R got to paint up his wood truck he got for his birthday then J helped him glue the wheels on the axles and put it together. It didn't take too long for the paint to dry and he was flinging it all over the floor in the house.
The meat birds had gotten way too big for the little brooder I had them in so I set about getting their new digs ready. I first had to disconnect the chipper from the truck then I backed up to the hut and shoveled the freshly cut chips into the hut and spread them around.
The chips are perfect sized and I didn't use all of them up so I needed a place to store them. I have a couple of old truck bed liners that I use for hauling stuff around the farm. I took one of them and am using it to store the chips.
The liner sits so the open end is down hill so any rains will run out and not sit in the chips. I might use the other liner to cover them but I will have to see if it would be worth it.
I moved more lights into the hut and plugged them all in. I am out of red heat lamps so am using 3 white light heat lamps, at least it keeps them warm. I will have to pick up some more of red heat lamps soon so I have a stock of them to get through Winter.
The hut got a tarp over the top and the length of the back so I can try to keep a bit of the warm in. The ends aren't covered yet but It is still a work in progress. The fence happened to be the EXACT length to reach all the way around the hut. It is just long enough to over lap enough for the door.
The birds are much happier to be out of the tiny brooder and to have more space with clean bedding. You can just see the overlap of the fence in the middle of the opening.
I got a fire going in the pit again and after dark grilled our steaks for dinner. Now that I have the chipper I am not going to have as much to run through the pit so I will have to save a pile just for burning.
The birds all huddle together at night so this seemed like they will do just fine. The 3 lights should be enough to keep them warm but I will be adding coverings to the ends of the hut and maybe a bit more to give them some actual warm spaces.
It's to snow tonight into tomorrow so I have to get the rest of the garden cleaned up today then this evening is our co-op board meeting.
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Sustainable & Organic Methods | Heirloom Produce