Out Around the Barn

Growing up my family owned a horse, Dinero, so we were constantly at the stable. Although we didn’t actually live on a farm, the time that we spent at the stable served as a welcoming reprieve from the daily grind of city life. Some of my fondest memories are of grabbing the tackle from the horse saddle rack and going on long rides with my mom.

We used to explore all of the mountain trails around our community in Northern California. Because I was just five or six years old at the time, my mom would usually drop me off at the barn and go back out for a more extensive excursion. Even though I wasn’t able to go on these longer rides with her, I still often think back to those rides that we did share together.

It is definitly that time of year, mud everywhere.  It is a nuisance to walk outside to the car or to the mailbox and have your feet covered in mud.  It gets all over your car and it ruins your good shoes.  But what can you do, not much. 

Out around the barn the mud is much worse and it can become a problem.  If you feed outside the barn the mud will just continue to get more messy and harder to get around in.  It is hard on the cattle and hard on you.  Then when it freezes the ground is so uneven that it is difficult to walk on. 

So, what do we do?  I don’t know about everyone else but, the one thing we do is move our feeders around every few weeks to keep the mud from becoming a problem.  If it does become an issue, there are times when we had to just haul in more rock.  There are some areas around here that I know are 10 inches or more deep with rock that has been built up over the years. 

The other way is to feed on concrete but that can also get messy and pretty quick.  Then you just have to clean, clean and clean.  And if not careful, it can get pretty slick.  I know that when it does get in that condition it can be hazardous.  The concrete can be as slick as glass and a broken leg can happen pretty easily.

Another thing we do is drag the ground area around the feeders.  When the ground is still muddy yet a little frozen, we pull the drag behind the tractor and even out the ground.  Now, I don’t do this myself, but  Al does on a pretty regular basis.  He usually does this at the same time he puts out hay for the cattle and horses. 

We do the same procedure around the hay feeders.  They are easy enough to pick up with the tractor and move every time we put out a new bale.  This keeps the area from becoming too much of a mess and the grass will grow back come Spring. 

Everyone does things differently but this just might give you another idea.  I do know that a drag is a must on the farm and an important part of our farm equipment.  We have ours made from 5 old tires, halved and attached together in a triangular shape with a chain that hooks to the tractors hitch.  It does a great job.

We are so happy this week.  After 6 losses, we now have twins that have survived.  Miss Dolly delivered Wednesday morning, to my delight, twins.  Boy and Girl named Jack and Jill.  I was so happy to see them and watch as Miss Dolly carec for them.  She is becoming a wonderful Mama. 

Today, they are 4 days old and have started playing more with each other.  This evening, after getting the chores done, I sat in the barn and watched them play.  They started with filling their bellies and then lying down.  It didn’t take long and they were up and sniffing the straw and each other and then it became hilarious.  Jack would try to jump and would get his front hoofs in the air and then fall over.  Next, Jill would do the same thing.  They just seemed to take turns and then all of the sudden they were doing it together.  They would jump and then fall down.  It just became comical and I burst out laughing.  The other nannies probably thought I was strange.  They all just stared at me.

I have to admit, I have a soft spot for babies, whether human or animals, and just love watching them at play.  They are just so adorable. 

Even though, I go on about their play time, I still have to make sure they are kept dry and have clean bedding and warmth, on the cold days and nights.  Right now, they enjoy their own little cubical with Mama but in a day or so I will be turning them all out with the others.   Mama has her own water bucket and small livestock feeder that are easy to move .  This way when we get ready to move them back into the herd we can just open the gate, move the bucket and feeder and allow them to move when they are ready. 

It is pretty simple to care for goats, the one thing is that you have to be consistant and you should be fine.

As anyone who has lived or worked on a farm to attest to, it never seems like there are enough hours in the day to get everything done. From tending to the animals to maintaining the facilities, every set of hands is constantly finding a way to keep busy. Because of this hectic nature, it is extremely important to ensure that all of the daily tasks are well-planned and streamlined.

Luckily there are a multitude of supplies and equipment available to help make the most of each minute that you are working. Just one example of this is livestock feeders. They allow to feed animals is a safe and effective manner, allowing you to proceed with the rest of your daily tasks.

In todays economy we have to make use of all the things that we already have on hand.  We just cannot afford to go out and buy new stuff and put it on our credit cards anymore so we must improvise.  It is amazing what you can find around the barn, house or yard that you can make use of.

On of the things that we have started getting a lot of use out of is a drop sided wagon.  (Look in the background of the above picture in the doorway of the barn, and you will see our wagon.)  If and when we need to haul several buckets of feed at once but really don’t need the truck or tractor, it comes in very handy.  A bale of straw or hay fits in it just perfect and you can pull it with you right into the barn.  This little wagon can go places that other equipment cannot even fit into.    It has rubber tires and maneuvers well.  Having a bad back, it has became one of the farm supplies that I cannot do without.  It saves me from having to carry feed out to the cattle because I can just load the buckets and pull them out to the feeders  in the wagon, unload and dump.  The stress and strain is no longer a problem.

Another item I have made use of is a hard rubber water trough.  I placed it up next to the house under a downspout and now collect rain water in it.  I have discovered that by using rain water on my seedlings and plants  in my green house is better for them than city water with all the chlorine.  I bottle it in milk jugs and plastic bottles and store it to use for my house plants all year round.  It really works great.   Even in the winter, I’ll fill the jugs and keep my supply stocked.  I only have a problem if it freezes. 

Look around, see what you can use out of all the things you already have.  You may be surprised.

I have goats as you may have read in my articles. I enjoy my small herd and love caring for them. I am, at this time, awaiting the arrival of new kids any day now. So I get excited when it comes to my goats.

My little herd has a pasture to roam around in, a barn to sleep in, straw for bedding, hay, water and nutritious goat feed and minerals. They are very easy to care for and wonderful pets. Oh, once in a while, I’ll get a Nanny that has to be Queen and cause problems with the others but, that doesn’t last long around here. I don’t have a lot of patience for one that refuses and won’t get along. I, also, won’t tolerate a Buck that has no respect for me. I guess, even though I don’t think I am a perfectionist, I want a easy to care for herd that I can enjoy and not have a lot of hassles.

I am still in the learning process and am still getting all the ins and outs of raising Boer goats down like the dehorning, deworming and vaccinations.

The only real problem I have had is that they, like all goats I suspect, like to take advantage of getting out of their designated area. I have found that high tinsel electrical fencing works great, when it works, but the best I have found is woven wire fencing. When the fencing stretches from ground up they seem to respect the fence and not even try to get over, under or through it. But, as soon as they find or realize that the electric fence is not working, they go right under it and out into the field across the road. It really is pretty simple to get them back in, I just talk to them or holler, sometimes it takes a few loud words, and they go right back in. The hard part is if they get out once, the fence has to repaired and the short has to be found before they can be let out of the barn again. That is especially true if I have to be away from the house and can’t keep an eye on them.

Right now that wouldn’t be a problem, the fence is working, but since there are 5 of them due to kidd any time now, I check on them every 2-3 hours. The weather is in the single digits and pretty dangerous out there for newborns. I work close to home and try my best to be ready at a moments notice to help them bring their babies into the world.

 So, as I have mentioned, goats are a lot of fun to have and to be around. They don’t take many farm supplies to care for them and they are an easy animal to tend to. So if you want an easy hobby, goats may be your next adventure. They eat everything, especially my strawberry plants when they get out, but are so much fun. Enjoy!

This summer I visited my aunt and uncle who live on a farm in Wyoming. Being from a big city, I was worried that there wouldn’t be much for me to do in the Midwest: boy was I wrong. Although there wasn’t the same urban social life that I was accustomed to, there was more than enough to do on the farm.

Everyday I woke up at the crack of dawn to feed and tend to the animals, which included coaxing them out into the fields with cattle sorting sticks. As it was during harvest, I also spent a good deal of time out in the fields on a combine. While there wasn’t the social interaction that I was accustomed to, the summer of hard work did a lot to build my character.

On most farms or ranches you see several out buildings.  Some are for the hay and feed storage and some are for equipment and repairs.  Others may be for livestock, whether it is for just the purpose of feeding or for holding them in stalls.

Most farmers/ranchers I know and have talked to have a barn for their cattle and livestock.  Most of them are used to feed, not to contain them.  We rarely contain our cattle in the barn unless we are vaccinating, sorting or working them for some reason.  Cattle do well out in the open but, they do need shelter from the weather.  In the summer, it is good to have a place to get out of the heat and away from the flies.  In the winter, it is good to have a place to get out of the wind, cold and wet weather.  They will withstand most all weather but do like to have a comfortable break from the worst of it just like we do. 

Our Longhorns roam the pasture year around but we have a specific area where they are fed and they have  one side of the hay barn for shelter to get them out of the weather.  If the barn is too far away when a storm hits or it is too hot, we will find them down in the valley in the trees down by the creek.  They are pretty smart animals.

Another reason to have a barn for your cattle is so that you can work your cattle safely.  It is not always necessary that you personally have to have one but, at least, have use of one available to you. 

So, no, a barn is not necessary but shelter is.  It can be considered as a part of your lifestock or farm supplies.  Make sure they have some kind of protection and they will be happy.

I consider myself a lover of animals.  I enjoy my animals a lot.  My horse, Blaze, is a beauty but due to health issues, I don’t get to spend as much time with him as I would like.  My goat heard gets more of my attention since I have seven nanny’s getting ready to kid and my dog, Bella, gets her daily time with me.  I really consider myself a dog person over cats but do have a couple of favorites.

On our farm we have had an over abundance of kittens this fall.  Nine litters have arrived and made themselves at home.  Every few months we began to notice a new Tom hanging around and then disappear, then another would show up.  Of course, it wasn’t long before the Mamas started showing and we knew then that we were headed for a lot of kittens.  Now we can officially count 20 plus 0ut around the barn at feeding time.  Out of all of them, I have two that I call mine, a Calico named Fluffy and Black kitten with a white diamond on her neck called Raja.

So, my question is are they considered a farm animal or just pets?  Well, we know a lot of people have cats as pets in their homes, sometimes several.  But on the farm we have more than several, we have twice that many.  And yes, we consider them as farm animals, they keep the rodent population under control.  That is good on a farm. I once had a rat run up my pant leg and let me tell you that was not a happy moment.  I jumped a fence and ran until it fell out of my pant leg.  I was 16 at the time but have never forgotten it.  It was just one of those feelings that you don’t forget.  

So in light of all of this talk about farm animals or pets, I consider them both.  Just as we have working dogs, we have them as pets also.  We take care of our Cats and Kittens just like we do our other animals.  We feed them the best cat food we can and have found that Proud Paws Cat and Kitten food is terrific for our feline herd.  They enjoy the taste and eat it up.  Some can be and have been picky about other cat food but this feed they really like.  They need to have good nutrition to grow and keep healthy just like the horse feed we feed our horses to keep healthy and the rest of the animals.  We love them all the same.

Here we are almost a year on our blog.  We have posted over 70 blogs and would appreciate comments from our readers.  We would like to know your opinions and ideas about our blog.  If there is an article that caught your eye, let me know your thoughts on the subject.  We look forward to hearing from you.

If there is a subject that you would like to know about, we can do our best to find an answer to your question.

We are a farm family and enjoy our animals and farm life.  So talking about the farm and all that it requires is a passion of ours.  From equine supplements to chicken coupes, we will discuss just about anything.  Comments welcome.