Wednesday, April 9, 2014

2014, the Year of the Fence

For us, this year is the year of the fence.  I started working on enclosing the remainder of our field in a warm spell in January.  A snow storm moved in while I was working on it, so we left it partially completed and got dumped on.  It's now 3 months later and the snow is finally gone, and ground finally thawed.  I'll be finishing enclosing the field tomorrow. 
After the field is completely enclosed I need to put fence openings in the right areas, and come up with a solution so the horses can drink from the river.  After those tasks are accomplished I'll be stepping back from pasture fencing for awhile. 
Next up is upgrading the chicken enclosure.  I have very naughty chickens who like to pick through the gravel on the side of the road.  This annoys my neighbors who in turn call animal control to complain, so we try to keep them penned up.  Last year's attempt was a big flop.  I'm hoping to use 2x2 posts that we already have on the farm to keep the budget low, then staple chicken wire up, top with thin boards and run hot wire along the top.  I'll also be clipping their wings this year, as the Aracunas like to fly out. 
After the chicken run is finished I need to tackle fencing in the backyard.  Before I know it I'm going to have to running boys to chase, so a fence to keep them away from the road is necessary.  I plan on putting one fence, with a large gate between the stone foundation from the summer kitchen, and the stone fence that borders the pasture field.  Another fence will be placed between the corner of the house and the corner of the barn.  Before that can go in I need to level off the ground.  There is a 2.5 foot drop from yard to where the garden is, and that just isn't safe or pretty.  After that I need to work on fencing in along the rock wall and the pasture, but I haven't come up with a solution for that.  At least with the two boundary fences in they won't be able to run towards the road.
Lastly, we need some sort of privacy fence put up along the foundation for the summer kitchen.  I have a vision of a backyard patio where our family can hang out, cook, and relax.  However, those aforementioned neighbors? They drive back and forth staring onto our property, instead of watching the road.  It makes me uncomfortable to be observed so often, so I'm dreaming of something to put up to block their view of us when we're having family hang out time.