Monday, November 28

Monday Dose of Cute: Weekend Recovery Mode (and The Whole Picture)

Bert in weekend recovery mode 1 - FarmgirlFare.com

More photos below. . .

Bert in weekend recovery mode 2 - FarmgirlFare.com

Bert in weekend recovery mode 3 - FarmgirlFare.com

Happy Monday! Awake enough to shop? For affordable, useful gifts that will be appreciated for years, check out my Holiday Gift Ideas for Bakers and Cooks: 16 Favorite Kitchen Essentials, Most Under $25.

Want to see more of The Whole Picture series?
(click here to see all these posts on one long page)
7/19/08: Big Hearted
7/27/08: Siesta Time
1/5/10: Cold Lover
9/24/11: Curious Cluck

© FarmgirlFare.com, and Bert didn't even have pie.

5 comments:

  1. Why is it that dogs can look so comfortable lying on the roughest surfaces? I think it's the same phenomenon that makes whatever horses are chewing sound so delicious. Quick question for you: I see 'hay barns' all over the place, often just a roof, like yours'. I have always wondered why they aren't constructed with at least partial sides, or even angled wings on them to keep the rain off. I know you want to avoid any moisture buildup, and hence mold, but I always think so much hay nutrition is wasted by allowing the outer bales to degrade with rain and snow on them. I know there's a good answer...can you tell me what it is? Economy? Something about the combustion process I'm not getting?


    Thanks! Tracy B.

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  2. No wonder Bert is sacked out---he had his final exam for the Junior Guard Dog badge followed up by dance class.... the guy is always on the go! He loves his life on the farm---and he loves his Lucky Buddy Bear.We love him!

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  3. Hi Everybody,
    Thanks for the fun comments!


    Hi Tracy,
    My apologies for the delayed reply. You said:
    Quick question for you: I see 'hay barns' all over the place, often just a roof, like yours'. I have always wondered why they aren't constructed with at least partial sides, or even angled wings on them to keep the rain off.

    I know you want to avoid any moisture buildup, and hence mold, but I always think so much hay nutrition is wasted by allowing the outer bales to degrade with rain and snow on them.

    I know there's a good answer...can you tell me what it is? Economy? Something about the combustion process I'm not getting?


    Those are very good questions! Our hay barn is what many people call a pole barn - just a top and no sides. One of the reasons they're so popular is because they cost less than a four sided structure (though putting this one up did cost nearly as much as our sheep barn!).

    When storing hay, you do want to be very careful about keeping the temperature down - especially when you're putting up and storing hay in a place that's as hot and humid as Missouri - because it can indeed spontaneously burst into flames. Barn fires are sadly all too common.

    Our hay is very dry when we put it up - because mold can be a big problem - so that helps a lot, but air circulation is very important.

    Of course, as you pointed out, the sun, rain, etc. do damage the hay that has been left open to the elements. Fortunately it's only on the edges. When you break open those bales, the insides will still be in perfect shape.

    That said, we do actually have plans to partly enclose this structure as time, funds, and our Amish carpenters' schedules allow. We will probably enclose three sides (west, south, and east) and leave the north side open.

    While this will protect the hay more - and will also increase the stability of such a tall structure (we ended up making it over 2 feet taller than originally planned), it will make unloading and stacking the hay more difficult, especially since we usually unload from all four sides. It will also be a whole lot hotter. Since we already put up hay during the hottest, most humid time of year (usually 90° and 90% humidity), we're not looking forward to that part! ;)

    We will probably construct some sort of door/doors on the east side so we can back the hay trailer into the barn, and we may try to figure out some way to implement the hay elevator we own but never use because it doesn't work with our current situation.

    The good news is that it should be easier to actually stack the hay because we won't have to be so careful to make sure that it doesn't all fall out of the barn. :)

    And to increase the air circulation, we will have spaces between the boards on the sides, rather than tightly nailing them together.

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December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

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