Musical Pens

So, it seems like I don't get much time to post much these days. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed lately and can't seem to figure out how to get everything done without burning the candle at both ends. I'm still trying to figure out how to juggle the paying job, caring for the horses, taking care of kids, and getting stuff done around the house. That doesn't leave any time for anything else, like trying to get something on the calendar for a fundraiser or doing research to help us cover costs for the horses. It's starting to really stress me out. Now that we are non-profit, I want to continue that momentum but it seems like we are slipping into a slump of some sort. It's summer, well, not really but there's no snow...so priorities are changing and things aren't getting done like I'd hoped.



It's the middle of May and normally I've had the big herd out on grass for two weeks. They haven't had a sliver of grass yet. Junior, Mayhem, and Rabbit have been out mostly because Junior NEEDS to be on grass and their pen was a muddy mess and Rabbit is a hurting unit. I'm trying to figure out how to get the big herd out on the lawn. I have to use corral panels for two reasons 1) Kids. Can't have electric up when there's little kids around and 2) the electric fencer is dead and its' going to cost $300 to replace it (which I don't have).


I think I have everything figured out of I play musical pens. I am going to move  Junior and Rabbit to the pasture that wraps around the drylot to the east. Mayhem isn't adjusted to grass like I want her to. At least not yet. She's been on grass but not to the point where she wouldn't get sick. I'll have to pull Junior and Rabbit at night and stall them in the barn.


That means I can put the ponies and Lace in with Mayhem (much to Mayhem's dismay). There's a round bale they can work on. Not sure if it'll last another month or not. I'm guessing not. But with Lace and the ponies out of their pen, I can pull the corral panels down and use that for the big herd. If Lace gets too nasty, I can put her in a small pen by the barn and keep her all by herself. I think she's angry because she's food aggressive. When the big herd has transitioned to grass and I can put them out on the big pasture (after I divide it), I'll work on getting Lace and Mayhem used to grass. Then I will put Lace in with the big herd and pull King out. King will have to go somewhere else when the big herd goes out to pasture. It's not because he can't handle grass. He blows through electric and I can't afford to have the herd going through electric. As it is, I'll have to figure out a way to get an electric fencer going and keep it on all the time. All. The. Time. But I am not going to tolerate him or risk them taking down the fence. If I do it right, I can rotate and have just enough pasture.


After memorial weekend, I'll haul Junior and Brego up to mom and dad's for a little while. They seem to do well together and do really well on their grass. Hopefully that'll fatten them up. It'll also take just a little bit of pressure off the pastures. I really want to not be feeding hay.

Hay costs money and we are pretty limited right now. Extra bills piled up and I'm trying to get them covered. And we'll have an extra bill due to Rabbit. I'll write about that in another post. So this week is going to be busy and hopefully I can start getting the herd out on grass (and get some good pictures and finally post something other than last summer's pictures....because that's all I have!)

Anyone want to help me put up corral panels? I could really use the help. What people don't tell you when they have a c-section is that you lose feeling from the incision to your belly button. The feeling will come back but not right away. Apparently for me, the feeling comes back after eight and a half months. I was moving some corral panels yesterday and I hurt something. The panels are light but I somehow hurt something right along the incision line. Add to that the feeling coming back, I'm moving a bit slow these days. I guess everything will get done, it'll just take longer.