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Posted: 9/17/2019 10:22:57 PM EDT

[#1]

Abcd

Posted: 9/17/2019 10:29:08 PM EDT

[#2]

So wondering... why'd you have to cut the trees?

Are they wood for winter?

Posted: 9/18/2019 8:04:18 AM EDT

[#3]

OP, think about reading up on proper tree falling. I've watched folks fall trees similar to how it appears you did for years, but there are better "safer" ways. Invest in a a few plastic falling wedges as well, they're cheap.

Posted: 9/18/2019 8:11:14 AM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
OP, think about reading up on proper tree falling. I've watched folks fall trees similar to how it appears you did for years, but there are better "safer" ways. Invest in a a few plastic falling wedges as well, they're cheap.

View Quote

This. There are much safer ways. Plastic wedges are great, cheap and won't tear up a chain if you get into them.

Im far from an expert but this is how I fell trees. ~30" hickory

Attached File

The log on the right is where it was cut to be felled. You can see how the notch was done and how much hinge I left.

Attached File

Posted: 9/18/2019 8:45:14 AM EDT

[#5]

We bought three bottle calves that were Holstein, beef crosses. It’s a cheap way to start out.

Posted: 9/18/2019 8:48:40 AM EDT

[#6]

We bought three bottle calves that were Holstein, beef crosses. It’s a cheap way to start out.

Posted: 9/18/2019 11:04:10 PM EDT

[#7]

Abcd

Posted: 9/18/2019 11:12:42 PM EDT

[#8]

Abcd

Posted: 9/19/2019 5:14:28 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

If you mean why cut them when its almost 90° ? I blame my OCD. They were on my mental list and their time came.

If you mean why cut those big old trees in general?
For the view mainly. Definitely going to put me way ahead for next winters wood, but we always planned to open up that view since we built.

I heat 2 houses 100% with wood. Been struggling to get a few years ahead.

View Quote

Gotcha. That view is really pretty.

And bonus--wood.

I applaud you getting ahead. It's a scary thing going into winter with wet wood or not enough.

It is hard to heat with strictly wood and stay ahead of the curve with enough time to season. We did that for ten years, but we were so fortunate in that we had some help. A couple of people with farms would always offer for us to come cut up downed trees, plus my dad (his farm was 70 miles away at that point, but he would haul us pickup truck loads of wood from his own dead trees and those of the neighbors around him. We had to do a lot of work but we never had to buy wood. Ain't afraid of starting a fire, either. I don't know a lot about the new, more efficient indoor wood stoves, but the old fashioned way of surviving the winter? That I can do.

Posted: 9/19/2019 7:43:44 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:

Lol, I was going to type up a big reply explaining it all, then I remembered, this is the internet.

That was pics of 2 oddballs out of 10 trees total dropped that day.
I appreciate you alls concerns. But don't be too judgemental off a few pics. Rest assured, I own wedges and usually hinge cut (better).

View Quote

Good to hear

No judgement, just don't want to see anyone hurt

Hollow trees and ones right up against a fence can be a PITA to cut.

Posted: 9/22/2019 3:11:35 PM EDT

[#11]

Abcd

Posted: 9/22/2019 10:28:59 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20190919_183227_jpg-1099350.JPG

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What a gorgeous photo!

Sun sinking and cows all headed home. (or somewhere

)

Posted: 9/23/2019 9:34:22 PM EDT

[#13]

Abcd

Posted: 9/24/2019 8:58:30 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

That is actually facing east

But Thank you I was very struck by the view.
That was the morning I ran the last 3 knotheads out of the scrubby pasture and thats the rest of the herd trying to get back in

Was there until dark the night before...those last 3 ran me out of daylight.

View Quote

Ahhhh! So it's a sunrise?

You are up early.

Like most good farmers.

No matter my upbringing, my body clock makes me a vampire. Now that I am not on the farm, I have a hard time fighting that.

Posted: 9/25/2019 7:56:34 PM EDT

[#15]

C'mon kitts... Sunrise is what ya get up for!!
Here's the view within 10 miles of me..
Eastern most point on the CONUS..

That island is "Grand Manan", New Brunswick, Canada.
Yeah... this is as far East as yer gonna go without getting yer feet wet!!
Come see it for yourself... rooms are on us for a few days...
...but buy your own lobster..LOL

Posted: 9/25/2019 8:08:03 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
C'mon kitts... Sunrise is what ya get up for!!
Here's the view within 10 miles of me..
Eastern most point on the CONUS..
https://maineboats.com/files/137Quoddy_8083.jpg

That island is "Grand Manan", New Brunswick, Canada.
Yeah... this is as far East as yer gonna go without getting yer feet wet!!
Come see it for yourself... rooms are on us for a few days...
...but buy your own lobster..LOL

View Quote

Wow, looks amazing. My family, mother’s side, is from Maine. I have a huge soft spot for that state despite its proximity to socialism.

Posted: 9/25/2019 9:40:28 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
C'mon kitts... Sunrise is what ya get up for!!
Here's the view within 10 miles of me..
Eastern most point on the CONUS..
https://maineboats.com/files/137Quoddy_8083.jpg

That island is "Grand Manan", New Brunswick, Canada.
Yeah... this is as far East as yer gonna go without getting yer feet wet!!
Come see it for yourself... rooms are on us for a few days...
...but buy your own lobster..LOL

View Quote

Yeah, I would get up for that. Wow.

Never been to your state. Some of the prettiest views I've ever seen have been of Maine.

I do fear, that once I got used to it, my normal biorythms would kick in, and I would, once again, be a vampire.

Posted: 10/5/2019 12:24:44 AM EDT

[#18]

Abcd

Posted: 10/5/2019 12:35:42 AM EDT

[#19]

Abcd

Posted: 10/5/2019 9:05:29 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
We have 2 cows left to give birth.
Anyone sick of cow pics yet?

Never!

*snip*
This pic just makes me happy. All my best childhood memories were from the brief time I grew up on the farm. I hope to help my daughters make even better memories.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/Resized_20191004_232047_jpeg-1113038.JPG

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No word is awesome enough to describe how awesome this is.

Good on you, dad.

Posted: 10/7/2019 5:08:19 PM EDT

[#21]

Not sick of cow pics, great thread.

Posted: 11/16/2019 12:40:25 PM EDT

[#22]

Abcd

Posted: 11/16/2019 9:33:47 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
Better update before I'm archived.
Got barn kitties from shelter. One got sick right away. Vet looked at records, well come to find out he had it at the shelter and they didn't treat it completely.
He's on the mend now.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20191031_173327_jpg-1162602.JPG

Most of the herd made it through calving season ok.
Had 3 cows left to birth. Left town one night for my wife's birthday. Came back to a dead cow with one big hind leg sticking out. Literally the only time we left.

I think God was saving me, because judging by the size of the leg sticking out, I couldn't have done anything in the middle of a field by myself anyway.
One calf got hit bad with fly strike. Got it sprayed with Permetherin and gave it penicillin for 3 days. Other than missing fur off its back, it's surviving.
Lost one calf, probably to flies, that I didn't realize was missing, because another cow had twins. Found its body in brush after it had already been scavenged.
So we ended with 14 cows and 14 calves.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/VideoCapture_20191116-103740_jpg-1162701.JPG

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Sorry for the losses.

Hard to take, but glad for the successes.

That calving would have required a vet, IMO, and even then, you would have had to catch it early.

ETA: Cute kitties! Glad you were able to help the sick one.

Posted: 11/18/2019 12:20:58 AM EDT

[#24]

Abcd

Posted: 11/19/2019 4:16:52 AM EDT

[#25]

Very cool thread. You are living out my retirement plan right now. Keep up the great work and it's so neat to watch this progress.

Posted: 11/20/2019 1:16:12 PM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
Appreciate it guys. Definitely a dream come true for me.
Pasture is low quality. Needs a couple hundred tons of lime, then seed drilling, then fertilizer. Lots of sedge and BlackBerry. It still supports at least 30 mature cows, but could be much better.
Currently leased out, grazing and hay.
Talking to a banker now about a loan to start our own herd (7% interest

)

Most of the ponds (6) have been pushed in and are just deep enough to keep the cows watered. Long term plans to get at least a couple of the best cleaned and rebuilt in the next 5 years. (And cows limited access)
There is one pond completely overstocked with 8" bass. You can catch one every cast. Even my 6 year old got bored after 20 minutes of non stop reeling in fish.
Working on thinning them and adding structure and forage. Unfortunately it's a very small, but deep, pond on the side of a hill. No way to expand it.

I'll have to see if I can find pics of my "blueprints". Used a free iPad home design app.

View Quote

@Possumluke Awesome piece of land you got there and thanks for sharing the project.
Save some acreage for some food plots

Posted: 11/21/2019 4:22:58 PM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:
I swear I'm not spoiling the barn cats.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20191117_204310_jpg-1165023.JPG

And went out and collected a neat piece of art last night.
I noticed it when it was about softball size, and watched it grow all summer.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/Resized_20191117_221828_jpeg-1165028.JPG

I waited until after several hard freezes, and hit it with a good dose of permetherin just in case.

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Aren't those nests awesome?

I generally don't like paper wasps of any kind because they tend to be mean. But hornet nests are just genius. Kind of beautiful in a way, to me.

Posted: 1/22/2020 12:39:00 PM EDT

[#28]

Abcd

Posted: 1/23/2020 12:06:33 AM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
C'mon kitts... Sunrise is what ya get up for!!
Here's the view within 10 miles of me..
Eastern most point on the CONUS..
https://maineboats.com/files/137Quoddy_8083.jpg

That island is "Grand Manan", New Brunswick, Canada.
Yeah... this is as far East as yer gonna go without getting yer feet wet!!
Come see it for yourself... rooms are on us for a few days...
...but buy your own lobster..LOL

View Quote

TOTALLY OFF TOPIC FOR THE THREAD...

@FM64GR

Did you take the photo of the lighthouse? I loved it when I saw it, but reading back through...

I want to do a watercolor of it. It's so beautiful.

But I don't want to do that without knowing it's your photo and that I have permission to use the image.

(not that I sell anything. I'm not that kind of painter. I just want to always ask.)

Posted: 1/23/2020 12:13:00 AM EDT

[#30]

Quote History

Quoted:
Updating to keep alive. Not a whole lot been going on. With the kids its just been one virus after another since the holidays.

Still enjoying the new view I opened up.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20200112_085755_jpg-1244623.JPG

Been a wild weather winter. Warm to cold over and over.
Its been very wet. We had 4" of rain the other weekend.

Been staying busy cutting wood on the nice days.

My dad came down and we went fishing for a day. Didn't catch a lot, but a few nice ones. We had a bunch of fun. Hopefully it'll become a regular thing.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20200122_103036_jpg-1244632.JPG
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20200122_103159_jpg-1244633.JPG

Lost our first chicken of the winter, probably to a hawk by the looks, so they're all penned up for a week.

Just ordered 25 Cuckoo Marans to add to the flock. Hopefully they all make it ok with this cold snap. Chick pics will be up once they're settled in.

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Nice Fish! Did y'all eat it?

And looking forward to your chick pics.

Posted: 1/24/2020 4:53:18 PM EDT

[#31]

Sorry @Kitties-with-Sigs it's a stock photo from the web.
It's just a cool place ~ 10 miles from us with some hiking trails etc.
It's actually a state park but there's no camping there.
We had a couple stay with us over New Years (Air BNB guests) cause they wanted to see the first sunrise of 2020..
If'n ya paint it I want to see a foto of the painting...

OR..
I can go take a couple fotos & you can use your imagination.
Sorry for the derail PL...
The farm is looking great.
Losing a calf sucks but it's all a part of farming.
We've had to put down a few due to broken leg or milk fever & it's tough on everybody, especially the kids.
Thanks for the updates.

Posted: 1/26/2020 7:53:27 PM EDT

[#32]

Abcd

Posted: 1/26/2020 9:22:17 PM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
Baby chicks are here. Cuckoo Marans.
Not real impressed with Ideal Hatchery this round.
Ordered 25, and they sent 26. 3 of them looked like they were barely out of the egg when boxed.
No extra heat packs or male chicks for warmth.
I was mighty nervous when the delivery date said Monday. Luckily USPS hustled them thru and I got them Friday morning.
1 died in the box, got smushed in a corner. 1 died basically as soon as I put them in the brooder.
2 more I'm surprised are hanging in there.

Running 2 - 100 watt heat bulbs to keep them all happy.
The rest seem to be well so far.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20200124_102157_jpg-1251152.JPG

And the cows are still doing ok. Lost a Lot of body condition milking calves thru these cold snaps we've had.
Been giving them a bale of hay every day, and a bag of cubes on the cold mornings. Plus 25% protein tubs free choice.
Not sure what else I can do for them except wean the calves asap...
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/20200123_080759_jpg-1251160.JPG

View Quote

I might do two bales for that many when it's cold.

That's the only thing I have to offer.

I know from experience that hay from one year can be a lot better than hay from another year. It's a lot of roughage any time, but the actual nutrients and carbs really varies from year to year.

Posted: 3/16/2020 11:20:05 PM EDT

[#34]

Thanks for sharing, one of the best uses for a drone on the farm.

And some real nice photo's.

Posted: 3/20/2020 10:40:55 AM EDT

[#35]

Amazing place! You are literally living my dream!

Good job coexisting with wildlife that some people refused to coexist with!

Posted: 3/20/2020 8:20:23 PM EDT

[#36]

@PossumLuke how are the chicks doing?

Posted: 3/21/2020 10:59:35 PM EDT

[#37]

Abcd

Posted: 3/22/2020 12:09:58 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
Chicks are doing well. It's been wet here for weeks, so I added more roof over the brooder section of the coop.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/Resized_20200312_080940_jpeg-1327062.JPG

Just thought this was a neat scene.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/Resized_20200319_131928_jpeg-1327064.JPG

Too wet to do anything outside, and just lost my phone recently, so not many pics to share.
Cows are good. Just fed my last bale of hay today, but buying 10 more to let the pastures green up for a couple more weeks.

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That's gorgeous!

Looks like you are ahead of us by a week or two.

Hoping winter does not come back with a sneak attack. I could use a good long, easy spring, where no blooms get bitten. Been a long while since we had one of those.

Posted: 3/22/2020 12:17:21 AM EDT

[#39]

Posted: 3/24/2020 9:54:23 PM EDT

[#40]

Abcd

Posted: 3/27/2020 11:38:01 PM EDT

[#41]

Thanks! These are awesome!

Love those hangers. I wouldn't have known to look for the ones that attach to the henhouse itself.

Posted: 3/28/2020 10:06:31 PM EDT

[#42]

@PossumLuke

You okay? You anywhere near the ugly weather?

Posted: 3/29/2020 9:08:21 PM EDT

[#43]

Abcd

Posted: 5/8/2020 9:24:21 PM EDT

[#44]

Abcd

Posted: 5/8/2020 10:53:37 PM EDT

[#45]

nice place you got there. like your cooler. im in norhtwest van buran county have knives will travel.

Posted: 5/9/2020 2:30:35 AM EDT

[#46]

OST. I read every post so far. Great read!

Posted: 5/9/2020 12:06:26 PM EDT

[#47]

Quote History

Originally Posted By Possumluke:
Well we started our next big project.
Last week I spent two days making 10 hour round trips over to Jonesboro.
In an 18 year old truck with 210,000 miles, no cruise, and a very loose front end, over mostly mountain highways....my hands and shoulders were awfully sore at the end of the day.
But I got these babies home and saved $900 in shipping

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/405866/Resized_20200508_201313_jpeg-1407406.JPG
These are 1700 gallon cisterns. We're going to start harvesting rain.