aggieterpkatie
Swiss Army Wife
I really enjoy reading your thread, Free. 
Great work on finding all the free food for the pigs!
Great work on finding all the free food for the pigs!
Free's piggie thread...new pics p 19
- Thread starter freemotion
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #262
freemotion
Food Guru
Thanks, AP! Everyone is so busy this time of year that a lot, like myself, read without replying and it leaves me wondering if everyone is completely bored to tears with my rambling on and on! 
I am trying to keep a careful record so I will know what to expect next year, too. It is fun, mostly, just not so much fun when the pigs get loose and when they tasted my legs....
I am trying to keep a careful record so I will know what to expect next year, too. It is fun, mostly, just not so much fun when the pigs get loose and when they tasted my legs.... - Thread starter
- #263
freemotion
Food Guru
Woohoo!!! 
A landscaper that I called a couple of weeks ago with my weird acorn request left a HUGE barrel of ginormous acorns on my driveway this morning. I was going to shovel them into the wheelbarrow tonight so he could have his barrel back soon. It would take at least two large wheelbarrows full to get it all back there.
I just got in from work (dh is working late) and he stopped by....with another full barrel! He needed his barrels right away so he offered to wheel them back on a handtruck for me, with his helper. We dumped them all and the pigs went nuts! (Pun intended ) He may have another barrel later in the week. Yippee!!!
A landscaper that I called a couple of weeks ago with my weird acorn request left a HUGE barrel of ginormous acorns on my driveway this morning. I was going to shovel them into the wheelbarrow tonight so he could have his barrel back soon. It would take at least two large wheelbarrows full to get it all back there. I just got in from work (dh is working late) and he stopped by....with another full barrel! He needed his barrels right away so he offered to wheel them back on a handtruck for me, with his helper. We dumped them all and the pigs went nuts! (Pun intended
) He may have another barrel later in the week. Yippee!!!
TanksHill
Super Self-Sufficient
Your going to have to have a big BBQ and invite all these generous folks over for roast pork. Whoo hoo!!!!
FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
I love reading about how you scavange for food for your critters. It always gives me ideas.
Today I am cleaning out the refridgerator to feed the chickens. The goats, chickens and rabbit are benefitting from my food prep today. They got potato peelings, onion skins, and seeds, membranes, ends and bad spots from the peppers.
When I have too much of something, I either dry it on top of the rabbit house or share it with the neighbor (the one who shares with us)
I hope to get some more blackberry vines, once it stops raining...
Today I am cleaning out the refridgerator to feed the chickens. The goats, chickens and rabbit are benefitting from my food prep today. They got potato peelings, onion skins, and seeds, membranes, ends and bad spots from the peppers.
When I have too much of something, I either dry it on top of the rabbit house or share it with the neighbor (the one who shares with us)
I hope to get some more blackberry vines, once it stops raining...
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
Hi Free,
just read thru the entire piggie thread - how cool that you've had such success and worked so hard at getting good food for the pigs.
not much longer before you get to enjoy the results!
am hoping for pigs next year - plans to get them this spring fell through, but now I am glad because it will go so much easier having your experience - so glad you took the time to keep this thread up to date.
just read thru the entire piggie thread - how cool that you've had such success and worked so hard at getting good food for the pigs.
not much longer before you get to enjoy the results!
am hoping for pigs next year - plans to get them this spring fell through, but now I am glad because it will go so much easier having your experience - so glad you took the time to keep this thread up to date.
- Thread starter
- #267
freemotion
Food Guru
Thank you, all! I am thinking that I will start cooking some food for them, at least for their morning meal. I harrumphed when I read of other people doing this....sheesh, they are just pigs, after all! But now I see them shivering in the morning, and....well....ok, let's just say that energy put into shivering is energy not put into building B A C O N ! ! ! !
I saved up some whey in bottles in the fridge and doled it out a quart or two a day, and now that it is chilly at night they shiver after I give them cold whey. So this morning, I warmed it on the stove first, and no shivering. Since the wood stove will be (hopefully!) hooked up tomorrow, it will waste no energy to put a big pot on the stove and throw in some water, some pumpkins, some corn cobs, and maybe even some acorns, who knows! And bring them a warm breakfast. I cooked hard little pumpkins for the goats and hens last winter, and the smell was just lovely and it was no trouble at all. I need an apron that says "Hog Chef" on it...
Spoiled piggies!
I saved up some whey in bottles in the fridge and doled it out a quart or two a day, and now that it is chilly at night they shiver after I give them cold whey. So this morning, I warmed it on the stove first, and no shivering. Since the wood stove will be (hopefully!) hooked up tomorrow, it will waste no energy to put a big pot on the stove and throw in some water, some pumpkins, some corn cobs, and maybe even some acorns, who knows! And bring them a warm breakfast. I cooked hard little pumpkins for the goats and hens last winter, and the smell was just lovely and it was no trouble at all. I need an apron that says "Hog Chef" on it...
Spoiled piggies!
Hi free, I have read the whole thing, and keep coming back to it, and really enjoy it. I guess I don't really reply to anything even though I come on here a couple of times a day, but because I don't have my little farm yet I feel like I don't have much to contribute. But i SO love reading about all the stuff goings on, especially because the DH and I can't wait for some piggies to start hatin on of our ownfreemotion said:Everyone is so busy this time of year that a lot, like myself, read without replying and it leaves me wondering if everyone is completely bored to tears with my rambling on and on!
- Thread starter
- #269
freemotion
Food Guru
Aaarrgh, no wood stove yet! Hopefully the guy is coming tomorrow....er, today, it is 1 AM and I just finished some insurance paperwork for a client after a long day that had my feet on the floor and running by 6:45 AM....an ungodly hour! It wasn't even light out yet! Sheesh!
And I was milking Mya after 10 PM. But it was warm tonight, and I found myself lingering with the goatie, scritching and hugging and smooching each one in turn. They ended up crowding around me, each demanding another turn. Everytime someone bonked Plum, she got an extra scratch and a big hug with my arms around her nice, round tummy. So there, mean goats!
I had to go put two thirds of the new chicks back into their little snug hoop house for the second night in a row. They were sleeping under the moon, like little rows of owl bait. Silly chicks. They felt so soft and warm, though. It was nice being out there in the warm night, handling my critters and tucking them all in for the night.
Except the pigs. They are on their own after dark. I heard some coyotes down that end. Even though there is a good fence and coyotes have never breached it, I still don't want to go down there in the dark at night, armed only with a small flashlight and a big attitude.
They did get a gallon of warmed whey this morning, which they happily slurped up. Later when I walked the dogs I picked several big handfuls of grass and dandelion leaves, which they fought over, and a small handful of wild rose hips (vitamin C) from the bane of my existance, multiflora rose. After their reaction to getting a LOT of green stuff, I will have to be much more mindful of providing fresh greens for them daily if possible. There is not really any grass to speak of in their pasture. They obviously need it. When it is not available, I will try them on a little of the third cut hay I have for the goats. It is quite rich and all leaf.
Remember this children's chant, sung when someone said, "Hey!" to you? Hay is for horses, sometimes for cows, pigs would eat it but they don't know how. Wrong. Pigs will eat it! They DO know how!
And I was milking Mya after 10 PM. But it was warm tonight, and I found myself lingering with the goatie, scritching and hugging and smooching each one in turn. They ended up crowding around me, each demanding another turn. Everytime someone bonked Plum, she got an extra scratch and a big hug with my arms around her nice, round tummy. So there, mean goats!
I had to go put two thirds of the new chicks back into their little snug hoop house for the second night in a row. They were sleeping under the moon, like little rows of owl bait. Silly chicks. They felt so soft and warm, though. It was nice being out there in the warm night, handling my critters and tucking them all in for the night.
Except the pigs. They are on their own after dark. I heard some coyotes down that end. Even though there is a good fence and coyotes have never breached it, I still don't want to go down there in the dark at night, armed only with a small flashlight and a big attitude.
They did get a gallon of warmed whey this morning, which they happily slurped up. Later when I walked the dogs I picked several big handfuls of grass and dandelion leaves, which they fought over, and a small handful of wild rose hips (vitamin C) from the bane of my existance, multiflora rose. After their reaction to getting a LOT of green stuff, I will have to be much more mindful of providing fresh greens for them daily if possible. There is not really any grass to speak of in their pasture. They obviously need it. When it is not available, I will try them on a little of the third cut hay I have for the goats. It is quite rich and all leaf.
Remember this children's chant, sung when someone said, "Hey!" to you? Hay is for horses, sometimes for cows, pigs would eat it but they don't know how. Wrong. Pigs will eat it! They DO know how!
- Thread starter
- #270
freemotion
Food Guru
The pigs were so happy today when I dumped about two gallons of dandelion greens, mixed with grass, that I'd picked into a small bucket while walking the dogs. I'll have to keep doing that.
The guy came and made a hole in the chimney for the stove pipe tonight, and will come back tomorrow after work and hopefully will be able to complete the installation. Then I will start cooking for those pigs, and hopefully their food consumption and weight gain will increase.
The guy came and made a hole in the chimney for the stove pipe tonight, and will come back tomorrow after work and hopefully will be able to complete the installation. Then I will start cooking for those pigs, and hopefully their food consumption and weight gain will increase.
