Guest Post and a Give Away

We've been very busy here on the farm.  The pups are growing like weeds.  Because of them I was contacted by a company who wanted to advertise on my blog.  Needing the money to feed these bottomless pits, I agreed.  So here is a post by them.  I find that it's a really interesting concept.  In fact, if you comment on here and then share this post, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift certificate.    Sounds like a good deal to me!!!!

SFG



 The Benefits and Cost of an Invisible Dog Fence

Your pet dogs love to run and explore, which is why a farm or homestead is such a great environment for them. Giving your dogs the entire run of the farm, however, isn’t always practical or safe. Designating clear boundaries is important for dogs, and fencing is the easiest way to do it. Traditional fencing is one option, but there is another you might want to consider - an invisible dog fence.

Invisible dog fences are reliable and versatile, and they can be particularly helpful on a farm. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons you might want an invisible dog fence. We’ll also answer the next most important question: How much does an invisible fence cost?

Uses for an Invisible Fence on the Farm

There are many different ways an invisible fence can be set up on your farm. One of the best things about it is that it does not create a barrier for anyone other than your dogs. With the dog fence wire buried underground, there is no physical fence obstructing the path or view. This makes it easy to create a dog-only zone on one section of your farm. There will be no gates to fiddle with or worry about when you need to access the rest of your property. Here are just a few of the different ways you can take advantage of invisible fencing:

-Separate Dogs and Chickens: An electronic dog fence can keep your dogs at a safe distance from your chicken coop. If your dogs aren’t contained, they could kill or injure your chickens or disrupt egg-laying. An invisible fence will keep dogs out, but it won’t stop chickens from roaming when your dogs are inside, allowing them to graze freely.

-Separate Dogs and Livestock: If your dogs are not herding dogs, you may want to keep them separated from any other livestock you have on your farm. The fences that are typically used to contain livestock aren’t usually adequate for containing dogs. An invisible fence can be used to reinforce the boundaries of existing livestock fencing.

-Contain Digging Dogs/Protect Your Gardens: One of the best advantages of an electric dog fence is that it can reliably contain dogs who love to dig. Digging dogs can burrow underneath traditional fences, and they can wreak havoc in the appealing soil of a garden or flower bed. Your dogs’ e-collars will emit an annoying beep as a warning, followed by a mild static shock, if they get too close to the boundary wire of an invisible fence, meaning they can’t dig under it.

-Enclose Multiple Acres: If you do want to give your dogs the entire run of your farm, there are some benefits to doing so with an electronic dog fence at the perimeter of your property. Boundary wire costs significantly less than traditional fence sections, so it’s more economical to enclose large areas with an underground dog fence. Also, an electric dog fence system will tell you if there is a break in the wire. You’ll know immediately if your dog is at risk of escaping, unlike with a traditional fence, which would require you to regularly inspect all sections of it.

Cost of an Invisible Fence

If you’re interested in installing an invisible dog fence on your farm, the next thing you need to know is how much it costs. You’ll be happy to hear that electronic dog fences are very reasonably priced - especially if you handle the installation yourself. A DIY electric fence system can cost as little as $200 total. Traditional fences can cost thousands of dollars to enclose the same area. Let’s take a look at some of the other costs that may be associated with an invisible fence system.

-Extra Boundary Wire: Most electronic dog fence systems come with 500 feet of boundary wire. Additional boundary wire will cost approximately $22-$150 per 500 feet. Your total cost will vary greatly depending on the size of the area you want to enclose. A wireless dog fence is also an option, and these systems may cost up to $800 to enclose up to 25 acres.

-Extra E-Collars: Invisible fence systems usually come with one e-collar. If you have more than one dog, you will need to purchase additional collars at about $60-100 each. You may also need to purchase a specialized e-collar if a dog is less than 10 pounds, or if a dog is particularly large or stubborn. Specialized e-collars have varying correction levels, either less intense or more intense than the average e-collar.

-E-Collar Batteries: Lots of invisible dog fence systems have rechargeable e-collars. These are preferable, because you don’t have to worry about changing the batteries. If your e-collars require replacement batteries, you can expect to spend $14-40 per year, per e-collar.

-Installing the Fence: Professional invisible fence installation can cost up to $2500 for the average yard. You can save that money by going the DIY route and installing your own dog fence. This is a project that anyone can complete. You can expect to spend the better part of one weekend installing the fence, but doing so shouldn’t cost you anything.

-Running the Fence: For the average-sized yard, an electronic dog fence may cost about $1-2 per month in electricity. Of course, larger boundaries with more wire will cost slightly more.

Selecting an Invisible Fence

If you’re interested in purchasing a DIY electric fence for your farm, there are several different brands and types to choose from. Invisible fence reviews and comparison charts can help you evaluate different options. You’ll need to decide which features are most important to you, such as rechargeable or specialized e-collars, or wireless versus wired dog fences. You’ll also need to know the size of the area you want to enclose so you can select a system that has the right capacity. Online customer reviews can also help you choose a good system.

With the right DIY electric dog fence, your dogs will be happy and safe on your farm.

Published in partnership with www.dogfencediy.com. We encourage you to share your experiences with a variety of dog containment systems in the comments section. Commenters and those who share the post in social media qualify for a drawing of a $25 Amazon gift card!

A Little Of This, A Little Of That

Oh my goodness!  I didn't realize how long it had been since I had written on here.  We have been doing just your normal "getting ready for Spring" stuff.  The garden hasn't been tilled yet.  This week is the first week that we haven't had a bunch of rain.  So if everything goes well, we'll be tilling it this weekend.

The rabbit that had the litter kept 5 alive.  Now, it's time for them to go to freezer camp.  It's what they are raised for and they had a good life of fresh air and greens for snacks.  It's a lot better than growing up in a factory farm.

The pups are growing like weeds.  I'm going to have to get some new pictures of them.  It's amazing how fast they grow.  They have been spending a lot of time outside running around and chasing each other.  All.  The.  Time.  I'm actually glad we got two of them.  They keep each other busy.  I couldn't imagine trying to keep one of them busy.  Well, Holley anyway.  She has to be doing something all the time.  Chassis is more laid back.  She's happy to just sit by you and watch t.v.  But, if you put them together, they are constantly running and playing.  Poor Jack.  They have been using him like a spring board.  They jump on his side while he's laying down.  He has only barked at them once and that was because they kept jumping in his face.  I'm glad he did it.  They need to learn manners.

I've been doing a little painting.  This painting I gave to a friend.  She has done so much for me that I had to do something for her.  This is a very bad picture of the painting.  You really can't see the details or colors.  I took this picture outside and I think the sun caused the camera to not pick up very good.  Oh well, you get the idea.  I have another one that I have to do for another friend.  I hope to get it started real soon.

In other news, the E-magazine that I have been writing for is going to print.  My articles will actually be in print!!!!  I'm sooo excited!  If you would like to get a subscription for this homesteading magazine you can go to  Molly Green Magazine.  Put in the coupon code "mothersday2015" and you can get a nice discount.

Well, I think I hear the fish in our pond calling my name so I'm going to get off here.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, livin life.

I'm Not A Vet

Sunday Hubby and I went for a ride on the four wheeler.  We usually ride around the neighborhood and visit friends.  We were gone for about a couple hours and it was just starting to get dark.  As we were outside, I noticed that our mare, Momma, was laying down by the hay hoop.  This is not too unusual.  What was unusual was the time of day.  At this time of day, the animals are usually up and eating and enjoying the cool part of the day.  I told Hubby that something wasn't right.

We went over to check on her.  As we got closer, she still didn't get up.  Still not right.  We finally got her to her feet, but she didn't want to put any weight on her right hind leg.  Great. I checked it out, tried pushing her so she would put a little weight on it, thinking maybe it had just fell asleep and it felt funny to her.  Nope, there was something wrong.  A million things were going through my brain trying to figure things out.  The worse thing I feared was she had foundered herself on the new grass.  She has foundered before, so she can do it again pretty easily.  This horse likes to eat.  We would put a grazing muzzle on her so she wouldn't eat as much, but she knows how to scrape them off on trees.  She's pretty smart about that.  Anyway, we couldn't find anything actually wrong right then, so we said we would watch her and see how she does and we left her and went home.

The next day, I went to feed the chickens and the rabbits.  As I was doing that, I noticed that Momma was up and eating.  She was still gympie, but not as bad as she was the day before.  Then I noticed that there were a bunch of hoof prints all around on the OUTSIDE of the fence.  Hmmmmmmm.  Every time someones animals get out or get loose, they make a bee line right for our farm.  It can be horses, dogs, cats, or cows, it doesn't matter, they will come to our house.  Maybe we look inviting. lol.

Anyway, I knew how Momma acted when there were other horses around.  She's a kicker.  She will try and kick through the fence after the other horse.  For her being a horse, she doesn't really like horses, or cows, or dogs.  She likes people though.  I think she would be the perfect horse for someone who doesn't have very much space and only wanted one horse.  She would be perfect for a little girl's first horse.  She is as tame as they come.

I figured our neighbor's horses had gotten out and she had kicked at them.  She probably made her hip sore or, she could have gotten kicked herself, we don't know. But at least now we have an idea.

A couple hours later I noticed buzzards flying over our back field.  Oh great.  We had had a calf born just two days before (that will be in another post) and I got to thinking that it was probably dead.  When you see buzzards, that's the first thing you think about.  The youngins.  So I get on the four wheeler and head back to take a look.  I unlatch the gate and drive back to take a look.  There laying on her side, all stretched out, was Momma.  Oh no!!!!  She was dead!  I gunned the gas and raced over to her, circling her with the four wheeler.  No movement.  Her eyes were rolled back into her head and there were flies swarming her face and neck.  As I drove closer, I say her ear barely move.  She wasn't dead just yet, but it wouldn't be long.

I raced back to the house to call my father-in-law to see what he would do.  I didn't want her to suffer if I could help it.  As I was calling, I was texting Hubby and telling him that his horse was just about dead. Well, FIL wasn't home but MIL was.  She said she would send him over as soon as he got home.  He was 45 mins away.  I realized there was nothing I could do right now but wait.  So, that's what I did.

 I got busy hanging clothes on the line and watching the puppies.  Then I remembered that I forgot to latch the gate to the back field so I went to do that.  I was just topping the hill riding the four wheeler when what did I see?  Momma was up standing and eating grass!!!!!  What the CRAP!  She was just about dead only a couple hours ago!!!! She must have REALLY been in a DEEP SLEEP! REALLY DEEP.  She just about fooled some buzzards. lol

I called everyone back and told them that the horse wasn't dead.  She was just asleep.  Of course I got a bit of ribbing with them saying I couldn't tell the difference between a dead horse and an alive horse.  I'm glad I was wrong.  But WOW did I get a scare.  I was SURE that horse was just about dead.

Momma still has a limp and she's still a little sore, but I can notice she's getting better.  Hopefully with all the deep sleep she's getting she will heal faster.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, not a vet......

Riding The Storm Out

Well, we made it thought the first severe thunderstorm of 2015.  It really wasn't that bad.  It rained a lot but we have had worse. It had lightning but I had seen worse. Although, I did get to see a radio tower get hit by a streak of lightning.  That was kinda cool.  And, we did have some small hail, but we have had a lot worse too.  So to rank this storm on the B.A.T.S. (badness according to Sherri.) scale, I would have given it a 4.  I could have slept through it.

I'm also messing around with putting videos on YouTube, so hopefully I'll be able to start putting some of the puppies and the happenings that go on here at the farm, on here for everyone to see.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll even put some of the videos of us playing music.  We shall see. As long as it's easy to do.  I'm not the most tech savvy person.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, storm survivor.

Another Big Day For The Puppies (picture heavy)

The puppies had a big day this weekend.  The weather was nice, so we let them come out and 

go with us to do chores around the farm.

The got to meet the cattle for the first time.  They weren't afraid because their protector, Jack, was there with them.

The puppies just love him.  And, he loves them back.  He will let them jump all over him.  I've actually seen Holley (the black one) stand on Jack's side while he was asleep.  He didn't care one bit.

He really loves Chassis.  She's not as rough with him as Holley is.  She's a love bug.  So, Jack loves her back.

The puppies also helped with putting up their outdoor kennel.  This will be used when I can't be outside with them but yet they just HAVE to be outside.  Which right now is ALL. THE. TIME.

                                                               Oh, and Jack helped too.

                         But then after the kennels was done, they just had to play again.

And some more.

Jack just laid under the tree and watched them.  Those little ones have a lot of energy.

Then Holley started to get sleepy.

Chassis still wanted to play.

But then, she decided she was tired also.

They slept for the rest of the day.  Those little buggers were worn out!  It was a big day for them!

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, puppy watcher.

Puppies and Baby

The puppies have been keeping me busy here on the farm.  I had been able to let them outside by themselves, but now they have started roaming.  I found them out in the pasture yesterday, and today I found them out by the road.  I can't have that happening.  So, we are going to set up the dog kennel for when we can't go outside with them.  I know they won't be happy with it, but I'm going to be staying outside with them most of the times and they can run loose if I'm out there.  And boy do they like to run!!!!  Those little buggers are fast!

We took them to their first vet visit just last week.  They were 10 weeks old and Holley weighed 18.89 lbs and Chassis weighed 18.08.  They are going to be big Aussies.  They got their second shots and wormed.  They did great.  But of course they puked inside their cage when I came up the bumpy dirt road.  See! Even the puppies hate how bad our road is! lol

The pups have started to develop their personalities.  Holley is the adventurous one.  She is like the tomboy of the two.  She will be the first one in trouble, she will be the first one to jump on Jack in the mornings, and I guarantee she will be the first one in the pond.  I dread that day.......  Long haired dogs with pond scum is something I'm not looking forward too.

Chassis is more of the girly girl.  She is more laid back, she likes to snuggle, and she thinks she's pretty. lol.   Although, she can run around in the weeds like the best of them.  Jack likes her best, as of now.  He will lay on his back and let her play around his face.

 Holley uses Jack as a spring board.  She will run out of the house as fast as she can, and bounce off of him and keep on running. She will then make a big circle and come back and jump in his face.  I can see on Jacks face he is thinking, " Go away kid, your bothering me." LOL!!!  But, he's a good boy and tolerates them playing.  It seems he knows just how easy to play with them.

Another thing we've done since I've last posted, was go to my niece's first birthday party.  It's hard to believe she is one year old.  Time sure does fly.  She's still a little tiny thing but she is growing.

She likes to play Dad's guitar.

Us adults were treated to some wonderful cupcakes that were made by Gracie's Aunt.

Gracie loved her new Raggedy Ann doll.

And her new computer.

Of course, she is just excited about almost walking too. lol.  

The little ones grow up way too fast.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, baby watcher.

 

It Wasn't A Pretty Sight

I have been feeling, well, not so fit lately.  Of course when you are my size that's not uncommon.  So, I thought I would do something about it and try to be more flexible.  I was going to try yoga.......I've been telling myself for years that yoga would help me get stronger and have more flexibility.  So I decided that today was the day.  No more excuses.

So I got my yoga pants on. (Oh who am I kidding?  I already had them on. lol)  I looked on Youtube for "yoga for beginners" videos.  I found quite a few of them.  Good!  I would have many to choose from.  As I was looking through them, I noticed one for beginners and weight loss.  Great!!!  Two birds with one stone!

I clicked on it to see what it was like.  A cheery, squeaky voiced, tooth pick of a girl was trying to tell me to sit like she was and if I couldn't I should use a blanket.  Of course she said she didn't need it so she wasn't going to use it.  I made it through 3 minutes with the squeaky cheerleader and had to change videos.

The next one I watched I thought I could handle.  So I got on the floor (concrete floor. I didn't have a yoga mat yet.) with my blanket and tried to do what she was doing.  Inhale....exhale.....  I can do this.  Now bring your legs in and sit cross legged.  When I was young, we called that Indian style. Well, I did the best I could, even with a blanket tucked under my bum.  Raise your arms over your head slowly.  Inhale....exhale.....  Reach for the sky.  Yep, still can do it.

Then she said to get up on all fours.  With bad knees and a concrete floor, it wasn't too comfortable, but I did it.  She said to arch your back like a cat, then do the opposite and bring your belly down towards the floor.  I wasn't real good at this, but I did it.  I think the concrete and the knees had something to do with this.

Next move she said to do what is called the downward dog.  Place you feet on the floor while your hands were still on the floor and push your bum up into the air making an A out of your body.  I did.  All of this time, she is telling me to inhale..... and exhale....  Well, what this little stick figure of a woman didn't understand, is that big breasted women CAN'T inhale and exhale in this position.  I was being smothered!  Blood was rushing to my head and my face was turning red.  All the time I was hearing this little voice in the background, "Inhale......Exhale...." .   Surely this woman has never had big boobs! I was about to pass out!

After about another minute of this misery, I gave up and watched a cat video.  There. That made me fill better.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, Master Yoga pants wearer.