Ducks 4 in '24

[baymule]

You might consider a heated hose.

The faucet freezes. The add on utility room was poorly built, poorly insulated and the underskirt is lattice. The utility room contains the hot water heater, a sink and washer. To avoid busted pipes, this WINTER and last, I just cut water off and drain pipes to prevent busted pipes. It’s inconvenient and a pain in the backside, but I’m not ready to address that whole situation yet.

My sheep have barely adequate shelter. 4” of rain coming, starting Monday. Their pens will turn to a quagmire. That distresses me. I’m warm and dry in my home, they deserve to have the same. This year my big project is to haul in dirt, build it up to keep it dry, and build a 20’x70’ 3 sided barn. So that’s where my money is going this year.

I may or may not get water to the barn. Next winter may find me still dragging water hoses, and carrying buckets.

 

[ducks4you]

I would suggest that you line their pens with gravel, look into a rubber mat(s) to go on top of the gravel and keep them dry. That is the only way that I have been able to stall horses in the winter, stalls with 3/4" 4' x 8' rubber mats, thinner rubber mats between stalls so that nobody slips coming in if they are wet, or snowy.
I have a garage and I have bought mats so that when you walk into it with wet or snowy boots you don't slip. There are two of them and they are held in place bc my car is parked on them.
Sorry to suggest spending $. The mats have given me piece of mind.
If you have spare wood you could build them a ground level wooden platform and put rubber mats on top of that.
ANYTHING to keep the humidity from the livestock.

 

[ducks4you]

So...red heat hose frozen bc it's 2 degrees F. I pull the New heated $300 hose out of it's box, unscrew the red one, screw the new blue on to the faucet, remove and replace new heated hose cord into the extension cord and closed the cord protecter around it.
ONE.HOUR.LATER!!!!!!!!
I have bought myself a 30 pound SLINKY!!!!
It took me one.full.hour. to uncoil it enough to reach 50 ft. It is a 100' hose but I could only pull it 45 long. Dragging it out to uncoil it was like dragging a dead calf!!
I Finally got the coiled end hooked on the pipe fencing. I knew if I let it go it would have sprung back to the faucet.
Worked fine.
This morning, hose graded to flow water at -40 degree F Isn't working!!!
I took the pointy end of a slim rasp and poked out 2 inches of ice.
NOW, it's working, but it is supposed to reach further.
Anyway, it took 2 hours to feed and water the ponies last night.
DH, bless his heart, turned on/off faucet for me, and stayed in the LR with his boots on, in case I needed serious help.
Today, kid across the street stripped/bedded stalls. I paid him extra and gave him a bag of 6 garlic bulbs, which he likes.
He also helped me two out my 2 geldings, who, surprisingly behave VERY well after being cooped up for 6 days, a difficult thing for horses that are used to mostly 24/7 free ranging.

 

[baymule]

I hate dragging hoses. I’m sorry that your new heated hose is such a failure.

 

[catjac1975]

Couldn't think of a better name for this year's thread.
My gardening New Year's resolution? No more online seed buying!!! (for this year's growing season)
I have determined that anything else I need to buy I can get at a box store.
I did make one more 2023 seed purchase, from Victory Seeds. They sell rare seeds, if you didn't know.

Victory Seed Company - Non-GMO Garden Seeds

Offering a wide variety of modern and heirloom/open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds.

victoryseeds.com

I am intrigued about growing iceberg lettuce. I will let you know...

Order summary​ Pennsylvania Broadleaf Tobacco × 1 $4.49​ Iceberg Head Lettuce × 1 Packet $2.95​ Subtotal $7.44​ Shipping $4.61​ Taxes $0.00​ Total $12.05 USD​

Are you rolling your own cigars?

 

[catjac1975]

So...red heat hose frozen bc it's 2 degrees F. I pull the New heated $300 hose out of it's box, unscrew the red one, screw the new blue on to the faucet, remove and replace new heated hose cord into the extension cord and closed the cord protecter around it.
ONE.HOUR.LATER!!!!!!!!
I have bought myself a 30 pound SLINKY!!!!
It took me one.full.hour. to uncoil it enough to reach 50 ft. It is a 100' hose but I could only pull it 45 long. Dragging it out to uncoil it was like dragging a dead calf!!
I Finally got the coiled end hooked on the pipe fencing. I knew if I let it go it would have sprung back to the faucet.
Worked fine.
This morning, hose graded to flow water at -40 degree F Isn't working!!!
I took the pointy end of a slim rasp and poked out 2 inches of ice.
NOW, it's working, but it is supposed to reach further.
Anyway, it took 2 hours to feed and water the ponies last night.
DH, bless his heart, turned on/off faucet for me, and stayed in the LR with his boots on, in case I needed serious help.
Today, kid across the street stripped/bedded stalls. I paid him extra and gave him a bag of 6 garlic bulbs, which he likes.
He also helped me two out my 2 geldings, who, surprisingly behave VERY well after being cooped up for 6 days, a difficult thing for horses that are used to mostly 24/7 free ranging.

After going through all set of troubles like that we put in a shallow well and hydrants. That was the best thing we ever did. But in-between I used those light weight hoses in which 100 feet weighed about 2 pounds when empty. The barn stall for my horse was about 100 feet out and the field was about 200 feet. My faucet was in the cellar so I could use it, turn it off, and keep them in a big bucket for use again the next day. They certainly did not last like a regular hose, but it sure saved my back from all of that water hauling. Even dragging regular hoses takes its' toal.

 

[ducks4you]

Heated hose has made it to the other Side of the fencing this morning. We are expecting an ice storm tomorrow, so I will fill the buckets 2x, once for the evening feeding, and again, for tomorrow morning and put them in the barn. At 28 degrees F and inside with heat producing animals, there shouldn't be much ice on the top.
If I get my axx out of bed early enough tomorrow morning I won't skate to the barn.
By the time the evening rolls around the temperatures should be above freezing again.
I cannot convince DH that we need to put a building up on top of the cistern in the Inner Sanctum. That is 25 ft from the actual barn door entrance. I have dreamed about the construction, putting in a heater and thermostat--45 degrees F will do--then a shorter heated hose will take me right there.
I guess in a good week the new hose will have relaxed enough to stretch. It is more relaxed today, and I was able to position it underneath the hose/electrical cover that I got to keep us from:
tripping over it
damaging it by stepping on it.
The ponies do not understand why I am screaming.
They just say, "Duckums does this..." and ignore me.
Eva is more sensitive and jumps in DH's lap for comfort.

 

[ducks4you]

I was reading:

Branching Out's Seeds and Sprouts

Last year I had some issues with poor germination. I think a lot of my seeds just rotted when I placed them in the moist seed starting soil, so this year I am trying pre-sprouting most of them. So far getting the seeds hydrated under a moist paper towel set inside a clear plastic container is...

www.theeasygarden.com

We always need to pay attention to the micro climate where we start our seeds. Most people would assume that my basement is humid in the winter, but it isn't. Everything really dries out down there, so seeds that I start there need to be checked to be sure that they have enough water. That is why I have 2 fishtanks under gro lights. Last year I had one constantly filled with 3 inches of water at the bottom.
In most everybody else's setup the baby plants would have rotted out.
I discovered this from trying to keep plants alive that I have brought in.
I am about to move 3 chrysanthemums to the basement. Instead of feeding the landfill I have cleaned out several 2 gallon ziplock bags ready to put them into, leave a portion open, but to help keep them moist enough to survive, even though they are perennials.
I never did replant the sage that I had in a pot all last summer, so IT is in the south facing window that has the old (1940's old, perhaps?!?), kitchen cabinet and I see it every time I feed the ponies before and after. I keep throwing water at it, and it keeps sending out new and tiny leaves.
The grape tomato that I put in the west facing window dried out and died. No matter. Something else will be growing there soon and it will need the space.

 

[ducks4you]

What It Takes to Feed the Community in the Polar Bear Capital of the World - Modern Farmer

The sub-arctic community of Churchill, Manitoba, located on the western shores of the Hudson Bay, in northern Canada, often captures media attention for

modernfarmer.com

 

[ducks4you]

Opinions?

When Not Farming is the Best Use of Land - Modern Farmer

Asking a farmer to “uncrop” their land is a big ask. There’s a lot at stake, not the least of which are the economic losses unproductive land may cost the

modernfarmer.com