AN IDEA
More pouring rain in the night- great massive thunderstorms that sent the dogs shrieking for the basement.
So this is what I am going to do. I will bale the hay damp. Then use the bales as walls around a field or as windbreaks for this years trees, or, if it gets almost dry, walls for a pig house or even a cube in the middle of the field to smother some of the worst thistles.
A couple of the risks are spontaneous combustion and mold. So I will place the hay bricks carefully. Not for eating.
I could even pile them up down the back, slip the strings off and let them compost.
The bales will be too heavy to lift so we will roll them into the bucket if the tractor and transport them that way.
If there is no more rain today I will rake this hay and dry it was well as we can. But I am no longer aiming for feed. The weather Gods and I will have a bit of a tussle. So we need a little luck. I need this off the fields. The fields need to be cleared to grow the next crop of hay. I need the fields cleared by Wednesday ready or not. 
I am going to call and order some hay from another hayman. Hopefully he is having better luck. We still have more to cut of course but it is so thick and past it that I need a week of dry hot weather to get that in.
Hay is the first thing I think of every morning. 
Poppy is starting to belly down so once I have the Airbnb ready for today’s guest I will get her all set up in case she surprises me. Her floor is already clean and covered in fresh shavings, I just need to get the piglet creep ready.
Yesterday I opened the fence for the three little pigs and let them wander about the big field full of oats and clover. They were overcome with excitement running in circles. Then with in the evening – with a bucket of milk, I led them back into their enclosure for the night. I have heard a lot of coyotes out these last few days. 
Can you see the little pig in that long grass? They have a lot to eat out there so won’t be needing much grain at all.
Also the tweeny ducklings had the same kind of afternoon, I took down their fence and they spent a good amount of time in the big ducks pond. The big ducks do not react to them at all. In fact this duck hen spent all afternoon watching them through the fence. 
As usual they are much less flighty when they are free. And were easy to get back into the chicken tractor at night. Blending these two flocks is my next challenge so I can lock them all up safely at night. 
Did I tell you the Ideal Poultry people got back in touch and said I need to wait until the ducklings are four months old, and have their adult feathers, before trying to guess at their sex. But whatever they are is uniform at the moment, they all have yellow legs and wingtips and they are huge. I still remain unconvinced I have a flock of girls. Though it may be a result of the muddled breeding. However I did appreciate the prompt response to my question.
So we will wait and see.
Talk soon
Celi
24 Comments on “AN IDEA”
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Be careful that the wet hay bails don’t overheat and catch fire.
I saw that happen once when I was s kid so am very aware of that issue. They will be nowhere near buildings or long grass. Also thank you for the ‘ buckets of sourdough starter for pigs ‘ idea! It is working really well with my purge rye. How I wish you lived close by. There is talk of getting a resident sourdough baker in a restaurant down the road – I immediately thought of you. Aside from the fact you are hundreds of miles away the ovens ( new and very posh) are electric – no wood fired ovens.
11 hours/ 1100km? No problem!; )
Heck, I’m only 1 1/2 hours away and wish he was closer!
What a test. You have to be constantly working out what to do for the best as climate change begins to impact.
Amazing thought processes.
Piglets look as if “they are in clover”. Pardon the pun.
Spontaneous fire is worrisome, but I imagine the life of a farmer must be always connected to alternative ideas and compromise. Better to do something, than nothing at all. We desperately need rain here, are already in severe drought warnings throughout the state–send that rain back towards the west Miss C!
Check out my friend Tim Hall at http://www.Hallshay.com Premium Western Forage. 1-1970-630-2111. They are in Idalia CO
I wish I were closer – we are in Illinois.
Hay what a headache. Del is looking good in the IG video. Laura
Oh, Ceci ! You gave me a laugh to start my day – thank you! You wrote that the duck hen spent the day watching the wee ducklings through the fence. The photo shows a duck staring at a board! Ducklettes on the other side. X-ray vision, perhaps? Next photo clarifies it a bit – there is also a wire fence there. Good luck with your soggy bales (or ‘rolls’) of hay. Never saw rolls of hay until we took trip to Oklahoma. Have a lovely day!
Oh those ducks! Always enjoy your pictures. (Hay as wind breaks is a good idea – composting, too.)
Thinking the compost idea would be safest… Spread out to 2-3” it wouldn’t be as likely to moulder, would it?
Those pigs are once again, in a pig paradise!
I like your ideas, whatever the use that hay is better off the ground. You will soon have great compost and weed mat… not much consolation for the loss of hay but something is better than nothing… and waste. We hate waste. Our chooks also love sourdough discard.
I too used to give them the little bits of discard but this way I add more flour and more water and make buckets of the stuff!
Your creative thinking never ceases to amaze me. Uses for wet hay and excess sourdough. One more thing to do with my starter when we a) get the chooks we’re hoping for and b) I get Corinna going to bake my own sourdough. I do wish I had you closer for buying the flour, but the postage would be massive.
Does no one in your area green chop hay for silage? Seems like that’s where most of the first cutting goes around here.
Evidently our mower cuts too low for silage. Who knew.
Can the height be adjusted C?
Do you think ritual dancing on the part of the fellowship would yield any results with the Weather Gods? Me neither, but it would be fun.
Yes it would be fun. especially the videos!!
Did those Duck People also happen to mention why you’ve got ducks with pompon?
The crested variety are wont to make an appearance every now and then evidently . It is in their description on the site – I just forgot about it I guess
Ah, so it’s a genetic throwback/ trait for these ducks then? :/)
Something like that.