Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

It got back up to 82 here today & high 70s next 2 days....then low 70s again, my favorite. Pretty normal. Need no AC or heat. Mornings can be nippy -- dress fast!

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

It’s 75°F here and raining.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday evening... Hit 79 , sunny, nice but we had a little breeze this afternoon.
Did some of what I planned, and wound up down at the barn, and helped get the plastic that DS is going to cover the silage with, positioned on the one side so it covers all the cracks of the big concrete "blocks" that he has the sides made out of... so there is no air getting through there to spoil the silage... The other side is against a bank, so no air flows through them. These are BIG concrete blocks.. about 2+ ft wide, 30" high and 6-8ft long I guess.... sorta like the barrier concrete blocks they use on highways, but shorter and wider... DS went and got 8 more this year, 4 at a time is all he puts on the flat bed trailer... put up one more "layer" high along the back and then 4 more down the side against the bank in the corner...... he has been filling in along the concrete blocks and the bank to get it higher... originally dug it out a bit when he dug down to pour the concrete slab.... then has been filling ever since along the one side and across the back... The slab is 26 x100 M/L..... so the one whole long side and the short back has dirt all along it... filled up to at least 3/4 of the way up the side and about to the top in the back... So there are 4 blocks tall for about 25 ft on the long side, then 3 blocks tall the rest of the 75 ft or so...except for 2 blocks on the end... and 4 tall all along the back.... the long side that does not have any dirt is 3 blocks high... With the dirt packed along the one side and back, it gives total strength to the concrete blocks and we can run the tractors up on the silage right against that edge and never have to worry about too much weight pushing against them...

You have to use the heavy tractors running back and forth on the silage to pack it down...squeeze out the air..... less air means better "ensiling".... "fermenting".... so there is no mold and stuff growing but just good fermenting of the silage... it will heat then drop down in temp and continue to ensile until all the pile is "cooked"... Kinda like making sauerkraut,

So I wound up going down there for a bit and did not get as much done here as I thought I might try to do. Got the laundry hung; was tons of socks in the one load; and some of the rest off the line... Got all the dishes in the drainer put away. Got out the lawn tractor, hooked up the cart, got the extra bag of chicken feed out of the car and the 5 gal bucket of chicken feed from the bin, and some other stuff and took it all over to the chickens. Then carried 2 partial buckets of water over to them. Then came back and got the wheeled weed eater and took it over there...I let the turkeys out... 1/2 filled their waterer , hung the feeder like it should be, then worked on weed eating the space between the 2 pens and all around the bases.... it was way overgrown and thick and took some time... I hope it will mostly dry in the next 2 days so I can rake some of it up to save for winter... I am still using some of the stuff from last year that is in bags in the carport.

I mowed some while having the mower out there also... Had to move the 2x6's up on the one set of cinder blocks so I could get around them... did not get anyof the pens up off the ground. yet.. but figure if all the heavy grass and such dries some, I will be able to lay the 2x6 alongside the runs, and get them up on the boards at least in the next day or so... I need to do some cutting when the time comes... but at least I hope to get them off the ground in the next few days...
I did get the 2 larger blocks in the turkey pen and get 2 limbs in there for a "roost"... granted it is close to the ground but better than sitting flat on the ground...
I did not get the other one finished putting together... that will get done maybe in the next couple of days...

I went on facebook market place and found a couple of chicken coops/pens.... texted about one that is really TOO BIG... it was for pastured layers these people used to run but other things in their lives have forced them to cut back... then they called back late this aft.... I told them that I would call them on Wed as we would be in corn chopping the next 2 days... I want to go look at it... It is made on a regular hay wagon running gear... but has high upright arms and these people had built it to house layers and move it around the field... It is not cheap, but the running gear is worth what they are asking... I said it was bigger than I was originally looking for, but it might work for me...the lady was nice, she said they had some extra lumber that they were going to use to do some more work on it... roof has rafters but no top... they used plastic??? some other stuff. It has been on there for awhile... Too big for the average person... but might work good for me to keep extra hens and sell eggs again... then I could keep my pullets even if they aren't show quality, just for layers. Possibilities...
I saw a bunch of pretty rough ones, and then some expensive small ones... and everything inbetween... does not have to be moveable... but this just caught my eye... So, I will go look... never know...
Also left a message on another one... most were either too rough, or too expensive, or too far away, or TSC type that are really lightweight stuff...

So, tomorrow I will go check the heifers in the morning... maybe try to make a run to the pasture to feed the 14 there again, up where he is going to set up the pen... do that every other / every 3rd day so they get used to it... like I did with the 4 old cows and calves at the pasture that we just moved them out of and sold the cows... and wait for DS to let me know when they are going to start chopping and when he needs me to come. The corn should be about perfect so should not need to have water sprayed on it because it is too dry...let's hope that chopping goes okay, that there are no breakdowns, and there is room for it... He did ask the friend if we could use his bagger and they have an 8 ft x 150 ft bag at the co-op in town, if we have too much silage... I think we will have more than DS thinks... I told him he needed to have a backup plan if we had more silage than would fit in the bunk... at least he listened to that instead of trying to do it last minute. If we don't need it, no harm, no foul...

Well, I have eaten beef sandwiches and not gotten sick again... so very VERY thankful that I do not seem to have that Alpha-gal syndrome from a lone start tick bite. The back certainly is not getting better and the weakness - lack of strength - in my muscles is not getting any better... Still some coughing but not as bad...

I'm tired, and should sleep pretty good. I am going in to take a shower and wash my hair.... did not feel up to it last night.

 

[Baymule]

Being able to eat beef is a good sign. I hope you can figure out why the other symptoms. The coop on the trailer sounds interesting.

 

[farmerjan]

Low of 57 last night. DS just texted me and said that the guy said he would be there with equipment this morning... looking at maybe 10 a.m. So I will try to be available after that....

Sun coming up over the trees across the road. Looks like a pretty good dew so going to be wet grass for awhile... I will go up to the pasture to check on the heifers and feed some grain in the bunk in the barn... usually "the 12" are not off by themselves in the early morning so doubt they will get fed but the grain is in the car. Will try to go over to the pasture with the 14 before 10, feed them some grain again up in the area he is going to set up the pen...
Clothes will wait til late aft to get brought in off the line... plenty of time for the sun to be on them and dry off any dampness.

Turkeys roamed the property yesterday, when I let them out while doing the concrete blocks and roost poles etc..... making at least 4-5 trips all around... did not go off the land, but that was their first day out in a very long time. Do not dare to leave them out when I am not here... they will try crossing the road for sure... D%@# I want this fence put up and done..... at least to where I can use the electric netting to section it off some and let them out...
Saw a hawk and a buzzard late aft looking at the turkeys , but they are way too big for them to try to carry off now...

Hoping the grass dries some that I got cut with the weed eater around the pens... would be good to just be able to rake it in the pens for them.

Time to get crackin' and get things together to get done...