Loads of hay....

First photo:  Here's what rolled into our driveway at 10 on Sunday morning....

Two hay "baskets", one with 150 bales and one with 112 bales.  Second cutting hay, since the first cutting was all rained on, ruined, made into "haylage", or large baled for feeding to beef cattle. Since we go through about 2 bales of hay each day (less now that we have some good quality stuff), this will last us approximately 140 days, or 4 months.  Since we need to stock up on hay for an entire year, we have quite a bit more hay to go before reaching our goal.....but this is a really good start, and more to unload in one day than we've ever done before. 

Next:  is the barn loft with what was left of last year's first cutting hay.  Stemmy, not really very nutritious for the animals.  Less than 100 bales.  But all we had until this year's hay was available.  I was getting a LITTLE nervous, because the pasture has been grazed down and the sheep, cows, and pigs weren't getting a lot of fresh leafy stuff to offset the old hay that was left.

Next (third photo), Jeremy and cousins Jordan and Nolan are ready to tackle the mountain of hay.  About 50 bales into it, they were dragging....but they did a great job.  Each of them found his "place" in the assembly-line set-up.  Tossing down the bales was Jordan, (who discovered that the dust inside the barn really aggravates his sinuses!) dragging bales into the barn was Jeremy, carrying bales to the hoist area it was me with a rotating list of helpers, hoisting up through the hay chute became Nolan's job, upstairs it was Michael and Jeff taking the bales from the hook and stacking them.  I'll need to pack them in tighter so that we can get the next deliveries upstairs, but wow, what a good work crew!  I was impressed.

Yesterday ended with a bonfire, which fizzled.  And marshmallows.  And the horde of mosquitoes which forced us to run inside for cover.  But the boys had a great day.

And now:

We still have about 50 bales from yesterday's delivery on the first floor of the barn which need to be hoisted up this morning.  We might get a load of 2nd cutting alfalfa today or tomorrow.  We might get 100 bales of straw for bedding within the week if rain holds off.

Rain is forecast for Wednesday, I think....

The boys have opted for the board game "Farmopoly" rather then the real thing, but we'll get out there soon enough.  Speaking of which, they are ready and headed out to the rabbit shed.  We want to make a rabbit "colony", and use fewer cages, so there are some adjustments and compartments to build.  Hopefully the boys will have some good ideas, because I really want it to be their project rather than Aunt Laura/Mom telling them what to do.  :)

 

Laura

The pigs make some friends

I tried to get a photo, but they didn't cooperate.  

In the pasture today, together for a short time, grazing side by side, were.....

Five Olde English sheep of different ages

and.....

3 pigs.

Side by side.

Amazing.

The sheep get to graze first thing in the morning, before any other furry critters are let out.  Peaceful, serene, just the sheep and the poultry.  It's actually quite beautiful to watch sheep grazing quietly on a rolling green pasture.

The pigs had just recently been let out.  After Buddy "wuffed" in cow Bessie's face that one day, I've been hesitant to trust the pigs with any of the other livestock.  But now the dynamic is different.

Little "Red" the mischievous one went right up to the sheep, who were taking their afternoon siesta in THEIR area of the barn.  As if on cue, all 5 sheep jumped to their feet and dashed out the door, getting stuck shoulder-to-shoulder as they wedged themselves through.  

This set off little Red (formerly known as Twitchy, and known as Buford before that....).  She started cavorting like a puppy.

Her craziness set off Boss, who scampered around with her after they collided on purpose.  

Bea, who is the older and therefore the more sedate of all 3, even joined in the gleeful dashing around, tossing her head and snorting loudly.  

They dashed through the resting flock of 28 duck(ling)s.  They splashed through the muck in the cow pen.  They ran towards the watching cows inside the cow pen, and joyously kicked up their heels and wheeled away just before the cows could make a move.

The sheep watched warily, but the pigs finally calmed down.

Just half an hour later, I glanced out and had to look twice.  

There was April and her lamb May, with a red something-or-other next to May.  It was Twitchy!  Grazing quietly.

Over by Iris and her lamb Patriot was a larger and rather rotund black shape.  Bea, the guinea hog, munching clover.  Very close to the sheep and taking no notice.

Little Boss, the black guinea hog-Kune Kune mix, was off by himself, but not causing any trouble.

Not too long after, the three pigs migrated off to the north end of the pasture while the sheep continued to munch around the firepit in the center.  There was no wuffing, no chasing, no running into a grazing flock of sheep at full speed and scattering them, no satisfied sauntering away after causing mayhem.

Buddy's influence and mischievousness didn't last long after he was gone, and now things are much more calm and quiet out there.

I'll still be sure to call those piggies in before the cows get their turn to graze.  The little pigs are in danger of getting trampled by the angry mother cow and her law-enforcing son.  In their minds, pigs do not belong in the pasture.  These cows do not want to associate with smelly, fun-loving, mischievous pigs under any circumstance.  

The cows are holding a long-term grudge, and don't seem to care that Buddy is no longer out there to instigate the other swine......

 

Laura
http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/

Don't insult the hog....

Oh, the insult!  

The butcher had originally listed Buddy as "Pot belly pig"!!!!  

I'm chuckling about it now, but I bet my voice had just a tinge of incredulity as I corrected the woman who took the meat-cutting order.

He was a heritage-breed hog.  An American classic.  A snake-eating, grazing breed of pig from the south during Civil War times.  

"These pigs were popular with subsistence farmers, not only through their ability to forage for themselves, but also because their habit of eating snakes made the farmyard safe for children and livestock."  -Wikipedia

"Guinea Hogs were expected to forage for their own food, eat rodents and other small animals, grass, roots, and nuts, and clean out garden beds. The hogs were also kept in the yard where they would eat snakes and thus create a safe zone around the house. These Guineas were hardy and efficient, gaining well on the roughest of forage and producing the hams, bacon, and lard essential for subsistence farming."  --The Livestock Conservancy

Pot belly pig!  What were they THINKING?!!!  :)

 

Laura
http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/

The situation "plays out"

Photo:  Milo the barn cat on intruder-alert, with the bold black cat who seemed unafraid of anything

Previous entry:  "A young black male cat with slightly crossed-eyes has been establishing residence at our farm.  We already have one black indoor-outdoor neutered male cat, 4 neutered orange tabby male barn cats, and 2 young unneutered tabby male kittens.  This black kitty seems to be fearless.  He was first seen two days ago, after we heard numerous cat fights during the night.  Yesterday, he came right up on the front step with 3 of the other cats.  

Last night, when we went out to load Buddy into the trailer, a sleek black shape ran from the fenced area behind the barn.  Today, he faced off with Sly, and he sat in the garden with Milo, the short-haired orange tabby.  None of our cats is pleased about the intruder, but this little cat is determined.  Spartan (the oldest barn cat) has had two injured paws in the last 2 weeks, and came in with a few bite marks on his ears a few nights ago.  A brave male cat who tries to move in but is injuring our own cats will be run off (by us!) at every opportunity.  Waiting to see how it plays out."

And it didn't take too long.  We came home this afternoon to see a lifeless black cat on the road in front of our driveway.  A quick glance as I turned the car into our driveway assured me that it wasn't our own cat Sly.  

Even though our cats had been injured by this young upstart, there was something really sad about seeing the unwelcome black cat there in the street.....

The evidence, such as it was:  On checking for clues, there were 2 dead shrews on the driveway, one of them fresh.  Sly and Spartan (2 of our own cats) were stalking around, obviously on patrol.  Spartan was limping on a back foot, rather than previous injuries to both front paws.  The younger barn cats were nowhere to be seen.  (Typical:  They might fight WITH Spartan, but it's always Spartan who is left to do the security detail when it really matters.)  

And then, Rocky barged through the doorway and we thought he was running away, but he headed straight towards the area in front of the garage, where the supposed cat-fight would have happened an hour or so earlier.  (The dogs go crazy inside the house whenever they hear a cat fight).

Here's what I think happened, although I may be way off base.  No way to know for sure.

The bold black cat ventured onto our property (or came out of hiding) to hunt while we were gone this afternoon.  Our cats Spartan and Sly, having had enough of the intruder, scaled a full attack.  The little black cat, facing more than one angry Dykstra cat closing in, fought valiantly before leaving his fresh-caught shrew on the driveway.  He made a dash for it, and....ran straight into traffic.  Like it was when Charlie was hit, the speed of the traffic was such that it was instant death, not a mark on him.  :(

Jeff watched the flow of traffic for me later as I gently lifted the lifeless cat out of the middle of the road and laid him under the low-hanging branches of a tree at the edge of the property.

Well, I wanted to see how it played out, but I never wanted the black cat to get hit by a car.  I had been thinking of closing the barn cats inside the barn one night (soon!), setting a trap for the black cat, and bringing him in to the county feral cat neuter program before setting him free again on our property.  At least then the fighting instinct is lessened somewhat.

Sigh.  We didn't need another cat, but I would have done what I could to make his life a little easier.

 

Laura
http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/

Happenings on Thursday:

Photos:  Mama Red with one very tiny and determined white baby.  You can see it's front leg and the tiny ears tucked against it's head as it roots for a sip of milk.

And the litter of day-old babies, after we put them back in a makeshift nest.

The elusive but bold stray black cat that wants to take up residence.  Not a great photo, but it captures the stealth and boldness which come with the presence of this particular cat.

And--the annoying young-un's which Bea the guinea hog deigns not to associate with just yet.

Buddy is gone.  There was a bit of chasing after a failed attempt to shut him in the trailer.  He actually DID walk right in to get his food, but we somehow fumbled getting the double-doors closed in time and he barged right through.  There was quite the earsplitting squealing as Jeff, Michael and friend Damon tackled the hog and hoisted him in into the trailer.  This turned out to be quite the impressive task, especially when we found out what that hog really weighed (read the end of the story!)  Then there was the "Hey, here's food!" peace-and-quiet, as Buddy noticed his dinner pan again and dug right in (yes inside the trailer).  

I thought I'd be in tears today, but there is so much else going on.

A young black male cat with slightly crossed-eyes has been establishing residence at our farm.  We already have one black indoor-outdoor neutered male cat, 4 neutered orange tabby male barn cats, and 2 young unneutered tabby male kittens.  This black kitty seems to be fearless.  He was first seen two days ago, after we heard numerous cat fights during the night.  Yesterday, he came right up on the front step with 3 of the other cats.  

Last night, when we went out to load Buddy into the trailer, a sleek black shape ran from the fenced area behind the barn.  Today, he faced off with Sly, and he sat in the garden with Milo, the short-haired orange tabby.  None of our cats is pleased about the intruder, but this little cat is determined.  Spartan (the oldest barn cat) has had two injured paws in the last 2 weeks, and came in with a few bite marks on his ears a few nights ago.  A brave male cat who tries to move in but is injuring our own cats will be run off (by us!) at every opportunity.  Waiting to see how it plays out.

Miss Bea, who was Buddy's constant guinea hog companion, was treated to a spa today (as in:  the mud-wallow, freshly filled with hose water, and the unthinkable luxury of having it all to herself).  She trotted after me as I went about my barnyard chores and manure shoveling.  She oinked loudly as she followed me out to the rabbit barn.  She laid down in the pasture and munched quietly for a while.  She barged her way into the barn when I went in to get something.

In short, she simply wanted company.

Pig meeting pigs (Bea meeting Twitchy and Boss) was uneventful, at least as far as humans would be concerned.  Bea pushed and shoved, Bea ate the most food, Bea slurped up water while fending off impatient younger piggies, Bea squealed in indignation when Boss tried to nose his way in for a bit of grain that she hadn't gotten to yet.....

Yeah, the pigs will be fine.

Red the rabbit had all of her babies out of the nest this morning.  They are only 2 days old.  We made a small nest in the straw for them to snuggle back in.  There are 3 white ones, one red-brown one, a few blackish ones, and a dark brown one.  8 total.  A healthy litter, from a rabbit who has already had two healthy litters that died before they reached 24 hours old.  So hooray for Red, because her babies are alive.  Not so much because she's doing an excellent job of mothering them, but because it's not so cold that they chilled immediately on being out of the nest too soon....

The boys finished shoveling the last of the sheep bedding and manure out of the south end of the barn.  Whew, what a stinky and back-breaking job.  Tomorrow, a movie will be the reward.  They really didn't have a choice in doing the work, but.....it made the deal a little sweeter to know there would be a fun outing at the end of a disgusting shoveling job.

I shoveled out 6 wheelbarrow loads of the ankle-deep muck that the cows have been plodding through.  With a break in the daily rainstorms, things are drying out just enough for me to make some progress there.

Future piggy plans:  I've heard from two guinea hog breeders that they either have a litter of potential breeding-quality hogs or that their sows are expecting a litter.  A little male for Bea is in the future.....but wouldn't be old enough to bring home until September sometime.  Bea is already showing signs of "cycling" at 8 months (sorry, but that's the reality I have to keep an eye open for!)  Still too young to be bred, so it's a good thing that we don't have an intact breeding boar with her yet.

Having a new companion won't happen soon enough for little Bea.  During the day, she started moping around.  This afternoon, we have a seriously depressed little piggy on our hands.  She burrowed under the straw in the newly cleaned sheep area and tried to "talk" to me from under it all.  I'd clear my throat or move around, she'd grunt back at me.  I made a few pig noises, she perked up and looked around.  I peeked in after she decided to stay right where she was, and the sheep and lambs were all peering anxiously at her while she half-heartedly snorted from under her straw.  Hopefully the sheep won't panic and break a leg as they stampede when she decides to get up.

Oh well, I'll have to make sure Bea gets a few extra ear-scratches and belly rubs in the next few days.....  Maybe she'll get a special helping of the royal only-for-the-cows mowed clover, to perk her up.  Poor girl.

 

And here's the pork update, not to be insensitive or anything while the absence of Buddy is fresh in our minds, but this was pretty surprising.....  Buddy weighed in at 240 pounds.  For a guinea hog, that's at the heavy end of the expected mature weight.  We expected him to be more like 140.  He was long, lean, and solid.  There will be plenty of bacon, ham, roasts, ribs, sausage.....

I guess that's the bottom line, isn't it?  We purchased him for a reason, he grew and thrived here to fulfill that reason.  

I expected to be depressed today, too, like little Bea is.  But the busy-ness of caring for all of the other animals goes on, and it's been good to keep my mind focused on that, rather than missing a big happy hog.  He was a great part of our farm for the 7 months that he was here.    

Maybe the best thing to do is REMEMBER him for the part he played, be THANKFUL for what his life will mean to our future farm meals, and not bursting into tears when I think about how he's fulfilled his purpose......

Laura

"Thanks" and "We'll miss you", to a good-looking hog

Photos:  Buddy and Bea look longingly at the coffee can which had held their grain just moments before.  "Are you sure there isn't any more in there?"  

And:  Buddy's character, shining through ("Hey, would you quit already with that camera in my face?!")

And:  The end(s)

I typed this out yesterday, expecting to feel the tears well up, or the horror clutching at my heart as I contemplated sending my first American guinea hog barrow to the butcher today.  

But....as friend Myles put is a year or two ago, it's interesting watching my attitude towards things changing since we moved fro suburbia to a more rural farming setting.  (Myles grew up on a farm)

From a frantic suburban thought-process "My cat can't be left out at night!  He might be hit by a car!" to "The pig was raised to be bacon.  His time has come", it's a surprise to me that I wasn't in tears.  I loved that pig!  Swagger, saunter, side-swiping/joyful/wallowing/vocal attitude.....  He OWNED the place, at least in his own piggie mind.

Last year, sending Michael's piggies away was very difficult for me.  This year, maybe because we're so busy with so many other things, it doesn't seem to be affecting me as much.  Maybe the tears will come later, or maybe not.  I haven't been out to the barnyard yet to see Bea in the pen all by herself, yet.  Or to try to introduce her to the little nuisances that she'll be moving in with..... But I think it will be OK this time.

So, read on, and keep in mind that I thought I needed to work through some deep-seated emotions about Buddy the pig leaving, but that I found out that it wasn't going to be as bad as I expected.  Progress?  Reality?  The new "interesting" attitude is a little unsettling to this animal lover. 

Wednesday:

So, it's Buddy's last day here.  I have been keeping V....E....R....Y  busy, so as not to think too much about it.  I like that pig, darn it!  He doesn't roll on his side like Bea does, and he is eating a lot of food, and he is getting quite lean and large....  But he's a character, and I like his personality and the way he comes running when I call (because there's food involved, not because he likes ME or anything), and I even liked it when he was gutsy enough to "wuff" in Bessie's big dairy cow face.  

Buddy would have been a perfect "boar" for breeding with Bea, because he's become her protector and comrade and partner in mischief-making.  But, when a little piglet is "fixed" at a tender young age of 2 weeks or less, that decides things.  We got Buddy to keep Bea company until he (Buddy) was old enough to be freezer pork and bacon.  The 2 new feeder piglets are old enough that Bea can move in with them.  So.....tomorrow is the day for Buddy.

Today, it's a beautiful, mid-to-high 70's day, sunshiny but not too hot.  Buddy and Bea have been lounging peacefully in their outdoor pen after their usual breakfast of "hog grower" ration (basically, ground up corn).  They have "the life", for sure.  Eat, squeal, wallow, enjoy.

(To stay busy, I shoveled sheep bedding and manure, wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow.)

Red had babies yesterday (this is the red New Zealand rabbit who carried two winter litters successfully to birth, and then they all died.  Twice.  Over ten beautiful and perfect little bunnies, dead on two occasions)

Today, Red is doing a great job of caring for her newborns, despite the past two failures.  Maybe she knew it was "Three strikes and you're out".  

(To keep my mind occupied, I've been out to the bunny barn numerous times to gaze at the new life.)

Buddy was still wearing his favorite body coating from yesterday's romp in the mud wallow--flaky bits of brown stuff sticking to his bristles..

I got the cow brush and found out that, yes, pigs DO love to be brushed.  (He shouldn't arrive at the butcher's tomorrow with flakes of mud and the dried-up liquid version of other.....stuff....matted in his bristles.)

Sheila's litter of 7 bunnies is 3 weeks old today.  They are old enough to hop out of the nest-box, old enough to throw their chubby little bodies underneath their mama to try to steal a little sip of milk, old enough to munch thoughtfully on a blade of dry hay, old enough to look at me with curious eyes but dive back into the safety of the nest box if I open the cage door.

(I've been watching them a lot today.  The rabbits are getting tired of seeing my face peering down into their cages)

Buddy was luxuriating in the sunshine, with the cool cement floor of the outside pen to balance out the temp:  Hot and sunny, cool and damp.  Perfect pig weather.

More work to be done:  It was breezy enough that the mosquitoes were being kept at bay, so I went out and scavenged in the corners of the yard for black raspberries.  Despite the deer who munched quite a bit of the raspberry canes down to half their size during the harsh winter, there was a great harvest.  I brought in over 6 pints of beautiful berries, and put them in the freezer for making jelly this winter.  There will be more to pick in a few days, too.  

While I was picking berries, I was thinking about this:  Buddy can't be let out for the usual piggy romp in the pasture and the mud wallow, so he couldn't enjoy his favorite food.  Clover.  

As one last gift to him, I mowed the abundant clover that grows on the driveway (remnants of last year's clover-grass hay deliveries, seeds which took root on the driveway and rivaling the lawn in thick lushness.)

Mowed grass is a luxury reserved for royalty here, namely the cows.  The pigs and sheep have to graze it themselves if they want fresh green food.  But Buddy loves his clover, so the cows bellowed in vain while I mowed one last feast for Buddy's enjoyment.

Tonight:  A friend will stop by, we'll load the big hog into the trailer (hopefully without too much trouble), and tomorrow I'll call in the order for what cuts of meat we want.  (Bacon, lots of bacon!)

Tomorrow, leaving from our friend's farm, Buddy rides (along with a sheep) to Lake Geneva. 

Tomorrow, here on our farm, little Bea gets to take up residence with the two smaller and very opinionated piggies.  She already put bite-marks in the ear of one.  We'll see how that goes. Will the drama of having two intruders in the pen with her distract her?  

 

Today, it was a perfect day, just the kind of day a hog loves in a rather carefree, swaggering and seemingly cheer-filled life.   Sunshine, food, fresh water, the company and constant commenting  of a friend, a good brushing, a scratch behind the ears, a tasty snack of royal clover.....what more could a 130 pound hog have asked for, except to have been allowed in that wallow one more time.

 

Laura

The smell of pigs

Photos:  Pig One and Pig Two (2013), and Buddy and Bea (2014)

I moved Buddy and Bea to the old pig pen on the south end of the barn.  The idea is....Buddy will keep himself cleaner there, in preparation for the day next week when he will leave for "freezer camp".  It's only around the corner from where they were for the past few months.

Suddenly the nice fresh breeze blowing across our driveway is rather.....um.....pungent!

They have been in a fairly protected area, where Jeff built the cow shelter on the back of the barn.  Protected from the weather, but now we know that it also protected US from smelling PIG!

I had thought to myself numerous times this spring and early summer "Wow, those guinea hogs sure don't smell as bad as the Berkshires did last year!"  That was a definitely a good thing.

The wind tends to whip around the side of the barn, either from the southwest or straight out of the west.  You stand at the northwest corner and get blasted by wind, or walk across the driveway and feel the breeze swirling past you after it has cleared the southeast corner......

The cow shelter (where the pigs have been since April) is tucked nicely behind the southwest corner of the barn and the silo which is directly centered in the middle of the west side.  I got a whiff of pig once in a while this spring, but not the full blast that we got yesterday.

I'm holding out hope that it's because Buddy set to work immediately in rooting through the old soggy 4 inches of bedding, which was left from Pig 1 and Pig 2 last October.  

These guinea hogs are pigs, after all, but I'd rather not smell them every time I get in or out of my car.  Jeff doesn't want to smell them when he opens his office-over-the-garage windows for a nice breeze.

It might be a very short time of keeping them in that particular pen, before I admit defeat and put the pigs back in the sloppy but not-as-stinky cow shelter again.

Bottom line:  As much as we like having piggies on the farm, we really don't want the stink of pigs to be the defining odor for the rest of the summer!

 

Laura