MY DEAD LAPTOP AND A BUNCH OF NEW FENCING GOING UP!

Little Flash enjoyoing the ice-free pond. This little girl gives me white eggs about the same size as a large chicken egg

Hi Peeps!  Computer has been in the shop for the past 10 days .. unfortunately the last backup that I have that is NOT corrupted goes back 12 months.  That means I have lost a TON of stuff; labels, brochure, Shady Grove photos, accounts for starters. Note to self - Sign up for Carbonite back-up when I get the laptop back!

I have my little Chromepad here though, thankfully, with its 11.5" screen (man, my eyes!!) so I haven't been totally offline.

We have been struggling to comply with a temporary injunction to keep our gates open along the right of way. This has meant keeping clucks and ducks confined on days when we have been unable to supervise their activities and even on days when we HAVE been able to supervise them, they have to be constantly retrieved from the neighbour's (undeveloped) property. Ducks wander through gates you see. Domestic ducks cannot fly so our original method of containment with the gates worked wonderfully.. meaning that we sometimes have to trespass on the (plaintiff's) neighbour's property several times daily. Same newbies that have the ROW across Shady Grove Farm for access/egress. You see, in Nicholas county, it is not about what the law says, it is about who knows who. Nuff said!

Faced with almost a doubling in feed and bedding costs with confinement, we have just spent thousands of dollars building fences and gates along the right of way. At least now, we know that we can let the critters out and they are NOT going to wonder either on to Nile Road and get killed, or on to the neighbour's property.

Can you believe that the (Eejut) plaintiff's lawyer suggested to the Judge that the gates didn't work anyway because chickens can not only fly over the 5 ft fence but also swim across the pond, walk a few hundred feet up a briar-strewn slope, and get on to the road, and the judge agreed?

Anyways, faced with the hearing in JUNE, a wait of 7 months, I was not prepared to let our livestock endure forced confinement, hence the decision on fencing, which cost us the equibalent of the extra food and bedding that would have been required over that time period.

Hubby John was just applying the finishing touches by trimming up the 1" heavy duty plastic mesh over the field gates when I took some pix.

Socks the feral kitty investigates the new gates. The red bar gates were built and installed by us BEFORE people bought the property behind us so they bought their property with the gates in place. However, we know that they were told, we presume by the seller/agent, that the gates belonged to THEM and they could remove the gates any time they wanted.. the same style of gate was installed before these gates were put in place at the entrance to the right of way LONG before the prroperty behind us was acquired and replaced an existing 5-bar field gate that had been installed around 50 years ago when this property as a horse farm. The temporary injunction requires us to keep these gates open at all times and we comply. 

Brand new section of fencing along the 14 ft right of way. These are 8 ft posts, augured in to 2 foot depth, set in concrete.Note the heavy field fencing that stretched between the posts.  The wood and wire gate gives foot acess into the duck pen and the adjacent run. as well as to the 100ft raspberry border. Drilling 2 ft holes into large rocks and shale was no fun for John, I'll tell you!

Ducky break! The pond was frozen over completely for a couple of days so these girls were so excited when the ice cleared! 

New wood and wire gate with new posts and fencing.

New posts and fencing heading back up the right of way to Nile Road. Hubby John doing the finishing touches on the 2 x 14ft wide, 5 ft, 14 ft wide field gates to prevent poultry from getting under the gap at the bottom of the gates. 

New posts, fence and gate now completely separate the right of way from the rest of our property. Effectively we have lost the use of 17,500 square feet of our property for free ranging our animals. 

Previously, visitors and delivery vehicles could pull in, reverse and turn around in the drive. Now they will have to get out, unchain and open the two 14 ft field gates, drive in, reverse to turn around, and then close/chain the gates before departing. 

You can clearly see the long line of 8 ft posts and fencing that we buit.  

The "Duck gates" that we built in 2013 will stay in pkace until we find another location for them. Essentially, they are redundant right now. 

Fencing goes right up to where the original gate posts were placed. Looking back towards the house with the pond on the right. At least we can be sure that our girls will now be safe from road traffic.

My babies!! 

We are still offering FREE duck and chicken eggs between now and the end of the month so stop by if you are in the area. You might want to call us first even though we are mostly at home.  By the way, with 26 laying birds we are STILL getting up to 25 eggs a day, pretty good for mid-December in West Virginia!