There isn't a lot to report from the farm lately. Last time we visited it was Ross and I bringing Larry to the farm with us. Larry is a young Dorking rooster that was upsetting the neighbours at Stawell, and so the plan was to house him at the farm using a solar powered electric fence to keep him safe from foxes. We'd go up and visit him weekly, of course!
The fence I really wanted has been on order since December, with an expected delivery date of mid January. Sadly the supplier was having troubles making that date and, since we were under pressure from the neighbours and the council, we needed a fence sooner rather than later.
I found a different fence, ordered it online, and it arrived about a week later. Ross and I took the whole kit and caboodle up to the farm with high hopes that Larry would be safe. Sadly we just couldn't get the fence to work the way we expected it to. There was a couple of breaks in the fence where it was clear the manufacturing wasn't up to scratch, the step in posts all but folded over when trying to get them in the ground.. so despite our hard work in the hot sun for a day and a half, we gave in and called the neighbour.
Thankfully he offered to take Larry in and look after him there in a fox-safe area. We're very lucky to have neighbours like Ray and Di! The next morning we could still hear Larry crowing all the way from their farm! I sure hope he's not driving them crazy.
Other than that, we're not doing anything at the farm lately. It's a good thing that this summer has been pretty dry, because it means we're not under pressure to cut anything. There's no grass growing.. only fruit trees fruiting. The local wildlife is making the most of that, of course.
It's like the place is stuck in time, waiting patiently for us to finish renovating in Stawell. We're all looking forward to the day we can move to the farm for good!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
East side
Last post for today! I just wanted to share my favourite photo of the last trip.
It looks so dry, and hot! It wasn't too bad, though. We took off the barbed wire from the fence in the front there, and removed the wire that was just lying all over the place. That will make mowing and scything a lot safer. The grass is about knee height in places, and we don't want to encourage snakes around the house.
The trees in the picture are almonds, and surprisingly tasty!
You might see behind the trees a water tank. It's not in use, but has some water in it. Marty is standing near it, looking up at the tank stand and blue barrel that was once being used as a header tank.
I can already imagine a low cob fence in place of the wire - keeping the wood posts, of course, because they're so full of character. I'm sure there'll be plenty of nesting opportunities for the Blue Banded bees in the fence, too. It's a longer-term project though - not too high on the priority list!
It looks so dry, and hot! It wasn't too bad, though. We took off the barbed wire from the fence in the front there, and removed the wire that was just lying all over the place. That will make mowing and scything a lot safer. The grass is about knee height in places, and we don't want to encourage snakes around the house.
The trees in the picture are almonds, and surprisingly tasty!
You might see behind the trees a water tank. It's not in use, but has some water in it. Marty is standing near it, looking up at the tank stand and blue barrel that was once being used as a header tank.
I can already imagine a low cob fence in place of the wire - keeping the wood posts, of course, because they're so full of character. I'm sure there'll be plenty of nesting opportunities for the Blue Banded bees in the fence, too. It's a longer-term project though - not too high on the priority list!
Blue Banded Bees
These lovely little bees are making their home in our new home!
The mudbrick walls have plenty of holes in them and the bees are all excited. Since we could tell they weren't eurpoean wasps, so after that, we're quite happy to have them here.
Turns out they're Blue Banded bees and are useful pollinators and aren't likely to sting anyone.
I think this means we need to get re-mudding the walls either now (so they have time to make a nest in a new wall - perhaps one we make just for them), or we might have to wait until next spring, after the baby bees are all grown up and left home.
Judging by the number of other things on our to-do list, I'm thinking we will be mudding next spring!
From a bed to a loo
Researching options for toilet facilities, we came across the very informative "Lovable loo" YouTube video. We liked the idea so much we decided to build our own version.
By chance we found a single bed for sale at the tip shop in Stawell for only $5, and immediately saw the potential for a toilet.
There was a fair amount of materials available, and we got to work right away.
The finished product.. in place.
The sawdust is in a burlap bag that was once used for chook food, along with a handy scoop. The bucket sits neatly under the seat, very snug indeed. We've colour coded the bucket (it's black!) to avoid any confusion as to what the bucket is to be used for. So far, so good. It's working out very nicely. The whole room smells of pine.
This last visit we found that just hooking up the water tank to the plumbing let enough water push through to wash our hands in the sink. No pump required, at least while the tank is full.
We're working on the water situation - we need a header tank for the tank stand (which is about 4.7 metres high) and a pump to get water up there. It's all new to us, so we'll be researching and asking advice before jumping in. We then need to get the water into the kitchen somehow! :)
We've already made a few mistakes. The first one was to only have 2 buckets for the loo to start with. We're going to need at least a few more, until we get the composting part of the system set up. Last time we visited, we had to use the old outhouse - which isn't nearly as nice.
Otherwise, we've got solar power and batteries to research. It's probably the next priority so we can get some refrigeration happening.
By chance we found a single bed for sale at the tip shop in Stawell for only $5, and immediately saw the potential for a toilet.
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| Single bed |
The finished product.. in place.
The sawdust is in a burlap bag that was once used for chook food, along with a handy scoop. The bucket sits neatly under the seat, very snug indeed. We've colour coded the bucket (it's black!) to avoid any confusion as to what the bucket is to be used for. So far, so good. It's working out very nicely. The whole room smells of pine.
This last visit we found that just hooking up the water tank to the plumbing let enough water push through to wash our hands in the sink. No pump required, at least while the tank is full.
We're working on the water situation - we need a header tank for the tank stand (which is about 4.7 metres high) and a pump to get water up there. It's all new to us, so we'll be researching and asking advice before jumping in. We then need to get the water into the kitchen somehow! :)
We've already made a few mistakes. The first one was to only have 2 buckets for the loo to start with. We're going to need at least a few more, until we get the composting part of the system set up. Last time we visited, we had to use the old outhouse - which isn't nearly as nice.
Otherwise, we've got solar power and batteries to research. It's probably the next priority so we can get some refrigeration happening.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Lunatic farmers
Yesterday I said that we had a busy 4 days, and I only accounted for 3. Well, yesterday was busy too, because we attended the Lunatic farm tour at Taranaki Farm with Joel Salatin.
The farm is about an hour north of Ballarat, where the wind was blowing and it was certainly chilly in comparison to home, or even Pleasant Hills for that matter, where we've been in T-shirts during the day. Luckily we dressed warm!
Taranaki farm follows Joel Salatin's advice very closely, with pastured poultry, pork and beef cattle. I've been interested in following some of the advice given in Joel's book "You Can Farm" and this was a perfect way of seeing it all in action.
We were also hoping to get some idea about the types of livestock that might be right for us and the farm. Getting up close and personal with cows, and seeing how easy fencing could be with electric wire.. it just made that side of things much easier to understand.
The poultry side of things was a little different to how we would do it. Marty and I both felt a little under-whelmed about the housing the poultry were in. I'm glad to say they were working on a better version of the poultry house / tractor, and I look forward to seeing that in action! We know that things on the farm (as well as in the backyard) are always in the process of being revised and improved.
But the general principle of having the poultry follow the cattle in rotation is something we can all agree on. The improvement in the pasture was very obvious, and the quality of the egg and the happiness of the chook is going to be a million times better than anything confined.
However, I don't see us choosing broiler chooks for our situation. Marty and I both feel that the breed has been too heavily selected for fattening up rather than the ability to walk well, grow feathers or enjoy normal chook behaviours. Oh, and there's the flavour of course! Sadly that means the cost to keep the chook is more, but it's a moral issue for us, rather than a pure monetary one.
Although, the tour did make us re-consider getting pigs. We weren't going to get any pigs because it's not something we can eat, but the benefits of pigs are so numerous, it's certainly worth seriously considering anyway.
It was a good experience, and a fun day. The food provided was gluten free even, and Marty and I enjoyed a sausage (or three!) for the first time in a very long time. The pastured chicken had more texture than shop-bought, but even so, it didn't taste anywhere as lovely as the Dorking boys we process ourselves. (Of course, I'm very biased in my absolute devotion to the Dorking!)
We took the opportunity to purchase a copy of Joel's latest book, had it signed and even got a picture with the famous farmer. :)
The trip gave us lots to talk about on the way home, and plenty of things to consider going forward.
The farm is about an hour north of Ballarat, where the wind was blowing and it was certainly chilly in comparison to home, or even Pleasant Hills for that matter, where we've been in T-shirts during the day. Luckily we dressed warm!
Taranaki farm follows Joel Salatin's advice very closely, with pastured poultry, pork and beef cattle. I've been interested in following some of the advice given in Joel's book "You Can Farm" and this was a perfect way of seeing it all in action.
We were also hoping to get some idea about the types of livestock that might be right for us and the farm. Getting up close and personal with cows, and seeing how easy fencing could be with electric wire.. it just made that side of things much easier to understand.
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| Joel Salatin entertaining the crowd, farm staff entertaining the cows! |
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| Photogenic cows |
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| Kids loved the chook tractor |
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| Looking forward to seeing this version finished |
But the general principle of having the poultry follow the cattle in rotation is something we can all agree on. The improvement in the pasture was very obvious, and the quality of the egg and the happiness of the chook is going to be a million times better than anything confined.
However, I don't see us choosing broiler chooks for our situation. Marty and I both feel that the breed has been too heavily selected for fattening up rather than the ability to walk well, grow feathers or enjoy normal chook behaviours. Oh, and there's the flavour of course! Sadly that means the cost to keep the chook is more, but it's a moral issue for us, rather than a pure monetary one.
Although, the tour did make us re-consider getting pigs. We weren't going to get any pigs because it's not something we can eat, but the benefits of pigs are so numerous, it's certainly worth seriously considering anyway.
 |
| 2 strands of electric wire is all that is needed to keep them in! |
We took the opportunity to purchase a copy of Joel's latest book, had it signed and even got a picture with the famous farmer. :)
The trip gave us lots to talk about on the way home, and plenty of things to consider going forward.
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