# MUD



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say we are drowning in mud here. We had record rainfall last year right at 72", and no break in sight. The ground has not been dry for months  
I'm at my wits end. We have a small place with a small setup. A creek runs through the middle of our place. We have a bridge over the creek back beyond the barn area to cross to the back of our place, and where we spread old bedding. 
Problem is, the path going back to the bridge is horrible with mud making it nearly impossible to get the wheel barrow back there, and by the bridge is deep mud, so there is now a huge, hideous muck pile by the bridge....
Goats won't go back there because the mud is so bad, and they are longing to get out of the barn.

No easy solution, but need to figure something out to start making it better.
I was thinking of getting gravel for the walkway, and in front of the barn and put something under it to help keep it from sinking. But not sure what kind of gravel, or if we can even pull it off. We can't get a big truck back in the barn area, no gate big enough, and our septic system is right in the middle of the mix, so we can't risk damaging it...
We have a wheel barrow..... lol. If the wheel barrows can handle it, I know with a lot of work we could pull it off. But would like thoughts.... or alternatives. 
Creek floods a little but usually from the bridge and beyond, not where I want to put the gravel. So if I were to use gravel or something of that sort I'd take it back to a certain point, then I want to do the heavy stepping stones with maybe some old, thin carpet underneath.

Here are some pics, not great.... but you can see why I am going crazy and not sure where to go from here....It's been a nightmare.

This is our little setup taken last winter









Rocks behind the does shelter that go all around the side of the shelter, in front and back of the barn... 









The above? currently! OMG...now I haven't worked on it lately, I can clean the rocks and flip them , but the muddy swamp around it...can I cry?


















This is what the area looks like now in the above pics... and going out to towards the back









What nightmares are made of









In front of the barn you can't even find those big rocks! my fear is the dirt will keep eroding away and keep getting worse.









So now that I've shared my muddy, nasty nightmare experience.... any ideas?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I'm not exactly sure how the layout from the muddy areas to the creek is, but is it possible to grade a very shallow (6") gently sloped swale to give the stormwater and good path to the creek?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

There is a fabric they use to control erosion. My driveway was just the edge of a field. A muddy tract. The contractor put the fabric down, then gravel on top. It's held up pretty well for the last 19 years. 

This weekend your mud should freeze! It's gonna get cold!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Some really thick landscape fabric on top of the mud. A single layer of pallet wood, or any other free wood, laid to be about thirty inches wide. Some 610 crushed limestone on top. Maybe two or three inches thick.
This will not help drainage, maybe will give something to walk on for a while.


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## alicejane (Jan 15, 2014)

Dwarf Dad said:


> Some really thick landscape fabric on top of the mud. A single layer of pallet wood, or any other free wood, laid to be about thirty inches wide. Some 610 crushed limestone on top. Maybe two or three inches thick.
> This will not help drainage, maybe will give something to walk on for a while.


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## alicejane (Jan 15, 2014)

I was wondering how expensive landscape fabric is,
And was thinking some feed stores have old pallots,
And you might be able to get old used carpets for fabric. I was told that lots of flocks put down not gravel but some kind of shale flat rock because it is easier to move. I use a atv or lawn mower to pull
Around a yellow type wagon for heavy stuff. Fabric sound like a good choice for temporary choice


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

alicejane said:


> I was wondering how expensive landscape fabric is,
> And was thinking some feed stores have old pallots,
> And you might be able to get old used carpets for fabric. I was told that lots of flocks put down not gravel but some kind of shale flat rock because it is easier to move. I use a atv or lawn mower to pull
> Around a yellow type wagon for heavy stuff. Fabric sound like a good choice for temporary choice


I don't remember how much it costs. Walmart has small rolls, Lowes or Home Depot probably has some larger rolls.
The old carpet sounds good for something temporary.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

I know it isnt helpin now but in spring i would see about bringin in fill dirt and make more of a slight hill in the muddiest zones. That seems to be where yours want to tread more. Right now i would roll out a big roumd bale of bunk hay on it. You might can find a farmer with a few old ones they would give you or for really cheap. Gutters on the barn might also help keep water from drainin right in the most used areas there. You could also use the rain water for your animals. The huge totes are wonderful for keepin it. Hubby made us one off the back of the house... it is three of the tubs and he made a filtration system on it as well. I also like the idea of the trench to pull the drain water away from everything and into the creek. Gravel i think will jist get mixed in with the mud and will be a waste unless you did ise somethin under it to keep it in place.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

Is there any plants that would help suck up the water in the ground? I am having the same issue as you


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## MadCatX (Jan 16, 2018)

weve been using some wood chips but God knows the mud has been horrid.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

That's what the front of our pens look like...just straight thick mud where they tromp around most. It already is looking like that in our new pen near the gate and I was trying to figure out what we were going to do.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I forgot to mention my original temporary fix was to find old carpet! Or thin old carpet I could put rocks/gravel on. We're so limited on fixing the problem because we can't get any big trucks or equipment back there.

This is literately the only way a truck can get back there, and sadly, it's not going to happen 









The creek bank is slightly higher and dips down a little in that green grassy area between creek and cattle panel shelter. That used to be a great lounging area and for the last year it's been a swamp!  The barn and pen behind the barn are the higher points back there. From front of property to back it's a slight downhill slope.
Fill dirt would be great to fix the low areas, and reseed for next year, but I don't see us getting any dry weather any time soon.
Talking about 1-2" of rain this weekend before possibly turning to snow 

The creek was actually manually dug deeper when we moved here 11 years ago, but it was so deep we worried our kids would get in and drown. So my husband filled it back in in the area next to the house to the bridge. It's slowly eroded and widened now. I really think we need to invest in equipment and dig it back out this summer if it ever dries out enough.

The old hay idea would work temporarily if we had equipment to scrape it for cleanup, but otherwise when that stuff gets wet and full of mud it is too difficult to clean up  I did do that years ago before we got the rocks around the barn.

I honestly wanted to add onto the front of the barn, but it's impossible with the wet weather.

We've actually wanted to move, but finding a decent starter place with some acreage in our county is crazy expensive, and I don't want to leave this county. So we're stuck here...lol.​


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

The hay could be left down and just put fill dirt over it come spring. Or ask a teenage boy to come scoop it out for a bit of play money lol.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Lay old post trees or wood light poles in a line forming a trail for the goats to walk on. 
the goats love to walk on the posts the ground gets to recover


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

Could you build any structures that they could climb on that would get them off of the ground? You could use cement blocks and some pallets


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Is there a gravel company, feed mill, paper mill or any other place that handles smallish bulk items on big rubber belts? I worked at a paper mill that used belts for moving chips and bark. Gravel companies use conveyor belts for moving sand, gravel, etc. Maybe those companies have some old belts that you could haul off.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks so much for the suggestions! 

Fivemoremiles you are onto something there! We have a lot of dead trees (Ash trees) that have fallen, and most have been burned, but we have a lot that have been cut and stacked and some we haven't been able to get to yet on the back part of our property. I may have to look into doing this, although the 3 pregnant girls would probably have a hard time with it, but the other girls would be able to use something like that.

Goatzrule - that is a good idea! but it would take a lot of materials to cover the ground I'm having issues with. Big problem I still face is being able to get the wheel barrow back, and have something that is more permanent and won't be a pain to clean up. If this rain doesn't let up, I may have to use my pallets that I got for making a buck shelter. 

John - that is a good idea as well! I will have to talk to the farm store in town that sells everything (gravel, feed, etc.), and see if they have anything. 


With the crazy winter storm approaching, they are predicting 1-2" of rain, with southern part of our state possibly 3", then 1-3" of snow possible after some freezing rain. What a nightmare


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Mud is awful, we are going through that now.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

1-2" of rain forecast for tomorrow. Ugh.. drowning in swampland here  I can't wait to start working on some of the issues, but until we can get some dry weather, I don't know how it will be possible. So frustrating! One of the pregnant does almost fell on the bridge today, it was slippery from rain yesterday and some mud from everyone walking back/forth, so now we don't even want them going back there... They need to be able to get out and exercise as weather allows, so I will have to turn them out in the pen in the front yard. The gate area for that there is a muddy pond right now, so I'll probably fill that with old hay to soak it up so they can get up there. I was hoping to leave it vacant until spring.

Anyone else want to vent about your mud farms? Maybe when the ground is frozen I can get out there and do a few things..


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ugh I’m so over the mud as well. I have no idea what to suggest, I’ve been wracking my brain for around here and am just not finding a easy permeant solution :/


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I'm resorting to bags of cement mix, like quikcrete. Just laying the bags down, not mixing the cement and pouring it. My gravel, and flagstones, they are long gone. Oh, and I'm also laying down plywood.

I'm so sorry. I understand. This has been awful.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Come on It could be worse 
we had 4 inches of snow today.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

@HoosierShadow I saw this and thought you'd like it.

P.S. I watched this muted, so I don't know what the audio is like.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

We are in the same boat actually I think I need a boat for my lower pasture it's had standing water for two months now. I was going to reseed it for grazing but haven't been able to. The mud is horrible by the house, I've been dumping all my used wood shavings and straw onto it. I finally went to Home Depot and got all their long cull wood and made a makeshift retaining walls to hold in the pathway of shavings, playground sand and mud ..now it's drying a bit and becoming fairly solid maybe that's an option. It's sort of making an adobe like brick.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

mariarose said:


> @HoosierShadow I saw this and thought you'd like it.
> 
> P.S. I watched this muted, so I don't know what the audio is like.


I guess that means I have to start riding a goat to keep my little crowd behind me!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

mariarose said:


> I'm resorting to bags of cement mix, like quikcrete. Just laying the bags down, not mixing the cement and pouring it. My gravel, and flagstones, they are long gone. Oh, and I'm also laying down plywood.
> 
> I'm so sorry. I understand. This has been awful.


That cement is a good idea. Company I used to work for would build oil drilling locations and mix truckloads of cement into the dirt to stabilize our local terrain before spreading gravel.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Well behaved horses. Goats would go all over! Lol
Well behaved drivers, too. The jerks around here would honk and try to pass the rider and horses. (They try and pass my hay wagon on an uphill incline.)


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

LOVE the video! Thanks for sharing! Those are definitely very well mannered horses, and so beautiful! 
Goats would definitely be everywhere, unless of course if they are like ours and see or hear a bag of animal crackers (or any kind of cracker or bread really lol).

We've had a lot of rain today, standing water everywhere. The cold front from the winter storm is just a county over, so we 'might' get a little snow. I'll believe it when I see it as far as getting 1-3". 

I like the idea of using the cement as well! I actually want to do some internet searching about using it. 
There isn't much I can do right now thanks to all this rain  I'm anxious to get started on things outside.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I came across some pics from 4 years ago this April. We had around 5" of rain within a very, very short amount of time. Worst flooding we've had here. This is about the time things started changing here, and the following fall is when we starting having standing water near the doe shelter, the corner of the pen by the creek eroded by the fence, etc. Everything else has happened gradually.

Creek flooded at the road, and caused it to pool up and pour over the road.










Driveway










standing in the driveway














































By miracle, this was the only flooding inside the barn and shelter that we experienced










That was a scary day. We thought we'd have to put some goats in the little trailer we had, and the rest on the back porch! When we built that original cattle panel shelter, I dug the floor up about 1' and put some old 'firewood' type logs from trees we'd cut up down in there, and put the dirt over it to raise the floor 'just in case' to keep water out/from pooling. It's much higher now over the years.

It's funny to see these pics, nothing is really the same, added onto the cattle panel shelter, moved the gate by it, painted barn, different stalls.... but oh my look how clean my rocks were...I worked my butt off to keep all the rocks around the whole barn clean, mud and poo/muck free, can I cry? lol.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

mg:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> mg:


Yep! That was a crazy day! Glad we haven't had anything like that since then! But the creek does get high now and then and floods the back area. Only 1 other time has it come near that cattle panel shelter area and we've been here over 11 years. Typically, the creek only has a few inches of water in it! with the exception of what is supposed to be our rainy seasons - Spring & Fall.
That was a crazy day, thankfully it receded fairly quick.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It is crazy and annoying I bet.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Did something change near you? New subdivision, widened roads, new drains put in somewhere close? The reason I ask; A supervisor I used to work with lived in a real tony neighborhood. $400,000 houses, big lots, etc. (he was there before the neighborhood). Anyway, a new subdivision went in above them ( they were in a valley and on a hill) and the new subdivision changed the land contour. Suddenly, every time there was any amount of rain, all these super nice houses got wet basements. Turns out a creek was diverted and now dumped into the storm sewers, backing up into the rich people's basements.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I live directly between 2 creeks and right next to a hillside with a wet-weather spring in it. I'm flooded now, my driveway is being washed away as I watch. And the temp just plummeted, So I have standing water, mud, ice and snow because the rain changed to ice and snow overnight. Nebula finished giving me triplets about an hour ago, so I have Nebula and 2 little girls, a little boy, my husband and myself all in my living room next to the woodstove, trying to warm up.

All 3 are fine, all 3 have eaten, the little boy shows sign of needing selenium, I'll get that later this morning. Nebula's been living on my porch the last 2 days to try to get her a dry, safe place (their usual shelters are flooded, but it is only a screened porch, too cold and windy for the babies, so they are all in my living room.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

mariarose said:


> I live directly between 2 creeks and right next to a hillside with a wet-weather spring in it. I'm flooded now, my driveway is being washed away as I watch. And the temp just plummeted, So I have standing water, mud, ice and snow because the rain changed to ice and snow overnight. Nebula finished giving me triplets about an hour ago, so I have Nebula and 2 little girls, a little boy, my husband and myself all in my living room next to the woodstove, trying to warm up.
> 
> All 3 are fine, all 3 have eaten, the little boy shows sign of needing selenium, I'll get that later this morning. Nebula's been living on my porch the last 2 days to try to get her a dry, safe place (their usual shelters are flooded, but it is only a screened porch, too cold and windy for the babies, so they are all in my living room.


I am glad the house is not flooded. Maybe everything will have a chance to drain before the next storm gets to you.
If there was some way to have stopped that Gulf Moisture(what the weather channel called it)from getting to you I would have done it.


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## Mmhyronimus (Sep 8, 2017)

I will take any and all your mud and switch you in a heart beat. It has made it all the way to +4°F currently! Last night it was -10°F without the windchill. With the wind, it was -20°F. I lost a kid, wearing a coat under a heat lamp from freezing. And he was also 6 ft from a heater. I am so sick of this cold! We had a mini blizzard 2 days ago but the wind blew all the snow out of our yard and into the field. And we are supposed to have another blizzard in 3 days.  I've had 2 water heaters freeze in under 2 hrs. I can't keep waters unfrozen for more than 30 mins. I miss my old farm!  Sorry, guess I'm just ranting but I'm so done with this winter. I miss when all I had to deal with this fall was water and flooding.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh my, that would get old really quick, can't blame you for wanting it over with.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Mmhyronimus said:


> I'm so done with this winter.


Hang in there, Dakota Girl!

After my experience last year, I tried hard to not have any Winter births. The one who just kidded found a way to foil all my efforts!


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## Mmhyronimus (Sep 8, 2017)

The one 1 lost was 2mo old. I have 5 in the next month then most are March and later. I'm going to do a big kidding in summer because it's too cold. Even my buck has no interest in the does since it is so cold.


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

Loved the video! thanks for sharing it’s a perfect example of a lead horse with a rider who also knows how to lead. She wouldn’t let the lead colt get too close to her which kept them all trailing behind. They knew not to get ahead of her. 
Good luck to everyone dealing with trying weather I hope you all have better weather soon. We had rain for 7 months and have had a terrible time with mud. We had a diversion ditch dug out deeper to take the majority of it away and we put in tile drainage by hand to irrigate some of it away from certain areas that were being flooded. It did help a little. At the horse barn we took round bales and tolled them out layer after layer until it was about a foot deep. We did this from the barn to the gate and even into the pasture a little where it was standing mucky flooded mud and water. We’ve done this several times through out the years and in the spring and summer we just mow it down and it just disappears! Good luck everyone!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Mmhyronimus - I am so sorry that sounds awful! That's one reason I could never leave any further north in any direction knowing winters could be very hard. Here in KY we get just about anything/everything. Mariarose I know lives south of me, and we're about an hour southwest of Louisville, so not quite in the middle of the state. 
We thankfully, don't usually get terrible winters, but what definitely makes it hard is going from mild temps to brutal cold. Like now. We were near 50 yesterday, and high today was 19 with wind chill around 2. Tonight they are saying 7 but could dip down to 0 with -0 wind chills  
I am hoping the goats will handle it fine tonight, and month old kids will be fine next to their mama's. My husband has to get up and work in it early in the morning - outside as he works with horses and I worry about him as well and the wet roads refreezing. Despite cold temps, sun was so nice today (finally after days of clouds!), so the around 2" we got of snow, a lot has melted away.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Goats Rock said:


> Did something change near you? New subdivision, widened roads, new drains put in somewhere close? The reason I ask; A supervisor I used to work with lived in a real tony neighborhood. $400,000 houses, big lots, etc. (he was there before the neighborhood). Anyway, a new subdivision went in above them ( they were in a valley and on a hill) and the new subdivision changed the land contour. Suddenly, every time there was any amount of rain, all these super nice houses got wet basements. Turns out a creek was diverted and now dumped into the storm sewers, backing up into the rich people's basements.


Nope, no changes. We live out in a very small country neighborhood surrounded by horse farms, so no developments around us. The flood pictures from years ago I shared - the creek was backed up at the road, after all the flooding the road dept did go around and replace all the caldron's to improve water flow. 
The creek usually is shallow, but with the weather changing and being more rainy than usual, the creek is widening. I think the best thing we can hope for that will possibly really help is looking into digging the creek bed deeper, and building up the sides. That may also give us some fill dirt for our lower laying areas like in the grassy spot between the creek and the doe cattle panel shelter.
When we moved here in 2007, the creek had been dug deeper with high banks. BUT, it was too deep and we worried our young kids would fall in and not be able to get back out or we'd have trouble getting in to get them and they would drown. So we filled in part of it. It didn't start to erode or widen until after the flood I posted above. So I think the flood was a start to a lot of issues.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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## CWminifarm (Jul 12, 2018)

Tell me about it! I feel your pain!..... We get about 98 inches annually and I have the WORST drainage! Only 1/3 of an acre and I can seem to grow any type of grass or anything anymore.... Even after slaughtering the pig and 15 ducks to try to get my yard back..... and its about 4-6" deep.....ugh!!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Oh no CW that definitely sounds frustrating! We have just over 2 acres, so I totally understand! The best grazing is usually the back which is a little over an acre. Grass grows fairly well back there in the warmer months. Right now there is a lot of sitting water back there, which is frustrating. Our land is long and narrow. In the back the west half is higher than the east half so east half of the land is where sitting water is, and that is where the grass usually grows the best  Right now the grass is super green, you can tell where the water is at, it's kind of weird...

Guess what? More rain tonight and tomorrow.... so another day we won't get anything done. Ugh.


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## Charity (Jun 16, 2013)

HoosierShadow said:


> Thanks for all of the suggestions! I forgot to mention my original temporary fix was to find old carpet! Or thin old carpet I could put rocks/gravel on. We're so limited on fixing the problem because we can't get any big trucks or equipment back there.
> 
> This is literately the only way a truck can get back there, and sadly, it's not going to happen
> 
> ...


What county are you in? We live in San Patricio. It has been raining so much this year. It was the very first time that our dry barns had water in them. It has just been a horrible year.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I live in KY - Woodford county (near Lexington, KY). We had record rainfall last year, and this month so far has been wet as well. I don't think the ground has been dry since early October.


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

For what it's worth, I also live in the same tri-state area. OKI is going to end up in the Ohio River if this rain doesn't stop. I'm afraid we are going to have to live with it for a while. Sometime last year there was a huge glacier melt with the results being a massive amount of cold water being dumped into the ocean and gulf stream. If what goes up must come down, I'm thinking we are not going to be blessed with much dry weather for the next few years. My husband put down pallets and I think they are dangerous if not covered with something else. We found two different kinds, some with narrower spaces between the slats. I have diligently covered them with old bedding each time I muck stalls. We could get some crusher run limestone down there but it's been my experience that it just disappears into the muck. We had some concerns bout what the fresh gravel would do to the goats hooves. Our property runs off into a small run that is not ours so we do have a few places left in the thicket that are fit for browsing. Like you, I'm thinking of some fenestratrated/french drains to divert some of the water. I like the idea of rain barrels too for multipurpose water management. My 4 biggest goats I refer to as the goat mafia because they bully everything else, have a run in shelter so they are getting by. I have a doe with twin doelings that were born 1/18. They are ok for now but may need moved when they venture out more and I have taken a corner of my husband's garage for a kidding pen and a place for goats that need some supportive care. I have one now that's been to that's been to the vet for bronchitis. 
Bronchitis raises another issue with me that's related to the standing water. I'm going to consult with my vet about scheduled worming. I have been reading about bronchitis and lungworm. Yikes! Those of us with limited acreage are just going have to be creative and diligent with our herd.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Treva Brodt said:


> We had some concerns bout what the fresh gravel would do to the goats hooves.


I personally wish I could afford fresh gravel. I especially wish it because of what it would do to my goats' hooves.


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

mariarose said:


> I personally wish I could afford fresh gravel. I especially wish it because of what it would do to my goats' hooves.


Interested in your feelings about gravel. Does it help prevent overgrowth? Hubs is third generation farmer but experience is in beef cattle. He trimmed hooves for showing steers in 4H so we have been doing our own hoof care. Got some great trimmers at TSC but I can get behind anything that reduces the amount of work as long as it is safe.


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## breezy2u (Feb 1, 2018)

I'm dealing with mud too. I considered having a dump truck of gravel delivered but even without them spreading it for me it was going to be $400-$500. Not in the budget right now. 

I think I'm just going to wait until summer to do something. I'm thinking of getting a load of flagstone and making flagstone paths everywhere I normally walk.


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## breezy2u (Feb 1, 2018)

mariarose said:


> I personally wish I could afford fresh gravel. I especially wish it because of what it would do to my goats' hooves.


Yep. I was thinking it might help the hooves too. It's just so expensive and then you still have to move it where you want it yourself. I need to win the lottery.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Treva Brodt said:


> Interested in your feelings about gravel. Does it help prevent overgrowth?


The worst thing in the world for hooves is mud. And gravel can help with that. It also discourages snails. Right now, I am blessed to have wood mulch helping to keep us from a mucky death. I'm so grateful, but it is going to be heck when the snails come back. Hopefully, the ducks will earn their keep.

As far as wearing down the hoof itself, if the gravel is fine enough it can help. Perhaps your answer is to lay down large gravel first and cover it with fine gravel and sand?

I used to have gravel and pavers and flat stones. They are long gone now.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

If you are gonna wissh, might as well wish for some 4" limestone about 6" thick with some #610 crushed limestone on top. It works great! Even better if landscape cloth under it all.


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 3, 2018)

Ugh, I feel for you! We are in NC and the rain has been horrendous. The mud is terrible, we are doing what we can but geesh the rain needs to stop!


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Yes, agree, NC has had an ample amount of rain almost for the past solid year. The only saving grace has been that I am fortunate enough to live in a hilly area. The dry lot and goat barn are on the same hilled area as my house. In the bottom is the beginning of a spring fed brook, from there up another hill to the browse pasture. The brook becomes a fast moving creek that has at times flooded the bottom. These past few days, even the brutally cold windy ones, has helped quite a bit towards drying the ground off. It's been a blessing.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

It has been raining here all day  Very nasty out and cold front is coming. Ugh...

Today while I was in town, I noticed where they are doing a bunch of construction by the grocery and the new business area around it, there is a ton of dirt that's been dug up and a LOT of rocks. I wonder if they ever give the rocks away? Nobody working there today thanks to the rain, otherwise I would have been tempted to ask!


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

I didn't hit the lottery however, crusher run limestone is only $300 a load here. We have used it to create temporary sidewalks and parking space. My husband treated himself to a mid-size John Deere with a bucket and a blade so he can get it down there. Probably won't happen this month though. We have incurred some vet bills for pregnant doe and my Pygmy pet wether for bronchitits. I am new to goats and not good at managing problems without help. That's why I'm here folks. Thanks for all your input.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Treva Brodt said:


> That's why I'm here folks


That's why we are all here!
You are extremely welcome.


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 3, 2018)

It has been pouring here in NC. It is horrible out there!


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

I'm with you on the mud! We got the same storm and my nice front lawn became a muddy lake. This desert-raised girl wants some clear, blue skies and dry dirt!!!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Ugh... so we had more rain the day before yesterday, a little snow and the snow has melted, so it's even nastier out 
I took some pics of the area I want to start working on. We need to figure out a way to get the water moving. 
It's really bad right now, the entire area between the doe shelter and creek is sitting water.

I've read a little bit about digging a French drain, so I'm wondering if we should try to dig a couple of ditches at an angle towards the creek so hopefully it will drain off into the creek? 
I want to start digging a ditch tomorrow.

When we moved here in 2007 the area where the barn is at, and beyond that was huge mounds of dirt with trash, cars, and tons of glass bottles were buried. Many years ago a house sat on the property, and burned down. Instead of cleaning it out, they bulldozed it back and covered everything with dirt. Then it grew up with underbrush, trees, etc. over the years. I really should look on old cd's for some pictures... You couldn't even tell there was a creek here...
When we moved in my husband had a tree cutting fest, then we rented a bobcat and leveled the land. The problem area that we cleaned out wasn't the problem area we are experiencing now, so it had nothing to do with the work we did years ago (a bulk of it was where barn and buck pen behind barn are located).

The area where the grass is green is nothing but sitting water... high point is next to the creek, that's dry, everything else is a swamp...










I'm thinking a ditch on the bottom side of those stumps...










Standing at the front corner of the doe shelter...yuck










And another in this area...










It used to be lovely like this!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I know you have seen the drainage ditches that route water away from roads. The road cre will first dig a ditch and line it with really heavy landscape cloth making sure that the top edges are buried in the dirt to keep the cloth from pulling loose. Like tucking in sheets. Then they line the sides and bottom with 90 pound stone. That is the crushed limestone that is up to 90 pounds per rock. I am sure that one of the property managers or a landscape person where hour husband works could look at it and give you some better ideas. Our soil washes away real easy and we have to line ditches.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Well we worked on the 'swamp' today. I dug a trench from the deepest point to the creek and drained a LOT of water, but the area has so much water it will take a long time to get it all moving. Planning to use the dirt we dug up to fill in areas near the barn. some other low areas I'm thinking we may actually dig up the dirt/grass and put some old compost or bedding/hay under it then lay it back down to try and raise the ground up a bit. 

John - I've seen the drainage ditches, I'm thinking we'll be putting a drainage pipe in (French drain), but need to get the water moving so we can figure out where it needs to start. 

We did get a lot drained off, so it's a start. I can't believe how bad it has gotten. I wish we were able to bring in fill dirt, but just no way to get a truck back there to dump it.


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## Mmhyronimus (Sep 8, 2017)

Good luck getting it all drained. I know once spring comes we are going to end up with a company coming in to put drain tile in our pasture and old feedlot area. We had a bunch of rain this last fall, like 6inches in 8 hrs and it really showed how bad our new property is for drain away.







This was our driveway this fall. It was a complete mess when the old owners moved out and there was a huge hole in the middle that constantly filled and actually seemed to create a sinkhole. We had 2 trucks of dirt/gravel mix put in it to try to dry it up a bit.







This was the old feedlot we plan on putting our new building on this fall. It really shows that we live in a bit of a flood plain. In the back you can see my pasture. Yeah, the goats haven't made it out there since we moved to the new house in August. I gave them the front yard of the house instead since the previous owners hadn't mowed the yard and the grass all summer and it was close to 2ft high. I actually spent a lot of time connecting the puddles and digging channels to get the water to go into the ditches on the edges of the property.







This was the view from the back of the Morton building (my current barn that is shown in the first pic). The backwas previously used for a cattle feedlot. Not well maintained. This was about 2ft at the deepest. Luckily it didn't get into the barn where I had kids at the time.

Right now i just have to worry about freezing and the wind. It's actually warmer now than it has been in a week, but we are supposed to get 2 inches of snow and 55mph winds in the next day or two. I will be happy when spring comes and I can start working in the pasture and seeding new graze areas in the old feedlots. I'm actually looking forward to the mud.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

We seem to have 2 seasons anymore, mud or snow. 7 months of mud, 5 months of snow. I vaguely remember a bright warm disk in the sky. I believe it was called "sun"! 

Right now we are in the "snow" season. "Mud" was a few days ago, sandwiched between 2 "snow" events!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow, that is a lot of standing water, no fun at all.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

It sure is a shame you can't store that water. Either too much or too little!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Oh wow that is awful! I am so sorry your dealing with that! I think I'd go crazy! Growing up in Indiana, the fields flooded quite a bit near my Dad, but usually by summer they would dry out. I always felt bad for the farmers who were affected. Your place reminds me of that!

Our place is small, and the area I'm frustrated about is our does main 'winter' loafing area. 
My start on drainage has really helped a lot! But still a ways to go. I had family stop by to visit on their way through so I didn't get much done today. My husband and kids did move the dirt from the trench and used it to fill low areas near the doe shelter and the low area near the gate going to the pen next to the house --> the starting point of problems.

We plan on installing pipe, but need to figure out where it needs to start. We plan on building up more of the low areas nearest the fence/doe shelter.
I did get a few pics of my mess lol

Drain will definitely be going here, but not sure if we'll branch it straight towards the shelter, or at an angle like it is now...


















This was the deepest area



















So as we are draining that area...

In front of the doe shelter is my next big mess I want to deal with....we have to figure out better drainage, but I'm wondering, is there something we can use on top of the dirt to make it firmer? I've had sand mentioned to me before and cement. We had stall mats down, but they sunk...so we pulled them and some rocks up today and going to try and level it and decide how to proceed... I need to make this 'mud' area passable for the wheel barrow and my sanity lol


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Cement, sand, road base, gravel are some things you can firm up the ground with.
The trenches look good.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

If that is the direction the water needs to go, be sure to put a culvert in.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> Cement, sand, road base, gravel are some things you can firm up the ground with.
> The trenches look good.


That's what I was hoping to do. Gravel is my 1st thought, but in case it's too hard to get gravel (I'd have to have it dumped in the driveway and wheel barrow it back). But I also wonder how good sand would be? I saw this on Lowe's website:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/QUIKRETE-50-lb-All-Purpose-Sand/3048145

I wonder if something like that packed in would work then put our large rocks we have around the barn over it along with some flat stepping stones. OR put down some sand then gravel over the top. I have to keep budget in mind as we have a lot going on right now (in process of buying new bucks!, need to make a buck pen shelter, need to buy a new camera before April, etc.) But I want it to be permanent and last  I still would love to add on to the front of the barn this summer if we ever dry out!



Dwarf Dad said:


> If that is the direction the water needs to go, be sure to put a culvert in.


I agree! That's why I dug the trench at the lower part of the standing water. It was just soooo bad. But so much better yesterday. If it works we plan on putting in a culvert of some kind. Looking at French drain type of setup. But need to figure out how far up we need to take it so that it's fully effective.
I've been busy this morning, but finally heading out now to see where we're at and see what my husband was able to accomplish yesterday with building up the area next to the doe shelter.

Thought I'd add... This is how it used to be...
I miss seeing the girls enjoying themselves out there in the sun... this was their favorite area to lounge! I loved going out there to sit with them. Can't wait for it to be like this again. This is their favorite hangout during the winter.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes, large rocks may work.

Sand, I would think, would be easier to just wash away when it rained, rock, gravel is more difficult for the rain flow to move.

Do you know anyone with a tractor or can you rent one to move gravel?


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> Yes, large rocks may work.
> 
> Sand, I would think, would be easier to just wash away when it rained, rock, gravel is more difficult for the rain flow to move.
> 
> Do you know anyone with a tractor or can you rent one to move gravel?


Unfortunately I don't. It would be hard to get a tractor in that area without really tearing the ground up, it's so soft and now with more rain tonight, so frustrating!
I agree about sand washing away. I wonder about packing cement down? I need to look into that. My brother mentioned something about that years ago, maybe not cement but something similar, I really need to ask him. I need something to build the ground up with that won't allow the stepping stones to sink in mud. Gravel is definitely an option. 
We had record rainfall last year - over 67" which is the wettest year on record. We had about 2 1/2 days with no rain and some areas were drying out a bit...sad it had to start raining again!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I did work around the doe shelter today, digging up the rocks, leveling some dirt, etc. It's a start. I plan on redoing the cattle panel shelter this spring. All of the rain we've had has really caused the OSB sides to rot and collect mildew. Building a buck pen shelter in the pen behind the barn and moving the gate so bucks won't be near the barn. Then I want to get everything painted. We never finished painting the back of the barn so it looks bad. We ran out of red paint and kept pushing it back then forgot about it lol. No real excuse I guess!

This morning it was nice to see the 3 pregnant does enjoying sunshine on a mild morning over by the creek, it was dry enough they enjoyed laying down. But got up when I came closer trying to get a phone pic.










Checking things out since they can actually walk through there now!










EDITED TO ADD: This was a year ago! Crazy huh?










Still a river flowing! and a whole bunch more to go from that top 'green grass' section.










One of the young does ventured over to the green grass to check it out










Digging up the rocks...










Girls came back before I was done




























Looks like a mess, but at least the rocks are much cleaner and no long buried. The 'mud' is more level, and from top right of pic to lower right it's going downward...









A drain pipe will go up to about where the rocks start.










So now we'll move on to the disgusting mess near the front of the doe shelter that extends to the front of the barn. Just need to figure out how to raise this ground up before putting stepping stones down...


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Start french drain back there and save dirt to cover.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

@HoosierShadow I want to express my deep admiration with all you are getting done, in nasty weather, with not feeling well, with all you have going on (including having company)... you astound me.

And your goats must have teflon coated fur/hair! They are so white!!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good job, so far and a lot of work.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> Start french drain back there and save dirt to cover.


Yep! My husband moved the dirt we got out, only because we do plan on getting rocks to put over the drain, then probably fill dirt on top of that. Thinking if we put dirt directly on the drain it might stop it up, but if we put some rocks for the water to drain through that would work well? 
It's still draining today and isn't too bad after having rain yesterday, thankfully. Still a LOT of water sitting in that upper grassy area, ugh.



mariarose said:


> @HoosierShadow I want to express my deep admiration with all you are getting done, in nasty weather, with not feeling well, with all you have going on (including having company)... you astound me.
> 
> And your goats must have teflon coated fur/hair! They are so white!!!


Aww thanks  I'm feeling much better, my throat is about 90-95% better today! Feeling a bit stuffy though, but thinking it has a lot to do with the weather change. My left ear feels about 85% normal. 
I'm so glad I moved the rocks and got them cleaned up, they were great to walk on this morning when I went out to check the drain and how everything held up with the rain last night (looks good). 
The big job is going to be fixing the front of the barn and shelter, whew, it's awful. But frozen right now so not much I can do. 
The cattle panel shelter stays about 10 degrees warmer than outside and is warmer than the barn, so even though it looks rough, it works great  
The girls stay in the barn quite a bit because of the weather. Yesterday they came back with mud caked all over their feet. Thankfully my daughter went through while I was finishing up the rocks and used the hoof pick to clean their feet while they were eating.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Amazed with everything you got done. Great job!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

If you use the landscape cloth on top of rocks, under dirt, it will keep the drain clear.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

ksalvagno said:


> Amazed with everything you got done. Great job!


Thanks Karen! I do usually always keep the rocks like that! But really slacked this past year, just stayed so busy and when I wasn't busy the weather was bad. I just can't get over all of the rain. I don't think the ground has been dry at all since probably late Sept or early Oct 
Forecast with lots more rain chances next week per weather channel. I really hope that changes!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> If you use the landscape cloth on top of rocks, under dirt, it will keep the drain clear.


Thank You! I think that's what we'll do!  I can't wait to get started, but we want to wait until we have it draining good before we install anything. I just can't get over all of the water sitting in that area. We are in a low laying area, but wow... How did it go from being such a nice spot, to deep sitting water


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hug:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I was digging around and came across some old pics of our place before goats. 
It was a huge mess, overgrown with weeds/brush and trees. You couldn't even see the creek... A house sat on the property many years ago and burnt down probably in the late 70s or early 80s would be my guess. They bulldozed what was left back, and covered it with dirt. Then there was stuff dumped here as I'd mentioned in a previous post.

So again, this is our little barn setup...










After my husband cut down trees where that huge wood pile is at is where our barn currently sits!





































Behind my kids is where our buck pen is now located! Crazy how bad it was...










The corner post in the pic below is still there, it's what our gate going into the doe pen/in front of cattle panel is attached to.










My daughter is in the pen next to our house... the 'jungle' and the brush/weeds surround the creek










The deer are in the same area near where I dug the ditch to the creek in my previous pics










Another old pic as we moved and made the cattle panel shelter bigger, added onto the barn more, and painted it. But getting ready to redo the sides on current cattle panel and then get everything painted. I still want to add onto the front of the barn as I originally had planned years ago.
See how level the buck pen was and still is? The pile of tires are still there, sadly, just haven't been able to get rid of them. But that's all that's left of 'the big mess' of junk we pulled out of the ground.
look how nice the ground where the current swamp looked!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

A lot of hard work went into that! More to come too.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That was a lot of work, what a big difference.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks! It's nothing fancy, but it's come a long ways. We really slacked on doing anything the past year, got busy and just didn't set goals to get things done. 
It will take a while to get things up to par and get projects done, but hopefully by summer we'll be in good shape  Biggest priority is definitely the muddy mess in front of the barn and by the doe shelter, but I need to also work on the buck pen shelter as soon as we thaw out! 
We got some snow last night, not a lot, but it will melt and add to the mess, and rain is forecast for Fri. It's 5 degrees with wind chill well below zero so I'm not getting anything done today


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh my, that is cold. Stay safe and warm.

At least you have gotten a lot done already.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

More.... rain. It rained heavy at times today, and more on the way tomorrow. Flood watch until 1am on Friday. Our creek is fine. I haven't looked at my little trenches to see how things are flowing, but plan to tomorrow. 
I started moving rocks in front of the barn and digging a trench in between barn/shelter like I used to have - somehow it got filled in and was higher than it should be, which means water definitely couldn't drain between them. It looks awful right now as I am no where near done. Hoping to have it completed before the weekend is over. 

There just doesn't look like any relief from the 'mud' or rain in sight. I sure hope we get some dry weather at some point especially this summer.


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

HoosierShadow said:


> I did work around the doe shelter today, digging up the rocks, leveling some dirt, etc. It's a start. I plan on redoing the cattle panel shelter this spring. All of the rain we've had has really caused the OSB sides to rot and collect mildew. Building a buck pen shelter in the pen behind the barn and moving the gate so bucks won't be near the barn. Then I want to get everything painted. We never finished painting the back of the barn so it looks bad. We ran out of red paint and kept pushing it back then forgot about it lol. No real excuse I guess!
> 
> This morning it was nice to see the 3 pregnant does enjoying sunshine on a mild morning over by the creek, it was dry enough they enjoyed laying down. But got up when I came closer trying to get a phone pic.
> 
> ...


Beautiful goats and surprisingly clean for all the mud you're dealing with.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks, we try to keep them with clean bedding, and the rocks around the barn keep them out of the mud when they want to come outside. They get muddy feet which worries me when leaving the barn area, but so far we haven't had any big issues. I'm planning on trimming feet this weekend.

I should have posted some current pics, it's slightly more embarrassing though since it's a mess lol. 
I did lay down a few rocks to walk on until I get done.
The new boys checking out my mess yesterday when my daughter got them out for a few minutes while we had a break from rain. 









Somehow I don't think they are amused at the mess I made lol









I'm hoping later this morning I might get a chance to work on it. High of 70 today, more rain off and on and storms later. High tomorrow... 31!
Unfortunately, my 12yo daughter has the flu and has a high fever right now and feeling really bad, so it will definitely be a wait and see kind of day.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Tend to yourself, and to your child. Your goats are doing fantastic.

BTW, stormed all night here, and supposed to storm again today. I've been gone to the hospital the last 2 days, so yeah, I'm working in the rain today, but no more than I must!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

We are getting that same rain. It is just a mess. I wish it would get cold and stay cold so we can have frozen ground.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

It looks like you all will be going back and forth with the same kinds of weather patterns. Watching The Weather Channel.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Stay safe everyone!



mariarose said:


> Tend to yourself, and to your child. Your goats are doing fantastic.
> 
> BTW, stormed all night here, and supposed to storm again today. I've been gone to the hospital the last 2 days, so yeah, I'm working in the rain today, but no more than I must!


Thank You! My daughter is doing better, still feeling awful but maybe we're getting past the fever stage. I honestly haven't felt great. I feel like I got over the bug I had last month, but for the past week I just feel tired, drained, and drugged! No other symptoms, but the only thing I can come up with is maybe I am highly allergic to the puppy that my son got Thanksgiving weekend  I switched from Claritin to Zyrtec and if that doesn't help next step is allergy testing. I have an ENT appt tomorrow for my ears which feel fine now, but I have had hearing loss over the years in my left ear and loud tinnitus that really affects me. I'm not really nervous about the appt. I'm nervous about the hearing test. I don't like taking them because the tinnitus tends to make it tough - I can't tell if I am hearing a noise or the darn constant crickets/ringing lol.



ksalvagno said:


> We are getting that same rain. It is just a mess. I wish it would get cold and stay cold so we can have frozen ground.


I'm at that point. It was beautiful here last weekend, and I loved it. But the rain and mud... ugh. We have been piling up the bedding waiting for the ground to freeze so we can clean the barn and shelter and be able to get the wheel barrow through the mud!



Dwarf Dad said:


> It looks like you all will be going back and forth with the same kinds of weather patterns. Watching The Weather Channel.


Yes, it's a roller coaster ride! Crazy. It was 71 today, and a high in the upper 20s tomorrow? At least it's supposed to be sunny. 
I just checked the radar and it looks like we're finally at the backend of the rain.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

They make hearin aids now that have a comstant noise that fools with the tinnittus a d is supposed help with it. . You cannot hear it just your ear can.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

HoosierShadow said:


> I have an ENT appt tomorrow for my ears which feel fine now, but I have had hearing loss over the years in my left ear and loud tinnitus that really affects me. I'm not really nervous about the appt. I'm nervous about the hearing test. I don't like taking them because the tinnitus tends to make it tough - I can't tell if I am hearing a noise or the darn constant crickets/ringing lol.


Ask for a voice comprehension test while in the booth. That will help diagnosis.


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

I deleted the photos of our property before we started building fence and adding goats. Because, I just couldn't look at them without feeling worse than ever about the absolute mud pit our beautiful little place has become. Misery loves company I guess but I don't feel quite so bad after seeing what other people are dealing with. I'm reading some good suggestions here so I'm focusing more on the solution than the problem. Everyone has posted pictures of beautiful, well kept stock. My parent's philosophy on life was "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." It seems we are all willing to work a little (or a lot) harder to keep our goats happy and healthy.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Sfgwife said:


> They make hearin aids now that have a comstant noise that fools with the tinnittus a d is supposed help with it. . You cannot hear it just your ear can.





Dwarf Dad said:


> Ask for a voice comprehension test while in the booth. That will help diagnosis.


Thanks both of you! So the hearing test was pretty thorough. I was in a booth, they had some sort of ear phones they stuck in my ears that I believe also helped monitor the ear drum movement. They used different noises, static, words, etc. As I already knew, the hearing loss on the left is severe, but right is mild. Doctor wants me to get an MRI to rule out any underlying issues before moving forward. My appt is in a month.



Treva Brodt said:


> I deleted the photos of our property before we started building fence and adding goats. Because, I just couldn't look at them without feeling worse than ever about the absolute mud pit our beautiful little place has become. Misery loves company I guess but I don't feel quite so bad after seeing what other people are dealing with. I'm reading some good suggestions here so I'm focusing more on the solution than the problem. Everyone has posted pictures of beautiful, well kept stock. My parent's philosophy on life was "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." It seems we are all willing to work a little (or a lot) harder to keep our goats happy and healthy.


I totally understand. Our place is just a hole in the wall, a couple of acres, low laying area and it was pretty much a dump when we moved in. It wasn't cheap to buy either. 
This whole area is horse farm country, big, beautiful - amazing and well manicured horse farms with horses worth millions of dollars. Sure, they deal with mud too, but they look good doing it lol.
Right now the front of our barn looks so bad I am not sure I want to share a picture lol. But what I did yesterday definitely helped the rain water run off and to a ditch between barn/shelter and out towards the trench I dug by the creek. Because I didn't finish, there is still a LOT of water in the trench between the barn/shelter, but I'm hoping to resolve that tomorrow. 
We'd love to have a bigger place with better drainage issues but I remind myself and the rest of us... there will still be....mud.

Here's current Redfin listings in our area for anything over 5 acres. It's really expensive 
FOR FUN - the one listed in red on the bottom right side for $1,600,000 is a small horse farm owned by actor Johnny Depp. Sadly, he's been trying to sell it for a long time, even tried to auction it. I'm not sure why it won't sell, it's nice, but does back up to a community and is on a very busy road.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

That is exactly where I thought you lived. I drove an 18-wheeler through that little road running north off of highway 60 twice one day, looking for a school being built. This was a new school in late 2003. The adddress on the paperwork took us to the school board building, not to the new school south of US-60 in Versaille.


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

I used to live in Lexington and work at St. Jospeh. That part of the country is like a little piece of heaven on earth for sure. Hope Wayne Lucas hasn't got mud on his boots.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> That is exactly where I thought you lived. I drove an 18-wheeler through that little road running north off of highway 60 twice one day, looking for a school being built. This was a new school in late 2003. The adddress on the paperwork took us to the school board building, not to the new school south of US-60 in Versaille.


That's awesome! If it was on the southside of Versailles, that would possibly be the middle school, which is where my kids have all gone. Small world!  I don't travel US-60 much anymore, I do a lot of stuff in Frankfort, but I photograph at the horse track across from the airport during the spring and fall race meets.



Treva Brodt said:


> I used to live in Lexington and work at St. Jospeh. That part of the country is like a little piece of heaven on earth for sure. Hope Wayne Lucas hasn't got mud on his boots.


Again, small world! Are you familiar with Wallace Station Restaurant? It's near Midway Rd. that's my neighborhood  We used to live not far from St. Joseph years ago, in apartments off of Harrodsburg Rd. I passed St. Joseph yesterday on my way to the UK Clinic for my ENT appt. 
I love this area, couldn't imagine living anywhere else. The horse farms are so beautiful, breathtaking in the summer and fall. Did you get to go to Keeneland when you were here?


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

The world is shrinking even more... The La Fiesta in Frankfort is owned by family who own the La Fiesta Grande' Restaurant here. One our favorite eating places.


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## Treva Brodt (Jan 11, 2019)

HoosierShadow said:


> That's awesome! If it was on the southside of Versailles, that would possibly be the middle school, which is where my kids have all gone. Small world!  I don't travel US-60 much anymore, I do a lot of stuff in Frankfort, but I photograph at the horse track across from the airport during the spring and fall race meets.
> 
> Again, small world! Are you familiar with Wallace Station Restaurant? It's near Midway Rd. that's my neighborhood  We used to live not far from St. Joseph years ago, in apartments off of Harrodsburg Rd. I passed St. Joseph yesterday on my way to the UK Clinic for my ENT appt.
> I love this area, couldn't imagine living anywhere else. The horse farms are so beautiful, breathtaking in the summer and fall. Did you get to go to Keeneland when you were here?


I didn't get to go to Keenland but I saw John Mellencamp at Rupp Arena. I'm not familiar with Wallace Station Restaurant but I had a rockin' good time while I lived there. Lexington is the best little city I've ever had the pleasure of living in.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> The world is shrinking even more... The La Fiesta in Frankfort is owned by family who own the La Fiesta Grande' Restaurant here. One our favorite eating places.


Oh that's cool! I've never eaten there, but I know where it is. We'll have to try it sometime! We spend more time in Frankfort and Versailles than we do in Lexington. Biggest issue is traffic and drivers have gotten considerably worse in Lexington.
We try to do as much as we can in Versailles, but closest TSC is in Frankfort.



Treva Brodt said:


> I didn't get to go to Keenland but I saw John Mellencamp at Rupp Arena. I'm not familiar with Wallace Station Restaurant but I had a rockin' good time while I lived there. Lexington is the best little city I've ever had the pleasure of living in.


Aww wish you could have gone to Keeneland, it really is an awesome track! I have been photographing races there for years, it's really enjoyable. That's cool that you got to see John Mellencamp, love him! He is from Seymour, IN, so he has always been a big name for me growing up not too far away from there. The reason I asked about Wallace Station is because it is just a little old fashioned burger type restaurant (fancy food though), but it's the most popular restaurant in the area, people come from all over the country to eat there.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Well... thought I'd post that we had 3 dry days in a row that were very nice for this time of year! Thurs-Sat. It rained this morning, then it was dark, dreary, misting and foggy, but still not too awful. Ground was still firm enough. That will change this week. They are saying 3-6" of rain is possible! UGH. 
I've been working in front of the barn and shelter, I have a lot of the rocks done in front of the doe shelter, and still have work to do in front of the barn. 
My husband and kids have a good start on the buck shelter, but a long ways to go before it's ready, especially with this weather. I may need to dig more trenches....lol.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Geez. Hopefully you won't get as much rain as they are predicting.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh wow. mg:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks I sure hope we don't! Our creek will surely flood in the back area, but hopefully not threaten the barn area. We've spent the whole morning with 4-H horse club, so I'm hoping to go out in a few minutes to work on getting things ready for the rain, work on the ditch between barn and shelter and finish moving some of the rocks around. Trying to let my big lunch digest first lol


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hug:


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