Rainy Days are HERE!!!
Over the last few months we have done some things around the yard in preparation for the inevitable rains that will arrive in November or December.
Well… thank GOD we have done some preparation because last week during a 36 hour period we received 3.3 inches of rain! Not only do we have the rain falling in our backyard, we get the run-off from the neighboring properties running through our yard via the creek/drainage ditch! We didn’t know this, or at least didn’t realize what that meant in the sheer volume of water that would flow through our property every rainy season.
Farmer Jeff realized that our bridge over the creek was starting to fall apart and that once we were deep into rainy season it would begin falling apart unless we did something to repair it. Good idea! In taking it apart we realized that it was just a short matter of time before it DID fall apart. He got that thing built over the long Labor Day weekend and I stained/sealed it. Very clean, slick lines.
The next project was creating our very own “yellow brick road”. The dogs have so thoughtfully created a path in the yard but it becomes VERY muddy during the winter. Since we now have to go out to the chicken coop twice a day (let them out and feed them/lock them in and keep chicken feeding critters OUT) Farmer Jeff suggested we have a path. We found this wonderful material that pours like fine gravel, but packs down and creates a pretty clean walking surface. We found a color, Melita Gold, that really looks quite nice and is really golden in color, hence, the yellow brick road! We have also found that it cuts down on the amount of mud the dogs have on their feet when they want to come it. Pretty nice considering we have to do a John the Baptist routine with them every time they come in from the outside during rainy season.
THEN Farmer Jeff realized that we needed an area secure from the rains to store the lawn mowers, outdoor equipment and patio furniture. After several days of building, he is putting the last of the corrugated metal on today.
The last project will be to create a water proof area to store the chicken feed. For the moment it just may end up in the chicken coop itself. The girls will just have to walk around it!
Now…being the city girl that I am, not only did we build a warm and secure chicken coop with a linoleum floor, but I wanted the girls to be protected when they went out into their yard. Also, it is a pain to keep their feed dry when it rains and I have learned that molded feed is highly poisonous to the chickens.
I came up with the bright idea of putting huge tarps over the top of the outdoor enclosure. Well, I learned pretty quickly how much I DON'T know about the physics of water! What a mess! I created very effective catch basins for the rain which just about pulled down the outdoor enclosure! The first night of the rains I was out in the pen in my rubber boots trying to push the big pools of water up in vain attempts to displace the water and get it off the tarps. It was fun to see it cascade like huge water falls…until I started to get MIGHTY wet!
The next day, during a particularly heavy deluge, Farmer Jeff had to go out and create circus tent poles to drain the water off. It worked pretty well but this saga is NOT over. It will go on for the whole winter…or until we figure out what the heck we are doing!!!
Well… thank GOD we have done some preparation because last week during a 36 hour period we received 3.3 inches of rain! Not only do we have the rain falling in our backyard, we get the run-off from the neighboring properties running through our yard via the creek/drainage ditch! We didn’t know this, or at least didn’t realize what that meant in the sheer volume of water that would flow through our property every rainy season.
Farmer Jeff realized that our bridge over the creek was starting to fall apart and that once we were deep into rainy season it would begin falling apart unless we did something to repair it. Good idea! In taking it apart we realized that it was just a short matter of time before it DID fall apart. He got that thing built over the long Labor Day weekend and I stained/sealed it. Very clean, slick lines.
The next project was creating our very own “yellow brick road”. The dogs have so thoughtfully created a path in the yard but it becomes VERY muddy during the winter. Since we now have to go out to the chicken coop twice a day (let them out and feed them/lock them in and keep chicken feeding critters OUT) Farmer Jeff suggested we have a path. We found this wonderful material that pours like fine gravel, but packs down and creates a pretty clean walking surface. We found a color, Melita Gold, that really looks quite nice and is really golden in color, hence, the yellow brick road! We have also found that it cuts down on the amount of mud the dogs have on their feet when they want to come it. Pretty nice considering we have to do a John the Baptist routine with them every time they come in from the outside during rainy season.
THEN Farmer Jeff realized that we needed an area secure from the rains to store the lawn mowers, outdoor equipment and patio furniture. After several days of building, he is putting the last of the corrugated metal on today.
The last project will be to create a water proof area to store the chicken feed. For the moment it just may end up in the chicken coop itself. The girls will just have to walk around it!
Now…being the city girl that I am, not only did we build a warm and secure chicken coop with a linoleum floor, but I wanted the girls to be protected when they went out into their yard. Also, it is a pain to keep their feed dry when it rains and I have learned that molded feed is highly poisonous to the chickens.
I came up with the bright idea of putting huge tarps over the top of the outdoor enclosure. Well, I learned pretty quickly how much I DON'T know about the physics of water! What a mess! I created very effective catch basins for the rain which just about pulled down the outdoor enclosure! The first night of the rains I was out in the pen in my rubber boots trying to push the big pools of water up in vain attempts to displace the water and get it off the tarps. It was fun to see it cascade like huge water falls…until I started to get MIGHTY wet!
The next day, during a particularly heavy deluge, Farmer Jeff had to go out and create circus tent poles to drain the water off. It worked pretty well but this saga is NOT over. It will go on for the whole winter…or until we figure out what the heck we are doing!!!
posted by Chicken Mama at 3:02 PM
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