Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Supervisor and Repurposed Pallets as a Hog Enclosure

 
Well, here's one of our supervisors.  This is the first time since we got them that she was actually showing herself in daytime.  I think her hunger over took her fear of being seen.  Of course I obliged and gave her a can of cat food.  They love the wet, and will only tolerate the dry if they are that hungry.  But since she showed up when I was around, she got wet food.  Ate the whole thing herself.
We brought in three feral cats to The Compound to help us with the rat population.  We have no way of knowing if they are actually doing their job.  We have such a huge problem with rats and it's a constant battle.  Neighbors say the same thing, so it's not just me.  We've cut back on the amount of feeders, removed some hiding places, but they still seem to find a way to be bothersome.  By how hunger this little girl was, I'm not sure she's got hunting rats figured out yet.  Oh, and another feral male cat has joined the squadron.  Thank goodness our three girls are fixed, so no worries on that end.  They've all filled out and look healthier since their arrival.
 
 
Here's another pallet repurpose project.  We've made another hog pen, using the pallets that are 14' long.  Free is good!  It covers two sides, along with the container as a wall on one side, and metal fencing along the back.  We used metal fencing on the back as it's the low lying area and will get water during the summer rain.  It's also where their wallow is. It's roughly 30' x 42'.  It's holding 5 hogs.

 
 
To say the females that now have access to this area are happy, is an understatement.  They just love it!  I don't know how they tolerate all the blackberry vines, but they do.  They run right through them, and have burrowed themselves some sleeping quarters right in the middle.  There are a few trees in this area to help provide shade during the summer heat.  The guys set them up with an automatic waterer, and we'll be building them a feeder in the next week or so.

 
I didn't take any pictures of my blueberry bushes, but we're going to have a great harvest as long as the birds don't invade and eat them all!  I'm hoping they'll ripen in time for Easter so we can make a cobbler or pie with them for the entire Compound Crew.
 
Summer heat has arrived here in central FL.  We were in the 90's this weekend and it felt like it.  It's going to take some time to build up to tolerating the heat, especially since we just got used to the cooler temperatures.
 
 
 


4 comments:

  1. Awww a cute supervisor!!!

    And another Palletsade. I love Palletsades :)

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  2. Yes a beautiful palletsade. Those rats might take a seasoned supervisor to handle them, they are about like catching a squirrel.

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  3. Izzy,

    Your supervising cat is adorable, how many different colors does she have on her?
    I love pallets, they're so many things you can do with them and there free!!!!! I've even seen furniture made from them. Rats can be a royal pain in the butt, I hope your 4 cats can kill of the population.

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  4. That fence is fantastic. Looks good too! We had a terrible problem with rats killing chicks awhile back. Dan finally caught it and drowned it, and then we resorted to the unthinkable - rat poison. They had taken up residence under the concrete slab in the chicken and goat shed. We dropped the stuff down their holes. It stunk to high heaven for awhile, but they're gone and haven't come back. Knock on wood.

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