Again, another month has flown by in what seems like just one long, deep breath. I am guilty of wishing away the remains of winter and dreaming daily of the promise of green. We are lucky in that we have enough exposure that the sun has melted away a good portion of the snow around our house and we've been seeing the beginnings of my *shhhhhh* spring flowers.
Although living in northern Vermont means you have to have quite a bit of patience and a BIG sense of humor. Sure, the calendar says its spring but we're due to get another Nor'easter this weekend. Whoever coined the phrase about March with it's lions and lambs surely didn't live in Vermont. Not that this is much of a surprise, last year there was quite a storm up here on Mothers Day. You just never know.
Things here on the homestead have been idling since the addition of our daughter. But plans are always in the backs of our minds and soon enough we'll be jumping into action again. We are beginning to recognize that although we have the best intentions, sometimes we jump a little too hard with our ideas. So this year we plan on focusing on the motto: small but successful. This translates into smaller gardens that we can rely on to AT LEAST provide us with the staples to make Isabel's baby food when she begins solids later this summer/fall. We're still planning on raising chickens and pigs to feed our family but this year we're planning on three pigs instead of four and a few smaller batches of meat birds instead of one big lot of them that would all need to be processed at about the same time.
We're toying with the idea of stepping back from the dairy goats for now as well. We'll see how milking goes this spring/summer, but at the present they are relatively expensive pets.
We have some plans for better broiler production. Last year, we kept them with our laying hens and about half of them jumped the fence into the pigs' pasture, becoming supplemental protein. This was a major disappointment so this year we're planning on making some inexpensive chicken tractors similar to Joel Salatin's (approximately 10'x12'x2') so we can keep them on the lower pasture where they will get plenty of grass yet still be safe from predators (both domestic and feral).
Speaking of which, we had a major loss last month. Some unfamiliar dogs paid us a visit and much to our dismay they killed off half of our laying hens. Then, thanks to the pile of dead chickens that we probably should have just processed and turned into dog food, we attracted a fox and some weasels. We lost another two or three chickens and are now down to just over a dozen. To top it all off we have at least one weasel living IN our barn. We see it every time we go out to feed the goats and the chickens. Needless to say, we have pulled out the .22 and are going to borrow a livetrap from my brother and sister-in-law.
So, that is where we're at. I'm going to be pulling out the leftover seeds from last year so we can take stock and see what needs to be purchased for this year. I'm hoping to get some of our seeds started this weekend. But, in an up coming post I am hoping to detail our plans for food production in a little bit more detail. Thanks for sticking with me folks!
What the heck happened to the first half of July!? We're in the final two weeks of this month and we're getting perilously close to August, the month of school supplies and talk of fall. Thinking back to what we've done so far this summer, I'm a little sad to say that we've only been out in the kayaks a handful of times, hiked even less, and have yet to pull my bikes out of the work shop. It always amazes me how quickly time flies, and yes, I'll agree that it gets faster with each year.
But, fall is a great time of year in Vermont. At least until stick season when everything just looks too bare for comfort. So there is still plenty of time to get out in those boats, and on the trails, and maybe even wear down some tires as well. Winter seems to take its time getting here, it hangs on for sure, but real snow fall doesn't show its face usually until January. Sure it'll be freezing and bitter, and I'll long for Spring to come, but this year we'll have our woodstove. There's nothing quite like the dry heat that radiates from the belly of a cast iron and hearthstone beast, and I'll smile at its flickering glow each night.
But lets not get to ahead of ourselves, right? After all, summer is barely a month old now and I'm certainly not showing it the door. Over the weekend we harvested some lovely little beets and planted a new crop of peas, carrots, and salad greens. The garden hadn't been touched in (dare I say it?) at least a month and a half and lets just say it didn't look like much of a garden. My Mom came down to help give me a boost and we tackled it all amazingly enough, and not too soon either because the next day it rained. The garden is looking lovely again.
The bees have been enoying their 'front porch', as Kyle calls it, lately with all this heat. Most days when I come home from work there are a fair few out on the front of the hive, cooling off. I need to get in there and check on the honey stores and the brood to be sure all is well. Its just so hard to 'suit up' with the sweltering heat, hopefully now with the temperatures regulating again I'll be able to bring myself to get out there.
Things around the farm have been going well. The absence of the pigs has been felt mostly during feeding time, when the familiar sounds of oinks, grunts, and squeels are decidedly absent. Juniper's leg has been healing over the past few weeks in her splint. I'm going to take it off this weekend and see how she does walking without it. We may set up Ollie's old dog crate for her to stay in to keep the other girls from jostling her around too much during the first couple days. And of course, the chickens are doing well, they come and go as they please and lately have been spending the early morning hanging out in front of our porch hoping for an early breakfast. One was at the front door this morning, clucking at me through an open window.
Last night I took some down time in our hammock, with Juniper and Poppy on my lap, while Kyle brought the bigger girls down the rock face to the taller brush in our lower field. There was something so calming about swaying under the canopies of three giant maple trees with two tiny ruminants chewing their cud, their eyes barely staying open. Sometimes it dawns on me what my life has come to mean and I am humbled by it.
Can you believe its that time already? It seems like only yesterday that we stuffed these four boys into the back of the Scion Xa and welcomed them to their new home. They were so little then. I remember thinking how cute they all were and how hard it would be when the time came for them to be butchered. Over the past months they've grown amazingly fast considering they were raised mostly on bread, kitchen scraps, and whatever was growing in their pasture- with a bit of grain supplementation just to be sure they were getting enough calories.
Knowing that four more lives have been sacrificed for us and our family is a hard reality to face, and I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a few tears even now as I write this. Life is a treasure and I am honored to be a part of it for every being on our farm. I feel we honor their memory at every meal, giving thanks for the life that has passed so that we may continue on. Again, we are given peace by the knowledge that we gave these pigs far better a life than most ever see. But the passing of a life is never easy and despite my readiness for today, in a way, I mourn the loss.
Our lives need a little drama here and there. It keeps things interesting. Without the drama we might not appreciate the little moments of peace that we are graced with every so often. But sometimes those drama-filled moments are enough to make us sit, place our faces in our hands and just take a moment to breathe and pray for a positive outcome.
Friday afternoon, a couple hours before I got home from work, Kyle was outside checking on the pigs. We had moved them back under the trees so they could tear up the ground a bit before the meat processor comes to get them next Friday. While he was outside he heard a scream from the barn and ran to see what it was. Apparently, Juniper had jumped up on the top of the manger, got her left front foot stuck between a couple boards and then tried to jump down. We had plywood on top of the manger to try to keep chicken droppings from getting down into the hay, we never thought much about the tiny gap at one end, but these girls' feet are so tiny, they can fit in just about anything. Needless to say, the manger has been moved, and a new, safer cover has been attached.
But the damage was done. Kyle thought that maybe it was just sprained because she seemed to be moving around relatively well. Her adrenaline must have been running because any time we'd go out to try to catch her to take a better look she'd just run. I didn't want to aggrevate the condition so we decided to leave it until Saturday morning when we fed them breakfast. Sure enough, Saturday morning brought us the truth. Her leg was very swollen and obviously broken. We ran to Johnson Farm and Garden to pick up some rolls of Vet Wrap and a couple wooden paint stirrers.
When we got home I gave Juniper a baby asprin and started icing her leg to try to help the swelling go down a bit. Then, while Kyle held her, I felt her leg and carefully pulled on her hoof and fetlock to be sure all the bones were straight and where they should be. Using a clean, old sock, I padded one side of each of the paint stirrers and made sure they were just long enough to extend just a little past her hoof. With one paint stirrer on the inside of her leg, and the other on the outside I carefully wrapped all the way up her leg with a few lengths of the Vet Wrap. Once I was finished with the splint we held her up to the higher branches of the surrounding trees so she could get some of the leaves as a treat.
After a few minutes of greedily eating leaves, we set Juniper down to see how she fared with the splint. She's still working on three legs, but she can put her other foot down when she wants and it won't put any weight on the broken leg. If not for the leg she looks fine; her eyes are bright, she eats and drinks with as much energy and enthusiasm that we are used to seeing in her, her rumen is working well, and her digestive system is working fine. It is a relief.
We've had to re-wrap the bandage a couple times already, it kept getting pulled down a little too far, I think its because she drags it when she goes to lay down. But last night I used a piece of the wrap over the top of her shoulders which I think should eliminate the problem. She seems to be doing well, though, she can even run around again and climb on things, which is good to see. We gave her a baby asprin each day for a few days, just to help with any pain or swelling. But even when we re-wrapped her leg on Sunday the swelling was completely gone. So I'm confident that as long as we are diligent at being sure her wrap is in place, things will heal well.
I just feel horrible that the cause of her injury was something that we neglected to recognize as a possible danger. Sometimes it takes some drama to get you looking at things in a different way. But if you ask me, I'm ready for some drama-free days now, thankyouverymuch.
We drove into the city last night for a lovely dinner in Burlington for my sister-in-law's birthday. Its always nice going out with family. The way home felt long, though; I was exhausted and lingered somewhere between sleep and gazing, dazed, out the window. Kyle and I were discussing the next big home renovation now that the guest room and upstairs bathroom were finished and sometimes its just a bit overwelming when there is so much to do. But we arrived home and there was a sweet, mild breeze in the air that greeted us. I went out to the barn to shut in the goats and chickens for the night while Kyle checked on the pigs, who had been moved back under the trees next to the house.
We scheduled a date with the meat processor for July 16th, a mere month away, and we wanted to try to get them to eat the greenery and till up the soil there before they left us. They were happily running around, like the pig races you see at the fair, and we watched them for a little while before heading inside. As I was getting into bed half an hour later the dogs started barking wildly. I looked out the front windows to see a neighbor's friend leaving our front yard- he must have been at our door a minute ago. I mentioned it to Kyle as I looked out the back window- the pigs were out.
I hastily threw my jeans on again as I watched Freddy make a bee-line for our freshly planted garden, the other three were ahead of him in the tall grasses. I ran downstairs to grab my boots hoping that the novelty of being loose would keep Freddy from exploring the soft soil in our garden beds. Sure enough, by the time I rounded the corner to the back of the house they had moved on and were headed for the road. I freaked at the realization that they really were loose and not contently eating grass in our backyard like they had done the few times they escaped before.
As I called them from the top of the hill, carefully picking my way down along the edge of the drop-off, Kyle arrived with a bucket of grain. As soon as they saw him they forgot all about their adventure and trailed along back to the barn. We're lucky the neighbor stopped by, if we had gone to bed with the pigs loose, who knows where they would have ended up, or the damage they could have done. Once they were safely back in their fenced-in pasture we surveyed the electric-net fence that we hastily put up over the weekend. Brick Top must have been chasing one of them because it appeared that one of the pigs had gone straight through the fence, leaving a nice hole in the netting. I'll have to fix that so we can resume using it for the goats and chickens.
So, now the task is to get a better fence up out there for the next few weeks so they can continue eating the grass and ferns. Kyle has the next two weeks off so he'll have plenty of time to work on fencing. But I'll say it again, I'm ready for some bacon. Pigs.
Sorry I've been a little sporatic in my blog posts lately, things have just been super hectic at home the past few weeks and my laptop has officially kicked the bucket. Kyle and I had to finish up our guest room (YES, it really is finished!!) before my father and step-mom came up for the holiday weekend. We also had to clean up the house (which ended up taking way more time than I really thought it would) and semi-finish the upstairs bathroom. On top of all this we, of course, have been working on barn stuff. Kyle made me a milking stand a week ago which I took out for a test run with Chutney a couple days.
I was planning on starting the bottle-feeding this past weekend, my hope had been that I'd milk a little bit every day up until then just for us to get the hang of it before we really got serious. But unfortunately, I haven't been feeling well and trudging out to the barn twice a day to fight with a goat and her teats wasn't high on my priority list. So I'm hoping to give it another go soon because the kids are getting pretty skittish.
Our pigs are growing fast. Bricktop is definitely still the biggest out of the four boys but the other three really aren't that far behind. Kyle and I are pretty sure we'll be able to have them all processed before fall, which would be great. They haven't eaten any other chickens, as far as I have been able to tell, and I hope that our barracade that we created around the dividing gate will continue to be successful.
Speaking of chickens, our second experience of the Cornish crosses is nearing its end. Our fifty (or so) meat birds are amazing. Last year when we raised these birds it was too late to put them outside because the weather had turned too cold. This year they've had free range of the pasture and all the tall grasses. We started only feeding them for a short time in the morning, forcing them to forage for the rest of the day. I am always amazed about how healthy they seem compared to our first batch. These birds are active. The most common thing you hear about this kind of bird is that they have heart and leg problems, they really can only walk from the feed dish to the water dish, and the rest of the time they have to sit down because of their massive weight. We experienced exactly this last year and it caused us to think we'd never raise these birds again. But what a difference a diet can make. I'll be posting some pictures when I get a chance.
I really do have a bunch to catch you up on- I really would love to show you some before and afters of our guest room and bathroom. Oh, and we started our garden a few weeks ago, still have a lot to plant, but we've got a beginning at least. May is due in a few weeks, she started making her udder a week ago. So much has been going on I can barely remember it all! Please bear with me, friends, life has really been getting in the way of my blogging but I hope to make a full comeback soon.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Melissa
I had read, before we ever got our pigs, that they could be a problem with our chicken population. When our four boys arrived we noticed a bit of interest and a couple idle bites in a chicken's direction here and there. But the laying hens are fast, so the pigs never got more than a couple feathers out of the encounter. We decided that between the damage they were doing to the floor in the barn, the potential snacking that would be at the chickens' expense, and the lovely smell, it would just be best to keep them in their own shed, in a seperate fenced-in pasture. This didn't solve all our problems, unfortunately.
First off, I have to say that the damage to the barn has halted completely, minus the one time they got out into the other pasture, went into the barn, and ate all the grain we had. Second, the smell is nowhere near as bad. They keep their shed very clean and, thanks to the amount of space they have to move around in, only on occasion do I get an offensive odor wafted in my direction when out by their pasture.
The only thing we haven't been able to halt is the snacking. Yes, the snacking at our chickens' expense. There is one spot under a gate where the chickens can squeeze under and if they aren't smart enough to figure out how to get back they are, eventually, picked off. So far not a single laying hen has been the victim, I'm not sure they could even fit under the gate, it has always been one of our almost two month old chickens.
Two or three times we have come home to find a carpet of feathers in the pigs' pasture. They were like crop circles, once one showed up out of the blue another one did, then another one. Then last night our neighbor's daughter stopped by to bring us some food scraps (for the pigs of course) and a few muffins (for us, yippy!) and as we were admiring the new baby goats she asked me if the pigs had a toy. I wasn't really sure what she meant but as we neared the gate I saw the tell-tale feathers next to their water trough.
It was a horrifying sight. Two of them had legs hanging out the sides of their mouths as they gnawed through the bones. The other two had something as well, I tried not to look long enough to identify the body part. I apologized to the neighbor who was probably sorry that she stopped by on her way back home, although she seemed relatively unphased.
That night Kyle and I discussed the impending downsizing of our pig herd. We are looking forward to sending Bricktop off to our local animal processer more and more as the days wear on. He is large enough and he gets the majority of the food. Hopefully once he is gone we'll be able to focus on the other three, so they will grow faster. Honestly, this is a great experience but I'm just not sure we want to get pigs again. There are plenty of people who raise pigs, and I'd rather buy pork from a local co-op than deal with these guys again. Chickens are so much quieter, they don't eat as much, they don't tear up your land, and they taste delicious. I love chicken. But then I think of bacon...oh bacon...
Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Well last weekend we moved our pigs into their new area where they could get fresh grass and more shade from the surrounding trees. We dug down into the ground where there was already a bit of a ledge to make them a cave-like shelter. Using only a couple piers, 2x4s, and more of our salvaged metal roofing we attached a roof and called it good. It was pretty awesome if you ask me. It took the pigs some time to get used to it but you could tell they loved all the fresh, tall grass in their new enclosure. We had been using the new electronetting that we got from Premier 1 Supplies that was originally intended to move the goats around our land. It was looking like it was going to work pretty well, but we all get delusional at times, right?
The electronetting is not a good idea for pigs that can root into the ground. Pretty much our boys would root away right next to the fence so much that it would get buried enough to short out the energizer. So multiple times we found Boris or Freddy loose in the yard. Luckily they never would go far and were easy to get back into their enclosure but it was starting to make me nervous. We have neighbors and the last thing I want is for one of our animals to do damage to someone's property.
So last night was the last straw. After eating dinner we went out to check on the goats and the chickens and saw Freddy down by our garden eating away at the clover. I unplugged the energizer for the fence and we pulled up some of the stakes and corralled them back into their original pasture. I'm wicked disappointed because we wanted them to tear up the land under those trees and get rid of the pricker bushes. Also, we had wanted to plant some root vegetables in their old enclosure to feed the pigs later this summer.
We'll stop at Johnson Farm and Garden tonight to pick up some fiberglass posts, insulators, and more electrical fence tape to divide up their pasture so we can hopefully get something planted and growing out there soon.
I can only imagine how long Freddy had been out, though. On our way back in from the barn we saw some hoofprints on our driveway and they certainly didn't belong to either of the goats! So it looks like he had a nice little after-dinner stroll.
Hey folks!
I apologize for my prolonged absence. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was off on a business trip to Texas/Mexico for the week. But, happily, I am back home and seriously happy that I missed out on the snow that stopped by our house while I was away. We are getting a head-start on the 'April showers' here and I'm just hoping that our spring flowers, that really got going over the past month, are going to tolerate the weather alright. Here's a quick update on the farm happenings:
I got an email from our hatchery last week that our order of chicks will be shipping out on the 31st, this Wednesday. So we'll have eighty chicks peeping away come the end of the week. I'm definitely looking forward to their arrival but its always a little difficult when we work full-time jobs as well. I work from 7-3:30 so we get the call from the post office right as I'm getting to work- so Kyle will, most likely, have to deal with them himself. This isn't usually too bad, but when there are so many and you have to dip all their beaks in water to teach them to drink, it takes some time.
Our bees will be ready for pick up in two weeks- April 12th. I'm excited to get that new aspect of the farm going. I'm hoping that they'll thrive and not have any health problems like we've been seeing all over. Nothing to do but wait and see I suppose.
I swear the pigs have doubled in size since we bought them. Brick Top is still the biggest and the BOSS over the other boys, Freddy has become quite friendly and I think Kyle and I are going to have an extra-difficult time sending him off to the butcher when his time comes. We're really excited about the landscaping they've been doing in their pasture and we're looking forward to sectioning it off so we can plant some quick-growing vegetables for them for later this spring/summer. Their tilling speed and power have really got us planning away at future gardening endeavors on the rest of our land. Eventually we're going to start fencing off the rest of the land so we can do rotational grazing/gardening a little easier in the future.
Finally, the goats are still working away at growing their babies. May is finally starting to look a little rounder in the mid-section, so I'm feeling fairly confident that her 'date' was successful. Chutney is so big I can't even pick her up anymore without fear of throwing out my back. And she's actually started making her udder. It is measly right now, but I suppose that is to be expected as she doesn't need it for another month and a half. I'm sure in the weeks to come she'll really kick it into high gear. Her mother is still milking after giving birth to Chutney, so I'm confident about her dairy genes.
Exciting stuff.
Whew. Can I get a 'woo hoo' for three-day weekends? Thank ya. Wow, what a weekend. We were fully booked on Saturday when Guy (my father-in-law) came over to help Kyle fix the truck. After a few hours they successfully replaced the timing belt, changed the oil and the radiator fluid (upon inspection it was relatively black). I was happy to know I would no longer have to wait patiently (read: somewhat IMpatiently) at work for my darling hubby to pick me up.
After working outside in the frigid temps, not to mention the wind that is ever-prevaling at our house, they were finished and Guy headed out to do some last-minute shopping for our neice's birthday party that night. Kyle and I had a quick lunch of sausage/lentil soup with some cornbread muffins before settling in to take a quick nap before heading to Georgia for the party. Its amazing how hot soup will knock you out after spending the day outside in the cold. Luckily, my groggy head quickly dissapated after a few minutes of visiting with excited children (my neices and nephews are the sweetest kids ever).
On our way back home we stopped by Kyle's brother's house where we scored some venison, maple syrup (Sean makes it every year), and a basket of acorns Sean had saved for us to feed our pigs. Yeah, I have some great in-laws. After a long week it was great to get home and know we still had two more days off that we would spend just the two of us.
After having a relaxing day on Sunday we decided to get some work done. After filling in holes left by the pigs in the floor of our barn twice we figured that since it was such a beautiful day (and would continue to be mild for the rest of the week at least) we might as well get the pigs into their new shed. Problem being: the shed wasn't finished. We headed to the local building supply where we picked up a few sheets of plywood and got to work.
We fastened two sheets across the roof to help support the metal roofing, then covered the front. As Kyle was cutting out the openings for the windows on the front of the shed we began to notice that there was something not quite right. We knew we still needed to level the base- so perhaps that is why the openings for the windows looked so crooked. After leveling everything (I definitely recommending doing this BEFORE weighing it down too much) we took another look. Sure enough, the corners of the windows were not really on the diagonals so much as they were going vertically and horizontally. I couldn't stop laughing at the sight despite my frustration- I sincerely wish I had taken a picture because it almost looked intentional- . But, it was not, and we immediately started taking down the front of the shed to repair it.
Somewhere along the line we had put up a header that was too short, resulting in the entire shed being squeezed in at the top of the front. So, as we were making everything square on one side, it was getting more and more UNsquare on the other side. A word of advice: always be sure you actually draw up plans to scale before building something like this. We've been flying by the seats of our proverbial pants and look where it has gotten us.
We ran back to the building supply store to get another couple sheets of plywood (the previous ones becoming useless for this particular project since we already had cut them to fit in the incorrect shapes). As soon as we put in the longer header we were golden. After another hour we were fastening in the two windows on the front of our south-facing pig shelter. We grabbed a few wheelbarrow loads of their old bed in the barn and tossed it in there to help it feel more like home. Along with a full, clean bale of straw, the place was feeling pretty darned cozy so we decided it was now or never: time to move the boys.
It took a good ten minutes before I was able to successfully lure them over to their new house. They wanted their food and they didn't want to take a walk to get it. But, I won, and they've been spending the nights in their new shed ever since. We've been blocking the doorway to keep them in there at night, just until they start to realize that its their home. During the day they've been going back in the barn to sleep, which is fine for now. We'll be finishing up gates eventually so they can't go in and harrass the goats.
The only thing we have left to do is fasten on our scrap metal roofing that we salvaged from the big demolition from last year, which shouldn't take too long. Oh, and hope our neighbors don't hate us forever...these little guys can make quite a bit of noise when they're ready to eat...yikes.
Big goings-on around the farm lately. A couple weekends ago we started working on our pig shelter so we could get started on our pork production. We wanted to get them before Spring while the prices were still low on feeder pigs. But we didn't really want to keep them in the barn with the chickens and goats for various reasons, so we thought they'd better have their own little place to call home.
It went up pretty quick, although we did run into a few problems here and there because we didn't draw up any plans, so it was kind of piece it together as we go. But our speed-square always came to our rescue. Over the course of a couple weeks we were able to get the walls all built and covered but we've yet to start putting on the roofing. Because the truck has died we haven't been able to get the rest of the materials we need- mainly a couple more sheets of plywood that don't exactly fit in the Scion. So we've been put on hold.
But today I think we might try to put the roofing on without the plywood to go beneath it- its probably overkill anyways. We're going to try to move the structure to be within one of our fenced in pastures. Its going to be a pain since we'll have to take the walls off (thank goodness for screws) but I'm feeling more motivated now. 'Why?' do you ask? Well my dear friend, because we've got some little bacon bits that need a home. Thats right, folks, we've got some piggies in the barn.
Yesterday we decided to go for it. After finding out that half of the people selling $40 pigs were sold-out we figured we'd best get our butts in gear before we found ourselves paying more than double that. We made a trip to Fairfield were an old-time farmer had something like fifty feeder pigs for sale. Now, remember I told you that the truck has been broken down? Well, I almost hate to admit it, but we strung a tarp up within the car and layed down some straw- yep, they were going to ride home in the back of the Scion.
Let me introduce you to the gang.
Needless to say, the goats weren't thrilled last night when these boys arrived. So we felt compelled to block off half the barn to keep them separated, but everyone seemed alright this morning. Hopefully by the end of the day we'll be able to move the boys out of the girls house so we can all live in peace again.
So what do you think? I feel a little crazy myself. I honestly never thought I'd own pigs...they're not my favorite farm animal...but I do love bacon. Speaking of which, I think I need to get myself some breakfast.
Ok, I just can't stand it anymore. I mean, I love winter, the snow is gorgeous, it helps keep the house warmer, and it's fun. But seriously, I can't stand the cold anymore. Kyle's truck has died and we've spent too much time freezing in the sub-zero wind gusts trying to figure out why (more than likely something related to the cold). We've lost too many eggs to the frigid temperatures and I'm sick of having to supplement feed with so much grain. Our kids need grass. I am ready for Spring!!!!!!
I know today is Groundhog Day...and Phil has officially proclaimed six more weeks of winter...but I've got a news flash: I DON'T CARE!! Mwah ha haaa (maniacal laugh inserted here)! Spring never comes early up here so even if he had forecast an early spring, it wouldn't apply to us folks up here in Northern VT anyways. Best case scenario: we won't really see Spring until May, we need get through mud-season first. Regardless, I'm determined to hurry this season along. It was a welcomed guest, but its time to show it the door.
This past weekend, Kyle and I made a run to Gardener's Supply Company, an awesome, employee-owned, local gardening supply store. We thought we'd grab some house plants (they're having a sale: buy two, get one free) and while we were there we picked up a handful of seed packets to start inside the house. I was planning on just doing one big order on High Mowing Seeds website, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I'll order the rest of our seeds online, probably later this month, but I wanted something in-hand to start right off. We came home with paste tomatoes, Ring-of-Fire hot peppers, basil, parsley, rosemary, and lavender. We also grabbed some Provider bush beans, Chamomile and Echinacea that we'll start later next month.
I'm planning the garden alot more than I did last year. I'm reading more about companion planting and non-tilling, non-weeding options. The garden was the biggest disappointment of last year. I make no claims that I am a good gardener- I'm actually pretty terrible at it. I'm more interested in animal husbandry and I think it shows: my livestock is thriving. But it also shows in the garden: it's always overrun by weeds and I don't harvest what little there is to harvest in time so some things end up going to seed (which I don't realize until things start sprouting after we've turned everything under for the year).
We've also spent quite a bit of time working on our pig shelter. Its relatively large, too big really for the size the pigs will be when we buy them. So unless we really pack it with mulch hay these little piggies will probably spend the first month or two in the barn where it will be a little warmer. We're planning on picking up the new additions to the farm this Saturday. I'm pretty excited about it. I know they're going to be meat for our table, but until then they can till our garden and enjoy the dappled sunshine in the little grove behind our house. They will be happy, which makes me happy.
This is going to be a big, busy year. It will be the first time keeping bees and raising turkeys and pigs. It will be the first time our goats will kid, so it will be the first time bottle-feeding babies and milking goats. I've worked at a dairy before, so I've done the twice-a-day milking, but never in conjunction with raising so many other animals, gardening, and beekeeping. And of course, on top of that we're still renovating our house and working full time jobs.
Do I feel overwelmed? Nope. Well, not yet, give it some time. Spring is rejuvenating after waking up from a long winter slumber. I'm ready to wake up. How about you?
Hey folks. Kyle is up shoveling our roof so I thought it would be a good time to hop onto the blog and say 'Hi'.
This weekend has been a lovely taste of the coming Spring. I am so ready. This morning we went out to the barn and I didn't even have to put on a jacket, it is well into the 40s I think. After feeding the girls we walked around our land for a few minutes, planning where we'd be putting our pigs, and where we want to put the grape vines that have been taking up prime seats next to our picture window this Winter. I can't wait to get started.
We've decided we're going to get four piglets as soon as we can build them a shelter and get an electric fence set up. Hopefully in a couple months.
We started back up work on our guest bedroom yesterday. Kyle has been working on the trim around the windows and I've been patching up old nail holes and other irregularities in the built-in that Kyle made. It was all recycled wood from some old cabinets we scored from a house down the road. I'm hoping to be able to get it primed with some BIN primer today- good stuff to keep the stain from seeping through later.
Mom and Anders are stopping over later this morning. Anders hasn't seen the recent 'updates' to the house as he's been on his ship for the past few months. After the tour we'll be heading over to the Bees Knees in Morrisville for some tasty local food and perhaps a beer.
Its been a crazy week followed by a relatively lazy weekend. But the prospect for Spring has my spirits up. I know we've just hit our January thaw and I'm sure we've got plenty of cold, snowy days ahead, but its nice to have a little taste of mild temperatures to come.
Oh and those grape vines I mentioned before- one has actually started growing its leaves. I'm not sure if thats really a great thing, since grapes are supposed to be sleeping now, but the new growth is exciting. Also, Kyle's Christmas Cactus that I almost killed, then nursed back to health, has finally decided to bloom! We've got some bright pink flowers in the works and I'm pretty sure any day now they'll open. I love Spring, even when its just in my head.
Yeah I know. We're solidly within the Winter months here in Northern Vermont. We're looking at subzero temps again this weekend- at night at least. I haven't been getting out to enjoy the snow enough so I've been wishing it away. I just keep thinking about Spring plans and I'm ready to get started.
I can't even start our seeds until March (even that is a little optimistic). Not that I've bought them yet (you know if I did they would be planted by now). I've got my shopping cart at High Mowing Seeds saved so when I'm ready to order I can just click the checkout button and we're gold. I've got a nice selection of everything from peas and beans, to onions, potatos, sweet and hot peppers, carrots and celery, spinach and salad greens to name a few. The more I think about them the more I want to just click that 'checkout' button.
The other thing I'm itching to get going on is our poultry order. We decided that we're going to get another lot of cornish x rock broilers this Spring so they'll be ready for slaughter early in Summer, then we'll probably get another bunch later in the Summer for slaughter in the Fall.
We're going to get another dozen egg layers, Silver Laced Wynadottes, I think. I know, its just two of us and you're probably wondering what we're doing with almost a dozen eggs a day as it is. Well, for your information, we've been selling around four dozen eggs a week, and I'm pretty sure we could sell more if we had enough to get rid of. Not to mention that I've been looking forward to freezing some quiche's but haven't been able to because we're selling the main ingredient. And I don't have enough eggs to eat for breakfast every day- only enough for the weekends. This isn't much of a problem as I don't normally have time to eat before I leave for work (I typically take some fruit and cottage cheese for a later lunch at work) but I wouldn't mind having the option.
Also on the poultry order will be the turkeys. We haven't decided yet how many we'll get, and we haven't settled on a breed, but they're in our radar. I really want to go with the Royal Palm turkey but Kyle would rather have the standard Large White turkey...you know, the kind that won't even fit in your roasting pan with the cover on...yeah that one.
My thing with the Royal Palm turkeys is that they're a heritage breed, not a commercial one, so they're better foragers and wouldn't require as much commercial feed. Although, I guess they are a little smaller than most other heritage breed turkeys...so maybe we could compromise a little. I just love those black and white markings. Anywho.
So the plan is to place our poultry order in March (or February and request a later ship date) so by the time these little guys and gals are feathered in a bit we'll be able to stick them outside as much as possible. The sooner we can get them living outside and fending for themselves the better. I do love a good grass-fed egg/chicken/turkey.
The last thing that is on the radar is our start into pork production. We decided it was time we really start getting serious about this whole "self sufficient" thing. So, we'll be buying a handful of piglets as soon as we can construct housing for them, and erect some sturdy fencing. The plan is to keep them in a little grove near the house where they can dig up the ground all they want. Once the little piggies are gone we're going to convert the space into a future buck pen so we can have our goat breeding done on site. Unless we decide to get a breeding pair of pigs so we don't have to keep buying piglets year after year...which really would make more sense. Either way- I'm going to insist on heritage breeds for the pigs, for sure.
So that is our plan for this spring. Until then I'll just have to keep watching it snow...rushing out to the barn to collect eggs before they freeze, planning sledding parties, and drinking obscene quantities of hot chocolate, trying to make the best of it. Because, lets be honest, as soon as the summer heat hits we'll be thinking back to these frigid days and long for the crisp, cool air once more.
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