Good Ideas ----RETURNS

[whitney]

Haven't posted here in a while but stumbled onto something yesterday that may help alot of people so here it is.

Every year I throw away the bottom row of baled hay because it gets musty, moldy smelling. Well my fiance ran out of tarps and pallets to put our hay on this spring and used TYVEC that was left over from a house project. We just used the last of the hay yesterday and it was sweet smelling and no mold. He said its because it is made to breath but stop moisture from coming through it. With hay prices like they are throwing away 30 bales of good hay every year WAS expensive. I've tried every configuration of pallets, tarps when stacking on ground and nothing ever worked. THIS DID! Love that MAN!

For those that have never done good ideas post, its to post your latest good idea large or small. So what's your good idea?

 

[candycar]

At the risk of looking stupid, I'll ask the question. What is TYVEC? Do they have it at Lowes?

 

[Jill]

I have two "good" ideas (or at least ones I've used in the past and been happy to have).

One is to scrub buckets and troughs, get a sturdy toilet bush with a long arm. Obviously, one you buy just to use for this purpose and not one you retire from household cleaning! Saves some bending and gives you some added leverage.

Second is for those who have to haul water out in winter, which we did for years before getting frost free pumps or whatever they're called, installed, use either a 5 gallon plastic "gas can" (again, not one you used to hold gas) to take water around because it will not slosh out onto you the way a water bucket will, and you can pour it easily.

 

[BSharpRanch]

Tyvek is a moisture barrier "paper" that they wrap around houses, between the framing and siding. I say paper but it isn't really paper it's kinda like plastic, but not really.

It keeps moisture out of your home.

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

It's the same material that those nice, shiny white, hard to tear, large business envelopes are made of... It usually says "Tyvek" on the material...

 

[whitney]

BSHARP spot on. TYVEC is available at home improvement stores, it comes on a roll. Best bet is to get a hold of a contractor to bring home his scraps its free that way. Should last awhile it's some type of synthetic material.

 

[JanBKS]

We have had a ton of rain this year and I never had a problem with my hay kept down in the barn, but this year it's horrible I have not even got threw the hundred down there and it's already molding, so Whitney, do you put that under the pallets between the pallet and floor or on top of pallet's under the the hay between the pallet and hay. I have water that leaks over where I keep the hay, so not sure if on floor would be good or on pallet's.

My good idea is have been using it for 30 years I take a strainer, or a minnow net and keep the leaves and feed cleaned out of the water tubs. I have used the bowl brush, and I have some 5 gal old veg oil containers, I also use my deer sled to pull hay to another barn in winter over the snow.

Thanks Jan

 

[susanne]

I always keep a strainer by the gate for cleaning troughs...water stays fresh so much longer if you can skim off hay, leaves and misc. debris. It's also great for removing ice in winter.

My electric tea kettle is handy for so many things...in winter, rather than hauling lots of cold or warm water out to the troughs after breaking up ice, I heat up the kettle and pour the boiling water to melt the slush. It's not enough to warm the water too much for drinking, but it keeps the troughs from freezing up and it simplifies life when you don't have heated troughs.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

One is to scrub buckets and troughs, get a sturdy toilet bush with a long arm. Obviously, one you buy just to use for this purpose and not one you retire from household cleaning! Saves some bending and gives you some added leverage.

I was doing a lot of that this weekend. I also used a little dish brush scrubber to clean the barn grooming kits.

 

[happy appy]

I always keep a strainer by the gate for cleaning troughs...water stays fresh so much longer if you can skim off hay, leaves and misc. debris. It's also great for removing ice in winter.

My electric tea kettle is handy for so many things...in winter, rather than hauling lots of cold or warm water out to the troughs after breaking up ice, I heat up the kettle and pour the boiling water to melt the slush. It's not enough to warm the water too much for drinking, but it keeps the troughs from freezing up and it simplifies life when you don't have heated troughs.

I use a butterfly net for this purpose! They are cheap and work great at getting to the bottom without getting my arm wet.

 

[amysue]

I love these topics, who knew that there were so many ways to repurpose things around the barnyard. I too use a fishing net to scoop leaves and floating debris from troughs. I also keep those dollar sucker fish in my big stock tanks to keep algae and mosquito larva at bay. I also use barley straw in the pond to keep green scum from growing on top of the water. It also regulates the oxygen levels to keep the fish from suffocating (sine my cows drink from the pond this is important). I save the plastic cat litter jugs to repurpose as water carriers, they're great for toting water to horse shows and events. I built boxes with foam insulation inside around all of my troughs for winter time, all I have to do is break the thin skim of ice that forms on top and scoop out the chunks with a net so it does not refreeze instantly. Much easier than running extension cords all over the barnyard and heating buckets. All of the hay that my horses leave behind on the ground gets raked up and used to bed the chicken, goose and pheasant runs and nest boxes, as well as mulching the flower beds and veggie garden. It is amazing how much less volume the manure pile takes up with less hay bulk in it. I hung shiny Christmas ribbon in all of the barn door ways and aisle ways to deter swallows and I have almost no birds flying in.... which means no bird poop all over my barn. I hang tarps over the side of the turn out fences in one section on either side to serve as shade cloth for the minis turned out in spaces with no trees for shade. I recycled mud flaps from the 18 wheeler corn trucks and repurposed them into feeding mats for all of my range mares who get grain when brought in from pasture. I built a wall of hay mangers in my stalls out of baby crib side panels given to me from a nanny service. I made a bunch of tote bags out of grain sacks, one for each school horse, so they have a "show bag" of their very own to keep their brushes, wraps and supplies separate from others and easily transportable from show to stable so nothing gets left behind.

 

[whitney]

wow amysue you are my kinda person! Great ideas!

Clarification on the TYVEC I put it directly on the ground in the indoor arena. However if you have a low spot that collects water under your hay you need to get it up with pallets and then the TYVEC on top of the pallets. Also we had the letters facing up.

 

[susanne]

If you drink Crystal Light, the plastic containers that the 1 gallon packets come in are great for pre-measured amounts grain (or chicken feed) when someone else is feeding. I also tear off the labels and use them as pen/pencil holders in my office, but that's not horse-related...

 

[eagles ring farm]

We cover feeders in unused stalls with aluminum foil to keep clean from dust and bird poop urgh- I like your bird deterent idea amysue

can wrap around sides to secure.

Also use vise grips to move heavy rubber mats

 

[susanne]

.

I almost forgot my absolute can't live without item -- headlamps. Keith and I each have one We do not have lighting in our run-ins, in the corrals, or in the hay shed, so these are priceless in winter for feeding horses and chickens, for bed-check, for general farm chores. Best of all, they cost next to nothing.

 

[candycar]

I'm loving these ideas. Some I already use, and some new I will! I second the "head lights" They have them that clip on hat brims too.

 

[misty'smom]

Oh wow the headlamps are a great idea!!!!! Wish I knew about it last winter when I didn't have electric in my barn.......just got electric a few months ago. There are so many good ideas here, thanks everyone for sharing!!!!!!

I am going to order and try those bucket cozies this winter. Since I only have the 2 minis I did fill their buckets every evening with hot water and most nights it did not freeze. Even though I have electric this year I am a little apprehensive about the electric heated water buckets.

Keep all the great ideas coming..............!!!!!!!!!

 

[susanne]

.

Zip ties. Another can't-live-without-em item. I officially have more fencing fastened to t-posts with these than with t-post clips. Now that we've fenced in the lower half of our property for our dogs, some of it including some very rough ground, the zip ties have proven themselves once again.

 

[susanne]

.

I love repurposing materials, and I recently purchased 4 x 7 remesh panels from Home Depot (intended for reinforcing concrete) for $7 apiece. I attached them to our pipe driveway gate (with zip ties, of course) to keep our dogs from going walk-about. They work out to about the same price as cattle panels, but work well for smaller projects. As with the cattle panels, you have to watch the raw ends and cover them with hose or use in a way where this isn't a problem.

 

[amysue]

I too love zip ties and the remesh panels. I use them in my coops for dividing bird pens and building flight cages. I acquired three 10x20 carport canopy frames recently and I zip tied them together and zip tied deer mesh all around them and made a 60ft flight cage for my peacocks for about 100 bucks. I even spray painted the frame greed so it would not stand out too much in the yard and tick off the neighbors. Re purposing materials is the only way our farm has been able to continue to grow.