Official Poll : What project are you planning to start this 2016?

[Mini Horses]

Let's update some of our efforts as many things we planned are happening about now. Or should be. I have 24 chicks on my back porch that are 3-4 wks old, plus 2 trios of Mrans for eggs to hatch later...not laying for another couple months. Most of the chicks are pullets and are some Marans and some blue egg layers I got from Pet Chicken. We'll see how that goes.

My March due does gave me a single doeling, twin doelings & a single buckling. All good. One doe due in early Jun & other 3 had 7 bucklings between them in early Feb...yes, all boys! So there will be sales....Easter is 3/31 and early borns will be ready for those looking for young stock to butcher for that holiday time. I still need to wok on milking the does from all this. Just no time between all else. I see some slowdown after next weeks jobs (gotta get that check!). Milking will start then.

Getting ready to move pigs to their new area. House there for them, fence 3/4 done, just another 100-150' and then they can be "herded" there. THAT will be fun!! Yikes. The garden spot is so very more than plowed.....I will have to get in there with the tractor & tiller to work it over. Probably some grader blading will be needed. Hey, they sure took out some deep grass roots!! With about an acre of pasture in the new lot I hope to have less rooting. If it gets bad, they're gone. LOL Simple.

Should be planting and transplanting in garden by end of March. Chickens are laying very well. In fact, too well. Cooking some tonight for egg salad and even some pig treats. Never ending cycle, right? Almost all the frozen milk/cheese is out of freezer now, too. Milk from the does "training" will be great for both pigs & chickens as it will be far more than I need or can use...even for cheese. Seeds here for the forage patches in the various pastures and hope to get those out next weekend, so some can be grazed early summer. Our grass is just start to wake up!

How is everyone else coming along? This is really everyones busy time with birthings, milkings, gardens, etc., etc. Spring!!

 

[Beekissed]

My projects were bees if the Lord wills it and I had prayed that He put the materials for it in my path. Well...He has been doing so in strange and wonderful ways, as per His usual. I had advertised for wanting old hive bodies, no matter how old or in disrepair, as I planned on knocking two of them together to make a long body hive. Didn't even get a nibble.

But...one day in town we stopped at an unlikely looking yard sale and I saw a nightstand/end table for $4 that we didn't really need but I felt I couldn't pass it up...it was just too cute and heavy built to leave it there for that price. After I got it home and was looking at it, the Holy Spirit~in that still small voice~said it looked a lot like a hive body and that it would be an awfully cute hive.

So, the plan is to wrap that top in flashing(the only part of this piece that looks to be composite), remove the drawers but reattach the drawer facings, use the drawer slides for the ledge for my top bars and with a few other modifications, turn this little stand into a top bar/Lang hybrid. God even provided a chance to buy a frame to use as a template for making more bars/half frames~which I'll take to Lowe's and get them to cut some 1x1s to the proper dimension and add a groove for comb~ and the plastic comb sheet to cut and use for comb root on the bars.

I hope to bait in a swarm, so I need to get this thing done and out there when the bees come scouting for places to live. Can't wait to see how it all looks when I'm done and also can't wait to see if I can bait in a swarm. God is so good!!!

Got my breeding pen tweaked and I just need to finesse my nesting sites and it will be finished. Used all reclaimed wood~some out of a dumpster dive, some from a set of bunkbeds my brother deconstructed and gave to us, some we've had for nigh on 50 yrs. I even reused the screws from the lumber we found in the trash, so even the hardware was reclaimed.

Then used a free screen door, a $5 door from the habitat store, and a new sliding closet door kit to revamp this pen and a few new lattice panels, making it bigger, more streamlined and more functional. One door now slides open, while the other opens on hinges to make this pen open wide for other purposes.

I plan to use it for breeing and brooding, then remove the screen doors to use for dehydrating crops this summer, then the pen will be turned into a sort of root cellar n the fall/winter, with the use of bales of hay, to store some apples, pumpkins and squash. Half of it will be used for that purpose while the other half will be used for the dog's winter lounging/guarding spot. The doors will then be used as the tops to cold frames in the garden. Come spring the doors go back on the pen and we'll do it all over again, Lord willing.

The rooster is ensconced~using my sawhorses as free standing roosts in this pen~and awaiting the addition of his 4 breeding girls on Monday. Then he and one of my other hens will be going to their/my first show over the Easter weekend, so have to get ready for that as well.

The potatoes I planted late last fall are now coming up and I'm trying to get my cool weather/early spring crops planted in the middle of a dozen other projects. I've been making seed tape 2 weekends out of the month, trying to keep up with the planting schedule to come.

My brother gave us 4 new, semidwarf apple trees for the homestead, so those need to be planted this week.

Meanwhile I'm building lattice, an arbor and gate for my son's town garden and also planting their space.

Many, many projects due this spring,...too many to even put down in a post, but I'm feeling a little swamped already. In a good way, but still....swamped.

Hope everyone is having as much fun as I am already this spring!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@Mini Horses - Glad the pigsters have done their job! Mine aren't big rooters - but man oh man - where they DO root it's like a moonscape! And, the clay that they root up dries like concrete as soon as the sun hits it - so it does make for some uneven, ankle twisting balancing acts! I'd love to turn mine loose to run the pastures, but I'm still trying to figure a way to separate them from the goats at feeding time.

@Beekissed - Wow - I'm always impressed with the recycling/upcycling that you do. My mind just doesn't work that way - and I really wish it did. I do some simple things, like constantly re-using stock panels in different configurations and finding some interesting things to use in the garden. Last year I took some heavy tree trimmings and used them for stakes to grow climbing beans on. Stuck 'em in the ground and strung hay string between them for a very unique, very redneck bean support.

In other news - I'm concentrating this year on having a little 'round robin' farm. Hoping that every little project will help support every other little project. I'm already using goat milk and boiled eggs for the pigs. They love it! I've had a couple chicken losses this week and I've been tempted to toss them to the pigs, but don't want to plant any chicken eating ideas in the pigs since a lot of my chickens love to follow the pigs.

Wishing that I could do some serious cross-fencing so that I could plant some paddock areas in crops that the goats could browse and the pigs could follow along. Maybe someday....

 

[Denim Deb]

(Psst, MH, Easter is the 27th, not the 31st. The 31 is a Thursday.)

Bee, I'm really interested in seeing your hive once it's done. I think it will work well.

My income generating idea is a bit different than others. I plan on offering nature lessons to various places. So far, I haven't had a chance to get my cover letter written, but even w/out doing that, I had someone contact me! It's a start.

 

[Mini Horses]

too much wine! Thanks for getting me back in line, I'd sure hate to miss the dang bunny. Hmmmm...wonder if he'd like some eggs?

Ok, I'm interested in how the hive works out. Pretty color.

 

[Beekissed]

Think I should keep it that color? I have that color of green here, I think. Or should I give it a more...uh..."look at me!!!" color scheme? I've seen some hives that were beautiful island colors of bright yellow, lavender, neon green, pink, coral, aquamarine, etc.

 

[baymule]

Took the pigs to slaughter this morning. Disced up the garden yesterday evening after loading the pigs in trailer. Our 4 ewes had 6 lambs, one was born dead, leaving me with 5 lambs. 3 ewes and 2 rams, now wethered. Still haven't planted fruit trees, but stuck pink flags in the ground where they are to be planted. I found a gorgeous Dorper 5 month old ram to be my flock sire, have to build him a pen before I can go get him. The lady is going to hold him for me. I am blessed.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh nice, you're getting a ram! guess it is the natural progression of things.

 

[Beekissed]

Took apart my little nightstand and found it to be the perfect size for my Langstroth deep frames, so will be tweaking this little hive box to turn it into a unique hive and baiting it for any scout bees that come this way this spring.

It tickles me that it was the perfect fit for these frames....God is funny that way and I enjoy that aspect of His nature so very much!

 

[Beekissed]

Each day or so I manage to give a little time to my yard sale bee hive build. Got the bottom board on it, the frame ledges mounted and the back put on it today. Now I'm working on the lid, trying to get it the way I want it.

Got my frames in the mail, just need to put them together. They are medium frames with a wedge comb guide on the top bar, foundationless...I'll leave the bottom of the frame off to allow them to make their combs as large as they wish in the space provided.

Decided to paint it robin egg blue.

Got 4 new little dwarf apple trees planted near the garden and will be trying to build good mulch around their base, up to 18 in. if I can manage it this year. A few of them are already showing some little blossom buds...hope this cold snap doesn't hurt those little buds.