Horse Stall Construction, Pony Rides, and Rooster Processing

Summer 2024 is definitely going to be remembered as the year of the horse...or in our case, horses. Dave and I are more than ready to move on to new projects around the farm but we still have quite a bit to finish up before that happens. Admittedly, our work was both doubled and expedited by ending up with two ponies but such is life. If one is good, two are better 😂 Farmer Dave and I worked together to get a second horse stall built in under 3 days. It's slightly smaller (10'x10') and shorter (~4' tall) than the first for our tiny friend Polly.

She will enjoy being able to see outside easier and the kids will have an easier time loving on her with lower walls. Construction was fairly quick once the frame was in place. One of our posts wasn't completely level and in order to put the top supports in place we needed to use the little green tractor with a chain to pull the post slightly forward into place. It worked great and we were able to avoid re-digging the post hole. Farmer Dave showed me how to use the circular saw to cut boards for the front wall and I got pretty proficient at hammering boards in place after a while. I did learn a valuable lesson...don't use a lot of wrist while hammering. I didn't think I was but based on how sore my wrist has been, I definitely need to use more arm. Lesson learned.

Spunky Sparky

So, why do we need another horse stall??? I couldn't give Sparky up. I was able to move him to a trainer that has been helping me learn how to ride him and do quiet work with him. He is a very sweet pony that needs time, patience, and most importantly confidence. In the last two weeks, I've been able to ride through startle steps, a lope I didn't ask for, a FAST spin around side step (that was unnerving but I stayed calm and most importantly stayed on the pony), and quieting his desire to break into a trot immediately after turning. Despite all of those things, I have never once felt like he was trying to take off with me or hurt me. Not once. We have a special bond and I can tell he wants me to be his person. He even comes running to the gate when he sees me crossing the field. We both deserve a fair chance at making this work. I'm incredibly grateful we found the help we need to build my confidence and teach me how to work through these issues with my riding partner. We are making slow and steady progress each and every ride and I truly believe we will get there in time (remember my post about too stubborn to quit 🤷🏼‍♀️). I'm looking forward to bringing him home to the farm soon.

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

We successfully processed the 20 roosters we specially raised for our customer. It went better than I expected. Farmer Dave looked like Rocky Balboa chasing chickens around in the mobile tractor but otherwise the process was similar to our Cornish Cross processing.

Scalding time was a little longer to release the feathers properly, the Yard Bird plucker needed extra care to prevent from clogging with the fluffier feathers, and they were a little more difficult to clean the innards out. We had all 20 birds completely processed and packed in around 3.5 hours and some of that time was waiting for the scalder to re-heat so we could shrink wrap. The meat was darker compared to Cornish Cross and because they were corn finished they had a beautiful layer of yellow fat. They are far less meaty than a Cornish Cross but that's exactly what our customer wanted. In fact, they were so pleased with the birds they've already placed another order for 30 chickens this fall. Never say never because here we go again 😂

We are in the middle of constructing a run-in shelter for the pasture and we still have a back fence wall that needs re-done. I'm hoping to focus a little more attention on my raised garden bed now that things are starting to be more manageable. My garden has taken the brunt of my neglect and I'm hoping I can still manage to salvage some tomatoes and cucumbers. My peppers are looking like a real flop but time will tell. See yinz next week for more farm fun!