NH Homesteader's journal

[NH Homesteader]

Just taped our pigs.... Wow was I off... Thought they were like 250 and 175... Try 315 and 225! Oops! Gotta get moving!

My easter eggers suck. They beat up one of my orpington chicks, she's bleeding and separated now. They're flighty and aggressive with the other chicks. I hope they change their attitudes, if not at least they'll sell well as pullets.

Talked to the lady I'm buying my buckling from. He's doing well, after an issue with an infected horn bud. Recovered quickly with antibiotics and growing great. He won't have papers yet when I get him, because she just got the DNA test kit this week and hasn't sent it out yet, and the ADGA is swamped right now. Oh well, I trust her so I'm ok with that.

I'm exhausted today. My daughter is wild... She hasn't stopped talking ALL DAY!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Oh yeah and my husband's friend crashed his drone in the woods at my house. Four guys hunted for it for a few hours. When they returned they pulled OVER 100 TICKS off them. This is my life.

 

[sumi]

Better underestimated than overestimated? Those are good sizes!

DS10 is still running around outside and it's past 10pm. Weekend and it's still quite light outside. Getting him down at a reasonable hour in summer is a nightmare.

Holy crap on the ticks I hope they found the drone?

 

[NH Homesteader]

They are good sizes and not fatty at all. The bigger one is super long and lean for a heritage pig!

 

[sumi]

Long and lean and just the right amount of fat makes for a good carcass. I butchered a pig once (bought in for butchering) that had almost NO fat. The meat was too dry, they need something in there.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Oh yeah she's part Old Spot so she's got fat, but she's not all jiggly like our barrow was!

I think that's why grocery store pork is so gross, no fat at all!

 

[sumi]

THey like removing all the fat from the chops here, so I'm quite happy when I find some with a bit of fat on it still.

Talking of which, this may interest you. A few years ago I bought a boar from a friend. Since the boar was a dad, I asked to have him castrated first. Well, the guy who did the deed was more willing than able and did a right mess of it. The wounds got infected and that poor pig got so sick… He pulled through thankfully and came to me not looking his best and very thin. I started feeding him crushed maize (chicken scratch basically) that I boiled and soaked. Every evening I'd put some in a pot, fill with water (about 3-4 cups water to 1 cup maize), bring to boil, let it boil for a few minutes, then turn the stove off and wrap an old towel around the pot to keep the heat in. In the morning the maize was stodgy and almost soft as it absorbed the water overnight. I checked it was cool enough to eat and mixed that with some dried dog kibble (dog food). Just some cheap stuff I picked up at a local store. I added a few handfuls to the maize for that pig, twice a day. I think it was about a month later when I decided the day has come to butcher him… We took him into the local butchery where a friend of mine worked and she said to me that was the nicest pig carcass she ever cut up. The meat, the fat, everything on that boar came out perfect.

So, if needed ever, boiled maize and dog food! I just improvised something to get that thing fattened up and my word, that worked!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Ha! That's too funny! Wouldn't have imagined that!

Just found a giant pile of eggs. Like 30 of them... Apparently my NH's have been laying in a secret spot in DH's sawmill. Woohoo! Maybe they'll stay on the payroll for a while...

We separated both orpington chicks and they are in the house, everyone else is spending their first night outside with a heat lamp. These poor dears were being beat up by the easter eggers. It appears that the EE's were the primary troublemakers. Grrr

 

[NH Homesteader]

The last of our original turkeys died. DH is rather upset about it, but we are fairly sure she was really old!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

OH no....so sorry. Is she one that was sitting?