Over the weekend we decided to try something new on the Rabbit barn. Since we haven't had rabbits for a few years keeping the barn cooler wasn't a big deal. Now that we have 15 rabbits in their it is again time to be keeping them cool. We have a mist system installed on the barn from the last time we had rabbits, we just needed to clean some misters. During the winter we put cardboard around the outside so it will stay warmer for the goats and chickens, but after we took all the cardboard off the rabbits just got too much sun! So after some thought on what we should do, we thought tarps, tin, plywood but this next idea was just what we needed! Landscape fabric!!! Breathable, air can move through it and water can get it wet! So we happen to have some so we attached it to the side of the barn under the mist system with screws with large washers. Now that fabric when wet acts like an air conditioner but it still lets air move through also! It worked so well on the side we redid the front with it also!

We also added some shade cloth to the new chicken run that we built a few weeks ago out of used snow fence. The cloth we put on top is called a planket size 10x20, it is for covering plants when the weather is getting cooler. I found this on clearance for $4 and it has grommets like a tarp so worked awesome for this project!

When things get tough around here sometimes we take stuff in to the local metal recycle center. Since we cant burn copper off i spend hours setting in my recliner stripping copper. The only thing i hate about that is all the insulation casings that have to be cleaned up! But it always makes it worth it when i take it in and they give me more money since my copper is clean. I see right now that short iron in my neck of the woods is down right now along with some other prices. Whats great it just some time sorting thru things and loading them up and taking them there you can make a decent tax free paycheck!  I took what i made and paid a bill then bought our animal feed for the week, it sure is nice when it seems like it is free since it doesn't have to come out of the weekly budget! This posting is just to remind people that there is money to be made out there if you have it laying around, don't throw it out cash it out! I even save my tin cans as for every 100 lbs of them pays out between $7-$9 just as well make money on our veggie cans! So here is a scan of what I took in and what i made off of them. I took in a load last week that paid out $200 so just in a week i got $363.42! Take a look around you never know what you have that will pay well!!

The insulated  #2 copper is old extension cords! They don't strip well so we just throw them all in a bucket and they go too!

We recently got a tractor and Mr ingenuity wanted to get a bale mover for it. Of course they are several hundred dollars at any farm store so he went digging through all of his junk piles and came up with parts to build one that would fit on a 3 point tractor, a flat bed truck and a regular pickup. Of course looking at his plans that he had drawn out i thought he had lost his mind. I sure couldn't see what all of those lines were gonna come together and make. I am glad that he knew what he was doing as if he was dependant on me to make some of the things he does we would be in debt as i would have to go purchase all these things!

What seems like weeks but was just a few days he got all of his parts welded together, parts painted, truck modified and this is what he came up with.

He has built it so that he can haul 2 different sizes of bales. He also included a ball mount to tow a trailer behind it if needed, or another bale mover..lol. Here is a side view

I have no idea how he comes up with these things, but I'm sure glad that he does! It sure helps around a farm to just look at something and come up with an idea to fix it, build a new one or improve somethings!