Saturday, August 26, 2006

i built a feeder for the cow


nimue, has been eating out of a galvanized tub since merlin was born. we feed her grain mixed with sea kelp powder and alfalfa. she usually knocks all the alfalfa out of the tub to see if there is any grain at the bottom. then she'll try to reach the ground where she knocked it. tabitha has to get up several times while milking to put it back in the tub. i used several pieces of the rough oak slab to make a trough and hay holder. i'll take photos this morning.
my radial arm saw had bound on a piece of cedar a few weeks ago and needed to be reset. i didn't know how to reset it and had to spend a few minutes to figure it out. the obvious big red reset button didn't do the trick initially. the main switch needed to be in the on position then hold the reset until it starts.
additionally my new circular saw works like a charm. now all i need is a table saw and i can really start working on the trim in the house. the table-saw i want is $500. maybe the next big purchase can go to that. we had to replace our washing machine and vacuum. those stupid appliances and the american planned obsolescence really make me mad. we bought an australian made washer that tauts that i can be repaired by the average handy owner. we also bought an english designed dyson vacuum. unpatriotic you might ask? i'm just sick of this disposable economy we live in and fight back in every way i can. american made used to stand for value and durability now it stands for "buy a new one every few years."
some animal tried to get into our chicken tractor last night. i need to assess the situation this morning.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the chicken tractor perp. If you find out anything, let us know.

Danielle said...

Is it easy to get the parts for the washer?

Omelay said...

pablo,

it was a raccoon and got one of our chicks it pulled it through the wire??? imagine that. i fixed the breech. i guess you don't really need opposing thumbs to manipulate chicken wire.

danielle,

the place i bought the washer carries all the parts and say they'll offer self help advice.

Danielle said...

Looks really cool but I'm having a hard time picturing how it works. Can you get a pic with nim's head in the contraption eating??

Christine said...

Where did you locate and purchase the washer and the vaccuum?

What grains are you feeding Nimue? And where do you purchase the sea kelp powder?

Aren't I asking lots of questions! We'll be getting a cow/calf in October and I need to be prepared! And my washer is almost on its last legs and I'd be interested in something that I could possibly repair.

You guys are such an inspiration!

Omelay said...

hh

the fisher paykel washer is luckily sold locally. the dyson vacuum we got on http:///www.overstock.com it was recommended heavily by tabithas friends and substantiated by online research. nimue, the cow, gets sweet-grain, 3-4 flakes of alfalfa from a small bale, molasses and the sea kelp powder. she is also spoiled with a huge bale of wheat hay and visit to the lawn to graze a few times a week. the sea-kelp powder is online by searching "sea life kelp meal"

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