Free's piggie thread...new pics p 19

[colowyo0809]

*sigh* I want pigs but I'm being forced to wait until 2012, at least which, i suppose, is only sensible because that gives us time to really get the chickens/turkeys going, and get a decent shelter built for the pigs, but still, bleh.

 

[freemotion]

2012???? Sheesh! What happened to 2011??? You are never ready for pigs. You think you are. But you are not. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So dive in head first and try to come up for air later.

It was stressful at first, scrambling for housing and then having to completely rebuild a whole line of fencing, and figuring out what and how much to feed them (since I was determined only to give myself a break in the beginning with one 50# bag of pig pellets....which they refused to eat...) and having them decide that I was delicious. But now it is easy and fun again.

I saw Farmer John again today and told him about the pumpkins...and found out that they are squashes called "cheese" or something like that. That explains the little seeds that come out when I stomp them and that the pigs like them so much more than those pale-fleshed big pumpkins. He said he had a bunch of corn for them and he dumped several dozen ears into their pasture. Then he told me where I could glean more, and that he would have a pumpkin field for me to glean within two weeks....that is about when I will run out of the ones I already gleaned, plus I will go back for a couple more wheelbarrowfuls of those "cheese" squashes.

With things that may spoil, I just throw them all in the field and they can eat them free-choice. Anything that rots away will bring more worms to the area that they can eat. I learned this by observing my broody pen closely and helping the hens feed their chicks by turning the dirt with a spading fork. Where we added lawn clippings to the pen was where we found LOTS of worms. So I won't consider anything that they don't eat as wasted food. It is stuff that can't be stored anyways.

John also said he would probably have a couple of 55 gallon drums of whole corn from last year leftover after he butchers the two Angus calves they are raising this year. I offered to buy it from him, and he said he'd give it to me for free....I hope he remembers! He'd planted too much corn for fall decorating last year and a friend combined it for him for free, so he considers it free corn. Yippee!

I may just recoup the added expense of the emergency fencing if this trend continues....more acorns to be picked up tomorrow. Big fat ones, so thick on the ground that they roll under your feet and can trip you up if you are not careful. Hopefully I will have some time to pick corn and acorns before the next big rain comes in tomorrow.

Oh, and I got a call from someone else that another field is ready to glean. Yup, putting the word out really works!

Does anyone have a couple of five gallon carboys in their shed that they are not using?? Or a ton or two of second cut grass/alfalfa mix hay?

 

[colowyo0809]

LOL. I got told 2012 because it gives me time to get money together to build a decent shelter, and it gives him time to get used to the idea

 

[freemotion]

You've looked at the pics of the shelter that my guys build, right? Can't get much cheaper than that for bought materials, and with advance planning, you might build it from pallet wood, clapboard style.

 

[colowyo0809]

Yeah, I hear you on this, but really, near as I can figure it's to give him time to get used to the idea of us having pigs. and goats and sheep and llamas and yaks and geese (he is scared of geese and ducks and rabbits and guard dogs and donkeys

 

[Henrietta23]

Yeah, I hear you on this, but really, near as I can figure it's to give him time to get used to the idea of us having pigs. and goats and sheep and llamas and yaks and geese (he is scared of geese and ducks and rabbits and guard dogs and donkeys

It took me awhile to get my goats because of a reluctant DH. We started with 2 chickens. For years we had a small backyard flock. For years I didn't even tell him how badly I wanted goats. We eventually ended up with 19 chickens and added a few ducks along the way, the a few more ducks. Once he built the small barn to house the birds I slowly started introducing the idea of sectioning part of it off for a few small goats. It still took a few years but I finally have my goats! He's in luck though. I have no desire to own pigs and I am terrified of geese. So he's safe until such time that we move to a larger property and I can start plotting for sheep.
And llamas
and alpacas
and turkeys
sssssssssshhhhhhhhh!

 

[freemotion]

My dh only took about three years to move into meat animals...but when he met me I had a horse and I made it clear very early in the relationship that I would have animals and I would be making decisions around my animals, so decide now, buddy, if you want this or not because this is how it is! So there!

I am not a total you-know-what so I didn't force the issue when I wanted to get meat chicks, so I conceded and got laying hens. Eating homegrown chicken at my parent's house helped, then he agreed to turkeys. Then the pigs. Now we finally have our first meat chicks....after letting a hen raise her first brood of chicks and seeing that we can't keep so many roosters, we ate our first chickens this year. So it was a gradual process. And he didn't have to do any of the difficult things. Just show up at the dinner table (and do some feeding and watering chores now and then.)

Next year....pastured meat chickens, bigtime! I hope to maybe even raise all our own chickens, just not for the cats and dogs...too much work. This depends on whether I am able to put on my big girl pants and learn to process them.

It is so funny to me that OFG gets sick at the thought of birthin' baby goaties and I think it is totally cool to have my hand inside a goat, straightening out the mess in there, but she can help butcher a pig, chickens, turkeys and crack jokes about it.....and the smell of wet bird makes me want to hurl and I couldn't even finish plucking two turkeys.

 

[Henrietta23]

When we met, DH had a dog and I had a cat and a rabbit.

Wet bird.....ew!

 

[colowyo0809]

lol, when we met i had an amazonian roommate and he didn't have anything. now we have a dog, two cats, and a bunch of various age chickens wet bird? dead or alive?

 

[me&thegals]

wet bird? dead or alive?

Dead and freshly scalded It's a stench that doesn't leave the nostrils for days! We have our big day (135 birds) coming up in about 2-3 weeks. Blech.