[Michel Boulay]

Hi Jen,
I think you have variables here, type of hay, is it well managed, temperature, dry-wet, fertilized….. I googled it just to see what answers I’d get and its just as vague as my reply. The real answer would probably be 25 to 100 bales/acre equaly vague.

But for example I plowed close to an acre some years ago and sowed oats with 70-15-15(timothy,red clover,white clover) undersown. When we hayed that field we got 9 round bales= about 10 square bales = 90 square bales. Today if I would cut it maybe 4 round bales. So there is probably an average I would say 50 to 75 on a reasonable field. I’m not an expert on the subject but from observation doing some hay for the past 12 years mostly round.

That’s my little reply to you, not great help but an idea of what it is. I would say that Lisa Carl’s better half with her degree in pasture management could give you a good answer. Have fun haying.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Well lets see, you certainly want to use the sun’s free energy, so southern exposer for passive solar heat in winter, meaning windows to the south and almost none to the north. Can you situate your house around wind breaks like trees? For good distribution of heat an open concept if you are going to heat with wood. Also I would think of having the chimney built in the center of the house, chimney is a heating mass that continues to give out heat even if the fire is low in the morning. Smoke is rising faster and in warm chimney less creosote formation. Are you building on a slab or basement? If slab it would be good to have your base or foundation done this year so it will settle with a year of frost and defrost from winter weather. The house should have six inch walls, good windows, well insulated, and a good roof which would give you a good shell aroud you. The inside is up to your own taste. With all the material we have now a days, you certainly will have a lot of choice and will have to make choices that will be difficult depending on your budget etc…. Don’t forget you are going to build once and that shell is important.

I guess I could go on but all is based on the weather here in the east and that is the way they are building houses here. It is certain that they don’t always build with passive energy in mind but 26 years ago I based some of my research on what was available then and some things never change, sun comes up pretty much in the same place every year:) but the technology has evolved. Don’t know what kind of winters you have out in Wi, hope this helps a bit. I think we all have gone through some experience building a house. Its like they say you get what you want in a house after your third house. I certasinly wasn’t planing on building three times but I have made some mistakes and would probably build my house a different way today. Go visit some other houses. I wish you the house of your dreams so you can stay dry and warm.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Husky or stihl you can’t go wrong, you want something in the 50cc an up. Certainly the more power the more money, there are some deals on both. Everybody will have there preference and all will have a story on there own experiences good and bad, making your choice always difficult. Sometimes I find myself over analizing. Price, cc, weight, usage, dealer, are all thing to consider. Myself have got a Husky 257 which now are 357 good saw 372 more power good saw also just bought a stihl 260 for my son in law which are 261 now, good saw too, if he wouldn’t have bought it I would have, 5 year old saw well maintained knew the dealer that maintained it. A saw can take a beating in all conditions but you have to do your maintenance daily, weekly…. I myself am not always consistent on my maintenance, can be hard on a saw. My big 2 cents. Hope this helps a bit.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

You must be close to Athol Mass. Your best bet to have hands on experience would be to register to the Athol Logging Workshop. The people that are giving the workshop have many years of experience and would be the best resource for you. Also you would meet great people. Go to Dapnet’s Events and all the info is there. Good luck and have fun.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Here is a site with plans that I based my stalls on, demensions etc.. with my preferred or own modifications from stalls that I saw around my neck of the woods. http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben//buildingplans Go click on horse and plan 5175 gives you some direction.
Also Lynn Miller has plans in his book “Work Horse Handbook” pages 100 and up, so with those plans and the ndsu’s I could pretty well build stalls that suited me well, with always a possibility to modify. Good luck have fun.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Greetings FnF, nice to see more fellow Canadians on this site. Great place to learn and share with all the great people here. I see you are geting some snow, don’t send it this way please at least not yet, I’m all the way in the Maritimes and not quite ready for snow yet. Good luck and have fun.
Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Pas seulement du Québec mon ami, mais des Acadiens aussi. Not only from Québec but Acadians also:). Trés bon site pour apprendre, bonne lecture. Very good site to learn, good reading.
Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Wow you guys got a lot of rain. That system just went by us, some precip. next couple of days. I’ve got some low line areas and I haven’t seen and can’t remember these areas dried up so early like they are now. I hope for a little heat to get thing dried up for you guys. Sorry about your lost Carl. Last couple of years are hard to figure some sort of pattern in that weather. Always have to be ready for the unexpected and even then. Dog had a raccoon hung up a tree next to the house last week had to get rid of that never know with the chicken coop close. Fun to hear of all the chalenges we have in our everyday work. Have a good week you all.

[Michel Boulay]

Last couple of days sunny but not that warm. Not that much rain a sprinkle here and there. Risk of frost last two nights but don’t seem to have any. For the next few days its 40% and some 60% of precip. Probably will have to fire up the stove again with overcast skies no choice gets pretty chilly inside. Holding up on planting the garden not warm enough for certain veggies. Got the potatoes and some lettuce, spinash, onions, peas in. Some asparagus are sprouting have an acre+ of oats that’s coming up undersown 80-20 timothy and clover. Keep us posted on that scandinavian harness Jim, I’m curious about how your going to do with all that. Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Looks like its doing a good job. Where did you get your hardware shanks and sweeps? Certainly you’ll have to go at it more then once. You seem to be getting on top of that grass pretty well. Cool vid, keep up the good job.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Sorry to hear about this Geoff, happy that everybody is safe that’s the main thing. Congrats for the new addition to the family. Good things have been said here. I think a lot of us wish we would be closer. Thought are with you.

Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Cool vid Tim. Will seems to be right in to it cool and relax no worries and you too. What kind of trees are these looks like ash and poplar? Also are they sold to the mill, for boards,how much a cord or mfb? Nice big trees in the backgroud too.

[Michel Boulay]

Hi, you would have plans of a logging arch on this site http://www.healingharvestforestfoundation.org go in document section and you should find it there have fun.
Mike

[Michel Boulay]

Got mine yesterday also. I second Jac and HUGE thanks!

[Michel Boulay]

Hi, keeping 8 laying hens for our own use. so 8 eggs a day means we give some to friends and family. We started some 20 years ago with 4 layers and a couple of Emden geese that I inherited from my brother who was moving and didn’t have room for. The coop was 4×8 about four feet high I could take the roof off to clean, had a heat lamp for winter, little sliding door to pick-up the eggs went pretty well but not practicle in the long run. At that time only predator was my neighbor’s dog which got my four hens they were free ranging. My neighbor came over and wanted to pay for the hens I said no but keep your dog home. Anyways at the time a farmer neighbor and dog catcher told me if it happens again a 22 calibre doesn’t make any noise and get rid of the dog nobody will notice, wow was suprised of his answer but I guest sometimes you need drastic measures. Don’t worry I didn’t need to go that way don’t think I would. So we got more hens and this time a racoon was my predator climb over the chicken wire fence and did a good job of killing them. So after that done with hens. The geese hatched three eggs so we had five for a while, the neighbor’s dog got 2 and the others went in the freezer. Who needs a predator when one’s got a neighbor’s dog close bummer.
So a year an a half ago my wife said I found a hatcher close by and he has Plymouth barred rocks which I love the color and would like to have. We bought them chick and they were not sexed that’s our first experience going that way. Well when we went to pick them up we got a bakers dozen (13) and we had read that it could be 50/50 hens and roosters guest what we got 7 roosters and 6 hens. Now imagine when they were old enough the hens couldn’t jump off there perch that a rooster was already on them so that was time to get rid of them. There was one lucky rooster and the others ended up in the freezer. By that time we had lost one rooster for no apparent reason. In the next year we lost a hen and there to for no apparent reason?? So one rooster for 5 hens which were not laying very well we could have one egg one day and 4 the other so very eratic laying not satisfied with that so got rid of them last fall and bought ready to lay last october and these out performed the barred rocks. They are road island red mix and are laying consistantly one egg a day. We didn’t do anything different with them, is it the breed maybe is it one rooster with 5 hens that the barred rock were not performing as they should? Anyway everything is going well. No predators up to now. I’ve let them free range and they love it. The coop is insulated with a window on the south so in winter we could have minus 15°C outside with a beautiful sunny day and it would plus 6°C inside the coop so we didn’t put any heat lamp in there. When we didn’t have sun out it could be minus 5 inside the coop.:o Now she wants to get meat kings, turkeys and more emden geese:eek: The geese make good watch dogs, that was fun to have around for that. So that’s my little experience with poultry.

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