The Official Farming Thread...

[Woodtroll]

The little peoples calf raising adventure is gonna take a few years to turn a profit lol.
View attachment 468050

14x24 calf shelter. Gotta build some gates today to make a few pens and feeders. No way I’m paying $700+ for four cheap green gates from Fleet Farm. That’s crazy.
View attachment 468051

Even had them put some vent doors in the back. I’m really happy with the build quality on this thing. It wasn’t cheap vs building it myself but it sure was a whole lot quicker lol
View attachment 468052

That’s a good looking calf barn!

 

[They call me Mr. Kibbs]

One of my neighbors built a horse barn with metal siding all the way to the ground. I had mentioned to him that if the horses realized that they could get attention by kicking the walls, they would end up kicking the metal off. Of course he didn't listen. The walls now look like a well used demolition derby car.

Sounds like reason 712 not to have horses

 

[Mastermind]

Sounds like reason 712 not to have horses

100% agree.

 

[Only the Tony]

Hay burners and french beef.

 

[jblnut]

Good thing I have a healthy selection of gate materials. Buying scrap piles at auctions has its benefits.


Pick out a few good looking pipes and em bring into the shop.


When you build them yourself you can do whatever you want. Pretty excited to see how it turns out !!


Chomp chomp.


One is done and leaning on the camper. Two more are in the table. We built a calf mover box and it’s in the background along with Miss Lily rolling around in a new shop chair lol

 

[jakethesnake]

Good thing I have a healthy selection of gate materials. Buying scrap piles at auctions has its benefits.
View attachment 468075

Pick out a few good looking pipes and em bring into the shop.
View attachment 468076

When you build them yourself you can do whatever you want. Pretty excited to see how it turns out !!
View attachment 468077

Chomp chomp.
View attachment 468078

One is done and leaning on the camper. Two more are in the table. We built a calf mover box and it’s in the background along with Miss Lily rolling around in a new shop chair lol
View attachment 468079

Wouldn’t mind seeing the finished project so I can steal your blueprints

 

[jblnut]

Wouldn’t mind seeing the finished project so I can steal your blueprints

I’ll happily share whatever you want once it’s installed and proven working. Hopefully that is tomorrow or the next day. I want the calves moved before the weekend. One of them is large enough to dang near walk away with the hutch he’s currently in lol.

 

[JimBear]

View attachment 466744
View attachment 466745
Steers in the middle flanked by the bulls. They have some weight to them, especially when they were moving around in the trailer heading down the highway. Thinking about some portable scales just for my own curiosity. Cheapest way would be to get load cells and display and put together my own platform over them. For small timer like myself I can't justify a high dollar setup to use just a half a dozen times a year.

Look for a portable balance beam scale. A friend has one & we set it up behind the chute when working the calves.

 

[They call me Mr. Kibbs]

Good thing I have a healthy selection of gate materials. Buying scrap piles at auctions has its benefits.
View attachment 468075

Pick out a few good looking pipes and em bring into the shop.
View attachment 468076

When you build them yourself you can do whatever you want. Pretty excited to see how it turns out !!
View attachment 468077

Chomp chomp.
View attachment 468078

One is done and leaning on the camper. Two more are in the table. We built a calf mover box and it’s in the background along with Miss Lily rolling around in a new shop chair lol
View attachment 468079

Pretty work! Your scrap auctions are better than what we see, mostly bent conduit, a little galv water pipe and some chain link fencing posts. Tube, flat stock and angle are usually posted on craigs list, etc, and scooped up at near retail price...go figure...

Very nice shop as well!

 

[jblnut]

Pretty work! Your scrap auctions are better than what we see, mostly bent conduit, a little galv water pipe and some chain link fencing posts. Tube, flat stock and angle are usually posted on craigs list, etc, and scooped up at near retail price...go figure...

Very nice shop as well!

I think I paid $275 for the steel rack and around $250 for every piece of iron on it other than the limb saw under it and the augers on top of it. Can’t argue with that.

Mocked the busy gate up before making it more permanent with the electric hot glue gun.


This is how they’ll meet up. The hole on the left will get a headlock pipe so I can catch the critters easier. There will be a feed through panel to the right of the panel with the little gate.


Little gate opened into chute position. Should work well as long as no one else runs out of the newly made opening. The long gate will get crib panel welded to it to keep them from climbing through.

 

[Only the Tony]

I think I paid $275 for the steel rack and around $250 for every piece of iron on it other than the limb saw under it and the augers on top of it. Can’t argue with that.

Mocked the busy gate up before making it more permanent with the electric hot glue gun.
View attachment 468156

This is how they’ll meet up. The hole on the left will get a headlock pipe so I can catch the critters easier. There will be a feed through panel to the right of the panel with the little gate.
View attachment 468157

Little gate opened into chute position. Should work well as long as no one else runs out of the newly made opening. The long gate will get crib panel welded to it to keep them from climbing through.
View attachment 468158

You cut your hinges at an angle to make the gate self closing or am I seeing something wrong? When I get back to working on my corral I'm planning to make a few spring latches so I can just slam the gate closed and have it latched.

 

[jblnut]

You cut your hinges at an angle to make the gate self closing or am I seeing something wrong? When I get back to working on my corral I'm planning to make a few spring latches so I can just slam the gate closed and have it latched.

The hope is self closing. It’ll need a spring latch to be truly self closing. I may build a latch like the one on my tub if I have time.

 

[jakethesnake]

This Merica!

 

[Only the Tony]

Beans about 3 miles from the house. Rain has been so hit and miss lucky these even came up at all. Got just under an inch yesterday and today. Vinita OK which is about 60 miles west of me had 11".

 

[Wilhelm]

Horseradish that grew next to a plum, 30+ years old.
Plum is long gone, wanted to get rid of the stump so I took extra steps to get out as much as possible of the horseradish.







The horseradish root broke off about 18" deep into the bone dry ground at an root OD of 35mm or just shy of 1 1/2".

Old local folk says two things about horseradish:
- You can't get rid of it once it takes roots
- You can't ever get the whole root out

 

[Mastermind]

Horseradish that grew next to a plum, 30+ years old.
Plum is long gone, wanted to get rid of the stump so I took extra steps to get out as much as possible of the horseradish.

View attachment 468435
View attachment 468436
View attachment 468437
View attachment 468438
View attachment 468439

The horseradish root broke off about 18" deep into the bone dry ground at an root OD of 35mm or just shy of 1 1/2".

Old local folk says two things about horseradish:
- You can't get rid of it once it takes roots
- You can't ever get the whole root out

I like horseradish.

 

[Mastermind]

I had my daughter's boyfriend, and my grandson Jon get the engine off of the 2640 today.

 

[Bill G]

Weeds. We're buried in em.

We are buried in weed here also since it is legal in Illinois.......I have to make a joke every once in awhile

I am heading out in a few minutes with a special brew to do some weed and brush killing

 

[jblnut]

Gates for the first pen are installed !! I needed the lawnmower and loader to hold them in place lol. Heavy buggers.


They fold flat against the walls just like I hoped they would !! I don’t plan to winter calves in here so I’ll likely fill this thing up in the winter with the only thing that makes sense. Totes of firewood for next year !!


Calves have been installed along with a feeder and water tub. The boys were picking on Miss Annie the heifer cross so I stuck her back in her hutch until her side gates are done.

 

[Mastermind]

Gates for the first pen are installed !! I needed the lawnmower and loader to hold them in place lol. Heavy buggers.
View attachment 468662

They fold flat against the walls just like I hoped they would !! I don’t plan to winter calves in here so I’ll likely fill this thing up in the winter with the only thing that makes sense. Totes of firewood for next year !!
View attachment 468664

Calves have been installed along with a feeder and water tub. The boys were picking on Miss Annie the heifer cross so I stuck her back in her hutch until her side gates are done.
View attachment 468666

Very well done.