Another snow system has come upon us. We need the precipitation, but snow does cover the ground and makes it harder for the goats to graze. So... we headed out to feed the goats on this snowy day. Question: How do you get a 500+ lbs bale of hay down a hill to a herd of goats?
Answer: Very carefully! (Especially when all the twine that is supposed to hold the bale together has fallen (rotted??) off
So... after some discussions of the options, we decided to "wrap" the bale with a tarp and "roll" the bale down the hill. ( I now see that the fork attachment to the tractor actually may be worth the money!!)For a small part of the way, the bale did roll by itself... surprising to me, it did not unravel or leave most the hay in its path. The rest of the way we had to PUSH and PUSH and PUSH.
In the end, the goats were very happy.They started eating before we even got it unwrapped.
Just in time... right after we got the hay in place, the storm really picked up blowing snow and sleet... it was time to for us to head in. (Only one goat had the same sense that we did, the rest stayed out braving the elements for some good eats.)
3 comments:
That first picture is a lovely one!
This story serves as a very good example of why Karl and I--who have great pastoral dreams--will never live the pastoral life. We'd have stayed at the top of the hill all day, looking at the problem of the 500 lb hay bale from all angles, trying to figure out which principles to apply, considering what we'd read on the subject, etc.
Those goats found the right people :D
Oh.. in fact, we did ponder options for awhile... using the tractor...maybe settling for a square bale (which wouldn't last very long)... but then the cold started being really cold and it was "do or die" (ok not literally) I did mention as we walked down the hill that I really would prefer to be sitting in the warm house watching from a far....
Love it!
That sounds like good, hard workin' fun. Wish I could have been there to help!
Post a Comment