos in the far chicken run, there wasn't anywhere to put them. Now that the Roos are gone, we are going to move Ruby & the twins to the chicken runs,, leaving the gate between them open during the day. At night we can put the three kids in the back run, close the gate between them, and they will be separated, but will still be able to see their mama's through the fencing. They will each also have a shelter, as there is a 4x4' shelter for the girls and a 2x3' shelter for the kids.

So, after the animals were fed, DH got the shade cloth out and we were thrilled to learn that it was long enough to cover the width, of the two runs, and go back 10', which will give the goats plenty of afternoon shade.

I am REALLY HAPPY with how it turned out, and how much shade our goats will have now.

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This shows where there is direct sun, and how well the shade cloth blocks the sun:
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Devonviolet

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Look what DH found in the Aloe Vera plant on our front porch, when he was watering plants today!
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We have little wrens that like to hang out, on out porch, and do their call. For such a tiny bird, they sure do make a lot of noise!!'

This is what the plant looks like. The nest is tucked behind the longest horizontal leaf, on the right.
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Devonviolet

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The shade cloth is perfect! Tell DH not to water that Aloe too much! You'll get to watch the little critter grow up and fly away.
We don't water it all that often, as Aloe's are more a desert plant.

We had to take it out in the sun, to get the photo, and were very, careful to put it back exactly the way we found it, so Mom doesn't abandon it.

When we lived in PA, a Robin built a nest in the shrub outside our livingroom window. I was able to take photos of the one baby Robin that hatched.

These are some photos I took the day it left the nest. It stayed in the same spot for a couple hours and then it was gone.

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CntryBoy777

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Oh, my Mom had a christmas cactus she kept on the front porch...bringing inside during winter....that wrens used for many yrs. I really like them and their many songs.
 

goatgurl

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that shade cloth idea is great! i'm sure the girls will love it in the heat of the day. are you separating mamas and babies yet. woody looks like he is growing by leaps and bounds and i'm sure eating you out of house and home milk wise. put all the babies in the hoop house and the moms in the chicken pens for the night. might work
I love the wren choosing your porch to raise her babies. so cute. I love to watch them. and yes they are so loud for such a little bird. the robbin pics are great. I had a pair of cardinals raising babies out side my window in WVA. watching them is so much fun.
can you tell the muscovie eggs from the others? i'd hate for one set to hatch out at 28 days and the hen get off the nest with a week to go on the others. do you have an incubator you could put them for that last week? I know, I've given you one more thing to worry about, lol.
 

farmerjan

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Just a word of caution, watch for coccidiosis from the "chicken ground" getting into the kids. It is not species specific and I have an issue with some of my calves coming down with runny and some blood scours and have tested pos for coccidiosis and I had turkeys in that section of the barn 4 years ago. Simple to treat with Corid.... just a suggestion.
The shade cloth is great. They make big ones for dairy and beef farmers to put on a tall frame and they can move it around pastures so the manure isn't all in one section and it keeps the cattle cleaner. Plus it really cuts the temps underneath them during the heat of the day. I was surprised at the amount of heat and sun it cut since they are "porous" and the rain can go through them.
 
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