Winter is coming to B-Kat!

It is coming.  Winter is coming and I can't stop it.  I must admit that I am okay with winter weather.  I would never consider leaving Indiana and I do like the different seasons.  I would think even the most anti-winter person would enjoy snuggling up by the fire watching the snow fall on the pastures.  Top it off with a good movie and a cup of hot chocolate and it is a slice of heaven.  Besides, the dogs love it.

 

Winter also allows us to be a little more lazy.   We don't have near as many outdoor chores to do during the winter.  This is also the first year with the new water line to the barn.

To give a little background, when we bought the property in October we loved the fact that there was a water line in the heated tack room to use in the winter.  Well in January the water line froze so we had to haul buckets from the house in the winter to keep the horses watered.  I thought no big deal.  I will look at in the spring and find where it is freezing and solve the problem.  In the spring I discovered that the water line "swooped" up at the barn.  No big deal, dug that portion deeper and insulated.  The next year - same problem.  Water line froze.  Again, I thought no problem.  I will find another high spot and solve it.  In the spring the water line ended up bursting IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RUN.  It was only 12" deep - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RUN.  Whomever ran the line only put it in 12 - 16" the entire way.  Needless to say, I ran a new much deeper water line a few months ago so this will be the first winter on it.  If it freezes this year - I will be renting a back-hoe and putting the line in to the depth of about six feet!!!

To prepare for winter we have to do a lot of tasks and really the process starts about in October.  We start by making sure the hay loft is full of hay for the winter.  We also start filling the dairy barn with round bales.  We are lucky because we can get hay year round, but we don't like throwing hay when it is -20 out, so we try to stock up.

We also have to blow out the outside water spigots and the water line that feeds the open dairy barn.  That means we loose the Little Giant Poultry Auto Waterer for the winter, but you can see below how we deal with that.  We also install all the livestock tank heaters and change the horse stall water buckets out to heated buckets. 

The house is much easier.  We make sure the storm windows are installed, the wood pellets are stocked, and the outside spigots are off.  I have the upstairs demolished for the remodel, so I did block of the attic vents until we get insulated and drywalled.  I hope that will happen soon (and by soon, I mean within the next 2 years, but don't tell my lovely bride).

So I guess bring on winter.  We are ready.  No matter what is thrown at us, we will always have fun.  Heck, riding in the snow covered fields is a blast!

In fact, I don't think there is much better.  Well maybe there are some things better...

 

Blackberry Trackpad Replacement

If you have a Blackberry Curve 8520 or any model that uses the Blackberry Trackpad, I hope this video is helpful to you. Make sure you do some searching for the trackpad. I purchased this one off of eBay for under 3.00 which included shipping.

Our Chicken Eggs are the best & the Automatic Chicken Waterer

B-Kat Ranch offers the best eggs around. There has been a lot of news of Salmonella in commercial eggs, and increased diagnosis of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum in backyard flocks. B-Kat participats in testing done at Purdue’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. The voluntary testing program, called Indiana’s Test Twelve (T-12), analyzes the eggs using a serological egg yolk antibody test. The diseases being tested for are Salmonella pullorum, Salmonella gallinarum, Salmonella entritidis, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synoviae and avian influenza. Our eggs always score negative on all tests.

B-Kat Ranch uses (and loves) the Little Giant Poultry Founts. These dependable waterers hook up to any standard 1/2 inch NPT pipe to provide a limitless supply of clean water. In the winter we have to turn off the water supply to the chicken coup which meant that we had to lug water in buckets to the chickens. This year will be a little different. We have placed in service a 55 gallon drum attached to the Little Giant.

Every man's worst fear!

It has finally happened! Every mans worst fear! Kathie came to me and said “we have to talk”. Oh No! That is never good. She said “Listen, it just is not big enough for what I want to do. I realize that you can handle it well and it does everything YOU want – but it just is not enough for me.” I was flabbergasted! What am I supposed to do? Do you know how much a bigger one would cost? I already have enough mental issues over the “smaller” version living out in the country, with everybody running around me with their MONSTERS! I have just started to come to terms and realize that is the biggest it is ever going to be! I don’t have a choice! She continued, “We have had fun and I thought it was HUGE when we first started playing around, but now that I know what is out there – and understand why they need to be bigger – it just is too small! Come on B.C., you know it too. You know the limitations that we have come to over this size issue before! This is not really new! Heck we had to rent one before to get the job done!”




GOSH DARN IT – She is right! I am going to have to buy a new TRUCK!

Welecome To B-Kat Ranch in Boone County Indiana

Hello All! This is an exciting time in our lives right now. Kathie and I spent many years living the "city" life of Indianapolis and have finally realised our dream of living in the country. Last year - almost exactly - we purchased a little piece of Boone County Indiana and started rural living. My hopes for this blog is to be entertaining and fun with a dash of knowledge thrown in!

I am an avid do it yourself person and that applies to everything! If I want to do something rather it be raising chickens or repairing the house - I am going to do it my self! I will read, ask, pester, and bother until I figure out the solution!

I hope for this blog to be a source for others that are learning new things and maybe that will save some time in the quest for knowledge.