Pj homestead

[baymule]

I am a big believer in that the right dog will come along at the right time and fill the vacancy in your heart.

good job on patching the floor, now for new flooring. LOL

 

[Lazy Gardener]

PJ, What is the mesh size over your run? I find that I have to knock the snow off even the 2 x 4 fencing over the bird's winter run. If I didn't knock it off with every sticky storm, it would completely fill in, and end up tearing the whole structure down.

This fall, I ended up stringing some nylon "Mason's type" twine over the summer run when I took down the bird netting. The twine is spaced about 6" apart, wrapped around roofing nails. I think that IF I end up replacing it with bird netting after the snow season, I can simply hook the netting over those nails instead of using my previous nail and lath method. However, I am pleased with the twine, and am confident that it will keep the chickens from trying to fly over the 5 - 6' high fence. It will be less likely to keep hawks out. BUT, they would think twice about risking injury going through the twine.

 

[Pjhomestead]

Turnes out the netting over our layers run was tore as well. I replaced the netting over both took me the whole day to replace it. I will replace the netting over the bantams run as well then all the runs will have the new netting. This netting will stand up to the snow much better than the old stuff. I'll take a pic tomorrow it was dark by the time I was done.

 

[Pjhomestead]

PJ, What is the mesh size over your run? I find that I have to knock the snow off even the 2 x 4 fencing over the bird's winter run. If I didn't knock it off with every sticky storm, it would completely fill in, and end up tearing the whole structure down.

This fall, I ended up stringing some nylon "Mason's type" twine over the summer run when I took down the bird netting. The twine is spaced about 6" apart, wrapped around roofing nails. I think that IF I end up replacing it with bird netting after the snow season, I can simply hook the netting over those nails instead of using my previous nail and lath method. However, I am pleased with the twine, and am confident that it will keep the chickens from trying to fly over the 5 - 6' high fence. It will be less likely to keep hawks out. BUT, they would think twice about risking injury going through the twine.

The old netting was 1/4in it survived last winter I also had to knock the snow off with each snowfall. The new netting I put up is about 1.5 in and much stronger i used fishing net. I'll take a pic when I go outside shortly

 

[Pjhomestead]

PJ, What is the mesh size over your run? I find that I have to knock the snow off even the 2 x 4 fencing over the bird's winter run. If I didn't knock it off with every sticky storm, it would completely fill in, and end up tearing the whole structure down.

This fall, I ended up stringing some nylon "Mason's type" twine over the summer run when I took down the bird netting. The twine is spaced about 6" apart, wrapped around roofing nails. I think that IF I end up replacing it with bird netting after the snow season, I can simply hook the netting over those nails instead of using my previous nail and lath method. However, I am pleased with the twine, and am confident that it will keep the chickens from trying to fly over the 5 - 6' high fence. It will be less likely to keep hawks out. BUT, they would think twice about risking injury going through the twine.

This is the old mesh

This is the new

 

[Pjhomestead]

So ollie our other tom finally got moved out of the chicken house. He's in a temporary run in side of the run with our young turkeys. Once they get bigger I'm going to try putting him in with them and see what happens. Hopefully he will clue in that he is a Turkey and not a chicken. Before we got him he was only ever in with chickens. When we brought him home we purchased 2 females for him but he had no interest in them. We got a second tom and in no time got fertalized eggs so ollie was banished back to the chicken coop as we had no where to put him and the wife dosen't want me to slaughter him as he was our first turkey. The space he's in now is not very big but at least he can get outside instead of being cooped up in a pen in the chicken coop.

 

[Pjhomestead]

This is one of the best tools I ever purchased. I haven't swung an axe in over 2 years.

Best part is even my son likes using it. He split almost 1/2 cord today with no complaints. God love him.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

So, PJ, tell me a bit more about your little electric splitter. Hubby and I bought one a month or so ago, and, I'm less than impressed. It requires pushing down the lever on the end, and pushing in a button on the side, simultaneously. This does not leave a hand free to balance the wood and keep it tracking well as it gets pushed down onto the "blade." So, it still requires a second set of hands to steady the log.

I'm glad your splitter has held up well for you, and I'm hoping that ours will do the same. We buy our wood "cut and split". This year, the wood was pathetic. LOTS of birch. It was supposed to be hard wood. Technically, birch is hardwood. But, no where near the BTU output of the oak, beech and maple that we have gotten in the past, and many of the "split logs are up to 15" diameter. So... we have a LOT of wood to split before we can burn it.

https://images.homedepot-static.com...te-electric-log-splitters-ut49103-64_1000.jpg

 

[Pjhomestead]

So, PJ, tell me a bit more about your little electric splitter. Hubby and I bought one a month or so ago, and, I'm less than impressed. It requires pushing down the lever on the end, and pushing in a button on the side, simultaneously. This does not leave a hand free to balance the wood and keep it tracking well as it gets pushed down onto the "blade." So, it still requires a second set of hands to steady the log.

I'm glad your splitter has held up well for you, and I'm hoping that ours will do the same. We buy our wood "cut and split". This year, the wood was pathetic. LOTS of birch. It was supposed to be hard wood. Technically, birch is hardwood. But, no where near the BTU output of the oak, beech and maple that we have gotten in the past, and many of the "split logs are up to 15" diameter. So... we have a LOT of wood to split before we can burn it.

https://images.homedepot-static.com...te-electric-log-splitters-ut49103-64_1000.jpg

The spliter I have is a 4 ton. The only complaint I have for it is that the stand it's on is to low for me. If I use it as is I'm hunched over just enough that it kills my back. When I use it I put it on a pallet to give it a little more hight.
They all have the lever and button setup its supposed to be a safety feature so you don't get your hand caught. There is a simple work around thought. If your hand is large enough you can remove the plate between the lever and button so that you can reach both with one hand. Or tie a peice of rope on the lever so you can pull down on it with your button hand. Or rig the rope to a peddle so u can use your foot to pull the lever down. The lever has to be released for the ram to go back after each cut. Luckily for me even with the plate in place I can reach the lever and the button with one hand. My brother does the rope thing.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Our thoughts: For sure, we will build a stand for it. I'm trying to think about designing an extension on the lever that would be hinged or have an arc to it so that you could push that down, with the end of the extension engaging the button. I think the ergonomics of this thing are just about as horrid as they can be. When the unit is on the ground, as you bend over to engage the lever and button, that places your face directly over the log as it travels down the trough. How stupid is that? Then, there's the whole bending over part. And I get that... even with a large gas powered splitter, there's the bend over/stress the back factor. Not as much of an issue for me, since I'm vertically challenged. But, I couldn't even use it for half an hour without paying for it severely with joint pain.

Given that hubby has had 2 back surgeries, and now has a shoulder that severely limits him, and that I've had shoulder surgery, neither one of us are able to split wood with axe or maul now. Even in my best younger years, trying to split with axe or maul would have resulted in loss of toes! Coordination is not my strong suit. So, we'll continue to work with this splitter to figure out how best to manage it.