Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

baymule said:

You are blessed to still have both of your parents

Click to expand...

Truth!

Got the grands back yesterday and they'll be with me until the weekend. We have sooooo much fun together! They are becoming pretty good farm hands too. G-man is quite the helper at milking time and K-gal is an awesome chicken feeder/egg collector. The youngest isn't visiting this time...

They are totally comfortable with all the critters.



I finally got the two female pigs (and one male) turned out of their pen. I'm thinking they're both bred so they need to be out running the fields instead of laying in a pen, being hand fed and chowing down on bonbons! I'm thinking exercise will do them a world of good. The male that keeps escaping HIS pen and courting them will be butchered this fall. He's not the one I had picked to father the next generation but it will actually work out ok. Once he's moved on to be freezer fodder I could breed the others and their offspring to the OTHER male. (the one that's not smart enough to escape his pen, lol)

Starting to get a whiff of the upcoming rut every now and then. I'm not sure I'm ready for the rut... Probably will do very limited breeding this fall. I don't NEEEEED any more goats at this time. I need to get tougher in my choices and move on some of the gals that I really like but aren't the perfect fit anymore. I'm not good at that... I wish I could keep them all. But, the feed bill is about to convince me!

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

Darling grands! They sure look like they are having fun! What nice grass you have. I wish I had grass.....

These kiddos surely own my heart! I'm dreading Sunday when I take them back.

They are such a big help ad so much fun. G-man actually milked today - by hand. He's been trying for years and tonight he "got it." He also knows how to hook up the milker and can slap those teat cups on a goat as well as I can. And - he will stand right behind them massaging their udder and telling me when they are empty.

These are the kind of things that I always hoped they'd be interested in. G-man gets it. He understands that while the animals are fun, they also serve a purpose in our lives. He's even willing to eat goat whenever we butcher again.

Took Cowboy to the vet yesterday. He's more than doubled his weight in 5 weeks. He's gone from 18 to 40 lbs! He's doing so well and his guarding tendencies are becoming more prominent every day.

Rut is starting - ugh. Only have plans to breed a few goat this year....still need to sell goats from this spring along with some adults too. I refuse to sell any goats that aren't in perfect health and it seems that I'm fighting parasites constantly. Finally, since all the rain has stopped, I've got a handle on it and in a couple weeks, when life settles down, I'll be posting on Craigslist. Hoping for a lower feed bill. Turning some of the pigs out on pasture is already making a difference. Those pigs have to work for a living now, lol.

About to take the kiddos swimming now. Need to find sunscreen.

Happy Saturday, ya'll.

Have you butchered any of your Guinea Hogs? I don't remember if you have done so or not. If so, what is your opinion about the meat? The 3 hogs I raised last winter, cross of Berkshire and Large Black, the meat turned out kinda dry. Maybe it's because I am used to the saline (and who knows what else) soaked/injected commercial meat I get at the grocery store. I The meat is very good, but I have had to adjust my cooking methods. I am seriously considering a pig breed, but it has to be small and friendly, no 1,000 pound tanks here! And the meat has to be good as well. So, give me the low down on Guinea Hogs!

@baymule Wish I could answer the 'taste test' question. It'll be a few more months before we actually butcher one and it will be a real test because we will be butchering a boar. I've done some research and it doesn't seem that the guinea hogs are subject to boar taint. My neighbor is a big hunter and shoots lots of feral hog boars that he's shared with us and we've never noticed any taint.

These guys are really easy to handle. However, they are pigs and are stubborn in their own way, but I can put my foot in front of their face and they'll turn away from me. Just yesterday I taught my grandson how to 'drive' a pig with a stick. We were moving the other boar - who is a big ol' pig - I'm guessing he's crossed the 200 lb mark. He was perfectly easy to deal with...tap him on the right shoulder and he turns left...tap him on the left shoulder and he turns right. If he gets stubborn about turning reach a little further up and tap him on the jaw... easy peasy!

I'll be sure and report on the meat when we actually get some. Stay tuned!

Do you have a Guinea Hog thread in the pig forum? If not would you start one, especially when you take one to butcher?

Absolutely! That's a great idea and since we will be doing the deed ourselves I'll try to photo journal it.

I did a thread a few months back as those who had them just didn't seem to say anything about butchering & taste, etc. Took a while but finally a few posted. One of my boars will be going to the butcher "soon" Should have done a month ago but, tons of rain, my work schedule, mom's stroke, & procrastination just kept them from being moved to next pasture, one to breed, & other to freezer camp.

Tonight, when I came in from work, I found the 2 boys didn't want to stay where they were, sooooo.....they went under the fence where soft mud gave them room....and broke in with Rosie & Tiny. The girls aren't cycling right now, so they & the boys all ran to the edge of the fence as I approached with a "wasn't my idea" face & grunts. Since I had planned to move them tomorrow anyhow I told them it was OK! We were having a rain storm & during a slack I secured fence where they got in, dumped a huge container of melon rinds from todays demo & left them happily eating.

Hoping late August I will have pork in freezer, lard in jars. Two bred gilts & a 2nd boar ready to leave the farm. Reports I've read say excellent "gourmet" meat. Mine are about 175, I'm guessing, @ 1 yr. More marveling in the meat, juicier. Anxious for stats.

They are quite friendly and easy to handle. They can/do root but also graze well. I actually cut lawn (no chems, etc) with bagger on mower & dump that to them. They love it!


FEM I love that your grands WANT to help & be part of farm life. My one isn't interested. Shame, it would make me very happy if she was. Guess I'd like her to enjoy what I do for herself and for me. She's a techie @14 y/o.

Grands went home today Sure missed my G-man when feeding/milking this evening!

Way back in March they had visited me over spring break and helped plant our little garden. When G-man saw that goats were in the pen that had formerly housed the garden he had to ask me where the garden was. I tried to explain that goats got in there and ate what little there was after we had weeks and weeks of rain that drowned everything. He was soooo disappointed. He kept saying "we worked so hard ToTo" (they call me toto instead of gramma - long story). So, I promised him that we would do a fall garden. Hope they will be here to help me...because it kinda looks like they might be re-locating to this area!!!!!! And if it works out - they'll be with me for awhile until they get settled. I am sooo excited!