Clarke and Cinnamon found a cool place.

Today is unseasonably warm,  a record 86 degrees.

Clarke and Cinnamon took a break from chicken watching to find some cool grass growing under the Cabin.

Endlessly fascinating

Since we moved the chickens to the farm ClarkeBar has been wanting one for his very own.

Yesterday he got into a few chicken chasing episodes, today he ought to get the idea that chickens are not for chasing.

Moving Our Hounds to the Farm

It has been a while since I posted here in our Rocketdog page(s). Things have been busy so most of the time I have kept the posts short and on Facebook. But here's something new: We are ready to move the hounds to the Farm.

We had already prepared water and a place to stay, (a place with a bed and enough to keep them safe when we moved cars and trucks through the gate) but simply being able to keep them all out there isn't enough. Hounds can get barky when they are cooped up and bored. We needed something bigger. I needed to build them a place to stay when the gates are open and when we are not there. This required building a larger fenced area.

Even though money isn't our main concern, we will have to build many dozens of them to define the edges of Farm features and paths. So this design does the job for about three dollars a linear foot and I can build them quickly. I used wire concrete reinforcement panels to keep people and dogs out while letting chickens and ducks roam the Farm freely. Best of all, each panel can easily be re-positioned as things get developed by just pulling up the rebar and moving the panels to their new place.

Each fence panel is tied to the next.by eye bolts
through which rebar is driven into the ground.

From their new yard they can see the whole farm,
but not the trail across the road.
So they won't bark at the bikers and hikers.

Their doghouse (with the heated floor)
opens into the lean-to workbench area.
The new back door opens into their  new yard.

Once the fence had been moved around a few times to find a shape that will keep them in while still giving them a view of the place, I put down a few yards of Hemlock bark mulch. The mulch is soft on the paws, keep those paws clean, easily cleaned up, and provide a good barrier to weeds.

After we move to the new kennel the mulch will have "cooked" down into a fine growing mulch and we will till it into the soil to add nutrients. The area where the Cabin and temporary dog yard is presently situated will become a pear orchard.

This is them the first time they went into their new place.
I got the camera out too late to show them tearing the place up.

We are now completely ready to make our move permanent.