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Hay in the Barn feels like $ in the Bank- Except it’s Actually the Opposite!

hay and straw on pallets

Yay! All the hay that will feed my flock until next June has arrived safely at the farm.  It is such a relief to have it delivered and stacked high.  My barn is filled to the ceiling with beautiful bales of oat and orchard/alfalfa hays.  There is very little room for the storage of anything else or much movement in the hallway but it doesn’t matter.  There comes a feeling of security with all that feed there.  It feels safe.

black dog in hay barnbarn hallway and dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In fact I got so many bales this year ( 170) because of the new sheep that not all of it fit inside the barn even with the 12′ high stacks.  Some bales are left outside for now to be feed out first.  Hopefully before any rain shows up.  I feel confident that I can do this since it will only be the end of August by the time the outside stack is eaten.

 

 

 

 

hay and straw on pallets

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Hot

two sheep in front of fan

California is being hit with a hot weather system right now.  This is our 5th day of what is supposed to be a weeks stretch of temperatures over 100 degrees. It has reached 103 on a number of days here and that is hot!

I try to keep the sheep cool with drum fans and misters. They appreciate it and often crowd around the moving air. They stay pretty still from around 2:00-4:00 to conserve energy and regulate their internal temps.

two sheep in front of fan

The ducks get a hose sprinkling several times a day which they absolutely love! I have a cute video of their reaction to the cool down in next weeks blog.

Our dog Rosie loves to sun bathe!  But this week she’s only been able to stand the heat until about 8:00 in the morning!  It’s too hot!  We are looking forward to a break that’s supposed to be on it’s way Friday.  I sure hope so.

red dog in sun