Lorihadams-- hi guys...been busy!

[Farmfresh]

Chad wants to dig a french drain around the front of the barn to help with the rain runoff.

Several barns that are around here deal with the runoff in a different way. They use gutters and downspouts to direct the water into large tanks for watering the livestock. The biggest tanks have big old goldfish to take care of the algae and any mosquito larva. One barn with a BIG roof actually has a cistern in the ground by the barn and a pump. They get enough roof water each year to basically water all of the stable's horses and flush the toilets as well.

Gutters are a lot cheaper and easier to do than a French drain is.

 

[lorihadams]

Welcome to my world....cheap and easy will just not do for my husband.

He wants to do gutters and a french drain....I just want steps so I can get me and the girls into the dang thing. He did finish the stanchion though and it looks good, huge, but good. It is so big I could probably put 2 goats on it sideways at the same time.

My grandparents are coming this morning and I'm sure my daughter will disappear for the week. Our friend is finally here to dig the footers, which is a good thing cause hubby scheduled the inspection for today at noon......

We got the yard mowed for the first time this year yesterday before the bottom fell out and the rains blew in. I got some free fabric from a friend cleaning out her stash....even got some cheesecloth and some decent jersey type material that I'm gonna make into rags to clean the goats' udders!!!

I am also excited that my outhouse pic made pic of the week....I love that photo! It was taken at a friend's house (nanny's caretakers) and they actually use it. It is out back of the house next to the original log cabin that was on the property. It is a one room cabin with a little porch and T came back later and put in a big stone fireplace on it and did some repair work. It is on the back side of the property and he uses it for guests that come hunting on his property in the fall. The only drawback to the outhouse is the spiders!!!

Their property is fantastic and they have a cape cod style "new" cabin that they fixed up. He has filled the house with antiques and deer mounts. He loves civil war stuff too and has several places where he and a friend regularly go to look for artifacts that they sell to dealers for some extra side money.

The only thing they don't have on there is a garden....that family lives on McDonalds....blech.

 

[TanksHill]

Farm Fresh I love the idea of adding the fish. Knowing my kids they would be out there with their poles. At Grandma and Grandpas house here in SD. they have a huge Koi pond. Believe it or not Grandpa lets them fish with hooks. It's a catch and release of course.

Lori let him do the drains. Hopefully if your gutter and water reserve are big enough you won't need any drainage around the barn.. But it's all good. Enjoy!!!!

g

 

[lorihadams]

The footers are done!!! Guess what!!! We had enough concrete leftover to pour a pad next to the garage for an extra carport later....all we'll have to do is make a lean to off of the garage!

So we have spent a total of $3300 so far....$1260 to builder for first installment, $500 for digging of the footers, $760 for the concrete for the footers, and $806 for the trusses. The inspection was done this afternoon for the digging and everything was good.

Slowly but surely we are getting there. My dad is going to try to get up here soon to lay all the block for the foundation for us so that will only cost us materials cause we'll all help put it in.

I got my pepper plants transplanted into yogurt containers and got all the tomato plants put into window boxes inside the barn until we can get some consistently warmer temps at night and then they will go into the garden. It should be warm enough in the barn at night that they will harden off nicely. They are about 6-8 inches tall now. My peppers are just starting to get true leaves.

Got to go get some fabric for my mom that she has on hold at JoAnns, they ran out of it in Martinsville so they are holding it for her here. We'll go out to eat afterwards since Granny and Papa are here for the night.

Chad is off for the rest of the week, he took off today to help with the footers and tomorrow he is taking a client turkey hunting....he'll go again Friday morning and then he has a root canal later that afternoon. He's happy to be away from work....one of the techs broke into his office last Saturday and he needs a break from all the hoopla.

 

[lorihadams]

Well, there's good news and there's bad news.

I just got off the phone with my breeder and my two does both kidded out. They both had singles and both had to have c-sections. She doesn't want to sell me either of those does since they had problems. Their pelvises were very narrow and even though both babies presented normally she wants to sell them as "pet quality".

She has offered us two of her second fresheners, one had quads this year and the other had triplets with no problems and are very easy and plentiful milkers.

My dilemma is this, I don't want to take two of her better does in exchange for her dealing with the aftermath of the problem does I had purchased, even though she can sell both mamas and both babies and recoup some of her expenses. I told her to figure out all the possible scenarios that would be mutually beneficial for us and we would go from there. She may have a doeling that she could exchange with us and then give is one of her other does in milk.

I told her that as long as I had one doe in milk I would be happy. If that meant taking a doeling from her in place of one of the problem does then that would be fine cause we could always breed both next year. We have a little time to figure out what to do cause she dam raises all her kids and the two does she is offering both kidded March 9.

I love this woman. She has been soooooo good to us and I just don't want her to get the short end of the stick. We have paid her $900 for the two bred does with the intent of selling the kids from both but she will not allow us to take them since they had issues giving birth. Her two older does are worth more to her than the $900 we have paid and I feel guilty taking them from her. I am hoping that we can work out a good situation. She also has another doe that did not settle for her this year that we could take as well. We'll see what she comes up with.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Well shucks. So the two older does are worth more than $900 without their kids?

 

[gettinaclue]

Wow.

Maybe take one of your does that just kidded as a pet and give a little more money for one of the older does?

I don't know if this would be a good solution, just throwing it out there.

 

[freemotion]

I can't imagine the two older ones are worth more than $900 without the kids......I think you should take them. Not the one that wouldn't settle....goats are very fertile so that is a problem goat, too. Average take-your-chances goats are usually $100-150 and you are paying a premium price for a pair of WONDERFUL goats so I say, take her offer. She is getting plenty for those two, she is not getting the short end of the stick. Really.

 

[Farmfresh]

I agree. She wouldn't have offered them if she was feeling short-changed. Re-pay her with good word of mouth!

 

[ksalvagno]

I would take them. She wants to be sure you get good goats. That is a breeder to stick with and do more business. You definitely do NOT want those girls with small pelvis.