Being on my own for most of my adult life has taught me some valuable lessons and to have faith in myself. It is not that I want to do everything by myself, who does?, but it is necessary to find ways to get jobs accomplished when there is no one around to help. So it was today when I had to move the duck and goose coop from last winter.
I have not moved that coop since last year because there have been first chickens, then ducks sitting on eggs in a corner of it most of the time. For the last while, it has been abandoned, though it is a favourite hangout for the chickens, right beside the coop and outdoors, but shaded from the sun with a little protection from the rain, though the old tarp is full of holes and needs to be replaced this year. I am going to use heavy guage clear plastic instead and create a winter sun room for the birds. It will be a place they can get out of the wintd and snow and still have sunlight. But first, I had to move the coop and clean up the one foot of composting duck and goose and chicken poop, shavings and straw.
I got the skid steer and lifted the coop up, then got out and shoved a round fence post under the back end on the side and a 2 x 4 on the other side. The idea was to use the post and board to slide the coop off. That did not work because it just got stuck on the 1 foot of built up debris and did not budge. So, I put the bucket on the front to tilt the coop forward and got out, then shoved some boards under the back end, since it was then lifted up. Now, when set down, it could not lock on the built up composting pile. Success! I managed to tie a rope to the front and slowly it began to roll forward, that is until the rope broke. I had to get out and tie it again and the second time the coop slid to the front of the pile inside and onto the ground! Yay! Then I shimmied it along until there was enough room to work and got the bucket under the compost and took it away to the manure pile. There were over 4 bucket loads there!
The rest of the job was to level the area after cleaning it up, then to put the coop back for the winter. It took several hours, but I was proud of my perseverence and felt I had accomplished a diffiuclt task alone. Every day I plan to do more work to ready the yard for winter. Although snow is not in the forecast for this month, we are in the frozen north and it could come anytime. The sooner the yard is ready, the better. Where there is a will, with some hard effort and perseverence, there is a way! Whew!
I have not moved that coop since last year because there have been first chickens, then ducks sitting on eggs in a corner of it most of the time. For the last while, it has been abandoned, though it is a favourite hangout for the chickens, right beside the coop and outdoors, but shaded from the sun with a little protection from the rain, though the old tarp is full of holes and needs to be replaced this year. I am going to use heavy guage clear plastic instead and create a winter sun room for the birds. It will be a place they can get out of the wintd and snow and still have sunlight. But first, I had to move the coop and clean up the one foot of composting duck and goose and chicken poop, shavings and straw.
I got the skid steer and lifted the coop up, then got out and shoved a round fence post under the back end on the side and a 2 x 4 on the other side. The idea was to use the post and board to slide the coop off. That did not work because it just got stuck on the 1 foot of built up debris and did not budge. So, I put the bucket on the front to tilt the coop forward and got out, then shoved some boards under the back end, since it was then lifted up. Now, when set down, it could not lock on the built up composting pile. Success! I managed to tie a rope to the front and slowly it began to roll forward, that is until the rope broke. I had to get out and tie it again and the second time the coop slid to the front of the pile inside and onto the ground! Yay! Then I shimmied it along until there was enough room to work and got the bucket under the compost and took it away to the manure pile. There were over 4 bucket loads there!
The rest of the job was to level the area after cleaning it up, then to put the coop back for the winter. It took several hours, but I was proud of my perseverence and felt I had accomplished a diffiuclt task alone. Every day I plan to do more work to ready the yard for winter. Although snow is not in the forecast for this month, we are in the frozen north and it could come anytime. The sooner the yard is ready, the better. Where there is a will, with some hard effort and perseverence, there is a way! Whew!
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