We came home from Nationals with temps in the 80's. That's hot for here! The barn had to be cleaned out. I had already taken Monday off of work, so that's the day I had to clean out the barn. Temps in the shady barn were over 90*!
It was even warmer out in the sun. Much hotter of a day than I would choose for such a job. But, it was time it needed to be done.
It doesn't look too bad from this view, just a bit of straw/hay on the ground (the hay is the stalky hay that the alpacas don't eat. We don't mind this waste, since they skip over the hay with less nutritional value, and eat the hay with more nutrition. We'd rather they were healthy and ate the good stuff. But it does mean we have to do something with the rejected hay):
But, when I started putting it in the wheel barrow, it was a lot. I stacked a hay feeder on top of the wheel barrow so I could fit more in each trip. The straw/hay isn't heavy, it's more bulky than anything.
I don't know how many trips I made. I lost track some where after load #6, when I wasn't even half done yet.
I did have an audience, the boys in the pen next door kept a close eye on me:
I sprinkled all this straw and hay out in the pasture. If we had lush pastures, then I wouldn't. But we have such sandy soil, we can't sustain grass growth. I've found when I put straw or hay out there, the grass starts to grow again (we did plant grass, several times, so it is there, just doesn't grow well). The straw/hay helps keep moisture by the grass and gives it something to latch onto. Sandy soil drains water so fast and is slippery for roots to take hold. I figure over the years the straw/hay will decompose and create a nice base of soil. The down side is that we do end up having to really skirt our fiber after it's shorn. They say the best skirting is to have a clean barn and pasture. That's ideal for sure!
Here it is, finally completed:
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