Tag Archives: maintenance

Pros and Cons of Mobile Livestock Shelters on the Small Farm

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We’ve been in maintenance mode the last couple weeks with the nice weather–when we aren’t running around with end-of-the-school-year and beginning of summer stuff! One of the big-ticket items we’re dealing with this year is our large barn. And while repainting, and re-shingling, and replacing boards, and putting on gutters, we’re having the never-ending conversation about the pros and cons of mobile livestock shelters. Now, our “large barn” is not all that large to some folks, but it’s our biggest and most solid structure. Its where we put everyone during … Continue Reading…

How to Use Google Calendar for Farm and Home Maintenance Records

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So, in the crazy-busy season of summer holidays and all the end-of-school “festivities” (annual testing, awards ceremonies, field days, summer camp registrations, etc.) I’m reminded again how glad I am that we’ve worked out a maintenance record-keeping system that is quick, easy, and efficient when I don’t have the time (or inclination) to go through the piles of paperwork that need filing in our home office. We’ve developed a system for using Google Calendar to track certain important information and events in our farm management–backed up by paper and digital records–so … Continue Reading…

The Homestead Garage…More Than Duct Tape and Baling Twine

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This is our second weekend with the Hemi in a bazillion pieces in the garage while we work on the exhaust. It started as a loose exhaust manifold heat shield. Turned out the shield was messed up from a couple broken bolts in the actual manifold. So we order the bolts, a new gasket, and started taking it apart–only to realize the whole exhaust is just rusted to dust and the tailpipe bracket broke off while we were taking it down. Sigh So we had to order more parts and … Continue Reading…

Building a Mobile Shade Shelter (Part 1) The Structure

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You might remember the twisted pile of mess Coal was always climbing on last Fall that was our mobile shade shelter for the animals. It had blown apart again and it was time for a real overhaul. So it sat around all winter as a pile of farm junk in the back of the field while we didn’t need it. Since we’ve had our first week of over 80 degree days, now we do, so we hauled it out of the field and got started on the rebuild last weekend. Building a … Continue Reading…

Why We Take Pasture Walks…Even in the Rain

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The weather’s been beautiful lately. Except for the days when it’s not. It’s been sunny, 80 degrees, shorts and tee-shirt weather. Except for when it’s a chilly 60 degrees, damp and raining. It’s been outside-all-day, work and play in the sunshine time. Except for the allergies, sinus migraines, and ear infections. (All me, this time!) The point is that it’s a normal spring in Virginia–and whether it’s sunny and 80 or drippy and 60, we’re out in the paths and pastures every day with the dogs. A regular pasture walk … Continue Reading…

Pros and Cons of a Hoop House Chicken Coop

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Our latest chicken coop is a hoop house style made from an old greenhouse frame, with hog panel sides and salvaged tin for the front and back wall. We wrap it in 9 mil plastic for weather proofing. There are runner boards (or skids) along the bottom on both long sides. This means we can drag it around the field as needed–something we do weekly. That also gives us something to fasten the plastic to in the winter. At the top of the hog panel wall on each side are … Continue Reading…

Farm Work Odds and Ends…the Daily Farm Adventures {119}

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Well, it’s pretty soggy around here. That limits what we can do outside. You can cause a lot of damage to fields and paths by driving through and rutting them up in really wet weather. You can see what I mean in those ruts in the picture below…   But there’s still always something to be working on. First, there’s always housework to be done–and these soggy days can multiply that with everyone’s muddy boots and clothes! There’s a constant balancing act on the homestead between the basic housework and … Continue Reading…

Fixing Fence and Family Time…the Daily Farm Adventures {117}

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The weather around here is so wonky in the Fall/Winter. When school starts, it’s really still summer. About October, Fall hits and we’re all in sweatshirts for the morning, and long-sleeve tees in the afternoon. Then suddenly between Thanksgiving and Christmas we get a beautiful Indian Summer, and everyone’s back in tee-shirts for a few weeks. Our real “winter” doesn’t hit until January–and even then it’s usually broken up with some weeks of 50s and 60s. We normally have lamb harvest in September, then we hit the winter prep work hard while … Continue Reading…

The Cow Shelter…Life with Coal the Cattle Dog

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It’s been hot, sticky, and on and off rain for several days now around here. The grass is tall and the animals are fat and it’s time for us to start looking ahead for the fall and winter weather. (I’m also looking forward to not breaking into a sweat just standing on the back porch…) Our cows have a run in barn available all the time, but they don’t mind the heat. As long as it’s dry, you’ll see them sunbathing in the middle of the field most of the … Continue Reading…

Always Building Something…the Daily Farm Adventures {92}

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I didn’t write for a good part of the late summer, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t stuff going on around here. (I love how these pictures remind me of the green-grass days!) One of the things that happens on a farm or homestead is that you collect, well, junk. But it’s useful junk, that’s why you keep it. Because someday, one day, you’re going to need it. (I’ve talked about farm junk before.) One thing you always keep is old running gear, or axles. Or any kind of trailer … Continue Reading…

The Roof Incident…Life with Coal the Cattle Dog

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Mr. Fix-It had to work on the roof this weekend. (Yes, he really can fix anything if he puts his mind to it!) To get to the peak of our roof, you have to go out of one of the bedroom dormer windows, onto the porch roof, and put a ladder against the top slope and climb up. The top peak is scary steep. He asked me to come out and hold the bottom of the ladder for him. I asked him to provide a rock climbing harness. He refused. (Rather ungraciously … Continue Reading…

Chicken Hoop House Maintenance…the Daily Farm Adventures {88}

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For the 4th of July we went camping (and got rained out) and then spend the whole day Sunday on some farm upkeep (and catch up!). The WHOLE day. Meaning, I walked the dogs at 5:30 am, then went straight in to cook breakfast, we got dressed, and headed out. It was sopping wet, but we managed to get a lot done, before the clouds rolled in at 5:30 pm. (If you’re thinking about homesteading, might I recommend Muck Boots. There’s pretty much no other way to survive, trust me!) … Continue Reading…

Figuring Out Food and Water…the Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm

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By far the biggest line item (other than a mortgage) that you’re going to run into with a small farm is the food bill. Poor Mr. Fix-It goes to sleep at night muttering about “more mouths to feed.” Food and water are the bottom line in your small farm enterprise. If you don’t have them, everything else needs to go! Sometimes I feel like we’ve tried everything at one time or another! {smile} Here’s some of our experiences, which might help you evaluate your own options moving forward. Here’s a few feeding basics … Continue Reading…

10 Thoughts on Buildings and Shelters…the Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm

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Today we’re back with another piece in our series of the Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm. This series is meant to give you the tools to think through all the decision-making that goes with starting a small farm, along with some encouragement and creative but realistic tips and ideas for making it affordable. Buildings and Shelters–or building shelters as we like to do around here!–are a huge part of having livestock on a small farm or homestead. As I’ll talk about later in this post–it’s also one … Continue Reading…

10 Thoughts on Finding Land…The Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm

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So, in the back of our minds, I think all of us small-farm-minded folks have some kind of Old MacDonald, little patch o’heaven, green pastures and babbling brooks daydream going on when we first envision our place. Or maybe it’s wide open prairies with clear blue skies and rugged, snow-capped peaks in the background. Either way, it’s beautiful. It’s perfect. And when push comes to shove, it’s really expensive. Farming begins and ends with land, and these days land is hard to come by. Even if someone was to walk … Continue Reading…