Busy time of Year

It has been awhile since I have written. This most definitely is a busy time of year for us. We have been busy re-fencing the back acreage of our property. And trying to get crops out before a hard frost comes. And a few minor repairs to the barn need to be made before the first hard winter day, along with fall barn cleaning. So much to do, and hope that we have enough of time to get it done.

Around this time of year, is when I start putting my to do list together before winter comes. Then it gives me about 2 months to get the list done, before the wind and snow starts to get to bad for major projects. It would probably only take me 2 weeks to get everything done, but given how much I work outside of our home, 2 months seems to be a good timeline for us.

Last year the to do list was easier, as all we had to worry about was the horses, mustangs, and pig. This year we have the mustangs, horses, and goats. We need a female pen and male pen for goats. And we separate our horses due to diet needs. The ones whom need more to eat go in 1 pen and the "pigs" go in a different pen. We only have 1 barn for our use and a run in shed. We had bad luck with the goats catching ammonia due to the drafts in the barn, this past spring. Fixing the drafts is a priority for this year. It's not the only problem with our barn. Our barn also needs 2 new doors and we need to configure it so the horses that are stalled, can get to their stalls and the goats can have free access to the pasture.

Since we live in North Iowa, there is usually at least 1 ice storm among the wind and snow storms. Which can make feeding, watering and keeping the animals safe a problem during that time. Our strategy is to have hay very close by the animals. To have water heaters and safe place for dumping water that won't cause a slippery mess. Water heaters and access to fill the water troughs with a short hose that is easy to take in and out of the basement.  Of course enough shelter for all of the animals, which can be a challenge as some of our animals like to block the doorways.

We try to keep only 2 water heaters going all winter long. Running extension cords all the way to the barn from our home can only handle 2 water heaters before it blows the circuit. That requires the horses and mustangs to share one water trough and the goats to share one for this year. It also requires for all water sources to be by a hydrant, so we can use short hoses. This year we will not have baby goats in February and March. It was just too cold, and the goats were breed when we got them. We didn't have much of a choice.

With all of that being said, I will be at the drawing board trying to figure out this years strategy for a safe winter. And still working on the back fence before winter set in officially:)