Alpacamundo Monday: Pre-Winter Chores

 We've had a gloriously long Autumn season... which is about to end later this week.

Over the last several weeks, I've been making sure the pre-winter chores are completed.  That means, the barn is now full with hay...

The sprinklers have been blown out.

The gutters have been emptied of leaves, but first I had to take in the view.  :-)

There are still some leaves to come down.  However, they are sufficiently far from the house, so I don't expect them to find their way into the gutters.

The de-icers have all been set out.  I generally don't feel fully comfortable with the de-icers until we've passed our first hard freeze.  Once that happens, they generally work for the entire season.

Happy Late Fall.  I hope you are enjoying this lovely time of year.

New Adventure: Chickens, part 4

At the end of August 2022, we embarked upon raising chickens from chicks.

Earlier this week, our chicks started laying eggs!

They are right around 6 months old, so the timing is right.

This is pretty exciting!  Though, it also means that it's time to make a decision about the second rooster. :-/

Things That Work: Feedbag String

I use Feedbag string for a lot of things... 

Most notably, for lifelines in my knitting work.

I use it for heddles on my Inkle Loom and as "Weavers' Duct Tape" when dressing my Jack Looms.

It's a simple cotton string, that since I have livestock, I have a continual supply of feedbags and the string that keeps them shut.

I always prefer to find re-uses for things that are intended to be single-use and Feedbag String fits that need.

Alpacamundo Monday: Farm Improvements, Gutters

Last winter I talked about getting a pair of cleats to help with the ice that builds up on the sidewalk adjacent to the dog kennel and yard.

Once the glass house was removed and the exterior painted, we engaged the gutter supplier.  Our intent was to have the new gutters installed on the house and large out building prior to the snow falling, but scheduling was challenging.  I guess everyone wanted new gutters this year.  ;-)

This is the result of ~3 inches of snow melting on the roof, then running onto the sidewalk and re-freezing...

The install finally happened in mid-December 2022.  We've been through a couple of snow melts now and I'm happy to say there is no water running on our heads as we walk thru doorways, nor is snow falling, melting, and re-freezing on the sidewalks.

I'm so happy!

Alpacamundo Monday: Improving Barn Access

Over the summer, we removed most of the dead and mostly-dead trees from our new property.

One in particular was near the door to the Alpaca Barn.

I still need to remove the stump, but having this tree gone improves access to the barn for our Hay Supplier.

I had been told by the previous owner that the barn could store 150 bales.  So I ordered 147 bales last winter, which did not leave the aisle accessible.

  

So this fall, we also removed one of the cabinets the previous owner had installed.  The first being just inside, so it prevented the door from being fully opened, which made it difficult to bring in hay bales.

Hay Delivery occurred over the weekend and my Hay Supplier agreed that access was much easier this time.

After picking up the spilled hay near the entrance, we have a full barn (126 bales) and an accessible aisle.

Alpacamundo Monday: Winter Water

Keeping the water free from ice is always a concern for me, especially until we get past the first real test... which happened last week, Thursday-Friday.

We got both a little snow and a hard freeze.

In the morning, everyone's de-icer had worked.  Hooray!!

We have simple sinking de-icers for the alpacas and goats, that I put in place about a week earlier.  No one has pulled it out or messed with it, which often happens when I first put them in place.

Ruby, the barn cat, has an electric water bowl.  The dogs have access to everyone's water along with several buckets that are indoors.

The chickens got a completely new watering system.... I introduced this to them about 10 days earlier, using this method, in order to ensure they all understood how to get their water.

The six birds are drinking about a half-gallon daily, which is consistent with what they were consuming prior to the new waterer.

Hopefully this solution keeps the water both clean and flowing.

Happy Almost-Winter!!

Home Improvements: Exterior, Paint

With the Glass House gone, our Painter was able to get busy on the actual painting... and get busy, he did.

Before:

After:

The new colors go much better with the existing roof and brick.  I think it also makes the house blend into the landscape more.

There are a few things currently remaining, including the replacement of the exterior lighting and gutters... and as predicted, we now really dislike the doors, but those will have to wait for a while.

Home Improvements: Exterior, Glass House Removal

We've spent the last few months just living and being in our new home.

After the move and with all of the work to prepare and sell our former home, we needed an emotional break.  Only taking time to unpack and organize as necessary, but mostly just focusing on decompressing and experiencing the new place as it was.

So now that we're feeling clear of mind and reasonably rested, as well as starting to do some of the things we used to do... like dog shows and travel, we decided it's time to start the work that needs doing.

Beginning with the Exterior

Starting in the last week of August we began firming plans for updating the exterior of our new home.

First up is paint... Paint, Siding Repair, Gutter Replacement, Removal of the Glass Room from the back of the house, and Exterior Lighting Replacement.

Capitalizing on an unexpected free Labor Day and the availability of a few awesome friends, we removed the glass house... on one of the hottest days of the year.

We also found some un-disclosed water damage.

I had hoped this room would be useful as a Greenhouse, but the reality was that it was cold in the winter and ridiculously hot in the summer... and we are very glad to have it gone.

The amount of light that is now present inside and the increased visibility of the back yard with this monstrosity removed is incredible.

New Adventure: Chickens, part 1

As part of our new place, we inherited a flock of chickens.  Which means the Alpacamundo Farm currently has Alpaca, Tibetan Mastiffs, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, and Chickens.

The First Year with Chickens

There were 16.  Three of which were Roosters.

The ratio should be closer to 1 Rooster per 15 Hens.  So the laying hens had large bald spots due to being over-bred by too many roosters and the roosters had been fighting with each other.

With the help of a Chicken Farmer Friend we identified which Rooster to keep, and began making plans to cull the other two.   However, due to a series of predation events we lost 2 roosters, including the one we wanted to keep, and gave the third to our neighbor.

The good news is that this all happened in time for the remaining hen-flock to re-grow feathers before the cold weather of winter.

I spent the winter improving the health of the flock.... adding calcium, grit, and higher protein organic feed, as well as treating for mites.

By the time laying resumed in the spring, the egg shells were quite hard for all but one of the hens, and everyone was looking good.

We had a lovely summer with the flock of 8 hens.  They did a great job of keeping the grass hopper and other bug populations under control.  As well as pooping all over the sidewalk and being a great source of entertainment.  :-)

Making Plans for the Future Flock

A couple of weeks ago, Hubba and I started talking about adding birds to the flock.  We began studying the Livestock Conservancy's Priority List to start figuring out which breeds would be good for our area and goals.  The plan was to add chicks in November/December so they would be old enough to start laying in the spring.

Then due to a mistake on my part, we lost all but one of our flock to predation just before dawn, on Monday.  FYI, this is a terrible way to be woken up.  :-(

Clearly we needed to make some process changes, and get a small flock together ASAP.  The one remaining chicken, Fluffy Face, was stressed being by herself.

Another friend offered to give us a few older-adult hens, but it would be a week before we could get together  So for the intervening week.... I found and purchased live chicks from a local ranch-supply store on Monday afternoon, and dove head first into caring for baby chickens.  ack.

Baby Chickens

My hope is that the chicks, while in their own area inside the coop, will be enough for Fluffy Face to feel more comfortable until the adults arrive next weekend.

Monday was a stressful day for her, with a lot of changes.  So she was suspicious of the new equipment in the coop.

I decided to watch the coop from the house, in order to give Fluffy Face some time and space.  Then went into the coop around dusk to turn the Heat Lamp on, and do my evening check.  I found Fluffy Face thinking about roosting, but still cautious of the new residents.... baby steps, but they are in the right direction.  :-)

For the Tuesday morning check, the Heat Lamp kept the chicks warm overnight, and everyone was vocal and active.  WooHoo!  Everyone survived the first night!!

At the midday Tuesday (yesterday) checks, Miss Fluffy Face was watching the chicks.  All of the chicks are eating and drinking.... and Miss Fluffy Face seems a bit more relaxed now too.

Day 3

Today is Wednesday and we have two nights under our belt.... Fluffy Face is becoming more interested in spending time with the chicks.

I've been handling the chicks a little each time I go out to the coop.  This is to encourage them to trust me and eventually be easy to catch and vet when needed.

As of today, the chicks are officially 1 week + 2 days old!

They are Rhode Island Red, which are on the Livestock Conservancy's Priority List.  Though, I suspect these are "industrially" produced.

At this point I don't know if I have hens, roosters, or a combination.  The producer endeavors to provide only hens, but it is not guaranteed.  According to what I've read, I should have a good idea by about 6-14 weeks.

Next time I, hopefully, will be able to talk about successfully introducing a flock of adult chickens.  *fingers crossed.*

Worn Out Gloves

The fingertips are usually the first to wear out on my work gloves, but I was perplexed why it was my ring finger this time.

Then I realized that I have been compensating for my shattering my index finger on my right hand since last summer.

My index finger and grip have come a long way, but still have a long way to go.  Which means the compensation will continue and I will likely wear out at least one more pair of gloves this way.