Almost five years back, after a couple absolutely crazy months, I finished work at the dairy and moved over 500 miles away to start running a chicken farm on my own. An experience that I will never forget and one that I learned so much from. I grew up on a farm and was used to animals of all kinds but had never raised chickens or completely run a farm so it was a steep learning curve.
A year-and-a-half in, I started managing my neighbour's farm as well so that was another challenge as the barns were older, run with different systems, and there were a whole lot more numbers to deal with. :)
Raising around 80,000 birds in 8 week cycles never left me with any dull moments. Birds would arrive and the next five days would be spent checking the barns fives times a day. Then I'd continue to do chores and check them three times a day until the end of five weeks. Shipping was crazy since I'd be up all night for usually two nights in a row. Then it was time for barn clean out which I started on right away since there were four barn to pressure wash. There was a little time for the barns to sit between cycles and then a few days before placing, it was time to start getting the barns ready again. Getting good results from the plant, it made me feel like all the effort and work was worth it. When I had raised the last cycle of birds, I figured out that I had raised 6.5 million LB of chicken!
So many memories of the days when things ran smoothly and the days when everything would go wrong. The first chicken cycle shortly after moving there, the area had record rain and my yard had record flooding. :p I remember bucketing out water for hours, building gravel dams inside, checking the pump throughout the night, and thinking, "What did I get myself into??" And, it didn't end up being the only time to happen.There were stretches it seemed the alarms wouldn't stop between the barns, feeders, and coal boilers...around 2 AM at night when it was -30* or colder seemed to the most ideal time. Or, when the feed tube would get pushed out of place and there would be a couple tons of feed to bucket out. Or, when the pressure washer hose had to burst three times when I was trying to get the barns cleaned out quick. And, the list could go on for quite a while... But, I did manage to gain some trouble shooting skills and at the end felt like I could handle almost anything that came my way.
Though overwhelmed often, looking back I see it as a good experience. It helped push me out of my comfort zone and I learned that I could handle work that seemed intimidating or daunting at times. These past years were probably some of the busiest and hardest of my life and at the same time some of my best.
One of the biggest blessings was finding a great church to attend. I won't forget the awesome group there and the friends I made during that time. So many genuine and thoughtful people who really cared. Many great memories: helping out at camp, Ladies Time Out, helping a friend with her restaurant, friends always making sure that I had a happy birthday, hot dog roasts, kind and generous neighbours, dinner invites, spontaneous get-togethers, Ladies Nights. and so many more.
It has been one of those chapters in life that will always stick close to me. One that has had an impact I won't forget. I'm thankful the ones who were apart of my life then (both far and near.)
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
I'm back and the adventures continue...
Since the last post time has flown by and yesterday it was already time to place chicks again! After about a week of barn clean-up, I headed back to AB to work at the dairy for a week and sell trees. I stopped at the Davidson farm on the way there and way back since it is about half way between my place and the AB place. Then it was back home here to do a bit of barn repair and get the barn ready for chicks again. Now yard work has begun so the days are even getting busier. I enjoy being outdoors and am loving how early it gets light out and stays late into the evening.
I'll be uploading some pics of the past few weeks in following posts but leave you with a few from today's adventure. I was watering my flowerbeds and then stepped into the house to see my office carpet and entryway floor soaked with water. The spigot where I was watering from is on the outside of the house right behind the office wall. There must be a leak (maybe the line froze though I did keep it heated under the house during the winter) and for how it was installed the line can't really be accessed to work on so I'll have to put another line in if I want to be able to water the garden and flowers. Right now I'm hoping and praying it will rain. :)
I'll be uploading some pics of the past few weeks in following posts but leave you with a few from today's adventure. I was watering my flowerbeds and then stepped into the house to see my office carpet and entryway floor soaked with water. The spigot where I was watering from is on the outside of the house right behind the office wall. There must be a leak (maybe the line froze though I did keep it heated under the house during the winter) and for how it was installed the line can't really be accessed to work on so I'll have to put another line in if I want to be able to water the garden and flowers. Right now I'm hoping and praying it will rain. :)
Monday, March 7, 2011
Howdy!
Where does the time go? I've been planning to post more than just quotes and pictures but the past eight weeks have been packed full with travels, work, and trying to keep on top of problems which seemed to endlessly keep popping up throughout this chicken cycle.
When the last batch of chickens were shipped and the barn cleaned, I headed back for Alberta again. I stayed overnight at our Davidson farm and enjoyed visiting with my awesome brother, Graham, and his family. :)
My other brother and his family were recovering from the flu when I first came through so I visited with them on the way back. I didn't get any pictures though. :( They had just gotten a new ice maker which fascinated the kids and they were also excited since their dad had been teaching them different ways how to start a fire. I think they can probably start one better than me. lol! Jared is the bookworm and his greeting when you walk in the door is always excitedly jumping around asking you to read a book with him. Kaylea was walking this time. My nephews and nieces are growing up so fast. Maybe it seems even more so since I don't get to see them very often. I ended up staying an extra day since I had to sign something for our company at Viterra Monday morning. So, I had church with them, more reading, visiting, and great food. My sister-in-law, Sherra, is a great cook!
Monday afternoon I got back home here and it was time to start getting the barns ready for chicks again. During clean up we ran into problems with the big barn doors at the south end. Due to all the rain this year, the concrete pad heaved with the frost preventing the doors from being able to opened all the way. So, while I was away my neighbour was able to help a carpenter take the doors down, cut 3 1/2" off, fill them with insulation, and get them back up again. That would have been no small feat and it was good to come home to that project successfully completed.
Unfortunately, that issue turned out to be one of the many problems that continuously popped up throughout the rest of the chicken cycle. I started to fill feedlines and the bearing went out of one of the lines. My neighbour helped me the next morning replace the bearing. I had helped him change one at his place before and think I know how to do it now except that it would be very difficult to pull the auger flighting out and get a clamp in by myself. You do NOT want the flighting to slip into the feedline. If that happened...well, you just don't let that happen. lol!
The chicks arrived a little later than usual around 1 PM. They were very active! I checked them around 3 and then again around 5. As soon as I stepped into the barn entry I could hear water running in the boiler room. I opened the door to find water spewing out all over the wall and floor from the hot loop pump. My neighbour came and looked at it and told me what to do until I was able to get a plumber come replace the seal. I stayed up most the night making sure it didn't get worse...not that I could have done anything if it had. haha. Usually listening to water running makes for a peaceful sleep. That works if you are by the ocean not when it is spewing out of a pump. It was still another day or so before the plumber could come but thankfully things held together then.
Then the boiler needed a new diaphragm. My neighbour helped me replace the old diaphragm with a new one. It is always a relief to me when a problem is corrected and the system working properly again.
Then the CBC Market Place did their "selective journalism" episode on the supermarket chicken and the industry in which the true facts were mostly irrelevant. That deserves a whole post of it's own. :P
Had to get an electrician out because the motor overload on the bin auger wasn't working and some other work had to be done out there.
And don't laugh, I got stuck for the second time in my driveway. :P If you go off to the left too much it is softer and with all the snow it makes for a perfect getting completely stuck experience. :P
On a balmy -35*C morning, the lovely barn alarms wakes me at 4:15 AM. First I checked the boiler and all the temperatures were fine there so I check the barn computer and it is a low temperature alarm which has never gone off before. I spent the next three hours trying to get the temperature to rise and stablize(I switched the inlets to manual and closed them up partially which helped some but not enough) and then called my neighbour around 7 AM. We made an adjustment in the climate controls and solved that problem almost immediately.
The coal bridged for the first time in the bin causing another temperature alarm to go off. It has happened a couple more times but I've caught it pretty quick and it is an easy fix thankfully.
Then I had the water tested and due to the results showing some bacteria, I was advised not to drink the water. I had been drinking it all along and hadn't experienced any adverse effects but for the time being I am buying my drinking water. It's a lot of fun lugging those big blue jugs around when you go grocery shopping. :P I know bacteria can be a serious issue but the testing is getting more thorough and I wonder if they end up detecting more when all along it was there to some degree but not harmful.
Had an issue with raising the feedlines but it seems to have corrected itself. I did buy belts for both the water and feedlines as it doesn't hurt to have replacements on hand just in case.
My neck started killing me which prompted me to find a chiropractor. I slipped on the ice when back in Alberta and have been dealing with the effects since then and it was getting worse. A friend gave a recommendation to one in Canora so I went last week. He was awesome and isn't the type that wants you coming back three times a week the rest of your life. And his rates were reasonable too so I'm happy about that.
So, that pretty much sums up the past eight weeks! Yeah, it was discouraging at times but at least I gained some more experience and have improved the place which hopefully will help things run smoother. And, I think I've said it every time, but I can't believe it is already time to ship chickens again! They go Wednesday night so I need to do some baking for the chicken catchers (cookies and cinnabons!) and print out the schedule.
Have a great week! :D
When the last batch of chickens were shipped and the barn cleaned, I headed back for Alberta again. I stayed overnight at our Davidson farm and enjoyed visiting with my awesome brother, Graham, and his family. :)
Graham, Emily, and Abigail
The next day I drove to Alberta to look after Dad and Mom's place and to fill in for Erin at the dairy (where I worked too before I moved up here) while they were on their Hawaii vacation. I worked five doubles and then mornings for the remaining three days. 3:45 AM always comes too early. :P :D It was fun to be around the cows again and their personalities. :) Due to a snow storm moving in, I headed out a day earlier than planned.
Monday afternoon I got back home here and it was time to start getting the barns ready for chicks again. During clean up we ran into problems with the big barn doors at the south end. Due to all the rain this year, the concrete pad heaved with the frost preventing the doors from being able to opened all the way. So, while I was away my neighbour was able to help a carpenter take the doors down, cut 3 1/2" off, fill them with insulation, and get them back up again. That would have been no small feat and it was good to come home to that project successfully completed.
Unfortunately, that issue turned out to be one of the many problems that continuously popped up throughout the rest of the chicken cycle. I started to fill feedlines and the bearing went out of one of the lines. My neighbour helped me the next morning replace the bearing. I had helped him change one at his place before and think I know how to do it now except that it would be very difficult to pull the auger flighting out and get a clamp in by myself. You do NOT want the flighting to slip into the feedline. If that happened...well, you just don't let that happen. lol!
The chicks arrived a little later than usual around 1 PM. They were very active! I checked them around 3 and then again around 5. As soon as I stepped into the barn entry I could hear water running in the boiler room. I opened the door to find water spewing out all over the wall and floor from the hot loop pump. My neighbour came and looked at it and told me what to do until I was able to get a plumber come replace the seal. I stayed up most the night making sure it didn't get worse...not that I could have done anything if it had. haha. Usually listening to water running makes for a peaceful sleep. That works if you are by the ocean not when it is spewing out of a pump. It was still another day or so before the plumber could come but thankfully things held together then.
My fancy waterproof wallpaper. I'm thinking about getting it patented. haha!
This doesn't look like much water from the pic but trust me it was.
The drain water from the boiler room comes up here at the other part barn entry/garage. Due to the all the water/rain issues we had this past spring we had a pump around which has probably been one of the greatest investments on this place. :) I set up the float again so I didn't have to constantly supervise the pump and keep plugging it in every 7 minutes or so, let it pump all the water out, and then unplug it again.
My neighbour helped make a few changes to the the boiler in the boiler shed separate from the barn. I was going to tighten one of the three doors on the boiler which should have been a fairly simple, quick job. However, I didn't realize that you had to hammer it in so my tap-tap didn't help. At least I know how to do it now. :P :D
Next was a battery issue with the Ridgeline truck. I've had issues with the battery a few times and it was at the point where I had to replace it with a new one. We had an extra battery (backup for the generator one) in the barn so I went to work. Pulling the battery out was a little more of an ordeal since I hadn't done it before. I finally got it out, the new battery in, the strap tightened and I go to connect the terminals to the posts to find out the new battery has the posts along the front of the battery instead of the back and there is practically no give to pull the terminals to the front. I ended up playing musical batteries pulling the battery out of the old Ford (the posts were in the "right" position) and putting it in the Ridgeline and the new battery in the Ford. At least by the end of the day I had two trucks running!
Then the CBC Market Place did their "selective journalism" episode on the supermarket chicken and the industry in which the true facts were mostly irrelevant. That deserves a whole post of it's own. :P
Had to get an electrician out because the motor overload on the bin auger wasn't working and some other work had to be done out there.
And don't laugh, I got stuck for the second time in my driveway. :P If you go off to the left too much it is softer and with all the snow it makes for a perfect getting completely stuck experience. :P
On a balmy -35*C morning, the lovely barn alarms wakes me at 4:15 AM. First I checked the boiler and all the temperatures were fine there so I check the barn computer and it is a low temperature alarm which has never gone off before. I spent the next three hours trying to get the temperature to rise and stablize(I switched the inlets to manual and closed them up partially which helped some but not enough) and then called my neighbour around 7 AM. We made an adjustment in the climate controls and solved that problem almost immediately.
The coal bridged for the first time in the bin causing another temperature alarm to go off. It has happened a couple more times but I've caught it pretty quick and it is an easy fix thankfully.
Then I had the water tested and due to the results showing some bacteria, I was advised not to drink the water. I had been drinking it all along and hadn't experienced any adverse effects but for the time being I am buying my drinking water. It's a lot of fun lugging those big blue jugs around when you go grocery shopping. :P I know bacteria can be a serious issue but the testing is getting more thorough and I wonder if they end up detecting more when all along it was there to some degree but not harmful.
Had an issue with raising the feedlines but it seems to have corrected itself. I did buy belts for both the water and feedlines as it doesn't hurt to have replacements on hand just in case.
My neck started killing me which prompted me to find a chiropractor. I slipped on the ice when back in Alberta and have been dealing with the effects since then and it was getting worse. A friend gave a recommendation to one in Canora so I went last week. He was awesome and isn't the type that wants you coming back three times a week the rest of your life. And his rates were reasonable too so I'm happy about that.
So, that pretty much sums up the past eight weeks! Yeah, it was discouraging at times but at least I gained some more experience and have improved the place which hopefully will help things run smoother. And, I think I've said it every time, but I can't believe it is already time to ship chickens again! They go Wednesday night so I need to do some baking for the chicken catchers (cookies and cinnabons!) and print out the schedule.
Have a great week! :D
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Brief update
Hope to be back posting more regularly after my temporary absence these past few weeks. What I've been up to: shipping chickens, cleaning barns, traveling back to AB to visit my family, preparing barns, and placing chicks! Tomorrow I'll be helping my neighbour get the barns there ready in the morning and help place chicks later on.
And a random tip:
I recently came across a tip to get the diesel smell out of clothing that actually works. Pour Pinesol over the affected spot and let sit 1 to 2 hours before washing. The diesel being a heavier oil needs a product that will dissolve it out. The Pinesol is part oil (mixes with the diesel) and part soap (mixes with the water) so I guess that is why it works. My jacket has a bit of the lavender Pinesol scent but I prefer that over diesel. :)
And a random tip:
I recently came across a tip to get the diesel smell out of clothing that actually works. Pour Pinesol over the affected spot and let sit 1 to 2 hours before washing. The diesel being a heavier oil needs a product that will dissolve it out. The Pinesol is part oil (mixes with the diesel) and part soap (mixes with the water) so I guess that is why it works. My jacket has a bit of the lavender Pinesol scent but I prefer that over diesel. :)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
6 months
Today marks six months since I moved way up here to NE Saskatchewan. Can hardly believe how much has happened this year and at times it has felt like somewhat of a whirlwind. Graham, Emily, and I first looked at the barn the middle of March and a week later made an offer. The whole process ended up being a bit of an ordeal but everything finally fell into place and we took possession the end of June.
I came up in May and took a 6 week crash course in raising chickens. : ) I had cattle experience so this chicken stuff was new. The operation was actually fairly simple to run but didn't quite feel that way when I wasn't familiar with all the ins and outs of it.
And then we had another element to deal with...rain. Our area along with many others across the prairie provinces had record setting levels of rain this spring. Growing up in the arid southern Alberta climate where, when it rained you pulled out your chair and sat in awe, I thought it wouldn't be possible to ever get tired of rain. Wrong! When the 8" average turned into 22" it gave a whole new outlook on rain. I was beginning to wonder if we shouldn't have bought an ark instead of a barn! Despite water issues in the barn and a thriving mosquito population, it still turned into a nice summer. I only had to water my garden a couple times and the yard stayed beautiful.
I spent a lot of the summer with yard care (mowing, weeding, flowers) and cleaning up around the yard and barn (whippersnipping, taking several loads to the dump, etc.) The well collapsed due to the rain so that had to be filled in and it seemsed as soon as you accomplished one thing, three others popped up. Now the yard is pretty much in order and all the yard work done for the year which a very satisfying feeling.
However, despite the challenges, it has been an awesome experience to run a place on my own. I love the area here and am quite happy to call it home. : )
I came up in May and took a 6 week crash course in raising chickens. : ) I had cattle experience so this chicken stuff was new. The operation was actually fairly simple to run but didn't quite feel that way when I wasn't familiar with all the ins and outs of it.
And then we had another element to deal with...rain. Our area along with many others across the prairie provinces had record setting levels of rain this spring. Growing up in the arid southern Alberta climate where, when it rained you pulled out your chair and sat in awe, I thought it wouldn't be possible to ever get tired of rain. Wrong! When the 8" average turned into 22" it gave a whole new outlook on rain. I was beginning to wonder if we shouldn't have bought an ark instead of a barn! Despite water issues in the barn and a thriving mosquito population, it still turned into a nice summer. I only had to water my garden a couple times and the yard stayed beautiful.
I spent a lot of the summer with yard care (mowing, weeding, flowers) and cleaning up around the yard and barn (whippersnipping, taking several loads to the dump, etc.) The well collapsed due to the rain so that had to be filled in and it seemsed as soon as you accomplished one thing, three others popped up. Now the yard is pretty much in order and all the yard work done for the year which a very satisfying feeling.
However, despite the challenges, it has been an awesome experience to run a place on my own. I love the area here and am quite happy to call it home. : )
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Brief Update
Can't believe four months has already passed since I've moved up here. I love it up here and am happy to call this cozy little place home.
Summer is over...the little we had of it! Overall the weather has been cool with an excessive amount of rainfall. The yard kept me busy with the lawn and grass around yard needing to be mowed about every 5 days. The flowers thrived and the yard looked beautiful all summer. My garden did great and the produce was abundant. Mom came over for a couple weeks and canned the purple beans with her pressure canner (and also tended my flowers and washed the trailer windows...thanks, Mom!) I've been canning pickled carrots and making and freezing fries and hashbrowns. The herbs did well and I dried parsley, oregano, basil and chives which hopefully should last me through until next summer.
The well below the pumphouse collapsed not long after I moved into the trailer. Thankfully it wasn't the water source for our house and chickens but the water we use does travel there from the other well and then into the barn so it needed to get filled in to prevent any further possible damage. It was a big job and Dad was able to come over and help with part of it. Last week I finally finished insulating around the outside so the project is complete. My neighbour was able to come over and get the temp sensor set up for the well since it had snapped when the well collapsed. That was a big relief as now I don't have to worry about the well water for the barn and house freezing.
Sure is starting to feel like fall with high temps in the single digits (*C). The area here is so pretty with the leaves changing and beginning to fall.
Now we are heading into the last week of our second chicken cycle and things are going good so far. :) I'm really happy with how this cycle has gone and chickens are doing well. Tomorrow we are going to weigh chickens by hand again to see the adjustments we need to make in the computer for the scale. The scale wasn't working the last cycle so I ended up having to buy a new one from Mackay's in Saskatoon. We weighed them at two weeks and made the necessary adjustments so we'll find out if the percentage is still set right.
There is more to post about but this will have to do for now as I need to go check the chickens! :)
Summer is over...the little we had of it! Overall the weather has been cool with an excessive amount of rainfall. The yard kept me busy with the lawn and grass around yard needing to be mowed about every 5 days. The flowers thrived and the yard looked beautiful all summer. My garden did great and the produce was abundant. Mom came over for a couple weeks and canned the purple beans with her pressure canner (and also tended my flowers and washed the trailer windows...thanks, Mom!) I've been canning pickled carrots and making and freezing fries and hashbrowns. The herbs did well and I dried parsley, oregano, basil and chives which hopefully should last me through until next summer.
The well below the pumphouse collapsed not long after I moved into the trailer. Thankfully it wasn't the water source for our house and chickens but the water we use does travel there from the other well and then into the barn so it needed to get filled in to prevent any further possible damage. It was a big job and Dad was able to come over and help with part of it. Last week I finally finished insulating around the outside so the project is complete. My neighbour was able to come over and get the temp sensor set up for the well since it had snapped when the well collapsed. That was a big relief as now I don't have to worry about the well water for the barn and house freezing.
Sure is starting to feel like fall with high temps in the single digits (*C). The area here is so pretty with the leaves changing and beginning to fall.
Now we are heading into the last week of our second chicken cycle and things are going good so far. :) I'm really happy with how this cycle has gone and chickens are doing well. Tomorrow we are going to weigh chickens by hand again to see the adjustments we need to make in the computer for the scale. The scale wasn't working the last cycle so I ended up having to buy a new one from Mackay's in Saskatoon. We weighed them at two weeks and made the necessary adjustments so we'll find out if the percentage is still set right.
There is more to post about but this will have to do for now as I need to go check the chickens! :)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
June 8, Tuesday
Today was one of those days. First woke up to find out that the propane had run out. Had to start my morning without coffee…:P I was out of milk so had toast instead of cereal. Popped the toaster on and then plugged in the heater since it was a little cooler inside the camper. Half way through toasting the electrical outlets stop working. It has happened a few times before but I wasn’t sure which breaker it was so I just left it.
So then I head out to chore at the barn at 7 AM to find water at the north end with more seeping in due to the rain. (It has happened a couple times this cycle but not to this extent.) We’ve had 2 ½ “ over the past two days not to mention the endless rain we’ve had the past several weeks. The ground is completely saturated and land fairly flat here so the water has decided to reroute itself up through the barn. Spent the morning bucketing water out. Darryl’s dad and cousin come over (yay for great neighbours! : )) to see the situation and what they can do to help.
I try and use a wheelbarrow to bring some gravel over to find out the wheel needs to be replaced. Back to using a 5 gallon bucket (what would I do without them! :D) to bring in gravel to build a dam in the barn around the opening where the most water is filling in. Beavers are not well-liked in this area but it sure would have been handy to hire one. Haha.
Anyways, the water finally slows down a bit so I’m able to leave for a quick trip to town to pick up a sump pump and also am going to get my propane tanks filled. Find pretty much the last sump pump in town at the CO-OP. Phone calls asking about sump pumps were coming in while I was there due to many basements in the area being flooded. I get the necessary fittings and hose and head off to get my propane tanks filled. The two girls at the ESSO spend a while finding trying to find the engraved dates on both tanks. They inform me both are past expiration and cannot be filled. I think one probably could have been filled but they were more scared of the $10,000 fine than me. Haha. They are a taller tank so I’m not sure if I should pick up a smaller 20 LB tank as it might not fit. I call three different numbers back at our other farm and cannot get a hold of anyone so head home as I need to check the water situation again in the barn.
That brings us around to about 5 this evening. Yeah, it has been a full day. It is still raining, water is still seeping in, and more rain is in the forecast. Dad and Mom have decided to come over since they can’t get any more seeding done due to the weather. I’m going to wait to use the pump until Dad gets here as I’m not sure that the float will kick the pump in at the low level we need. The guy at the CO-OP said it would but I’m not counting on anything seeing how this day has gone. LOL! Dad looks at the pump after arriving to find out that it won’t work.
So this is just one of those days that makes you appreciate the days when every thing goes smoothly and as planned. Wouldn’t life be boring though if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened?! We’ll have some vivid and amusing memories of our beginnings in this new adventure. :D
That all said, I am looking forward to some uneventful days ahead! :)
So then I head out to chore at the barn at 7 AM to find water at the north end with more seeping in due to the rain. (It has happened a couple times this cycle but not to this extent.) We’ve had 2 ½ “ over the past two days not to mention the endless rain we’ve had the past several weeks. The ground is completely saturated and land fairly flat here so the water has decided to reroute itself up through the barn. Spent the morning bucketing water out. Darryl’s dad and cousin come over (yay for great neighbours! : )) to see the situation and what they can do to help.
I try and use a wheelbarrow to bring some gravel over to find out the wheel needs to be replaced. Back to using a 5 gallon bucket (what would I do without them! :D) to bring in gravel to build a dam in the barn around the opening where the most water is filling in. Beavers are not well-liked in this area but it sure would have been handy to hire one. Haha.
Anyways, the water finally slows down a bit so I’m able to leave for a quick trip to town to pick up a sump pump and also am going to get my propane tanks filled. Find pretty much the last sump pump in town at the CO-OP. Phone calls asking about sump pumps were coming in while I was there due to many basements in the area being flooded. I get the necessary fittings and hose and head off to get my propane tanks filled. The two girls at the ESSO spend a while finding trying to find the engraved dates on both tanks. They inform me both are past expiration and cannot be filled. I think one probably could have been filled but they were more scared of the $10,000 fine than me. Haha. They are a taller tank so I’m not sure if I should pick up a smaller 20 LB tank as it might not fit. I call three different numbers back at our other farm and cannot get a hold of anyone so head home as I need to check the water situation again in the barn.
That brings us around to about 5 this evening. Yeah, it has been a full day. It is still raining, water is still seeping in, and more rain is in the forecast. Dad and Mom have decided to come over since they can’t get any more seeding done due to the weather. I’m going to wait to use the pump until Dad gets here as I’m not sure that the float will kick the pump in at the low level we need. The guy at the CO-OP said it would but I’m not counting on anything seeing how this day has gone. LOL! Dad looks at the pump after arriving to find out that it won’t work.
So this is just one of those days that makes you appreciate the days when every thing goes smoothly and as planned. Wouldn’t life be boring though if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened?! We’ll have some vivid and amusing memories of our beginnings in this new adventure. :D
That all said, I am looking forward to some uneventful days ahead! :)
Monday, June 7, 2010
I'm back...
I’m back with a determination to revive this blog as it has been sadly neglected for too long. So much has happened over the past several months! I’m not quite sure where to start so I’ll give a quick recap since the beginning of 2009. Erin and I started working at a dairy, sold the last of my feeder calves, Graham sold his farm in AB and then he, Erin, and I started a company and bought land in SK, our whole family flew back to NS for Grandma’s 90th birthday, our family started farming in SK, attended the HSA reunion in CO and travelled back to IA with the Pauls for a week long visit, Graham and I drove down to FL for Graham’s wedding, travelled to Europe with a friend, had my first niece arrive, and now have moved to Eastern Saskatchewan and am buying a chicken barn with Graham and Erin.
I’ve been living here for a month now. Dad brought our travel trailer over so I’d have a place to live until we take possession which is the end of June. This current cycle of birds is not ours but I’m here getting a six week crash course in raising chickens. : )
With the barn under new ownership, we are required to comply immediately with new rules and regulations set out by the CFS (Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan). All of our inlet openings on the barn needed screens so I bought some chicken wire and screws, cut some lathe and went to work. Using power tools is fun! : )
I’ve been living here for a month now. Dad brought our travel trailer over so I’d have a place to live until we take possession which is the end of June. This current cycle of birds is not ours but I’m here getting a six week crash course in raising chickens. : )
With the barn under new ownership, we are required to comply immediately with new rules and regulations set out by the CFS (Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan). All of our inlet openings on the barn needed screens so I bought some chicken wire and screws, cut some lathe and went to work. Using power tools is fun! : )
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