Tools and Water and Such

I t's 12 degrees, with 40 mph gusts and occasional snowflakes. It's a nasty day. One of the most important things in weather like this is, to keep water available to all livestock. I make 3 trips in a day to break ice off troughs, and to carry fresh water to the hens. There are no days off on any size farm. 

 I split wood with a maul, and a wedge. I do use a chainsaw to cut logs to stove length, but I try to keep machinery to a minimum. It

cuts down on shop time. I split wood just about every morning, for about 30 minutes, and by the end of winter, I have next years firewood stacked and ready. 

What you see here, if you use it frugally, can get you about two weeks in a stove, or longer if you get some help from Mother Nature. 

Software to Make My Life Easier

One thing that most people don't know about me is that I'm a programmer. I'm mostly amateur but I've sold a game and some other small things. Nothing major. 

Right now I'm working on a small farm program to keep track of all farm business. At this

point, it's limited to Livestock feed purchases, feed on hand, cost per pound. It also keeps track of feed cost per egg produced, so I will always have information to base sales price on. It's very basic and skeleton right now, but should be finished in a month or so.

Tomato Sprouts

I have some tomatoes sprouting this morning, 4 days after planting. I leave this tub in the window during daytime and at night I cover it, and put it on a heating pad. The pad warms the soil and speeds up germination.

In a few days, I'll start putting the tub under a florescent light in the evenings, until about 9pm. This gives them a lot of light, which is energy, and they'll grow wide and leafy, instead up spindly, which is the problem with a lot of store bought plants.

At about 6 weeks old, I'll put each plant in a separate container and give them as much sun as I can, and start putting them outside on the porch when the temperature allows it. This hardens the plants and gets them ready for the Kansas winds.

Big Strong Goats

 The meat goats are a lot more durable and sturdy than the dairy

does. They're big and strong and don't really pay attention to cold or heat and a lot happier out in the snow eating brush than stuck in the barn all day.

Dog Training

For years my deerhound would kill any chicken she came across. I tried and tried to teach her not to, but she just couldn't help herself. She's not a killer, she's a a chaser, and when she catches whatever she's after, she grabs it, and the result is usually death.

One day, after she'd killed a young cat, I sat down and thought things over a bit more carefully. I came to the conclusion that trying

 
to teach her to ignore her natural tendencies was a mistake, so I decided to start teaching her to walk slowly and carefully around hens and my cats. The idea was that if she didn't spook them, they wouldn't run, and she wouldn't chase.

After 3 years and a few mishaps, I have a dog that has learned the difference between a fox and a cat, a possum and a hen. She's still a great varmint dog, but she's become friends with the cats and she's gentle and calm with the chickens. Now if I could get her to quit eating turds.

Early Early Early

I started my first seeds of the year yesterday. A few tomatoes and peppers is all, but I'm hoping to be ahead of the game when it comes to transplant time. I've never planted this early, and really don't have a clue how it's going to turn out, but I'm thinking I've got a shot at June tomatoes, if everything works out.

I put a heating pad under the pan to warm the dirt and and covered the top with plastic to keep heat and humidity in. When I have germination, I'll put a drop light over them at night, and give them as much sunlight in the window as I can. I'll probably start some squash and cucumbers next month.
I plan on growing these early ones as container plants and eventually moving them to the field. 

New Years Day

 I took a look under the cold frame today. With temperatures

dropping to 6 night before last, I didn't have much hope, but to my surprise, everything looks good. The turnips are growing fast and the spinach is doing a lot better than I thought it would be. 

In all honesty, I thought it would all be dead. It looks like I'll be building more and bigger cold frames next year.