Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Have an interview next week - possible to work from home doing a telecommute, video conferencing, Networking Solutions Design...
I'll make sure the cams are pointed into the house not outside where they can see me working on my AP stuff.

While working on my stand pipes a couple days ago, I had to drop what I was doing and fix the sides of the greenhouse. Induced by seeing my wife's kid herd (baby goats) walk through the sides of the GH and JUMP onto my fish tank lid and walk around. Granted they only weigh about 8-15 pounds each, but dammit. Not happy.
Located where I had stashed the shadecloth, and had the wife help me put it around as far as it would go. Didn't make it all the way around, but enough to keep them out.

Did some more work on the stand pipes for the barrel growbeds. Running low on pieces and parts.

I think that is because you keep dropping them in your flooded growbed

keeps them within easy reach

Dude! How long have you had goats for? Not gonna work!

I think I mentioned they jumped all over my mud oven & ruined it. We have 125 acres of woods & brambles & they only wanted to stand on my deck, staring in the sliding glass door like we were TV. Peeing & pooping on the deck. One wound up in the freezer & we gave the other 2 away to 4-H.

Goats!

I built her a couple of kid pens in the milking shed so they would be out of the way and contained. Yeah right. Little buggers found a way to squeeze through the holes on one of the small panels and away they went, all over the yard. Something else to fix.

As far as the adult sized goats, well, all the rose bushes have no buds on them below 2', all pine branches have the bottom 2' eaten away, goat 'berries' on the front porch and steps, etc...

Anything above their height is something to climb on. Even when they fall into my growbeds and get soaking wet, the little buggers still climbed.

At least they are not in my GH anymore.

But I sure do love goat cheese.

Have 6 of the 8 siphons working. The last two growbeds are shut off for the time being. Just sat there watching the lovely siphon action working over and over again. One would drain out and kick off while another was starting it's siphon. Sweet.

Wife calls out the window, "Hey what's wrong?"
"Nothing wrong, everythings working great."
"Oh, wondered why you had a big smile on your face. And you never just sit in one place."
"Yeah well, it's worth it. They all work!"

Ma came over this afternoon so I put her to work getting the last of the GH rafters in place. Nice to have help once in a while.

Working out in the GH, a lady stopped by to see if we had some eggs for sale. Sold her a dozen and we got to talking about aquaponics stuff. She caught on really quickly to the concepts. Too quickly in fact. Found out that she was an Environmental Engineer. Oh, well, that makes sense. You already know that this is a mini-ecosystem. Yes indeed she did.

Asked about the barrels I had stacked up outside the GH. I ended up giving her one for her to use in her pond. She's going to put the pump in the barrel and sink it into the pond so she could keep the pump out of the mud.

No, no payment, just asked her to stop by when she has more time to talk. Good trade.

Yeah goats have to be kept under a bit of control... Good to see you got the siphons going, hope you can keep them like that...

Still have to make stone guards for the stand pipes and finish off the exit drain pipes for the last two grow beds.
Then figure out how I am going to fill up the GB's with gravel. Might be able to do one every two or three days. Thank God for painkiller.

Buy a test kit
Wait for the system to cycle
Call in a few favors to get the plastic over the roof of the GH
Catch the fish in my neighbors tank (he offered)
Put up some lattice for the squash and cucumbers
Pavers for the floor
and on and on...

So much to do. What fun.

850 miles from home, 4 states away. Missing the family, land, and my AP system. So I log on to the BYAP forum and get my fix from everyone else's systems. I'll be here for another 2-3 weeks getting some training. At least I still have a job. Same company, much different type of work.
I get to sit at the house and work up blueprints, bids, quotes, and proposals.
My home office is on second floor overlooking my greenhouse and chicken house.

Here at the Main Office training and the weekends come around, I take off and travel around the area to see what I can see.
OOooh looky there. It's an old stock tank leaning on the side of that barn. I could use that for a fish tank. There are a few pipes in that guys backyard. Wonder if he... oh never mind.

Then I turn down a side road and see this on the side of an industrial building...



I'm obsessed.

JACKPOT!

Looks like all I have to learn about goats is by reading your thread. I want to put some in the planted pines. But I guess I should fence my yard in, and put them in the yard so they will go to the pine trees. It seems they do the opposite of what you want them to.

They are browsers so they like a variety of food. They'll eat just about anything except what you put in front of them.
Build a fence that is horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong... and even then they may eventually find a way around, over, or through.

Worried about my AP greenhouse and the dirt garden. When green starts to show, I'm gonna be in trouble. Happens every year. We think we have the issues fixed, they find a way to get out.

Luck to you. Come buy from us. http://www.openacresfarm.com

Oh you sell goat goo too. Who gets the pleasure of that one, other than the goats ?

All goats, dogs, cats, horses, belong to her. I like chickens for their eggs, meat, and their bug control. And they are kinda cool to watch.