The pigs were so happy to get moved outside. They had been in the barn; they were so small when we got them, they had to have a heat lamp hung over them in a box made of boards so they could stay warm enough.
The spotted pigs are Berkshire/Duroc crossbreds. Berkshires are an old breed, prized for their flavor.
Aaron loaded them on the trailer on a sunny, dry day and drove the trailer out to the back of the pasture where he had set up these paddocks to keep pigs. When he let them out, they ran, rolled in the grass and had a great time.
The pig waterer is at the far end of the paddock the pigs are in, all the way in the corner. Pigs don’t sweat and will get too hot very easily and can’t be without water so it’s really important to remember to check their water every day.
The paddocks are in a row so it’s easy to move them to a clean pasture; just take down the fence and let them go through. You can see in this picture what a nice, big area they have outside.
In the foreground you can also see the place where the pigs have done what they do best; root up a place to lay in the dirt. This is how they keep cool. When warmer weather comes I’ll try to get a picture of them getting squirted with the hose. They love it!
Here’s where the pigs live. They have a little hut that has two doors; when they get excited they run around it or in one door and out the other. Really fast. They seem to think it’s pretty fun.
Their feeder is at the same end of their pasture. There are four sections with lids on them which the pigs have to lift up with their snouts in order to get to the feed. Pigs are really smart and have no trouble figuring this out immediately.
The two lines are electric fence run very low. It keeps the pigs in and predators out. The pigs learn very quickly about the fence and don’t forget either! Like I said, they’re smart.
This week we had our first lambs. Last week we lost a ewe and this week the first ewe's lamb didn't survive. Not a very auspicious start but things turned around somewhat.
Later the first afternoon we had 2 more ewes with lambs; Aaron found 3 mothers and 5 lambs clustered together in the pasture. One was the first ewe who lost her baby. We decided to try to get her to adopt one of the triplets since one was so much smaller and it often happens that one doesn't do well. She was pretty accommodating; we milked her and gave the lamb a bottle several times for the first few days and she seems to have decided that's okay with her.
More confusion the next day. Three ewes, four lambs. We made an executive decision on that one and everyone seems to have accepted that as well.
Our next dilemma was caused by baby donkey. In her curiosity about the lambs, she was too rough and hurt the legs on a set of twins. Aaron and I were both yelling at her and trying to get to them, but she was determined. We put the baby donkey in a different pasture from the ewes (and her mother). Now the donkeys spend all their time hanging together so we're not very confident they're going to do their job.
And on the fourth day, we had a set of quadruplets--only 3 survived--and immediately afterwards another ewe had an enormous lamb born dead. Aaron got one of the surviving triplets right over to the new mother and she nursed it right away.
Today, one more single and a set of twins. We're one-third of the way done. Hopefully things will go better with the next round!
The twins at the top were tucked down in a little depression out of the wind this afternoon and were pretty sleepy. The little lamb by itself is a singleton, so is a bit bigger.
More new arrivals on the farm. 300 of them, to be exact.
The meat chickens came today. As you can see by the photos, they come in boxes in the mail. The postmaster in Kinsman called a few minutes after 7AM to say they were down there and driving him crazy! We ran right down to pick them up.
There were 2 boxes, each box divided into quarters; they are crowded but that helps them stay warm enough. The peeps are shipped the day they hatch; the chicks are still digesting their yolk sacs which provide them enough nourishment to survive for 72 hours. Luckily for us, we live close enough to the hatchery that our chicks arrive the next day, so are usually in good shape.
We had their new home already warmed up. The brooder is a hood-shaped affair that we’ve seen called an Ohio brooder or a hover brooder; it’s up off the ground a few inches so the chicks can run under if they’re cold and run back out when they’re warm enough. We have it hung from the ceiling on chains so it can be raised easily. You can’t believe how fast the little chicks grow!
The big circle around the brooder contains the peeps. We like the circle set-up because if the peeps get too cold from a draft or frightened by a shadow (meat chickens are very fussy!) they will all run to a corner, pile up on top of each other and smother the ones on the bottom. With a circular brooder there are no corners to hide in.
The waterers are automatic; they’re actually sitting up on a silverware divider with a piece of screen over top so the chicks can hop up, hang on, and get a drink out of the dish.
As you can see, they get right to the eating and drinking, which is a good thing. They’re busy skittering around, chirping loudly if they don’t like something and were very quiet and content under their brooder when I checked on them before bed last night.
It's springtime so you expect new arrivals on the farm. After all, spring is a season for rebirth.
In a grass-based operation like ours, we want our animals to be born in the spring when the weather is more predictable, the ground is warmer and the grass is lush. This does require planning and careful management. It also makes for a very busy season!
Our first arrivals were not born here though. We've been having trouble with coyotes attacking our sheep the past few years and Aaron and a neighbor who also raises sheep have been looking at guard animals to protect the ewes from predators.
After quite a lot of research, consultation with the vet and numerous phone calls we acquired these two.
On the right is the baby donkey; she's about 9 months old. On the left is the mother donkey; she's 6 years old and is expecting another baby, we think.
The female donkeys or jennys as they're called, are supposed to be better at protecting a herd of sheep than a male (jack). We've been gradually introducing them to grass; donkeys, like horses, will overeat and founder. They're in with some sheep we're going to butcher; Aaron was reluctant to mix them with the ewes in case it upset the ewes which are very close to their due dates.
So our first arrivals are here. If you have any ideas for names, we're open to suggestions!
Another Easter food tradition in my family is “cirak” or Easter cheese. This traditional Czechoslovakian Easter delicacy is not really a cheese at all but rather an egg-y, custard-y essential part of most Eastern European tables.
My grandmother, who came from Slovakia as a young woman of about 20 years, always made this to serve with ham and kielbasa at Easter-time. Somehow it fell to me to keep up this tradition, long after both my parents and grandparents are gone.
Cirak is sliced thinly and served cold on sandwiches or with a slice of ham. It doesn’t taste anything like cheese—a surprise to my husband—but the few times I haven’t made it, my brothers have questioned why not.
We still follow another Slovak tradition of having our food baskets blessed at church on Saturday morning before Easter. Baskets are lined with cloth and packed with the foods that will be served for breakfast on Sunday morning or the Easter dinner. These usually include ham or lamb, paska (a traditional Easter bread made with raisins) and dyed eggs. You can read more about the tradition here. It’s a lovely custom that fewer and fewer people participate in; when we take our baskets to church now we linger and remember those members of our parish family who came so regularly and are now no longer with us.
My cirak will be especially delicious made with the eggs that are so golden now that the hens can get outside to eat some grass and look for bugs. Whatever your traditions are, we wish for many blessings on your family.
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