Just put a deposit down on a new house..........trying to figure out some stuff before we get moved over there so I can hit the ground running. 22 acres (20 mixed hardwoods and some pines) with a 1 acre stocked pond. With the area around the house plus the perimeter of the pond and down the driveway (1,000 ft) I am going to have more grass to cut then I ever have. Anyone have a large mower stand or sit recommendation? I want to build a deck that stretches out into the pond probably 20x20 or whatever looks best closest to that..........does anyone know how to put cement footers in existing water? It should be noted that the pond gets deep quick........not much "shallow" area. I have 15 beautiful multi colored Koi at the house I own right now...........do they get along with all other fish like bass and stuff?? and is there any reason I would NOT want to toss them in this pond?? I have raised them from a couple inches to their current 7+ lbs and it would break my heart if they died because of my ignorance of large ponds. I would rather give them away first. My wife and father want to get some chickens..........I know nothing about chickens. Any and all info on them would be great but mostly what kind of breeds are best and a warning would be great if it's going to be a constant headache. The last thing I need is another full time job. On a hunting note the property is nice.........roughly 5 minutes from the farms I have killed my best NY bucks at. It actually has a fully functional (yet rough) hunting cabin on the land with it's own water and electric run to it...........the kids of the family should have a ball "camping" out there. The property hasn't been hunted in 11 years so I am a little excited to get some trail cams out come summer time. There is a nice clearing by the pond where I think I am going to plant a 1/2 acre plot of clover and see what happens. I won't lie..............the thought of being able to grab my bow and WALK to my stand from the house and sit for an hour or so before heading off to work doesn't suck. It won't be my primary hunting grounds by any means but it will allow me to hunt every day of the season (including work days) even if it's just for an hour or two. Thanks in advance for any and all info/help you guys may have to offer.
I can't answer ANY of your questions but it sounds like a sweet set-up. Congrats. Would love to be in your shoes to have to figure all that out.
With the area around the house plus the perimeter of the pond and down the driveway (1,000 ft) I am going to have more grass to cut then I ever have. Anyone have a large mower stand or sit recommendation? I use a Cub Cadet RZT 50. It is a zero turn mower. It has a Kawasaki 22HP motor and has been great. I have about 130 hours on it and have had no problems other than a deck belt. I want to build a deck that stretches out into the pond probably 20x20 or whatever looks best closest to that..........does anyone know how to put cement footers in existing water? It should be noted that the pond gets deep quick........not much "shallow" area. You do not use concrete footers in the water. You drive pilings into the ground in the pond. If you do not want to pay to have some one do the piling work, you may want to look into some of the floating dock systems.
If you just want laying chickens then 6-8 is a good, manageable size without to much constant work. They need a secure spot to roost at night away from predators, nest boxes (4 would be good for up to 12) for laying and they willneed some protection from the elements and cold during winter up there. Electricity to there coop and some type of heat may be good or, depending on the breed of chicken, some are much more hardy than others, they may just need shelter from the elements and no heating. If there is no heat you will have to give them fresh, unfrozen water each morning and throughout the day during the freezing temps.
Con grates sounds like a great place, Love free range chickens they will eat all kinds of bugs and ticks and keep snakes at bay,and they taste great. You could look into cantilevering the deck and stay out of the water if all possible,just my 2 cents there. Here is my best advice yet... get a solid written closing cost breakdown and if you have a friend thats a lawyer have him or her look it over,and if need be take him/her with you to closing you will save yourself a ton of money sorry but lenders are liars and thieves. fool me once deal and i hope this helps. best of luck, roger
First.. congrats on the purchase Atlas. Very cool to walk out your backyard on a slow day and just hunt. I can't really answer any of your Q's except to say that Christine raises chickens and has done for years.. she's probably an authority on it. Ever thought of a floating dock.. that's what most people around our lakes do because of freezing. I doubt it if 10% of those had cement shoes. (I just read that buckeye mentioned this too.) Congrats again.
Depending on how many acres you're going to mow, I love my John Deere Z950A w/72" deck. I used to mow with utility tractor and it took 20 hours. With the ZTR, I can mow the same area in 6.5 hours. Don't know how to put footers into existing pond, but have you considered a floating platform that can be pulled out in winter? Biggest headache with chickens is the predators (fox, weasel, coon, coyote, etc). PS - Congratulations! You'll love it!!!
Good for you atlas, I mowed a few large lawns in my day. I have used case tractors, but if I bought one today I would by a John deer.
For the mower I have a tow behind Swisher. Then you can buy an ATV to haul your deer out with and cut your grass.
I hate chickens and have no experience with docks other than ours in Canada (main floor joists and deck boards come out as a unit in the winter while the outer "rim" joists and piers stay in the water (they're anchored in concrete foots sitting ON the lake floor (winters up there are bad and the lake will see a foot or two of ice on it for months and it hasn't shifted yet). I hate chickens, so I won't comment there:D As for a mower, if you do go with a ZTR (my recommendation), go with a commercial unit. While you won't put the hours on it a year like a true commercial landscaper, they're just built bigger, better, and cut much better. Top brands I would look at that have great residential/commercial "tweeners" without breaking the bank are Bobcat, Hustler, Gravely, and Bad Boy. Congrats on the land. VERY jealous.:D
I built on a similarly sized property (30 ac. - 16= wooded, 10= tillable and 4 = house, grass and other. No pond.) I can tell you, it takes more than a lawn mower to maintain a property like that. If I'm reading your description correctly, you will be mowing approx. 1 to 2 acres. You may consider getting by with a cheap old garden tractor style mower to knock that out with and spend some money on a good compact tractor. ZTR's are nice, but a good tractor will be a necessity. I would recommend one between 35-45 hp. w/ a front loader and 4WD. Emplements you will need: Bush hog to keep the woods from creeping in. Grader blade or box to maintain your driveway. Snow blade to get your wife off to work in January. Tiller, if you're wanting to maintain food plots. (Use your new neighbor's 2-bottom plow to get started. I guarantee he's got an old, rusty one sitting there that he hasn't used in 25 years.) Maybe go ahead and get a finish mower for the compact. And that's just the very basics. I use mine almost every day for something different. Anyways, it's something for you to think about. Good luck w/ your new property. It sounds awesome.
Congrats on your place Atlas. I have laying hens and I built a pretty sweet chicken house out of an old Bee's box metal frame. Its all inclusive, has a run in the lower level and laying boxes built off of each end with lift open top lids for easy egg collection in the upper level, I have a roost pole in the upper level near the heat lamp. I will take some pix to give you an idea. I like that its compact but very comfortable for the hens. Easy to clean and the design is set slick for egg gathering. I keep a red heat bulb/lamp in it all winter. I have a 5 gallon element heated water trough and then a 5 gallon feeder. I can set up my 5 hens for a good two weeks at a time without feeding or watering. Very little maintance. I clean out their chicken hut about once every 2 months. I used mesh wire for all the venting and windows in the hut. When it gets really cold I simply tarp it and the heat stays in great in the upper level. If they need to get fresh air and daylight during the winter, they simply go downstairs to their "run". Like I said I will snap some pix for you. Old bee box frames are common out this way...not sure if they have them back east.
Looks like a nice mower.............thanks. I was told by another guy that he just pounded 12" PVC pipe down into the pond bottom until it was flush with the water level........cleaned out as deep as he could with post hole digger and then threw in a water pump to drain the hole. Filled with cement and set his posts. I really didn't want to do floating because I want it for sitting and hanging out and I really didn't want to be bobbing up and down everytime someone takes a step. Do you think the above method would work??..........or what if I just "sharpened" a few posts with a saw and then pound them in as far as I can?
Good idea.........hopefully I could get out into the water as much as I want to. Something to consider for sure.
