Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

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It’s always challenging for me to leave the animals, even when I know that they will be taken care of... I suppose once we get everything more settled and work out a schedule I will probably need to find an off farm job for part of the week as well. I might look into working for the ferries here, but I’ve ruled out our local store as an option due to too much previous experience on my part, and a few personality conflicts with some of the established staff. I’d rather not have to go off island for work... but if it can’t be helped then I suppose that’s what will have to happen.
 
Kris5902 said:
It’s always challenging for me to leave the animals, even when I know that they will be taken care of... I suppose once we get everything more settled and work out a schedule I will probably need to find an off farm job for part of the week as well. I might look into working for the ferries here, but I’ve ruled out our local store as an option due to too much previous experience on my part, and a few personality conflicts with some of the established staff. I’d rather not have to go off island for work... but if it can’t be helped then I suppose that’s what will have to happen.
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Well, I got lucky. I work from home but am tethered to my work computer. Which means it's difficult to do anything outside during the day.
 
We work from home too. It can be challenging just because you never *leave work* :hmm I try to keep a balance between outdoor chores, the computer & work but some days are just flat out @ one thing or another. Working off island is the pits. The commute & the cost pretty much makes it not worthwhile but I understand your options are limited.
 
Kris5902 said:
Now that I’m a little less wiped after a good nap and solid sleep I’ll clarify a bit. Behold... my lovely map skills, not exactly to scale (lonetree and wallow are about 15 acres, gravel pit is only about 5) but it gives a good idea of the fenceline. The western half of Taylor Point (which is a huge section extending out to the beach and thus not fenced on the outside) is heavily forested with a large meadow and an old orchard before the beach, the farm is on a plateau with a bluff to the North, a forested border along a ridge to the south, which drops of mostly straight down to the water. The first 30m of trees in that direction are on our property, the rest between that and the water we sold to the Federal Parks. From our trailer to the beach is about 1/3 the farm, maybe 200 acres or so of it.

View attachment 1766499

Thanks to the fences I’m not having to actually out run the cows (yeah, that’s not going to happen!) usually they are quite laid back, but the ones that calved got let into some “nice” grass in the Veldt, and the others were across a section from them, but also adjoining as that fence line runs in a giant U shape. Our bull decided he want to check the girls with the babes and found a questionable section of fence to walk over so he was in there as well.

We drove through the middle section and when the herd spotted me they got a little hysterical... mooing and chasing the car along the fence. This got the bull a little riled and he wanted to get to them, so when we went through the gate into the Veldt, he went out it trying to get to them. We were fixing the fence (Star in SE corner) and let the main herd -5 slow cows into the Veldt as well through something that is not IMO a gate in the very corner.

Now Gus realizes he is alone and not with his girls and this is very upsetting to him, so I had to let him in through the east gate. This is the only point I really had to run (to him!) to let him in as he was getting frantic which is really not good. He’s still young/small enough to jump the fence if he really decides he needs to, and if he wants to go through it, it isn’t going to stop him, but he might trip or hurt himself. Of course once he realized I was opening the gate for him, he ran straight at it/me. Terrifying, not in an aggressive way, but because of the speed and size of him! I then had to get the slow cows that stopped in a random corner in there as well.

2 Things I have learned since coming here, there’s too much to really list, but 2 of the most important things... country life is not nearly as “peaceful” as you would think it is, and the bull is an entirely different animal when he is alone!
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:yuckyuck
 
Yesterday was fairly busy, I replaced and re-wired the lights on our utility trailer (5x10 open trailer with a large rear ramp) due to an unfortunate cow incident or two and me backing it into the barn (like “crunch, oops!” not inside the barn like I was aiming for) the originals were completely broken. Then I finally modified the egg door on Mr Marans tractor, and built a nest box insert for them, which I then gave to Chickie Hawks girls, as they are my “escape out the egg door” girls and I’m hoping this will slow them down some for my Mother today.

Mr Maran and his ladies were not impressed by the angle grinder, but I have to say I LOVE :love that Rooster. He is such a good boy! He herded all his ladies to the far corner from where I was working with the awful loud sparky thing, and took good care of them standing between them and the threatening thing watchful and alert. It was awesome. I’m going to buy some mealworms in town for them today! They earned it. I only got 2 eggs from them yesterday. I’m guessing it was due to the stress of me taking their box apart and making such a racket. I feel just awful that I didn’t give them a nest box or even reattach their old 2x4 L I had in the corner as a “temporary measure” since they started laying in March.

Today is a town Day. Dr appt for Andrew’s upcoming pacemaker replacement, picking up a pallet of feed, and doing some shopping. Getting sausage making supplies is our first order of business, as we will be doing the Bratwursts for the Summer Saturday Markets starting on the 18th. It’s also a good opportunity for us to sell our raw sausages. Other good news is tomorrow our ColdRoom should be repaired. A motor for the compressor was out or something, and parts needed to be ordered for it.
 

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