NH Homesteader's journal

[NH Homesteader]

I love my dorking hen, but she is the only bird who will not stay in the pen. Also, she does not know how to get back in. So we chase her a lot. She ends up in the wrong coop at night quite often, since the other gang of chickens is free ranging at the moment. I'm hoping she'll gain some weight and not be so flighty. Even the EE's stay in better than her!

Our cornish rooster is nasty! He was afraid of my husband but challenged me. Now he challenges my husband. And my big rooster. And pretty much anything that walks by his pen. I hate him. If he doesn't make good meat offspring, we will enjoy eating him! Our big roo has been calm as can be. He's not a bad bird when it isn't breeding season, he's like a totally different animal. I kind of don't even care if we get him fenced in for winter, of course I'm not going to be outside too much this winter either!

 

[treerooted]

I've got plans to get drokings, but not this spring. Glad to hear you liked them as table birds.
I was thinking down the road I might try some crosses and raise a specific meat flock. I've got waydotte and sussex which I read may make a good cross with dorking.

 

[treerooted]

Having a day where I feel like farming is a dumb idea, when there are grocery stores full of food lol. NO. I don't truly feel that way. I just haven't been sleeping well, the dog is sick, I'm sick of feeding the pig and meat birds... And my barn isn't up yet. Plus my Jeep still isn't fixed so, just flustered and after being awake half the night last night, I just hope for a better one tonight.

I'm not even farming yet and I get those feelings...well, more just constant guilt at not doing more farming. Not sure who this guilt is for...my other self? If it makes you feel any better, I think what everyone on here is doing is amazing. I could only hope one day to have half the skill set you do.

Sorry you're having a rough day , I hope this evening you're feeling better and have a good night's sleep.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Thanks, I feel that way about gardening. I need to do more but I am not good at it and I don't enjoy it!

Meat birds will be gone this weekend, that's a good thing. Our plan is to try out the dorking/cornish cross as our primary meat endeavour. It will be interesting to see what pops up. We also have Dominiques and orpingtons to cross in and see what happens. This is all DH's venture, I'm merely the goat lady who occasionally feeds the birds lol! I do find the turkeys enjoyable though.

I'm considering, if the pig doesn't sell quickly, butchering her.. And then we might not even need to raise pigs this year (unless we find some AGH's). That might be a nice break. We'll see.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yep DH sounds interested in butchering the pig and taking some time off feeder pigs. Then next summer or fall we can head down to that AGH farm and see about getting ourselves some breeders. Would give us all spring and most of summer off pig raising to focus on our goats and poultry. And little garden, lol.

So, might be butchering a pig for Thanksgiving lol!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh wow - that would be nice to be pigless for awhile! Do you have freezer space...or can she just stay frozen on air temp alone?

 

[NH Homesteader]

Well, I can make some here plus my mom has some. I think we could make it happen. We haven't talked to the guy who is going to do our smoking for us, but we are trading him some pork in return, plus getting all that smoked and cut into smaller portions will help the freezer packing issue, lol.

Being pigless for a while would be awesome! I have enough problems.... Ahem.... Did I say problems?? DH wants to focus on his birds, I want to focus on my goats, I want to get a good but small garden going this year, and you know, the tiny human thing...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh yea....the tiny human thing, lol! That tiny human might have a whole lot to say about your free time early next year!

Sounds like you can make the piggy thing work.

 

[NH Homesteader]

We might be having a family butchering party for Thanksgiving, lol. Why not.

Tiny humans have something to say about everything, don't they?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We might be having a family butchering party for Thanksgiving, lol. Why not.

I say - Go for it! Get some work outta da family!

Yep, them tiny humans can be pretty demanding, lol! But, they're so darn cute they're worth it.