NH Homesteader's journal
- Thread starter NH Homesteader
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #532
NH Homesteader
Sustainability Master
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2016
- Messages
- 7,800
- Reaction score
- 6,665
- Points
- 347
The last of the sausage is being seasoned overnight! Will be re-ground and some of it stuffed tomorrow. My turkeys are due in 6 days! I haven't candled, so we'll see what pops out!
A week after that, our chicks are due to arrive so we'll have both brooders occupied. Guess I need to make sure they're working in the next couple days.
A lot of our plants are starting to pop up! One kind of tomato, every seed seems to have done something. Yay plants!
A week after that, our chicks are due to arrive so we'll have both brooders occupied. Guess I need to make sure they're working in the next couple days.
A lot of our plants are starting to pop up! One kind of tomato, every seed seems to have done something. Yay plants!
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
WooHoo! Hope you get poults! I've never had a turkey even though I've tossed around the idea of some Midge Whites. I don't want/need a 50 lb turkey, lol. And they are a Heritage breed.... But not right now!
- Thread starter
- #534
NH Homesteader
Sustainability Master
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2016
- Messages
- 7,800
- Reaction score
- 6,665
- Points
- 347
Our breeds all max out at around 32 lbs for toms and 15-20 lbs for hens. I don't remember how big the midgets get. Even when we raised BB whites last year, we butchered them between 15-20 lbs. We don't need giant birds either!
We aren't able to free range them, which is the biggest bummer. I wish we could. We are going to work on a bigger pen for them soon though.
Sent the deposit for my buckling today! Yay!
We aren't able to free range them, which is the biggest bummer. I wish we could. We are going to work on a bigger pen for them soon though.
Sent the deposit for my buckling today! Yay!
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
That's not a bad size... I'm always afraid I'll end up with a Frankenbird if I get a 'standard' size turkey.
Yay on the deposit for the little guy! Congrats!
Yay on the deposit for the little guy! Congrats!
- Thread starter
- #536
NH Homesteader
Sustainability Master
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2016
- Messages
- 7,800
- Reaction score
- 6,665
- Points
- 347
Haha! Yeah no Frankenbirds here!
lcertuche
Almost Self-Reliant
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2016
- Messages
- 980
- Reaction score
- 626
- Points
- 163
Well it's been too long since I've read about your adventures. So I'm it's been fun catching up. Some of these responses are late in coming.
Fall is the only time I ever raised pigs. They grow when it's cooler and the cold keeps the parasites, flies, etc. down. I just strung a big tarp over some round hay bales and they would bury up in them at night. An big automatic feeder and a water faucet that didn't freeze made it pretty easy after my friend finally got the electric fence to work. Until then the girls ran all over the place including under the house that they end up plowing a couple of feet deep. (?) Why I'll never know. They would also sneak up to people and nibble them on the back of their knees. They sent more than one salesman, Jehovah Witnesses, visitors running screaming to their car.
As far as pork ground into burgers, yum, yum, yum! Beef has got so expensive we rarely have it so it's always pork roast around here. I miss having pigs but spring is upon us and so it will be a few months before I even entertain the thought of getting a pig or two. Lucky you.
Not so lucky with the refrigerator. Isn't that the way it always is, you get a big mess of something and that's when it goes out. Worse yet when you are away for a few days.
We thought our freezer had broke down a few months ago and then I remembered we had an electrician in. So I used and extension cord and sure enough it was the outlet. He came back and fixed the problem and no trouble since.
If y'all move down to Tennessee it's going to be a huge difference. Culture alone will be mind boggling. When I travel up north I think people generally are standoffish. They seem almost offended if you strike up a conversation. Of course maybe they just are trying to figure out my accent, lol. You will probably find people friendly and everyone waves. My sons once ask me why I'm always waving while driving and I didn't realize I was because it's just what we do. Any way it was good reading about you last couple of months.
Fall is the only time I ever raised pigs. They grow when it's cooler and the cold keeps the parasites, flies, etc. down. I just strung a big tarp over some round hay bales and they would bury up in them at night. An big automatic feeder and a water faucet that didn't freeze made it pretty easy after my friend finally got the electric fence to work. Until then the girls ran all over the place including under the house that they end up plowing a couple of feet deep. (?) Why I'll never know. They would also sneak up to people and nibble them on the back of their knees. They sent more than one salesman, Jehovah Witnesses, visitors running screaming to their car.
As far as pork ground into burgers, yum, yum, yum! Beef has got so expensive we rarely have it so it's always pork roast around here. I miss having pigs but spring is upon us and so it will be a few months before I even entertain the thought of getting a pig or two. Lucky you.
Not so lucky with the refrigerator. Isn't that the way it always is, you get a big mess of something and that's when it goes out. Worse yet when you are away for a few days.
We thought our freezer had broke down a few months ago and then I remembered we had an electrician in. So I used and extension cord and sure enough it was the outlet. He came back and fixed the problem and no trouble since.
If y'all move down to Tennessee it's going to be a huge difference. Culture alone will be mind boggling. When I travel up north I think people generally are standoffish. They seem almost offended if you strike up a conversation. Of course maybe they just are trying to figure out my accent, lol. You will probably find people friendly and everyone waves. My sons once ask me why I'm always waving while driving and I didn't realize I was because it's just what we do. Any way it was good reading about you last couple of months.
- Thread starter
- #538
NH Homesteader
Sustainability Master
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2016
- Messages
- 7,800
- Reaction score
- 6,665
- Points
- 347
You aren't kidding about people being standoffish here! It's really bad in Boston and in CT. More so than here.
We don't like using automatic feeders with the pigs. We are going to work on an automatic waterer. For now they're drinking out of the stream, which is awesome for me! Pigs do not grow well in cold weather here, they use up a lot of energy simply staying warm. We've never had issues with parasites, we move them often and we only buy from one guy who has excellent, healthy pigs.
We don't like using automatic feeders with the pigs. We are going to work on an automatic waterer. For now they're drinking out of the stream, which is awesome for me! Pigs do not grow well in cold weather here, they use up a lot of energy simply staying warm. We've never had issues with parasites, we move them often and we only buy from one guy who has excellent, healthy pigs.
- Thread starter
- #539
NH Homesteader
Sustainability Master
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2016
- Messages
- 7,800
- Reaction score
- 6,665
- Points
- 347
We had some maple breakfast sausage links last night with French toast and our maple syrup, and WOW, delicious!
Hubby can't work today because it's pouring rain so he is fixing the Jeep, finishing grinding the last of the sausage, and then we are giving the next Ivermectin shot to the goats and cleaning out their house. The doe with hair loss is starting to grow her hair back, yay!
Hubby can't work today because it's pouring rain so he is fixing the Jeep, finishing grinding the last of the sausage, and then we are giving the next Ivermectin shot to the goats and cleaning out their house. The doe with hair loss is starting to grow her hair back, yay!
MoonShadows
Almost Self-Reliant
Fresh maple syrup!
