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Kevin Cunningham
ParticipantTake lots of photos because they do grow out of the adorable fluff ball stage quite quickly. She looks good and attentive have fun training her!
ParticipantEvery farmer I have ever talked with has an Earthway and hates it for various reasons but still uses it because there really isn’t anything better for the scale. Why haven’t we made something better?
ParticipantSince this thread has veered so far off track I’ll put my two cents in about scything. I have mowed up to an 1/2 acre with a scythe, and with a good sharp and well fitted scythe it is a joy to do. Hard work yes but very therapeutic. The really hard and tedious work is in tending hay. Raking and tedding and stacking and hauling hay by hand is a lot more work than mowing it. That being said I thik every farm (and farmer) should have a good scythe. An old timer told me once that a scythe is the farmers’ violin it takes a lifetime to learn all the subtleties.
ParticipantI run over the poly line with my tractor, truck and other equipment all the time so it should not be a problem. Check out the hudson float valve from Premier One, they have it, but I know that our local feed store also stocks them. They work at almost any pressure and are super easy to set up. It has saved me so much time by setting up an automatic system, I would never go back to hauling water unless the power was out, which happens for us from time to time, so don’t get rid of the barrel truck either.
ParticipantSounds like a perfect plan. My feeling is training is essential, instincts are naturally present in a good dog from working lines but what we are doing by having the “lion lay down with the lamb” is quite un-natural. Therefore it is the responsibility of the human to moniter and adjust behavour so that nobody gets hurt. This takes work on our part because we must not forget that a dog is a predator and livestock are prey, that we control the destiny and actions of. Just remember that it could be as long as year two before she settles into LGD mode. Good luck I love my Pyr I think you will too.
ParticipantAndy,
I really recommend getting some poly pipe, a small 30 gal trough, a float valve, and moving the trough daily instead of hauling water. I used to haul water in 55 gall drums like you do and quickly burned out my body and my time. Right now we have about 1500 ft of 1 inch line and that allows us to water almost all of forty five acres. And with a hudson float valve we don’t see any reductions in flow from our domestic water system. Super easy and it has revolutionized watering our animals. We always talk about moving animals daily but the limiting factor I see is the water situation. I hardly ever see anything about watering systems in rotational grazing information except that it is important, so we made up a system that works really well for us. And don’t forget that the best fertilizer is the farmers footsteps.
Participantcan’t wait to see the little (hmm) fuzz ball!
ParticipantSounds like training won’t be an issue. Having a dominate attitude is sometimes all they need. Just make sure to over socialize if you want a dog that is friendly with strangers at the farm. Pyrs can be big teddy bears even with children or they can be aggressive to all strangers. We have a friend with sheep and even she has a hard time in the pasture with her pyr. Early and often socialization makes a friendly and safe dog. This is not to say that we also don’t let the dog bond with the stock but make sure to take them out and meet a variety of people in a variety of places. This may seem like common sense dog training but pyrs tend to be more aloof and wary than most dogs.
ParticipantThis kind of work might be the perfect place for oxen, just to a little evangelical. It sure seems that alot of farm work, maybe with the exception of haying, is best suit to walking, the normal pace of cattle. Not that you need another draft animal to train and care for but it sure seems like it is hard for horses to go slow.
ParticipantWe also have a Pyr with our sheep and goats. I love him and he is the best dog I have had, but I spent a lot of time training him, he might even have been more intractible than most. I got the pup in the winter so I would have time to work with him and I recomend this timing because it really helps to start out very firm, no lee way for the addorable fluff ball. Just like every dog the more you socialize him the better they will be with other people. We have lots of vistors to the farm and “Super” loves the company willing to roll over for a belly scratch, even for little kids, but once again this took alot of time and work. George’s recommendation to take to give and take food is an excellent way to establish domminace. I also found that spitting in his mouth after rolling him worked better than any amount of yelling I could do. Also do not underestimate the power of dirty look, this is how pack animals reprimand youngsters, there is very little barking involved. The monks of New Skete, raise German shepards, and have written a couple of great books on these species specific training methods. I hear of too many stories of Prys or German shepards for that matter that are wild, unrully and misbehave, even kiling lambs regullary. They need TONS of training very early and then they will be the best dogs you have ever had.
ParticipantI was sprayed only once while dispatching a skunk in small hours. I went out to a commotion in the duck house and apparently one had been locked up with the ducks. How long they had been together in there I was not sure, but when I opened the door everybody pilled out and in the frenzy the skunk came out, there happened to be a shovel handy and I got him with the shovel in a pure reflex move. He sprayed and I thought I managed to not get hit but my eyes started to water. When I got back inside I had one drop between the eyes. You could see the little yellow drop of fluid and it burned. Luckily we had just made some cheese and I dunked my head in bucket of whey and that cleared it right off. Soap or anything alkaline just makes it worse, acid takes it off right away. Amazingly not a single duck was hurt or dead, I think the drake had been fending him off for hours. Or maybe they were having a talk.
ParticipantAndy,
Looks good, I like the way that cultivator seems to be working for you. I bet if you stay on top of that field next year will be better. You might struggle with the grass this year but if you get a cover on it this winter next year will be much easier to control the grass. Are you going to grow something there this summer or fallow it all summer? Your team seems to be dong great as well, very well behaved.
ParticipantSo sorry to hear about the loss. I hope you can get something for the shop and get started again. The world is crazy sometimes with one creation comes another destruction. This is all hard stuff, my thoughts go out to you and your family.
ParticipantThats too bad about the music. I like the song but I found I got more out of the video by muting it and just watching the action. It is impressive to see what one ox and one man can accomplish in a day. That is a great video, Tim what are you using to shoot these with?
ParticipantI am really curious how this tool shapes up for those who end up using it. It my seem costly but with my accounting it is cheaper than a new rototiller and way more versatile. Gotta love the music on that video!
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