Free's 2011 pig project....free food from now on!!!!

[Denim Deb]

Years ago, there was a pig farmer that used to come and get all the rotten peaches at the fruit farm I worked on for his pigs. Don't know how they are for pigs, and don't know if you have any place up there where you could get some.

 

[abifae]

I hope to locate a source or two of restaurant prep scraps this week, the goal will be 2 or more five gallon pails a day.

That's a great idea! I did prep at Panera and we had a LOT of scraps!

 

[hwillm1977]

I hope to locate a source or two of restaurant prep scraps this week, the goal will be 2 or more five gallon pails a day.

That's a great idea! I did prep at Panera and we had a LOT of scraps!

Don't forget grocery stores... we have a local independant grocery store and they will give away veggies that have gone past the 'sell by' freshness... maybe big chains wouldn't do that, but you can get TONS of veggies like that. They gave me stuff that I fed to my chickens last year.

 

[TanksHill]

Feeding those four is going to be a challenge. I hope you can find a restaurant or something with scraps. Remember last year I saw an add from a brewery with spent grain mash. Do you have any breweries near you?

They are cute though, I mean they look yummy!!!

g

ps the hut seems to have held up well.

 

[freemotion]

Yes, there are two microbreweries within 5 miles that i have to check out. No small independent groceries around here. But a few small restaurants/delis that I will check out on my day off, when I can stop in when they are not in a lunch or supper rush......don't want to annoy anyone!

 

[freemotion]

Finally had time to make ONE stop, to the small deli within walking distance of my house. I left a five gallon pail with a lid with my name on it and "Food scraps only, thanks!" written on the side and the lid. I am to pick it up daily. The lady doesn't think it will be filled, but free food is free food, right?

Hope to make one stop tomorrow. The goal is four full pails daily. With the one car, it is challenging to stop in to these places when they are not busy and when I am presentable!

For today, a friend gave me a bunch of old stale bagels and muffins, two grocery bags full. I cut the pig pellets with those and they are all soaking now. I saved one bag for their breakfast, and hopefully will get my first bucket of scraps tomorrow night.

I picked up some lengths of chain, connectors, and snaps and attached two feed tubs to the fence. There is no way to attach the water tub, not sure how to solve that problem. A pig was draped over the side of it just now, front end in the water, drinking and lounging. The rubber side was squished down and the water was running out. I give them a week until they start flipping it. Still saving up for a cattle prod so I feel safe going into their pen. The one I want is $84 at TSC and works on wet critters. I figure it is no worse than when they touch the electric fence. Actually, the fence will have trained them what the cattle prod means, so I doubt I'll need to use it more than once, just holding it in my hand should be enough. Then I will be able to go into their pasture and right the water tub as needed, unground the fence, etc.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Oh, I have pig envy! There is no way I can get some though. Between us being illegal already - goats and more than 6 hens and a rooster - and overloaded with running our small farm and babysitting the grandbaby..... all with next to no money

and a pregnant goat....

 

[Wifezilla]

Look for Sara Lee bakery thrift stores. Ours sells huge racks of expired bread for practically nothing to pig farmers.

 

[freemotion]

I forgot to update: I stopped at the deli the next night and there was no sign of my pail and the employees knew nothing about it. I went back the next day to talk to the manager and another one was in. He was rather short with me and said it was not legal and the health department would be all over them so no, no scraps for us. They cannot leave anything outside the building. I asked for my pail back, as I'd purchased a new one with a lid ($5) for this use so they'd have a nice clean pail. I'd written my name all over it. It was nowhere to be found. He said there was a pail out back, I could take that one.

It was filled with dirty grill grease. So THAT is ok to leave out back??? I never went back. I'm still ticked off about my pail.

On Sunday DH talked to a couple of friends of ours who have worked at a local busy restaurant that is only a couple of miles from our house....the ONLY advantage of living right in town! They gave us the phone number, the name of the owner, and the best time to call him, which was this morning at 9.

He was very friendly when I dropped some names (I knew he would be, one is a very outgoing and energetic school teacher who works banquets at various restaurants during summer vacations) and said he'd save stuff......AND would drop it off! I offered again to pick it up, but he said if he was going to be feeding the pigs, he wanted the privilege of seeing them.

I really hope this one works out. He says he has a lot of stuff after the weekends and after buffets and banquets. He said he often has fish, too, so I am taking that as well. If there is a lot, the chickens can have it, too. I'll use it to feed the growing chicks. I'm running low on frozen scraps from making broth.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I'd be mad about the pail too! I hope this new lead works out!!

I found someone selling piglets for $2/lb and he said he'd sell me a 3 week old piglet. I have been wanting to get a young piglet to feed all my extra milk to, and I was gung-ho to get one, but then my husband had second thoughts, which made me have second thoughts. I mean, I have lots of milk that we can't keep up with. I'm not sure if it's worth getting a piglet over though. My thoughts are get the piglet and we can always roast it whole when it's about 60-70 lbs. Or, if we like how things are going we can feed it out to market size and have it processed (or try to do it ourselves). *sigh* I just don't know.