Sunday, January 27, 2013

Unusual Barn Items

I was puttering around the barn getting things in order so tomorrow will go smoothly in case ice makes time short. As I worked I noticed things we have that may raise questions in other people. So here are some of the unusual items used in our barn:

Teapot
Although in the past we did feed tea to our horses, now we only use it to heat up water. During the cold weather the horses enjoy having warm meals. Plus it is closer than the bathroom, the only place that has hot water.

Coffee bean Grinder
We have gone through a few grinders. The main purpose was for grinding whole flax seed. Flax is a great source of Omegas and we have used it for a very long time. Pre ground flax used to be really expensive so we ground our own. The only problem was we used it 4-5 times twice a day which is a lot more than most people ground coffee resulting in the death of the grinder. After the loss of a couple higher priced grinders, we decided to go with pre ground flax. The other use was to break pills. It makes a horrible noise, but works great.

Angled Toilet Bowl Brush
Yep, I said a toilet brush (never used in the bathroom.) This brush is the best feed bowl cleaner. The angled portion gets into the edges well. The short bristles make a better scrubber and lasts longer. Best tool ever!

Diapers
Gretchen bought us the cheapest diapers she could find to use for abscess soaker boots. Cheap so that they would not draw the moisture away. We pour water, Epsom salt and iodine inside, then put on the hoof. Even on Dottie we were able to secure the tabs to hold the diaper on the foot. They are a bit cheaper in price than a roll of cotton, so that helps.

Loofah on a stick
This back scrubber for people is our absolutely best water bucket cleaner. I don't know when or how we stumbled onto this fact, but now we use it almost daily. Great in the cold, keeps hands dry. And when the ties that hold the loofah wear out the released mesh makes a fascinating toy for Roscoe.

Plastic Shopping Cart
Years ago Mom and Dad were driving along and saw an abandoned Big Lots shopping cart. They stopped and picked it up. Now it rolls around our barn holding hay that needs to be rinsed. To help reduce the sugar levels for our ponies we run water over the hay which washes out some of the sugars. We have previously used wire mesh baskets in a wheelbarrow, but the shopping cart is so much better. Any unused hay can stay and breathe in the cart. If only it had all terrain wheels...

Those are a few of our unusual barn items. Did I surprise you? Make you think outside the box? Good. Items that make life easier are priceless.
Do you have any items in your barn not normally meant for the job you use it for? Let me know. I love new ideas.

1 comment:

  1. I love this it really proves how the equine world can use pretty much anything :)

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