I Have Wood Chips!, Mowing, Solar Panel Setup And Bunny Update

So the electric company or the county guys or somebody (guess I should ask, yes?) have been doing tree trimming along the roads in the area. And I was lucky enough to talk to them and ask them to drop off their wood chips. This is what I've gotten so far and I've told them to bring as much as they like. Of course, this area is getting pretty full so they may start dropping them somewhere else. I'm sure I'm not the only person that requests wood chips.

I've also been doing some mowing. Like always. The grass and weeds were getting too high around my solar panels so I got that cut down. I don't think I've ever posted a picture of my solar panels so here you go.

That is 800 watts. 100 watts each, of course. Each pair is connected in series and then all the pairs are connected in parallel. This gives me 24 volts but still keeps the amps down less than the 40 amp limit of my charge controller. One of these days I hope to raise these off the ground. Then I won't have to worry about weeds covering them and I will be able to easily mow under them.

As I mow, I use the bagger on the back of the mower so I can give the grass clippings to the animals. Mostly the sheep and the pigs. Anytime I come towards them with the bagger, they all eagerly run to the fence line. But once I pour it into their hay rack, they eat what they can while the rest falls in the tray. Then they don't touch it. Go figure. I've thought about putting it back up into the hay rack just to see if they'll eat some more. But I've got plenty of grass clippings to replenish the hay rack so I'm not worried about them eating all of it.

In other news, here are the first pictures of Hermione's new babies. They're about a week now. Ish. They are doing lovely, of course. I think I have really found my rabbit raising technique. The individual cage thing never really worked for me. I never got the hang of getting the girls mated or I would miss the due date and forget to put in things for them to build a nest. Then there was the fiasco with the raccoon or whatever stealing the babies. I can't do a full on colony setup because the bottom of their area is covered in wire and they don't have anywhere to dig burrows. They also still need their individual cages for safety at night.

Sooooo, they are in a pseudo colony setup until they they have their babies. In the future, I'll have the wooden cages open so the girls and my male can have access to the cages to get out of the sun and other weather. And then when the girls are ready to have their babies, they will hopefully have them in the cages.

Also, I hope to build more cages and get more rabbits in the future. But not more redbacks. They just don't get as big as a new zealand or something of the like. I would love to get some silver fox rabbits because they get to a good size and their fur is really nice for pelts. But those are hard to find here (like everything else I want to get) so I will probably get new zealands or some kind of new zealand mix. But, that probably won't happen anytime soon simply because I've got so many other things I NEED to do first.

Like build a bridge across the runoff. The bank is starting to get really slippery from me going up and down it all the time. And a bridge will allow me to get the sheep back and forth so that they can have access to both the old and the new fenced areas.

Ok, I think this is long enough. And I need to get back outside and run the mower again until I get hot again and then run back inside. But for now, take care all and have a good rest of your day.

Building A Wood Rabbit Cage

Today I built another rabbit cage for one of my does and her new babies. In case anybody wanted to built something like this, I took pictures.

This is the back of the cage. I started off my screwing a 4 ft long piece of furring strip to the top. These pieces of plywood are pretty thin so I need these to attach the plywood to.

Here I attached some 18 inch pieces to the side to give me the height of the inside of the cage. I then put a 5ft piece of hardware cloth where the floor will be. You can see already that the floor of the cage will not reach the ground. This is to keep the bottom of the cage out of their 'bathroom' area.

Then I attached the sides and started to fold in the extra wire on the sides. I also attached pieces of wood to hold the sides of the floor in place.

Here I've cut the doors and attached the front panel of wire to the sides. The door openings are 8x12 inches. The doors themselves (which I had to cut out of some wire from other project) are 10x16 inches. On the top right you can see I've put another pieces of wood along the top edge. This is to screw the top to. In this picture you can also see the space under the cage. The back and sides act as legs.

After this picture I put another piece of wood on the left side and screwed the top into place. I also used a 4ft piece of wood to attach the top of the wire to the top of the cage. Oh, and I also installed the doors by using pull ties as hinges and spring clips to keep the doors closed.

These are the two cages side by side. The new one is the one on the right. Some of the wood I used was a bit warped so you can see it's not square. But the rabbits don't care so neither do I. It still keeps them safe and comfy. I still need to trim off all the pull ties I used to connect the front and bottom wire panels. But that can be done whenever I get to it. Again, the rabbits don't care so neither do I.

I moved Jenny (the momma of the older babies) over to the new cage so that Hermione and her babies could have the cage with the nest box in the corner. I also moved the pvp pipe feeder over to the new cage so that Jenny and the babies could eat out of what they were used to. I have another bit of pvp pipe that I will use to do the same thing for the other cage.

If anybody has any questions on this build, I'll be more than happy to answer them to the best of my ability. For now, yall take care and have a good night.

Animal Update

Most of the little piggies are just over a week old and the other 4 will be a week old tomorrow. To start this post off, I've included a video that I took today of the little ones waiting while their mommas ate their breakfast.

The babies are really starting to explore their enclosure as they follow their moms around.

The baby bunnies are also doing good. Getting bigger by the day it seems. And now they're starting to eat and drink with momma. Our other doe also had some more babies and I've made a new cage to keep them safe. That will be in the next post. I haven't taken a picture of the new babies yet because I didn't want to disturb the momma and babies too much. I had to move them to the new cage and that's disturbance enough.

The one muscovy duckling from the first clutch of eggs is living in the hanging cage in the coop.

I had two guinea keets in there with it but one died. Don't know why. They had warmth, food and water. And one of the guineas is batshit crazy and kept attacking me when I would go near the coop so I gave them the other guinea keet. Figured if it survives, fine. If not, fine. But I definitely NOT be letting them hatch eggs next year. For one thing, two keets out of all the eggs they had is just a really bad hatch rate. Another, these guineas are barely worth the constant noise they make. And to have one trying to attack me is so not acceptable.

But in some better news, I've had two more ducklings hatch out of another clutch. We'll see if that's it or not. Unfortunately, these look like muscovy/cayuga mixed so they will be mules. A full muscovy will look like the one in the previous picture. Most domesticated ducks are derived from mallards. Muscovies are not. The two are close enough to breed, but the resulting offspring is sterile. So I won't be selling them because I don't want to sell people sterile animals. But that doesn't stop them from being VERY cute.

And that's all of the new pictures I've got for right now. I just put some chicken eggs in my incubator today and I will update you all on that in about 7 days when I candle them. As I said, I will be posting pictures and directions on building the new rabbit cage for my next post.

Take care all and have a good night.

New Things On The Homestead

Lots of pictures here. First off is a momma pig and a bunch of babies. These aren't all hers. They're from two litters. But she didn't care at all that they were all nursing at once. There are the 7 from the litter the other day and 4 more that were born early this morning.

Next is a little baby guinea keet that hatched today. There may be more but I'll wait until tomorrow to check.

We also had a single duckling hatch out of a clutch of eggs. Not sure if it was because the hen made her nest in a chicken nest box with no shavings. Or if something else went wrong. But it was just this little guy by himself and momma wasn't taking care of him so we brought him in and put him in a container as a brooder.

I also redid the roof for the piggie shelter. Now the mommas and babies should stay nice and dry.

And an inside look at the boards I have holding up the tarp. This way the tarp shouldn't sag even with rain.

I finished the waterer for the bitties a couple of days ago but kept forgetting to take a picture. The bottle still leaks a bit so I've got to address that. Probably just put silicone around the plastic adapter like I had to put around the nipples when I screwed them into the pvc pipe.

The baby animals aren't the only new things around here recently. I've also got a fig starting to form.

And some nice daylilies blooming. I really love the bright yellow ones.

And here is a pretty one with a bit of pink in it.

I also moved the bigger chickens around a bit today but I didn't take a picture of that. But that's all the pictures I have for now so I will see you guys later. Take care and have a good night.

Baby Piggies, Bitty Pen And Solar Update

We have baby piggies on the homestead! 7 little babies born on Father's Day. I'm pretty sure there are 4 boys and 3 girls. I'll be able to look better today when I give them iron shots.

Our other sow (or gilt still?) Annie should be due any day now also. I might have to throw up some kind of shelter for her because I think Pippi isn't letting her in their current shelter.

I also got a pen up for the bitties. Right now I'm just letting everybody roam together until they start laying eggs.

I haven't updated you guys on the solar setup for a while. For the most part it's going great. It's been going for 44 days now. Mostly. There have been a couple of days when the battery got low and I had to plug things back into the wall. Mostly because the box fan I have in the chicken coop draws more power than the battery can provide at night and I forgot to unplug the fan at night on those days. But I've had my whole electrical fence system going solar powered all this time. Well, except for the days when it got too low.

I don't know how much money that has saved us but I definitely need more batteries to get more out of the system. I currently have all 8 solar panels going into the charge controller. My solar panels are 12v but I've got them connected in sets of two going in series which brings each set up to 24v. I've then got those 4 sets going into the charge controller in parallel which keeps them at 24v but raises the amps. But still keeps the amps under the 40 amp limit of the charge controller.

Doing it this way, I'm able to have 800w of solar panels connected to one 40 amp charge controller. Saves me from having to buy another charge controller and I still have access to the 800w if I should need it. So far I think the most it has recorded using is about 250w. But it's still there if I need it.

I should also specify that the whole system doesn't shut down if the battery gets low. The charge controller will still charge as long as there's still sun. What actually happens is the inverter goes into standby. It has a feature that shuts off the inverter if the battery gets too low so as not to over discharge the battery.

I also love the bluetooth adapter for the charge controller. I can sit in the middle of my house (about where I have the adapter under our house) and I can check the status of my system without having to climb under our house. The crawl space under our house if fairly spacious. But I still have to climb into that little door to get down there. And the convenience of just not having to go out there at all is so nice.

I do have problems getting the app to connect to the adapter. I often have to restart the app to get it to work. But I'm not sure if that's a problem with the app, the adapter, my phone or if something in my house is causing it to be twitchy. But restarting an app is a small price to pay for the convenience of not having to climb under the house. And the adapter has a weak signal because even when I'm under the house I almost have to stand right next to it to be able to pick up the signal. But again, small inconvenience.

Anyway, I need to work on the pig's shelter a bit because the tarp I had over it tore and I've been wanting to give them an actual roof instead of just a tarp. And then maybe get something together for my other sow (gilt?).

Take care all and have a good day.

The Loss Of A Pet And Homestead Goings On

So I've been absent the past couple days. One of our dogs has been sick and yesterday we had to have her put down. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'm going to be feeling this one for quite a while.

But even with that going on, life itself goes on. The sun still rises and sets, animals still need to be fed and watered. To make things a little easier, I've moved the boy sheep over with the girl sheep.

Yes, I know, terrible picture. I'll try to get a better group picture tomorrow. And I also know this means they will mate and I'll end up with early winter babies. Maybe I can make some sweaters for the babies to keep them warm or something. Build a better shelter for them to overwinter in. But for one thing, having them altogether makes things simpler for me. I can also use more of the electrical wire on that side of the runoff and make them a bigger area.

Also, I really need to start getting something out of these animals. I know it seems harsh. But with the recent vet bills for our dog, my husband being on disability for the next month and some other financial woes, I'm having to look at things in a much harsher light. Either get something from the animals, or get rid of them. I've also applied for a couple of jobs but so far no calls.

For example, these bantam chickens. They're cute and all, but they don't really provide anything. They should start laying eggs soon. But since they're itty bitty eggs, it'll take a lot of them to make much of a difference. Instead, I'd make more money out of any babies I can hatch from them. Our local feed store buys chicks, chickens, ducks and rabbits. So I've at least got a ready buyer. (Our ducks still haven't hatched. But I've got two more hens on nests so hopefully they'll have something.)

Like the Bitty Condo I built? As usual, not the prettiest build work ever. But it'll do. I've still got some work to do on it and a double run to make. They were really getting crowded in the hanging cages in the coop. This way they'll have a mini condo coop to sleep at night and a run to exercise in during the day.

We're still waiting on the piggies to have their baby piggies. The day that I witnessed the job being done apparently wasn't the day that it actually GOT done. So we're still waiting. It's got to be any day though because those girls so look like they're going to explode.

Well, I haven't slept much tonight and I've got too much on my mind. So I think instead, I'll just start my day. Maybe I'll be able to take a nap later or something. Take care all.

Rotating The Boys Grazing And Building A Cage

I've been pretty busy today. First, I've been moving the boy sheeps fence a bit to give them access to some nice green, fresh grass. I took a picture of it but my stupid phone decided not to save the picture. It's doing that a lot lately. Really pissing me off. But I hope to move the boys a little bit each day so they can get the fresh stuff.

I've also been working on this. Can you guess what it's going to be?

If you guessed a double coop for the bitties, you'd be right. Now, it's not the prettiest thing in the world because it's mostly made from reused pieces. It's elevated for their safety and to give them a place underneath to hang out. There will be doors cut in the wire and ramps going down to the ground. I'll also have wood on the front but it'll open as a door so I can access the inside.

This takes most of the wood I took down from the sheep shelter but thankfully I'll only need three boards to make another rabbit cage. I'll also be using these clips for the rabbit cage and the doors for the bittie coop.

Unfortunately this does take about half of the roll of hardware cloth that I bought and that's not going to be enough to do another rabbit cage. So I'm going to have to buy another roll. Fortunately, those aren't too expensive.

It was really hot outside today so I had to keep coming inside to cool off. While I did that, I watched some youtube and did some crochet. I'm working on a baby blanket that I hope to put on my etsy page.

But that's mostly been it for today. Just lots of building and moving fences around. Same old, same old. For now, it's past my bedtime so I'll say good night and take care all.

Premier 1 Electric Poultry Netting

So I made the chickens very happy today. A couple of days ago I ordered some electric poultry netting from Premier 1. It came today and I've already set it up and let the mixed layers and their rooster out to roam around inside it.

I think I may leave them here for a couple of days and then I'll move them to where the pigs used to be. It's already starting to grow up and would be a nice place for the chickens to be moved around to graze.

I also wanted to put the orpingtons and wyandottes in this area but don't think there's enough room to put the other tractor. Oh well, maybe I can alternate between them.

I'm going to go watch chicken tv for a little while before I have to feed everybody. Take care all and have a good day.

Sequestering Building Supplies, Baby Bunny Update And Body Pillow

Haven't really done much the past couple of days. Hubby has had a problem with his sciatic nerve and I've been spending most of my time with him. But I have done some weeding in my raised beds and around them so I'm slowly reclaiming my garden.

I also took down some more of the sheep shelter. I've got 7 boards that I can now build stuff with. One thing will be another bunny cage. Another will be some mini coops for the bitties. There will be one mini coop and run for the silkies and another for everybody else.

I didn't remember to take a picture of the sheep shelter after I took the boards off. So here's a picture of the baby bunnies. Their eyes are just opening and they're starting to explore more.

I also got a picture of my wisteria starting to climb the arbor. Next year it should look really nice.

Last but not least is the body pillow that I crocheted to help me sleep. Our bed sucks and I've already got back and hip problems. So about half way through the night I'd wake up all stiff and sore. I'd have to sit in my recliner to sleep the rest of the night. But since I made that pillow, I'm able to sleep in our bed the whole night. Our bed still sucks so I still wake up in the morning a bit stiff and sore. But not like I did before. As you can see, our cat Peanut thinks I made it for her.

I don't think I slept well last night because I'm really tired already and its still an hour until bedtime. I think I'm going to catch up a bit on my youtube subscriptions and then maybe head to bed early. Yall take care and have a good night.

New Watering System And The Bitties Enjoying Their Own Yard

Today I built the bitties a better watering system. They would go through their water too quickly with their regular waterers. I also think they were knocking the waterers over and spilling some of it.

The new system will keep them from spilling it and it also has a larger 'reservoir'. Not only will it have water in the bottle, but there will also be water in the pipe and the tubing which adds to the size of the reservoir. It does leak a bit around the poultry nipples because I didn't have a bit that was the right size for the nipples. So I had to grind the hole out a bit and that didn't make for a very smooth hole. I can just use some silicone to seal it up a bit better after the water has all been drank or leaked out.

I didn't do a post yesterday because I spent a good portion of the day drilling the holes and such and getting everything ready. Then I installed it early this morning.

I also sectioned off a little 'yard' so they could have some roaming space. I couldn't let them out in the coop anymore because I've got three ducks sitting on eggs. They would not be happy about the bitties running around their nests.

Ok friends. I need to get outside and move the tractors and get some more work done weeding my raised beds. Take care all and have a good day.

Waterers, Escapee Pigs And Planting My Squashes

Today I made some waterers for the new hanging baskets. (The others already have them.) I just took a screw and poked the holes in them.

This way the water slowly trickles into the basket and gets absorbed into the soil instead of just running right through.

I also had to put electric wire on the inside of the welded wire fence (the boy sheeps old area) because the girl pigs found a weak spot in the fence and kept busting out. Then they tried to push the door over so I had to put wire across that too. But only a couple of strands so it's still easy for me to step over. Still drove me crazy trying to keep them from escaping while I tried to fix it. I literally had to have my daughter stand there and swat them away. A couple of times I had to turn the fence off so I could restring the wire and the pigs kept testing the welded wire fence trying to get out again. It actually took most of my morning to get it all fixed. But once I got the electric wire up and on, they haven't gotten out anymore.

And now that I've said that, watch them get out again.

The piggies are literally only a week or two away from having their babies. I will be giving them a regular supply of grass clippings whether it rains or not. Hopefully that will keep them happy and not trying to break out.

I also planted my zucchini and squash plants today. They look pretty pitiful right now because I don't think they had much nutrition left in the garden soil in the cups. But hopefully soon they'll reach out their roots and perk up. I'll also be putting some rabbit manure around them for the extra nutrients.

The ones in the raised beds are the zucchini....

And these are the squash.

You can kind of see the plastic rings I'm using as collars to keep away the cutworms. What you probably can't really see is that I put some tinfoil around the base of the stem to try to keep away vine borers. I almost always lose my squash type plants to vine borers so hopefully this time will be different.

Anyway, it's been a long day and I'm headed to bed. Take care all and have a good night.

Planted The New Hanging Baskets

The title pretty much says it all. And instead of taking pictures of each of the baskets, I did a video.

I also took a picture of the roots of the nasturtiums as I was planting them. Really nice looking roots but definitely time to get them planted.

But that's pretty much the only thing I got done today. I did plant the Ixia and Anemone bulbs. I also tried digging up the potatoes. I say tried because all I found was one golf ball size potato. I figured I wasn't going to get much because the plants died off much earlier than they should have. But this is just disappointing. I don't know what went wrong. I'm leaning toward something ate them. I saw several mouse or vole sized holes in the ground.

Anyway, time to watch some homesteading youtube videos before I head off to bed. Take care all and have a good night.