Lorihadams-- hi guys...been busy!

[Javamama]

I think mine are unhappy for the same reason - I took away the pool since it has gotten cold out and I was sick of taking care of it. But I figured since it's raining they would love it. Not so. When it rains they want to hang out around the porch. I tried to put a stop to that and they hollered like the world was ending.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Hickory nuts are in the pecan family and the ones I had tasted yummy. Enjoy them
If you want to get a good variety of trees for your property, including fruit trees, theses guys seem to have great prices.

http://www.arborday.org/Shopping/Trees/Treelist.cfm?Categories=3

 

[lorihadams]

oooooo....I wish I could do like a bazillion almond trees....I have a serious almond addiction! I just can't afford them right now. I know that if I bought that mega bag full of raw almonds at Sams Club it would be gone in less that a week!

I'm in zone 7....can I do almond trees?


Oh, I bought a new pair of desperately needed tennis shoes a couple days ago and I went walking tonight when hubby got home. I don't know exactly how far I went but I got those champion walk fit/sprint thingies with the weird bottoms that are supposed to help work the backs of your legs/butt. I was hurting by the time I got to the end of the driveway. I am trying to work my way up to 3 miles every day. Big goal but I need to do it.

 

[lorihadams]

Got a loaf of bread going and 2 pieces of deer tenderloin thawing to go in the oven later for dinner with some sweet potatoes and some other sort of vegetable.

Hubby talked to a friend last night and he asked us what size garden we will be doing next year and he said as big as we can handle. His friend said that he would be willing to plant a huge plot of corn in exchange for some other veggies from us. Yay! I don't want to fool with corn....takes up too much room.

We finished the brooder last night....in the process of moving the extra freezer into the shed he buried the heat lamp Gonna have to go to TSC and buy another one....no big deal...he says "well, it probably would be a good idea to have and extra one anyway..."

He also said he would like to expand the fencing behind the chicken run to give the goats some more woods to browse in.

Haven't seen Bambi #2 (holland lop) in a few days....the neighbors dogs have been running around in behind the house and I have a feeling they either got her or ran her off further away from the house. Oh well.


I have pics of the brooder to share....we got a free trailer from my papa, he has had this thing forever....as long as I can remember. It was an old Dodge pickup truck bed that had been turned into a trailer with farm use tags. He used it to haul trash and such. It is the perfect size for a brooder! It was ugly carolina blue with rust spots so we gave it a fresh coat of paint....khaki rustoleum spray paint....about $50 worth. We had leftover lumber from the back deck construction and some leftover lattice pieces so hubby fashioned a critter proof roof out of that and voila! brooder!

 

[TanksHill]

What a great idea to use the trailer as a brooder. Mobil, sturdy and critter proof. The yo could always switch is back if necessary.

Did I tell you your barn with lean-too's looks great?? Love it!!

Looks like you guys are doing wonderful!!!
g

 

[lorihadams]

Thanks Gina, yeah, there are holes in the top so we slid 2x2s down inside them and then attached the roof to the 2x2s so that we can remove it in one piece and then hook up the trailer when we're done, back it up to the compost pile and just scrape it out. I'm gonna put the heat lamp toward the back third and put the food and water right up next to the tailgate so that all I have to do is lower it to change the waterer and add food. I hope it will give them enough room for the time being until we can get the 2 tractors built. They are going to go in the front field once the birds are feathered out and no longer need the lamp.

We're thinking of doing pvc tractors that are about 3 ft high. Hubby is toying with the idea of making them about 7 feet at the peak so that we can use them in the spring for greenhouses to start seed flats in.

 

[Farmfresh]

Those utility trailers work great as brooders or even as tractors.

This is my Chick Mobile that I used as a tractor and place to start youngsters for years!

It was a bit rough looking, but I raised a BUNCH of birds in there over the years. I just sold it this fall.

I would lay down a heavy tarp before bedding it with shavings. That way clean out was just a matter of grabbing the most inside edges of the tarp and sliding out the mess!

 

[homesteadmomma]

Lori, I have enjoyed reading your posts and looking at your pics, your family is doing an amazing job!

 

[lorihadams]

HSM--thank you!

FF-I remember seeing your "mobile brooder" before and when we got this hubby wanted to sell it or get rid of it but I said...."whoa, we could sooooo use that as a brooder!"

Then the eye rolling and clampett comments started but I think he's happy with it now!

 

[lorihadams]

I walked a little further today! Came home and stretched this time....duh, maybe that's why I hurt so much last night.

I baked another apple-cranberry-pecan cake, it's cooling in the oven while my yeast roll dough is doing it's first rising. This is the first time I have made yeast rolls from scratch so we'll see how they do. I found a very simple recipe in one of the church cookbooks I have so we'll see how they turn out.

Decided to marinate my deer tenderloin in some stir fry sauce mixed with some water....hopefully that turns out good too.

Looks like dinner is going to be goooooood!

Oh, we also got a pvc pipe deer feeder that one of our old neighbors had made and we are going to go out this evening to put it nearby 2 of our tree stands. We used some leftover spray paint and some oak leaves and camoed it up a bit. I laughed and told hubby "but how are we gonna find it now when we need to fill it back up?"

I know, yuk yuk yuk...