2003-12-21 - 12:31 p.m.
We got the chicken house up yesterday. The chickens sure will enjoy their new home. We purchased a heavy duty canopy carpot and added sides and ends. The frame weighs about 400lbs and Sue and Liz looked mighty skeptical about us putting it up. At one point we had to raise one side of the roof propped on boards to get it high enough to put the side pipes on. Sue said that method didn't look like it was what OSHA would recommend. I'm sure it wouldn't but we got it up and all helpers are present and accounted for.
We do lots of things that way. We try to be as safe as we can but if we did everything the safest possible way we'd be broke, it's just too expensive. I know people will say you will regret it when something goes wrong but not doing everything perfect is just a reality that comes with limited funds.
I remember years ago I was attending a goat conference and a extension livestock specialist was speaking. He was talking about feeding and explained the proper type of feeders you should have and the right ration. He went on to talk about housing requirements, bedding and parasite control. He showed us diagrams of plans for all the special equipment needed and how to go about building it. We listened carefully because this man also raised his own goats as well as just studying about them.
At the end of the talk he said something I will always remember. He said what he had presented was the proper way to do everything just right but he also said that was not the way things were done on his farm raising his goats. He said he made do with what he had lots of times and tried to do the best he could. We looked a little bewildered. Then he said the line I'll always remember, "You gotta understand", he said, "Poor folks have poor ways." How true!!
So if you're riding down the road and see a farmer doing something that looks not quite right you're probably correct in your opinion. The farmer probably knows it too so there's no point in telling him. He already knows there is a better way that's also more expensive. Now you have a 5 word phrase to explain this paradox, "Poor folks have poor ways".
