Fodder Room After Vacation

We went to Joshua Tree with our Boy Scout Troop.  We had a great time.  We had a neighbor take care of the animals and water the fodder twice a day.  When we got home everything was great, some of the fodder was a little slimy, but after a few days of being watered 4 times a day the slime washed away.  We have been having cold weather.  The fodder room is cold, I have been able to keep it from freezing every night but  the seeds are not sprouting as quickly as they were in the house.  

We put halters on 3 of the sheep and brought all 5 up onto our lawn to eat.  

Fodder Room Part 2

Yes, these doors are nicer than the ones we have for my house.

Darling Husband put two vents in the cargo container’s roof and pulled off the doors and put in glass doors to let the sunlight in. 

We put foam with a reflective covering to protect the wall.  We made a pool out of 2x6’s and pond liner under the shelves.  Then we put together the shelves and put the fodder trays on them.  We have increased fodder production to 4 trays a day.

While Darling Husband and I were working on the Fodder Room; Stick Boy and Teen Son were tearing down a huge cactus that is taking over the next pasture we want to fence. 

Darling Husband put a sprinkler system to spray on the top trays then the water will drip through all the trays and into the pool at the bottom.  Eventually I will have a timer and an automatic system but for now I am turning on the water for about 10 minutes 3 or 4 times a day.  

Fodder Room Part 1

Darling Husband has a Bargain Finder Friend.  BFF found a couple cargo containers on a property that was being sold that needed to be moved before Christmas.  He wanted one and we would get the other.  We decided ½ of our cargo containers would be my Fodder Room.  The owner of the property was having emotional problems with cleaning the property the cargo containers were stuck in dirt behind a bunch of trees that needed to be trimmed to get them out.  We found a transport company to move the containers that would give us a great deal IF we got the cargo containers to the dirt road.  The DH and BFF trimmed the trees the end of December but the owner hadn’t finished cleaning the containers out.  Then the rains hit as the owner finished cleaning out the containers so they sunk a little deeper in the mud.  The guys used our forklift to lift the first cargo container onto short telephone poles and rolled it out of the mud (I am very sorry I wasn’t allowed to watch this and take pictures) and onto the dirt road.  They go back to lift the second container and it is stuck in the mud they keep trying and blow the seal on the forklift.  Now the company we hired to move the cargo containers had to bring something to lift the second container.  The price for moving the containers went way up and we had to wait until they have a weekday that works for them.  Darling Husband got a call at work saying “do it now” or we have to wait 3 weeks.  So DH took a day off of work to help move the containers.  We had graded a road to make it easier for the delivery of our container but Bargain Finder Friend didn’t realize how much the truck delivering the container would weigh and it started to sink in the mud.  So they dropped off the container left Darling Husband and Bargain Finder Friend to figure out how to get it into place.  DH and BFF then had to fix the forklift so they could move BFF’s container where they wanted it.  

Frisky Sheep

Most days I think I deal with my youngest daughter’s mental illness pretty well.  Most days I try to deal with her issues with love and humor.  I think she goes to bed feeling loved most of the time and that is huge progress, but we have had a rough couple weeks.  This morning I lost my lovin feeling and my humor and joined my daughter in being spitting mad. 

This afternoon everything was fine.  Pre-teen daughter likes to take care of the sheep by herself in the afternoon.  Normally they walk into their night enclosure without any problems BUT this weekend we moved the sheep.  They are in nice grass and weeds with big rocks that the sheep can jump on.  They are in sheep heaven!  They have not been eating the hay and fodder we give them.  Today the sheep seemed to tease Pre-teen Daughter and she started screaming at them.  Screaming at animals doesn't work.  The sheep thought it was another reason to run around and jump off rocks. 

Pre-teen Daughter screamed at her brothers to help and they asked her to ask nicely, that didn't help at all!  After watching his sister get more and more frustrated Stick Boy tried to go help her, but she kept screaming so he started waving sticks and jumping up and down.  This doesn't exactly get the sheep to go where you want them or calm down your screaming sister. 

My husband called me because I was at the top of the property and didn't hear the commotion.  We got Pre-Teen daughter to stop screaming and walk away, stopped stick boy from scaring the sheep, then Darling Husband and I cornered Blackwell (our biggest and sweetest sheep) I got the halter on her and walked her into the night enclosure the rest of the sheep followed like, well, sheep. 

We went back into the house and it took me over an hour to calm down Pre-teen Daughter.  I think I got her into bed feeling loved but I am exhausted.

This is how we move the sheep's night time enclosure from one area into another.  I asked to have it on wheels but Darling Husband thinks this is easier.