Amongst the various other projects in process around here we have been plugging away on the calf shed. The old (falling down leaning over) calf shed was tore down this spring and rebuilding really wasn't a concern in light of the major barn tear down/reconstruction and chicken coop projects over the summer. Once the weather started getting cold it took top priority tho. It really wasn't something that Rob looked forward to doing, but the other option was that I told him I would build it which changed his perspective on the project a bit. He insisted that he would build it all the while mumbling something about levels and square buildings or what-not. Hey~ what's wrong with my chicken coop building skills? After the great debate of the roof style we dug through the left over salvage piles and scrapped together enough boards and poles to get it framed up. There was plenty of left over plywood from the old haymow floor to side it with. When Rob stopped at the local lumber yard for the few boards we did need to buy they told him that they just happened to have a big pile of steel siding that they were selling for half price. For half price I changed my mind from a red calf shed to a white calf shed in a hurry. The siding may not get done for a few more weeks but for now the shed's keeping the calves dry and warm just in time for the snow. I told Rob this was one of those "surprise" projects. You know~ the kind that really aren't on The List but all of a sudden "surprise" they're almost done. He wasn't amused.
In the Master Farm Plan this area is eventually going to be the calf pen. The bottle babies will get started in the barn while they are still on milk and then once they are weaned they will be moved outside to this little dry lot area where they won't have to fight the big steers. It will also double as a strong pen if we ever have a bull again. The back fence is wooden and eventually it will all be a wooden fence. Just before it snowed I spent some of my Fair checks on posts then sweet talked a couple of strong boys into helping me set posts for the wooden fences I hope to have up by next spring.
We set posts for the front of the pigpen as well. The pigpen is built out of hog panels but they tend to push on them and bend them. The thought of several 200# pigs running around my yard is not exciting so we decided to put a wooden fence on the front side. Sometime this winter I will volunteer to work a couple of extra days to pay for getting the lumber cut to install the rails. There's still another stretch of wooden fence that I'd like to get up next spring, but for now we're farther than we were last year at this time. The day we don't have cement berms in the middle of the farmyard will be the day that I'll know we are really making some progress.
Amongst the various other projects in process around here we have been plugging away on the calf shed. The old (falling down leaning over) calf shed was tore down this spring and rebuilding really wasn't a concern in light of the major barn tear down/reconstruction and chicken coop projects over the summer. Once the weather started getting cold it took top priority tho. It really wasn't something that Rob looked forward to doing, but the other option was that I told him I would build it which changed his perspective on the project a bit. He insisted that he would build it all the while mumbling something about levels and square buildings or what-not. Hey~ what's wrong with my chicken coop building skills? After the great debate of the roof style we dug through the left over salvage piles and scrapped together enough boards and poles to get it framed up. There was plenty of left over plywood from the old haymow floor to side it with. When Rob stopped at the local lumber yard for the few boards we did need to buy they told him that they just happened to have a big pile of steel siding that they were selling for half price. For half price I changed my mind from a red calf shed to a white calf shed in a hurry. The siding may not get done for a few more weeks but for now the shed's keeping the calves dry and warm just in time for the snow. I told Rob this was one of those "surprise" projects. You know~ the kind that really aren't on The List but all of a sudden "surprise" they're almost done. He wasn't amused.
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