I've been trying to make 2019 the year where I really get back to blogging about what goes on here at the farm. Of course, I feel like it's usually easier to get in the habit during the winter months when I have a bit more time to be inside. Somehow though, January has been busier than normal so far. Our New Year started off with a literal bang. Just a couple hours into 2019 a windstorm brought down two enormous hemlock trees, completely destroying one of our chicken coops. However, they just missed the sheep house, missed the barn, and came close but did not hit our home. The chickens also survived. So while daybreak on January 1 showed a giant mess to clean up, we were very grateful that it wasn't worse.
The back of the sheep house had been converted into chicken pens last year so I could separate them into single-breed flocks during hatching season. I was able to get all the chickens into temporary housing there. While they didn't have as much room as they did in the coop with an attached run, they would be sheltered and safe for the time being. They were also safely out of the way as we began to cut up the down trees and haul away the wreckage of their former home.
The sound of chainsaws brought neighbors, who brought equipment and helping hands to clean up. Dan's brother had come to visit for New Year's and happily pitched in as well. Although we heat with wood, this type of tree is not good to burn inside so we made the best use of it under the circumstances. With a tractor that handled the mud around the creek, we were able to drag out sections of the trunks so we can get them milled into lumber sometime. The limbs were hauled to the edge of the woods along our hayfield where they will become habitat for wild rabbits, birds and mushrooms. Amazingly, by noontime the next day, all was cleaned up.
The back of the sheep house had been converted into chicken pens last year so I could separate them into single-breed flocks during hatching season. I was able to get all the chickens into temporary housing there. While they didn't have as much room as they did in the coop with an attached run, they would be sheltered and safe for the time being. They were also safely out of the way as we began to cut up the down trees and haul away the wreckage of their former home.
The sound of chainsaws brought neighbors, who brought equipment and helping hands to clean up. Dan's brother had come to visit for New Year's and happily pitched in as well. Although we heat with wood, this type of tree is not good to burn inside so we made the best use of it under the circumstances. With a tractor that handled the mud around the creek, we were able to drag out sections of the trunks so we can get them milled into lumber sometime. The limbs were hauled to the edge of the woods along our hayfield where they will become habitat for wild rabbits, birds and mushrooms. Amazingly, by noontime the next day, all was cleaned up.