The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: MAK on June 01, 2012, 10:43:41 pm
-
What a result - after a wet spring and a recent warm bout the local council have cut the very high grass and wild flowers on the narrow lanes. Today my daughter and I worked both sides of our narrow lane turning the hay with pitch forks. Tomorrow she plans to lay string inside an empty cardboard box - pack it with hay (using a board of the same SA as the box) and then bind up the hay bale. Her "test attempt" worked very well and she is hoping to get 10 boxes of really great hay for the rabbits. We luv getting things for free !!!
-
well played mak. :thumbsup:
-
Not just me doing it then ;D ;D ;D
I use a tea chest to make bunny bales :thumbsup:
-
given the price in pet shops of bunny bales, thats a very good idea! :thumbsup:
-
A Tea chest would have been much better as the cardboard box needed running repairs. We made 10 bunny bales in 31 degrees whilst our neighbour and his imported helpers watched as they tried to work out how to repair their hay baler. We had finished ours and were sat in the shade by the time a replacement baler arrived.
The hay includes so many mixed grass seeds and wild flowers ( no buttercups) so I hope that their is nothing in it to upset the rabbits.
Do they still make T chests ? You could pattern the idea or sell "bunny balers" on the net. :thumbsup:
-
I've often thought that, thinking of the predicted future food shortages, we should be making use of all the good grass etc that's growing along the verges. Of course, pollution might be a problem; but with fuel getting shorter in supply, and sooner or later people having to use less of it, that problem will diminish, too. After all, that's what smallholders in ages past did: they took their house cow, goat or sheep grazing... My father used to tell me those stories; his granny had a ewe, and it was one of his regular chores to take her out grazing. He was the envy of the neighbourhood kids - because they mostly had goats to look after - and as you all know, goats have more of a mind of their own!
-
A Tea chest would have been much better as the cardboard box needed running repairs. We made 10 bunny bales in 31 degrees whilst our neighbour and his imported helpers watched as they tried to work out how to repair their hay baler. We had finished ours and were sat in the shade by the time a replacement baler arrived.
The hay includes so many mixed grass seeds and wild flowers ( no buttercups) so I hope that their is nothing in it to upset the rabbits.
Do they still make T chests ? You could pattern the idea or sell "bunny balers" on the net. :thumbsup:
If you give them hay ad lib, you needn't worry if there is a bit of sommat nasty in there as they will leave it ;)
Got me thinking now of a ply hand baler with slots for the twine....
-
I'm another one who loves food for free. I was eying up the long grass and weeds behind our houses in the garage area. No nasties in the immediate vacinity so if I can get someone to help, I'll be taking the goats out there.
-
I would love to close the A470 and put my sheep on it. What are the chances? :sheep:
-
I would love to close the A470 and put my sheep on it. What are the chances? :sheep:
Probably not a lot. On the other hand, if you put your sheep on the A470, you would probably close it. ;D
Do they eat tarmac?
-
Do they eat tarmac?
Goats might - sheep tend to be less adventurous in my experience... I think it helps if you train your goats to be tethered; it would only have to be for an hour or so per day, to make use of nicely overgrown corners - no, not along major roads, of course...