Building Fences and Gates
School’s out for the summer and I have managed to borrow my grandson to help me with some farm chores. We are repairing and building fences and gates. Yea!
Project One- Back Pasture Gate
First job we tackled was replacing the rotted gate post to the pasture out back. I had been propping it up with an angled t-post for awhile and it was getting ridiculous. Every time I opened the gate to drive the truck through, I had to pick it up and carefully maneuver it around . We had a nice fat Cedar post waiting around just for this gate and the two of us got her done.
Of course, it was not a simple one step job. They never are. It was also a lesson in tools. First we had to clean up the fence line, digging out honeysuckle vines, pruning back the lilac bushes, limbing up the Leyland Cypress, and then we had to bundle all the brush up and drag it to the burn pile. Then we had to pry out old staples, and set the electric fence off to the side. Next, we dug the hole with the scissor type post hole diggers, set the new post in and tamped it down with the six foot tamping iron/ digging bar. Then we drilled two big holes- to screw the hinge pins into- with the half inch drill and a long extension cord. Finally we nailed up a board for bracing, re-stretched and stapled the woven wire to the post and hung the gate.
Oh, and then we added some insulators and replaced the electric fence attached to it. Whew. It’s gorgeous and the gate now swings freely on it’s hinges.
Project Two- Front Paddock Fence and Gate
Next for the little paddock fence out front, a corner of which is also the bee yard. This area was originally a cut flower garden and the fence consisted of two foot rabbit wire with a couple strands of smooth electric wire later added on top to keep the horse in. The marauding herds of deer have since beaten it down. We had to first prune back a forsythia hedge to expose and then remove all the rusted wire. Jeff worked on that awhile and then my grandson finished it. It is kind of fitting that he is wearing his FFA (Future Farmers Of America) shirt while doing this work.
We set in eleven more fence posts ( Blayne did most of the work) and strung four foot high woven wire for this paddock. There was already a working truck gate but I wanted a people gate by the bees, so we built a four foot wide wooden gate in the garage and brought it out when the wire was done.
The finished fence makes me happy. I love getting these projects crossed off the list. Some jobs require help, and this is one of them. I am appreciating my grandson and his willingness to work. Plus, he is getting experience with saws and drills and all sorts of fence building tools.
Project Three-Chicken House Again
In the interior of the barn there is a very sheltered area that expands the chicken space, especially useful in bad weather. It is handy to have when I need to separate different groups of chickens, and right now, with so many chickens, we need the extra room. The wall I used to have was thrown together from scraps and not very user friendly so I tore it down recently while I was cleaning the barn. Yesterday we built a hinged people door and a chicken wire wall and we will add some nest boxes and roosting poles tomorrow. Oh. And a swing for the chickens to play on. There is already a little chicken door that can join it to the main covered run.
I am having so much fun with all these projects. Eventually, I suppose I will be caught up and will have to find some paying work but I am trying not to think about that too much. For now, I am enjoying my grandson and my critters.
-Wendy lee, writing at edgewisewoods.com
