Hay Snowflakes

Don’t worry, we did not get anymore snow…yet. 😉

We went and got our first load of hay. First cutting turned out pretty good, prices are down a bit from this time last year, but not much. We paid $9.50 per bale for about 50-60 lb bales. The drought is not a friend to the farmer. We were able to get 96 bales on our trailer so that is what we got this load.

We put them up in the new hay lofts. One hay loft is complete and we filled that one full. We got 54 bales up there. The other is half-done and we were able to fill that half as well, plus we left some down in the half-stall. Being that this is our first time with these lofts we weren’t sure exactly the best way to load them in. I think next year we will be able to get a few more on each side (probably close to 60 per side) now that we see how the puzzle fits together.

As we were loading the hay into the lofts little bits of them were gently falling through the cracks and into the stalls. Charlie was in his stall and it was SO cute because he was opening his mouth and licking and catching them as they fell through the air, like a child with snowflakes in winter. He did it the whole time we loaded his side. I wish I had my camera and could have captured the moment for you all to see! But I am sure you can picture the adorable-ness in your minds. 🙂 He is not making it easy on me, being so adorable, knowing he will be heading to freezer camp soon. This will be our first time butchering an animal that we have had so long. A rabbit you have only had 10 weeks is much different from a steer that you have had 6 months. But it is all part of the life here and I am sure we will deal with it. (I’m pretty sure I’m the only one having issues with it anyway).

We will need to get another load of hay later when the second cutting comes in. How much we need is very dependent on whether Charlotte sells or not. Hopefully she will sell before second cutting so we know how much to get. Although, we have another animal joining the farm soon that will need hay as well…you will have to wait and see what our next project is! Any guesses?