putting new floors in the chicken house & cattle barn

[@prestonmiller9552]

Hillary is your finest asset around the farm. She is pleasant to work with and always does her best without complaining (too much). She is a gem and I know you appreciate her help. Proper compaction is key to a good job. So many skimp on the base layer when pouring concrete and end up with a lot of cracks and failures in their slabs. Good prep is always important. Well done.

[@donpeterson9282]

You hit the nail on the head with your comments about children and how to raise them. In general, I have found some people are not looking for correction or direction or advice when they share their actions with others. For myself, it helps me to organize my thoughts when I verbalize them. However when I want advice I usually ask up front with a question. Maybe the reason you get "self-proclaimed experts" telling you what to do is because you are reaching so many people and the numbers go up with the sampling base and they are emboldened to criticize from the safety of the internet. I enjoy hearing and seeing how you are making a living on your family farm and hearing your philosophical opinions on many different aspects of life. I hope you continue to produce your interesting videos. I especially enjoy your videos that feature restoring tractors and other equipment. I am impressed with your ability to teach how machinery works and how to maintain and repair or restore them. Your explanations and visuals are very well done from a training standpoint. I have a 1952 Super A that needs a little work. Your videos have given me a great deal of information on how this fine old tractor works. Many thanks for your detailed instructions on the Farmall line. Regards Don

[@colleenb3810]

You and your wife work so hard. I have such respect for farmers. Thank-you so much for sharing.

[@robindisney7716]

A brilliant explanation of all the resources and planning needed on a small farm should be required watching for all want to be farmers.

[@larrymoore6640]

Glad to see that you looked into something for the barn floor while also worrying about the health of the cattle. My Dad use to say "Trying something is better then doing nothing for a problem".

[@turningforhomefarm4637]

Looks like a good solution in both buildings. Funny to look into half a dozen options for the cattle barn and then circle back to bank-run. Agree with your logic and appreciate you doing that research so I don’t have to!

[@AaronDwyer]

“A good thing that I have a wife with a strong back” Now that should be on a tshirt. I love the way you both work together on your farm.

[@290wayne]

I give your wife a lot of credit.,... She's one hard working LADY !

[@pixaxeprepper384]

The chickens and cattle really live good with your maintenance of flooring. You provide ideas for us small homesteads. As a retired army vet, I can catch up on better ways to do things at my age. I salute your ambition and Hilary who is at your side.

[@hayfork100]

It's great to see how you put a lot of thought into your work and keep improving your facilities.

[@christhinksit]

Great Videos! Really appreciate the way you keep the volume consistent; especially with machinery! Keep them coming, us young bucks need the wisdom.

[@alexbrown7786]

Hola from Costa Rica! It's like when you finally finish something it's about time to start over on something new. Love your channel and your tractors.

[@geraldfinley2666]

I enjoy your videos very interesting and informative I was raised on a farm in Missouri till I was 18 years old and then I went into the Marine Corp

[@frankcurley]

The comment about your wife's prowess reminds me of an old farm journal joke about a bachelor farmer looking for a wife that owned a tractor...asking to send a picture of tractor with the letter.

[@tdon7477]

Sir, you and your wife work hard. I hope you both find time though out the year to take a relaxing vacation. Luv the channel.

[@Drew-gj1es]

Great video Pete and Hillary! I subscribed a couple weeks ago and have watched all your videos since then and they are all well done, insightful, meaningful, and no-nonsense (name that relic notwithstanding :-)). Glad to see your subscriber numbers keep climbing. You've definitely earned it. Hope you get some rain and looking forward to a video on cleaning out the pole barn this winter and seeing how it holds up! Keep up the good work. Now I have to wait for the next video... sort of sad that I am caught up.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Hi Andy, sounds like you are an official JAFA expert! Thanks for watching our videos.

[@crslyrn]

Looks like some good ideas for the chicken run & cattle barn. Hope they work like you're wanting. Stay safe.

[@rayclark8920]

Thank you for your content priceless.

[@Gunrunner4532]

Thank you Pete. It’s interesting to see how your mind works. I’m not a farmer; I own and live on 24 acres but have a “normal” job. I’ve always gravitated towards that way of life though. My Grandfather was a farmer in West Texas....I envy your life. I’m sure it makes your family closer.

[@timothygeorge1191]

The 504 always get a good workout in your videos

[@BRAN_Poultry]

I've poured a lot of concrete for cows, I just broom finish it when its still real wet. You may also put that old plastic in the chicken house pour, keep it from sweating. Great video

[@stevejanka361]

I would definitely consider a skid steer for just such a problem. We had a real early case loader and it was indispensable. For floors and manure, there was no replacing it. Take care and good luck.

[@josephfernandez3809]

thank you Sir for your insight on the flooring ideas. Good to hear your ideas on the different options. Keeps the work interesting, although its a lot of hard work on such a beautiful day.. Will pay many dividends in the long run.

[@jimcour291]

As always, so informative. I love how you explain your rational for what you do, along with the options you discovered. It really makes researching much easier for everyone who watches. You are truly a well that keeps on giving good water

[@coryallan1786]

you probably dont care at all but does any of you know a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I was stupid lost my password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me!

[@marleyaxton123]

@Cory Allan Instablaster :)

[@coryallan1786]

@Marley Axton I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@coryallan1786]

@Marley Axton it worked and I actually got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thanks so much you saved my ass!

[@marleyaxton123]

@Cory Allan happy to help :D

[@kianhoppe6881]

Thanks for posting this. It is a great thing to come home to after a day of school!

[@winaa270]

We use wood chip (waste from sawmills) in New Zealand. It can be turned over a few times when it gets mucky, then composted when fill. Its easy on hooves and warm to sit on, the cows love it.

[@markb1487]

Great video, liked this a lot. The thing about chickens outside is that they can get away from predators,, inside the coup they are basically trapped,, no where to run

[@131dyana]

I loved watching this. Thank you.

[@wgoconnor33]

Every one of episodes are so enjoyable

[@agentpiggywig7757]

What we did for the floors to our 12 stall barn is we had a concrete isle with a drain in the middle that led to the sprinklers and the stalls had concrete then a rubber mat and we had sand and super fine gravel. Now the only difference was this ours was a horse barn but we used it for cows for a year or two. We had ramps with divots at the end of the barn so they could come and go as they pleased. That worked really well. With the concrete,rubber and sand,gravel mix. It costed about $110k for ours bust sense you have a small area it should only cost around $10-25k maybe less. I live in Texas so the price may vary from states but the concrete isle never iced over due to it being dry Bc of the drain and the stalls could always be cleaned. The sand was there for the urine from the horses and cows but is not necessary. Wood shavings from tractor supply or homemade works just as good and are very cheap to replace. Hop this helps a bit.👍🏼

[@donaldwhite2744]

Another great video Pete, and I now have 4 chickens I'm tending to, 4 eggs a day and it almost keeps me busy. As your final comments about learning things, it is the same for me!

[@macfarms]

New to the channel, been binge watching the last few days, really enjoy it. Our dairy barn has concrete floors with grooves cut in them so they aren't slippery, and rubber mats in some of the high traffic areas. We don't have a ton of hoof trouble, most of it is caused by DD which is hard to get away from.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Hi Mac Farms, I enjoy watching your channel!

[@macfarms]

@@JustaFewAcresFarm Well thanks! Glad you enjoy it. You guys have been doing great, your channel is growing like crazy.

[@samstoddard5917]

Amazing. Never seen someone be able to work a plastic tarp or hay tarp without the wind ripping it out of their hands. Haha we always fight the wind with hay tarps

[@annacalvert2747]

I love you and your family, l enjoyed your story about the farm, in your SPARE time. You could be a story teller for books and other things people read, , You can say one day ( l have run my course and enjoyed every minute of it )

[@raleebare6666]

Great video! It reminds me of what me and my grandpa do!!

[@karenparr4312]

Being a engineer certainly has helped to to create things for your farm and cutting costs. Great job !!

[@JamesColeman1]

In the old days, farmers used sheep to compact roads. Nowadays they still call compactors sheep foot compactors...

[@bretdavisdmd]

Man, you do for a living what most guys dream of tinkering on the weekends.

[@twoinchdave]

Here here

[@kevinirwin2036]

Pete, just have to say, as much as I love your videos, I love your wife even more, the strong SILENT type hahaha! Keep up the great work!

[@steveboyer4137]

If you go to your local concrete maker you can ask for washout or rubble from them. It's usually cheap and packs unbelievably hard.

[@flugit]

That is a seriously cool trick to pull them posts out

[@vm3166]

I have tried multiple different stone in my hay feeding area for the cattle, concrete is the only permanent solution, I put big grooves every 2 inches in the concrete similar to what they use on handicap ramps have very little problems with slippage.

[@dustinlee7134]

I love watching your videos.

[@jamesbreault5762]

Great stuff Pete we use kalichi here it packs hard like a rock.

[@kleo5187]

You should try prying the T-Post out with your hand post driver. I saw a video of someone doing it and it blew my mind. Just take your post driver and wedge it under the dimple on the T-post at an angle. Wedge it tight. Then Pull the T-Post toward yourself, thus lifting the post. Repeat by repositioning the post driver on the next dimple down until the whole t post is up out of the ground. NO TRACTOR needed!!! It works great.

[@heartattackjack9349]

A simple solution to sieve your gravel after the purchase. Build a wooden frame, put at an angle and put legs to lift up one edge. Cover bottom of frame with metal wire fencing, called fencer wire on the Home Depot website. Choose your opening size to sieve out the stone you don't want, and either use bucket loader to toss gravel through, or use shovel. My father and I used it frequently on household gardens where rock and gravel was over abundant. Saves money on material as you can reuse the unit over and over again. The wire can outlast the frame, and the frame can be built with scrap 2x4 or 2x6, or whatever you have onsite. Edit - I thought I subbed. No wonder I couldn't see your vids unless they were recommended. Subbed now.

[@puskabeuford8667]

Love your channel. Like how you have broken down costs and pricing in other videos. I am moving onto a new homestead in the spring. Although I do not plan to farm commercially, I do learn alot from your experience. I worked as a concrete mason for several years in days gone by. I kept thinking " why doesn't he take down the pipes so he doesn't have to shovel all that heavy stone around ?". I believe it would have been more efficient and much easier on your wife's back. Lol. Awespme work here. Keep em coming. 🦅🇺🇸

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Thanks Puska! We had to do some shoveling because a tree prevented access to one end of the chicken house.

[@puskabeuford8667]

@@JustaFewAcresFarm Roger that my American brother!

[@skitrow3262]

In NY if you have a farm it will always have piles of little boulders in the pasture and by the barn! 😂

[@MrTL117]

Nice job Pete! Keep up the good work sir

[@charlesthomas5737]

Pet, while your at it, put a roll up door at the end of the chicken house and buy a used skid loader or a small 4x4 compact tractor with a loader and save your back when you clean the chicken house out next year.

[@bendermanufacturing]

I have poured a good amount of concrete in my life and would strongly recommend #4 rebar instead of wire mesh. The cement is guaranteed to crack, no matter what reinforcement that is used, but the rebar prevents separation. Most of the wire mesh I have encountered during demolition is at the very bottom, and does nothing to increase the concrete strength. The rebar needs to sit on chair to be effective. Good luck with your pour, thanks for the great videos.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Thanks Paul. I've poured a few myself, and welded wire mesh has worked fine. You're right, reinforcing does nothing if it's at the bottom of the slab.

[@tylerjordan2595]

Just a note I have a 544 and I use a handy piece called a Bucketeer it pins to the sides of the bucket and it works great for loose hay and manure you can even use it for bales it's cost effective and no more fighting bolts.

[@daltonreynolds09]

Pete, you should look into getting a T-post puller. You can get one for 40$. I picked mine up at tractor supply, best 40$ I've ever spent. Saves you a ton of time removing post. - no tractor needed.

[@joatmofa0405]

*YOU HAVE UTTERED THE MAGIC WORDS :* Farm work is repetitive (boring).....but a challenge to always look for improvement keeps one occupied (challenged)!!!

[@annlachance1517]

Omg!!!! I would love one of those rocks!!!! 🪨

[@JL-xn3zy]

As always, great video Pete! 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@harrisonchevy4452]

All your videos are great 👍 as I know nothing about the complexity of farming.

[@sublimewoodturner]

The big round stones in the bank run gravel will come back to bite you over and over again. They will always be coming to the surface. Plus you will end up spreading them in your fields. Stones in manure are dangerous to spread too. Concrete that is grooved when wet is a great floor for a cattle barn and only expensive one time. Your thought process is good though, you clearly care about your animals and your farmstead.

[@melissaayala9417]

You could use caliche my dad used that as a base for a driveway. When you compact it it's like cement. But it's soft all so. Check it out. It doesn't cost a lot in Texas.

[@northrungrader8937]

Thank you for sharing.

[@Barry_L]

you deserve a reality show in the biggest network cable

[@ihus9950]

Pete your going to need rebar in the chicken house before you pour concrete, wire mess will not keep the concrete from cracking and buckling 👍

[@dheujsnrhfydhehehshshhdggsd]

Absolutely wrong

[@jacoblatshaw3004]

Great video Pete!

[@jobygochoco2731]

very interesting projects Pete...

[@adamfontana537]

I just did something similar with one of my goat sheds. Great job by the way!

[@alirezajohari8916]

Great video, as always! I just hope you removed the green grass (from the ground where you had dumped the gravel load) which was mixed in with the gravel of the chicken winter house before pouring the concrete slab. When moisture reaches the grass, it will grow and is not very friendly with the concrete on top (I read that some can find little cracks in the concrete and spread through there and eventually make the cracks bigger or even crush the concrete!). But I guess that will be a long term effect and by that time you might have to replace the flooring anyways. Great work though, you are a man of action!

[@catheyclarke2132]

You all work so hard xx

[@keshlalish5586]

i love how polite the driver was on the second load. this is always nice when the driver can prevent a loud bang next to your ears

[@greggnelson5665]

I love your show!

[@isaacmaxwell256]

Layers! Opinions and bank rock Has LAYERS

[@utot0210]

what a team❤

[@admoco5]

It seems like it never ends and there is never a final solution, I think that's part of the fun.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Yes! A perfect farm would be pretty boring!

[@donaldmack7213]

In the interest of safety. Please block the front end loader so it cannot come down on you when working under or around it. If a hydraulic hose or seal should break the bucket will fall with out any warning and you could get hurt. Murphy’s Law always holds true! I worked in an underground coal mine for over 40 years in southwestern PA and if a supervisor ever saw a person working under or near a “suspended load” like that they would be fired immediately for doing an unsafe act! Please work safely! Enough ear beating. I enjoy all your videos!

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

These "safety" comments drive me nuts. I am not working under the bucket; I am in front of it. If it falls, I am not in its path. Even if I was in its path, that is my business and I am aware of it; I don't need a bystander to remind me of it. I am a deliberate person, and to have someone I don't know criticize the care I take in my work is hard to swallow.

[@stuartgibson1896]

Some guys around my area they use quarry sand/class I sand it packs hard like concrete and it will lime the fields as manure is spread.

[@annlachance1517]

Watching here from, Maine

[@kylepoirier1102]

Thanks for the informative video Pete

[@markenge9348]

I've got a copyright 1920 hardcover catalog from the Jamesway barn equipment company (still in business). If you can find one they are fascinating and contain blue prints for barns using all their barn equipment (mostly stalls and stanchions, manure and loose hay handling equipment). The floor construction they were recommending (although they had concrete plans) was cork. They sold cork bricks laid over a compacted sand & gravel base. I never saw one built but it sounded as though it would've been easy on hoofs like those hard rubber floors made from recycled industrial conveyor belts used today. Bet it would cost a fortune today and probably wasn't cheap back then either which may explain why they never caught on.

[@jotoole6170]

We use crushed concrete it actually packs almost as hard as solid concrete it works quite well although I'm not sure if it would be available in your area

[@highvelocitywilliam]

I like you sir. Unlike people who rhyme with fanglestar, i get no arrogance from you, i get less bs and more reality. Subscribed....just stick to reality and keep trying to help us who simply wish to learn, not trying to pander for max subscribers.

[@catheyclarke2132]

Hi Pete how are you and family Hope all is well x

[@billabong9215]

Good video again. Well done . Just a little thinking material. In Ireland sometimes we use peat as bedding material. At lasts forever and when you clean it out ,put it to the side and let the dungs decompose.you can use it again and again and again. You need to have a couple of different piles so your not bringing harmful bacteria into the shed. But if your cleaning it out 3 times a year that should be manageable( I think it was Joel who said harmful bacteria take 6 weeks to colonize a shed and stock should be rotated after that period) Everybody who uses peat here prefers it to straw or wood chips. Any updates on 'just a few acres' merchandise? 😊

[@ciarataylor702]

I forgot the name for chicken manure that composts into dusty dry loose bedding. It takes a while to establish.

[@terrysamens1462]

I bet better luck using stainless steel bolts on those tines

[@melvinwoodruff905]

Thanks

[@shanehartley1957]

Good job

[@gore1]

I really enjoyed this video. You’re a wizard on that tractor!

[@ericscott7335]

Pete, new to your channel and new subscriber. Great content and great commentary. Glad to be onboard.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Welcome Eric!

[@michaeldunagan8268]

Nice block of instruction! Thank you! My question is: if the surface is as hard as you indicated with your foot, what's going to keep the cattle from slipping on this surface similar to a concrete surface? Concrete is very expensive. However, you made great points about gravel. Concrete that's grooved would be less slippery but more difficult to clean.

[@carlosperaltacontrerasthe1955]

Los regalos mas hermosos son el agua aire tierra es algo incomparable como humanidad unico vida gusto amor todo ser vi viente ama lo hermoso de la.tierra.carlos peralta 2021

[@carlosperaltacontrerasthe1955]

Ojo jehova unico creator de la vida la mia I la tuya nadie mas alma Vibiente.

[@Spiked2005]

Wouldn’t a concrete floor which is covered with sawdust making it a compost barn which could be cleaned out using your tractor a few times during the winter, which would then have a new layer of sawdust applied several times during the winter period, the resulting waste could then be composted outside and spread on your fields in the spring time. The compost bed would be a warm resting place for your animals and not be wet and soggy from the sub base soils, just a thought.

[@imaslowlerner]

😂🤣😂🤣😂 "a wife with a strong back. " I need to do that to my chicken 🐔 coop, unfortunately I'm single 😩.

[@newkidintown1000]

Nice work

[@lisamann3372]

a handyman jack works good for pulling posts if you can not get the tractor close to them

[@TheAlaskan308]

I love this channel, I watch every one right when it comes out. I wonder if you could get Joel Salatin to make a visit to your operation?

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

I would love that! I met Joel once. He is a busy man.

[@zaneymay]

Nice up grades.

[@dustycreekfarm6093]

keep on farming

[@1ruralmailman]

might be too lare now,but did you lay plastic under your concrete?it helps keep moisture from wicking up through cement,makes for less condensation in the building.

[@richarddunn7040]

Loved it

[@faithhall7806]

Super impressed on how hard your wife works too. Saw your son riding bike... dose he not enjoy the farm work? I enjoy your stories so much, just thinking that he may not have as many stories... forgive me if I missed an episode that you may have stated why your children not on camera. Just curious.

[@toddcaskey9984]

Good job !

[@ottocarr3688]

On the four occasions when I was not driving a tractor or caterpillar, there were fish to harvest (a painful experience), flagging for a crop duster, moving irrigation pipes and stirring chickens. Chickens, it seems are afraid of everything and will pile into a corner. If not stirred, the ones on the bottom will suffocate. Acting like a bulldozer, you shuffle your feet and scoop the chickens into the air. Ten thousand chickens needing to be vaccinated for Newcastle’s disease.