Farming on a budget

Sometimes it takes a while for me to figure out how to get certain things the cheap way. I like creating, and I especially like creating things for my animals. I've owned this 24 acres for 4 years. This spring I was able to put a home on the property and my 30 year dream finally came true. A simple dream, one that most everyone seemed to get fairly easily, but for me, it just took a LLLOOONNNNGGGG time. And that is a home/farm for me and my family. A home that is mine, that I can build how I want, that is large enough if I wanted to grow my family. My family of animals, that is. Which required SPACE. I think 24 acres in Central WA with nothing else around me is sufficient for the rest of my life! Oh, my animals? One mule, Sally; one donkey, Satchmo; one hinny mule, Ivan; 2 Xolo dogs, Dicky Doo and Tai Chi, 2 cats, Tickle and Della.

Barely ever married (4 years), I've been self-supporting all my adult life. It's been a struggle, but I've persevered. Now I have my farm, home, and am building it how I want it to be. I put in all the fencing of the perimeter, plus crossfenced 8 fields. Each field has in/out shelter. I've done this almost exclusively by myself with very few farm implements, like tractors, 4 wheelers, mowers, etc. I've had hand tools, but never accumulated the big stuff, as I moved around for so many years looking for my dream farm. Anyway, since I've been here, I've been contemplating what I can use for my less-than 4' openings where I need gates, or partitions of some sort. They needed to be easily opened and closed, as I re-arrange my animals to different fields a lot. All have different eating needs, so everyone needs to be separate at feed time, but it would be nice if they were together during the day. And I just don't have the time to move them in/out every day.

Well today I'm trying something. I took a piece of hose that didn't have an end and has holes in it (yes, I save those), cut it off and used them as holders for sturdy metal grape poles that someone gave me. I now can slide them in and out. I put one on each side, so the animals pushing on it will be pushing on the upright posts, not on the rubber garden hose holders. There will be animals on both sides of this "gate". Here's a picture, what do you think? I see a flaw, and that is that I need to somehow make sure the ends of the grape poles are covered or protected, in case animals get fighting/playing and run into that metal end you see in the picture. That could be some bangs, cuts, and even stitches I don't need. Let's see if it will work, first. Then I'll add the end safety features.