...and so it begins

[fourbyford]

Hey C.F.

I thought the pic mix-up was probably me... normally, when something is jacked up on my computer it's something I've done! ...lol

The ducks absolutely go bananas for them!!! I could pretty much see in their faces... they were begging for them! When my misses brought the bowl out, it was every duck for themselves!! A real free-for-all! They also love canned peas (low sodium) and, there are several other fruits and veg that we haven't tried yet. Pretty funny with the bananas though... once they're finished, they need a bath. They're just a sticky, gooey mess. It's pretty funny!

I know there are several breeds of geese that can be aggressive but, the Toulouse seem to be real companions. I was really surprised to read about the Canadas... they're a bit spendy but, at some point, I'll probably give it a go. I think I'll be able to find some Wood Ducks as well. We'll have a real menagerie around here... especially once the draft horses make an appearance... lol

Anyways, thanks for the visit... and the pics!

...D

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[fourbyford]

The chicks are awesome... so tiny! Enjoy them while they're small... they'll grow FAST!!

And, I'm liking the guard dog... somehow, they just seem to "know"
...amazing!

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: I heard there was a 6.5 earthquake north of Boise and hope it didn’t cause any damage or issues in your area. You ok?

 

[fourbyford]

My misses felt the shake... my neighbor and I were in his truck coming back from his shop and didn't feel a thing... lol
No damage here and all is well!
Thanks for checking in!
I sent a PM earlier... not sure if it went through?

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: happy to hear you’re ok!! Didn’t get a pm so try again and when I get back to laptop I’ll send you my email if I didn’t get your pm.

 

[fourbyford]

A few things going on the past few days...

I forgot to post a pic of the Binford Turbo 2000 duck waterer that I built. Just a 2' long section of sch 40 PVC pipe with end caps glued on and a couple of plywood "legs" attached. Using the waterer that we'd started out with, the ducks would run out of water after a couple of hours. This one holds significantly more... enough to get them through the night.

And, we had a pretty nice sunset a couple of nights ago. This is off our back deck.

...D



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[fourbyford]

Wednesday's big adventure was taking the trash container down the driveway... right at a quarter mile.

First pic is right off our front porch, looking past the red barn.

Second pic is just a ways beyond where the driveway drops off in the first pic. If you look waay down at the bottom, you can see where the driveway intersects the county road. That's where we're going.

Third pic is all the way at the bottom, looking back to the south west. Neighbor's place in the distance.

Last pic is the "hill climb" to get back to the house. I keep saying that, one day, I'll measure it, but, I'm pretty sure the slope on one section of the driveway exceeds 10%. Made plowing the snow a real adventure before I got the 4wd tractor... lol

...D


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[fourbyford]

Sort of a menial chore but the walk is good for me and the pup.

We've gotten lots of moisture lately, the wheat, as well as the lawn, is looking good!

...D


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[fourbyford]

And, I'm making (slow) progress on the duck house. Got the last bit of the back wall covered and located the openings for the vents in the dividing wall.


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[fourbyford]

Back in the duck house today.

I finished up the framing around the vents and above the entry door. Then, I installed and stapled the insulation.

The plywood is pretty straight forward... only cuts needed are for the vents. I used the circ saw to plunge cut from the back side.

And... plywood installed... wall covered.


...D


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[fourbyford]

Then, on to installing electrical. This is pretty much a "mindless" job... strip wires... connect wires... step and repeat. Not my favorite thing to do but someone's gotta do it... and I'm not willing to pay for it... so I guess that would be me! ...lol.

There's actually not all that much to do. I got a good start on it this evening but ran out of daylight. I didn't really see the need to string lights to keep working so, I'll finish tomorrow.


...D


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[Miss the Pontiacs]

You’ve been busy since my last visit. You mentioned the wheat is coming up. We got another dusting of snow today. Still well under freezing at night and today was just below freezing during the day. Up here we don’t as a rule do what we call winter wheat. We sow in the spring and hopefully get it off in the fall. When I was a kid my dad used to say such and such did winter wheat again, then commented on the guy being a lazy beggar. Haven’t seen winter wheat done or talked about in years. But likely has more to do with our climate. If it started to grow and then it froze you would likely have to plant the #1 Hard Spring Wheat anyways for your crop. Then be out the expense on the seed, labour and cost of input etc.
Noticed you used those pressed outlet/switch covers. I found them a little pricey. Your carpentry skills are likely more fine tuned than mine as well. Tougher to hid booboos with the pressed units. Good on ya:beer

 

[fourbyford]

Thanks for the kudos!

Yep, a lot of winter wheat around here. It's a couple or three inches tall by mid November. Usually, we get a good blanket of snow in December before it starts getting cold in January (we usually don't get all that cold) and the snow keeps the wheat from freezing. Starts growing again in March. We normally have a pretty wet spring, so, it's hard to say when ya might get into the fields. Anyways, it all gets harvested pretty much at the same time.

I've been pretty lucky getting everything cut/fit. I poked the pooch bigly on a sheet behind the stairway in my garage... missed the box location by an inch... duuuhhh... but, I was able to fix it almost seamlessly and, it's behind the stairs... so, no worries! I like that type cover because it gives me a bit more room in the electric box... comes in handy when I have to shove a bunch of wires in!

Your garage is looking great!

...D

 

[C_F]

The Binford Turbo 2000 duck waterer looks great!
It sounds like you're all but done with the duck house, it looks great from the photos! I'm sure they will love it.

From the photos you posted of the trip to the end of the driveway, I was curious as to what was planted in the green fields, but all was answered as I read on. So I assume that you also plant summer wheat as well?

We haven't been getting nearly as much rain down here. The past two days, the clouds have threatened to dump on us, but other than a little sprinkle, not much has become of it. It's cloudy again today, so we'll see if we get any free lawn watering.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey C.F.

None of the ground here is irrigated... all dry-land farming. We tend to have lots of moisture over the winter and into the spring. Temps stay pleasant, usually, through mid July. By the end of July, it's hot (by north Idaho standards) and dry... perfect conditions for growing wheat. Actually, this is some of the best wheat farming in the entire US. Several years ago, I read the national average for wheat production is 42 bu/acre. Our ground here is considered "marginal" and it does 60 - 70 bushels... travel a few miles to the west and they get 130+! A few other crops thrown into the rotation are: barley, chick peas, lentils, **** seed (canola oil), and, at one point, there was a great export market for timothy hay (hope that continues)... a lot of guys are going to that. So, with the climate here, it's pretty much a single crop season. When I lived in Ogden, I used to buy 3rd and 4th cut alfalfa... around here, not much alfalfa grown but those that do get 1 - 2 cuts per season. By September, it will start to get damp again... perfect time to get the winter wheat going... So, guess that the low-down on the local ag business...

How are your new chicks doing? Any pics? My misses had the ducks in the tub this morning (the first of several daily sessions)... they have a great time!

Woke up to an overcast and gray morning yesterday...

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[fourbyford]

When I last worked on the wiring, I stopped working because it was getting dark and I mentioned I didn't want to be bothered with setting up lights...

Well, I woke up early yesterday to a very gray, misty-rainy morning. I was in the garage before 6 working on some "pre-assemblies" for the electrical. By 7 I was finished so I figured I might as well get going. I went out to the duck house to get started but, it was pretty dark in there so I needed a light anyways... lol. Fortunately, a flashlight set on a rung of the ladder was sufficient.

When I roughed in the wiring, I only ran the wire necessary to allow me to get the walls closed up. So, I ran some additional wire and installed an additional light in the kennel area of the building. Of course, that meant moving bales and loose straw to get my ladder positioned... it all takes time!

I got the last of the romex out of this circuit (although I still need to replace the "feed" to this j-box)... the MC cable makes for a neat and safe installation...

...D


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[fourbyford]

Let there be LIGHT!!


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[fourbyford]

I'm headed out now to find a half-roll of welded wire fencing. We're supposed to be near 60° today... bright sunshine! I'm going to set up a temporary fenced area... this afternoon will be the first outdoor experience for the duck children. Should be a hoot! I'll post up pics this evening...

Meanwhile, I'll be working on insulation for the ceiling of the duck house... think I'm FINALLY getting toward the end of this project!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

An awesome day today...

We were near 60° this afternoon with bright sunshine. This morning I grabbed the partial roll of fence fabric that was left over from last fall's job of keeping our fruit trees from the deer. I drove a few posts in the ground and used the fabric to set up a 12' x 12' area for the ducks. This thing was quick and easy (read: looks like ****... lol) but, it's plenty to keep a few ducks out of trouble. We brought them out after lunch... About 5:30, it was time to come in. They had a great day!



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[fourbyford]

While the ducks were out and my misses was busy in the garden... and both dogs and both cats were outside... my job was to devise some method of insulating the area between the (pole) rafters in the duck house. I settled on cutting some 1 1/2" ridgid foam insulation into various shapes and friction fitting it into each space. Since the "rafters" are poles and the beams are hand hewn, none of the dimensions are consistent... so, fitting the insulation was a bit of a challenge but, it got done and I'm happy with the results.

Last job of the evening was setting up the table saw to rip lumber that I'll attach to the sides of the rafters as I install the 2" thick foam insulation under the roof. I actually do have a plan!! Pics tomorrow will be much easier than trying to explain this evening... lol
Until then...

...D

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[Miss the Pontiacs]

Hi FXF Ducks, fencing, gardening looks like you are having a good April. Our forecast for the next 7-10 days are just below or slightly above freezing during the day. We are having a crappy April. I had the snow blower out yesterday we had about 4-6 inches to get rid of. I did the 2 neighbours and my back yard area.
I had to laugh the previous snowfall about 5 days ago had many people out taking care of the white ****. I kind of wondered why so much shovelling activity as it was still lightly snowing. Then realized people wanted to get out of the house and do some physical activity. The Covid batten down the hatches must be getting to them.

On Sunday we went and got some coffees and 2 packs of donut holes. We then went over to friends that sat on their step and I backed up the truck and put the engate down for our portable chair. Visited for about a half hour and then headed home. We all enjoyed our little visit even that we were probably 25’-30’ apart.

 

[fourbyford]

Brrrrr... near freezing temps and snow... sorry to hear that winter is still with you.

Good to hear that you were able to spend time with your neighbors! Our neighbor works for a concrete company and this is the busy season for them. He was off work last week because of the "lock down" but, is at work every day this week. He leaves his house before 5 am and usually doesn't get home until late afternoon or early evening so we don't see much of him during the nice weather.

Stay warm!

...D

 

[C_F]

I think we hit just under 70° today, it was a heatwave! Totally lovin' it!
Tomorrow is a 50% chance of rain. But I'll take it, at least it's not that white ****!

Fourby, your ducks are getting huge! The outdoor "pen" photos make them look like maybe 10" long beak to tail? I must admit, out little chicks are NOT growing that fast. I remember thinking that our duck Walter practically grew before our eyes, much like yours are.
I was all set to take a couple current photos of our little flock...and then dead battery. Damn. I'll try again tomorrow.

The duck house has light now...WOO-HOO!

 

[TomcoPDR]

Hey C.F.

None of the ground here is irrigated... all dry-land farming. We tend to have lots of moisture over the winter and into the spring. Temps stay pleasant, usually, through mid July. By the end of July, it's hot (by north Idaho standards) and dry... perfect conditions for growing wheat. Actually, this is some of the best wheat farming in the entire US. Several years ago, I read the national average for wheat production is 42 bu/acre. Our ground here is considered "marginal" and it does 60 - 70 bushels... travel a few miles to the west and they get 130+! A few other crops thrown into the rotation are: barley, chick peas, lentils, **** seed (canola oil), and, at one point, there was a great export market for timothy hay (hope that continues)... a lot of guys are going to that. So, with the climate here, it's pretty much a single crop season. When I lived in Ogden, I used to buy 3rd and 4th cut alfalfa... around here, not much alfalfa grown but those that do get 1 - 2 cuts per season. By September, it will start to get damp again... perfect time to get the winter wheat going... So, guess that the low-down on the local ag business...

How are your new chicks doing? Any pics? My misses had the ducks in the tub this morning (the first of several daily sessions)... they have a great time!

Woke up to an overcast and gray morning yesterday...

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Love it. More pics of them duckies plz lol

 

[fourbyford]

OK, Thomas... here ya go!

Now, going outside is a daily thing... they really enjoy being out... and... they're getting so big, we're running out of room to keep them in!

...D

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[drivesitfar]

4by: I bet it's a little scary having the ducks outside isn't it? that said I hope they live a long and happy life on your farm cause i can tell they are bringing huge smiles to you and your bride.

I'm still looking for your big roll of tape and this C19 has me busy helping kids and service people get some gym equipment cause with all the schools, gyms (including the ones on the bases) and stores closed they don't have anything to lift.

I keep telling them that their body weight is maybe the best exercise with planks, pull ups, push ups, yoga just to name a few but most just want to have some steel to lift.

if any of this great weather we are having is headed your way you'll be a very happy camper cause i think it might be the 4th day in a row with sun and 60+ weather here.

have a great day!!

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

Yep, we were mid 60's yesterday and sunny... mid to upper 60's through Saturday, a brief cool down then, back up near 60 early next week! I'll take it!! Thanks for sending great weather our way!

While we had the ducks out yesterday, my misses noticed a pretty large raptor overhead. I didn't get a good enough look to know what it was... Thankfully, our German Shepherd guards them pretty well... and my misses was working in the flower gardens near by so, no worries. We definitely won't be leaving them unattended! I watched the hawk (I think) for a few minutes... it seemed more interested in searching for rodents in our fields. There should be plenty!

So, I think you mentioned recently that you're moving some of your gym equipment along to others? That will probably help everyone... you get more space for what you really want and others get what they need...

Hope you have ANOTHER great day!

For anyone interested, a few more pics from today's swimming lessons...

Apologies for the pics... even with the lights on in the bathroom, the brood light casts an orange glow... guess I could turn it off for a bit?? ...lol

These guys are so active, it's hard to get pics while they're in the tub. They're always diving and darting around... pretty funny. And, my misses puts cat toys in the tub. They love pulling at strings or anything they can get ahold of... especially if it happens to have a bell on it.


...D


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[fourbyford]

Hey C.F.

Good to hear you're getting some nicer weather! It's always good when the precipitation (this time of year) falls as rain!

Good observation on the ducks. I'm speculating here... we think we probably have 4 females and 2 males. Four of the ducks are about 10" or so from tip to tip... the other two are 12"... maybe a bit more... Definitely larger than the others.. Hard to believe we've had them just over 3 weeks. I could definitely see the growth day by day... Unbelievable!

I mentioned a while back that my misses wanted geese. Well, now, that has changed. She wanted white "farm ducks". So, I ordered 4 female jumbo white Pekins from Myers Hatchery. Scheduled to ship on 4/27... should be here for her birthday! They're supposed to be prolific players and easy keepers... and, approaching the size of small geese. This should be interesting... lol

A couple of days ago, our car sent us a message that if we didn't drive it soon, the battery would be getting too low... who knew?? I dont know what the problem could be... we bought it just before Christmas and already had 980 miles on it... lol. So, yesterday, I took it to the little city a few miles down the road to get the mail... from the mail truck. Knowing the short distance wouldn't be enough for much of a charge, i headed for the "high country" to the east of us. I was surprised at the amount of snow on the ground! And, looking to the peaks beyond, looks like it was a good winter!

Glad it's warm here though... lol

This pic is closer to our place... no snow. I didn't get pics of the higher country... too busy watching the road... lol

(*note... no lives were risked during the brief time it took to snap this pic... I was using the "auto-pilot" feature on the car and didn't even get the reminder to "place hands on the wheel"... lol)


...D


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[fourbyford]

What would we do without auto-correct???

That was supposed to be prolific LAYERS!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

One more update... somewhat garage related... lol... and I gotta get going. Really need to make some progress on the duck house today... WE NEED IT!!! ...lol

I spent yesterday covering the upper and lower "ends" of each rafter bay (highly technical "builder's" term... lol) with plywood. That part went fairly well.

Then, I attached 2 x 3 strips to each side of each "pole rafter"... both to (hopefully) give me something fairly straight to friction fit the 2" foam insulation into and, to give me some way to attach the plywood covering. This part also went fairly well.

Then, the "fun" began... trying to cut/ fit the foam. After an hour or so, I pretty much had one piece pressed into place. I'm not thrilled with the whole thing but, it is what it is. It mostly fits and, it will be (mostly) thermally efficient. I'm most concerned with reducing the amount of heat the metal roof would radiate during the summer. I think this will do an adequate job. I have 3 more sheets to fit today. Hopefully, I'll find some sort of "rythm" and this morning wont be a total frustration. But, at the end of today, ceiling WILL be in place and I'll be nearer to completion.

Good thing... I have some major maintenance things to attend to with the 4xFord before my upcoming road trip.

Best get at it! Later...

...D


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[Jayman17]

What would we do without auto-correct???

That was supposed to be prolific LAYERS!

...D

Haha, I was wondering about "prolific players". .
Your place there looks like a nice way of life. Looks very quiet and peaceful and yes, your ducks are sure growing fast.

Jay

 

[sean Buick 76]

Looking good and thanks for your service.

 

[fourbyford]

Thanks, Sean... and thanks for the visit!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Jay,

Thanks for the good words! I try to keep up with all the digital "assistance" I receive but, now and again, something slips through. At the moment it happens, I find it aggravating but, it's usually pretty funny.

Our life here is a bit slower and very peaceful. After all the years I spent in the "rat race" and living in and around cities, it's a welcome change.

Hope all is good in your neck of the woods!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

We've had a stretch of incredibly nice weather. Been in the high 60's and sunny.

A couple of days ago, I got the lawn tractor out... checked things over... all good. Although, an oil change is imminent. Next time we go to the big city, I'll grab some parts.

My misses has completely taken over the mowing. Initially, there was a pretty good-sized learning curve but, she drives like a pro now. I have to admit I like mowing our place... and still do once and again. But, when she mows, I can use my time to get other things done. Guess that's a win.

Our spring flowers have been "up" for quite a while but, we're now seeing blooms everywhere. These daffs are on the south-facing bank of our pond.

The ducks have been spending their days outside... and they absolutely love it. We put them in the temporary pen where they pretty much stay... even though we dont close the gate. One good thing with them... no need to "count heads". If you see a pile of them, you can bet they're all there! ...lol.

My misses fed them bits of a banana to lure them into the covered section of their new home. They're settling in to the new situation well... although they still come in the house at night. They'll be living in the duck house soon!

Our pond filled nicely over the winter... the water is crystal clear. We sprayed cat tails last summer (and burned quite a few) and are seeing the results of that. Once the water warms up, I'll devise some way to get them out of the water. Our waste transfer station has has an area for composting yard waste. We can bring loads at no charge. I'm not sure what they might have to say when I bring in a dozen (or so) dump-trailer loads of cat tails... lol

I have been working diligently on the duck house... more to follow...

...D


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[fourbyford]

So, for the past couple of days, I've been working on the duck house.

One of the first things I needed to do was get
the ridgid foam installed above the door way. Two pieces of 1 1/2" and one piece of 1" and I was good.

That mission, accomplished.


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[fourbyford]

Next, came the straightening out the F/G insulation and installing a plywood panel above the door...


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[fourbyford]

Then, it was time to install the last of the 2" x 3" strips on the sides of the pole rafters. Sorry for no pic, but this job was largely uneventful.

Finally, it was time to install the last of the 2" insulation...

A couple days ago, I mentioned the frustration I was experiencing while trying to fit these panels. My original idea was to do each panel as a single sheet. Two problems... first, the "bay" I was trying to fit the panel into had a distinctive "hour glass" shape. Hard enough to measure, much less trying to cut that shape into 2" thick foam that really doesn't like being cut. Second, once I had the panel essentially "cut", I realized it was too long to fit past the beam at the top of the wall. So, I used my utility knife to cut the panel (pretty much) in half. That allowed me to fit the lower half, followed by the upper half. Sounds easy when I say it but, a bit of trimming and fussing was involved.

So, for the second (and subsequent) panel(s), I started by cutting the foam to a "rough" width and then cut them in half with the circ saw. Much cleaner/nicer cut. So, what this meant was i could concentrate on fitting just the lower half of each panel... odd ball cuts were easier because i was only dealing with half of the length. For some reason, it seemed that the lower half of each panel required the most fussing... the uppers were comparatively easy.

All in all, the job went reasonably well. The seams in the middle of each bay fit tightly enough that I'm not worried about air infiltration. By the time i got to the last panel, I was fitting it like a pro...

A couple days ago, I mentioned hoping I could find a "rythm"... never did... but, I did find my way through!

On to other things!

...D

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[fourbyford]

So... the last job for yesterday was to install lino on the floor of the duck house. This is less about creating the "Duck-Hilton" and all about creating a surface that's waterproof and easy to clean.

No in-progress pics because I was feverishly working... trying to finish before dark.

I started by cutting a full-sized paper template of the floor. I figured this would be the best/easiest/ fastest way to get things to fit. Trying to measure all of the irregularities would have been an absolute nightmare!

Then, I rolled the lino out on our front deck and taped the template to it. Used my framing square for a straight edge and cut out the shape with my utility knife.

When I placed the lino on the floor for a dry-fit, no trimming required!

Then, I just pulled the lino back, half way, and trowled the adhesive onto the floor. Step and repeat. All in all, a fairly easy job. And, my knees aren't even killing me today!

Today, I'll build the entry door and the ramp to the back area.

Getting close!


...D


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[drivesitfar]

4by: are all the ducks growing at the same pace or are some quite a bit bigger than the others cause some are pretty big?

I haven't done linoleum for a long long time and for the money and the use I bet you picked and installed the correct product. WELL DONE!!!!!!

love all the farm pics and is your photographer your beautiful bride or are you using a tripod with a timer delay?

cheers and enjoy your EASTER!!