Week In Review

We had a guinea casualty yesterday. Keegan noticed one of them hopping around the yard on one foot and let me know that it was hurt. We managed to corner it in the turkey coop so I could catch it and check it out. The poor thing had a severely broken leg. We had to put it out of its misery. My heart breaks to know that it was in such pain and I hope that it wasn't suffering for long before we found it. I wish I knew how on earth it managed to break it like that?! It is hard to tell. The guineas have started wandering farther and farther from home, always coming back, but who knows what kind of trouble they are getting into while they are gone. Brad has caught them in the road on several occasions and I hope that they don't get hit by a car!

Now that the guineas have stopped being so loud and alarming at the slightest little thing, I am much more attached to them and would like to keep them around! I never really noticed how pretty they are until I got a close-up look yesterday. They have such pretty eyelashes and are really attractive birds once you get over the shock of the white face, Mohawk, and horn on the top of their heads. They do need to get better at the tick control issue, which is a big reason that we got them to begin with. Keegan found 2 ticks on Ari (our little tick magnet) yesterday so they aren't doing as good of a job as I would like. Hopefully the remaining 9 will keep out of trouble and eat lots of bugs. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go ahead and  incubate some eggs just to make sure I'm covered? The eggs are fertile btw! I'm so excited!

The 10 baby chickens that hatched are doing well and have more than doubled in size! I can't believe how fast they grow! Their wing feathers have already come in so they will soon be out of the cute sweet baby chick stage and on to the awkward teen stage. These are the feistiest but most curious and trusting chicks we have ever had. They remind me a lot of turkey poults. When I put my hand in the brooder, rather than running away, the chicks run toward my hand and bite at it. No doubt thinking that I have food. These are the first chicks that I have hatched in the incubator rather than buying at the feed store or having them shipped. Apparently it really makes a difference in how they react to us. I hope they are this friendly and accepting of us when they grow up!

The tomato seedlings are about 3 inches tall and have 2-3 sets of true leaves. Time to transplant soon! The peppers are still germinating. It seems to be taking them forever, but then the tomatoes were much quicker than most plants and coming up. The oregano still didn't sprout... I will never order from that company again. I had hoped that it was operator error (even though I know I did everything the way I was supposed to) but too many seeds never even germinated despite any changes or extra effort on my part. They were duds and I wasted a lot of money. Lesson learned! Baker Creek from now on.

In other news... Brad and I got hitched on Friday! The thought of planning (and paying for) a big wedding had stressed me out for faaaaarrrr too long. I'm not a big fancy wedding type of person anyway but I was doing it for Brad's sake. Friday was our anniversary anyway, marking 6 years since the first day we met and I fell in love at first sight. We decided to make it official at a very small service. Maybe one day we will renew our vows and have a big celebration, but until then I am just happy to be married to my soulmate. Married... wow... 10 years ago I would have said you were crazy if you would have told me it would ever happen! And that I would be this happy about it! It goes to show that there really is that one special person out there for everyone. I've officially claimed mine and have the papers to prove it!

No Longer Lacking Eggs...

We are overrun with eggs! Less than a month ago we had people asking us for eggs and had none to give. Now I am having a hard time keeping up with them long enough to crate them up and give them away, let alone get things situated well enough to sell them! My whole kitchen table is filled with eggs!

The chickens have ramped up production from less than 2 eggs a day about a month ago to 8-10 a day now. Considering that we have 15 hens, the numbers could be a bit better, but I already have no place to put them all! Keegan and I (mainly my wonderful son, Keegan) did a deep cleaning on the chicken coop over the weekend so the girls have a much cleaner, healthier place to live and lay. This really helps with the cleanliness of the eggs since the girls don't have dirty feet walking around in the nest. I don't wash my eggs because it removes the protective bloom and allows bacteria to enter the egg. Washed eggs also have to be refrigerated while unwashed eggs can be stored at room temperature. Dirty chicken feet mean dirty eggs that can't be sold.

Another source of our egg overabundance is the guineas! They have been laying for about 2 weeks now. Of course, they don't have a coop so finding the eggs is a bit more difficult. Keegan has been doing a great job of finding the nests and collecting the eggs. It hasn't been too awfully hard though. The guineas really aren't that bright. They have started several nests right in the middle of the yard. Out in the open with no cover at all. From time to time I will find a random egg laying the yard like the guinea just squatted where it was, laid an egg, and then went on with its day like nothing happened. Because there really isn't any way of knowing how long ago their eggs have been laid since they move their nest every time one is found, we have not eaten any of their eggs. I am really fighting hard the urge to put them in my incubator though! I am not interested in having more guineas than the 10 I already have, but I really love hatching babies! It is kinda like an addiction. I need to see if there is anyone close to me interested in buying guinea keets so I have an excuse.

My turkeys have been mating for a few weeks now, but sadly I have yet to find an egg. Those eggs I know I can incubate and sell. They won't be sitting around on the table wanting for a use. That's how it usually works...

In the mean-time the animals will soon be having a smorgasbord of scrambled eggs to clear the dirty eggs off of my kitchen table and get a clean start. It makes me really miss the pigs! They were happy with raw eggs. The rest of them are a bit more picky. Oh well :) Good unprocessed nutrients, vitamins, and protein. Better than store bought feed any day!

New Life Springs Forth

My tomato seedlings have been up for several days already! My peppers are now starting to sprout. I am already excited about eating that first juicy tomato! Grow little seedlings grow! 

Some of the other plants enjoying the grow light and providing habitat for my tree frogs who live in my kitchen. Some of those are grapefruit and lemon tree seedlings that I hope to use as rootstock soon.  

A few of the beautiful carrots that Keegan pulled from the garden for me. 

My sweet babies have begun to hatch! Last night I had 4 hatched out when I got home from work. By this morning there were 3 more to add to the fluffy butts that are in the brooder.I had to help one hatch this morning because the membrane had dried and trapped it inside the shell. I left him in the brooder to dry and get some rest and am hoping that he will be happy and healthy when I get home from work this evening.

They are so sleepy but are already trying to eat and drink. They have Quick Chick in their water to get them started off well from the beginning. They also have their chick starter crumbles but seem to enjoy sleeping on them more than eating them most of the time.

 


When they wake for a few minutes they peck around at their food. It is really amazing how much those little things eat once they get the hang of it.

Oh, how I love having sweet fluffy little babies!





The cool weather is still coming and going. It has been in the 70's for a few days and we have been sleeping with the window open at night for several nights but today it is cool and supposed to get below freezing tonight. I still feel spring coming. The blueberry bushes are budding up, seedlings are sprouting, and babies are hatching. I love Spring!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've never been much of a fan of the holiday, but have been enjoying the glorious sunshine after the cold dreary weather we have been having here. It makes me wish that I were outside in the garden or doing some chores that sorely need to be done. Alas, I am at work and can only enjoy the sunshine and fresh air streaming through the door I propped open near my desk.

We have been having unusually cold weather which has even brought sleet, ice, and snow on a couple of occasions over the last month or so.That is not normal for the deep south! I love the snow and have lived with very cold winters for most of my life, but this is different. This area isn't prepared for weather like this. We have no salt trucks or snow plows. Everything here is built to better deal with severe heat and hurricanes. There was no thought to cold weather issues... because we really don't have any most of the time.

Even myself, when building my coops, thought nothing about cold weather. If I had been back home where I grew up I would have made sure they could withstand the weight of snow, keep cold winds out, and were well insulated to keep the birds warm. Instead, I built them to give enough during high wind so as not to fall over when we have tropical storms. I made sure that they were shaded but allowed plenty of air flow so the birds didn't roast in the hot summers. All thought was given to keep them cool, not to keep them from freezing their beaks off!

Thankfully, all of the animals are doing well. The chickens have the sturdiest coop and have been keeping pretty warm. I use deep mulch in the winter anyway, so they have a little added heat. I sealed the windows with feed bags to keep out the wind and they seem perfectly happy. The turkeys live in what is pretty much a wind tunnel. Which works perfectly most of the time! I have put up extra tarps to try to channel wind away from them and have been keeping deep mulch in the run. The guineas have had it the hardest because they roost high up in a leaf-bare tree. They don't seem to be bothered one bit by the cold though. I have been feeding all of them more often than usual and making sure they have warm water available on super cold days. The extra calories seem to get their body temp up. They have also been getting a treat of feed mixed with hot water and fruit/berries and turned into an "oatmeal" type dish. The chickens LOVE it! The turkeys and guineas don't seem to get the concept of treats.

I haven't gotten anything planted in my garden yet because of the low temperatures lately. I am getting behind though! I need to get some cool weather crops started soon. Maybe on my next day off. I have made some progress though! I got some of my indoor seeds planted last night! I always get so excited when I start my first seeds. Especially my tomatoes and peppers, which is what I started last night. It is almost like a promise that full fledged gardening, sunshine, and warm weather are coming soon.

This year I started my seeds in Jiffy Seed Germinating mix because I had problems with the Miracle-Gro potting mix that I used last year. It caused mold, mildew, and gnat problems that I had never had before. Many of my little seedlings didn't make it as a result. I also used the little paper bathroom cups this year instead of the big plastic solo cups that I used last year. I still plan to use those ( I saved them from last year) when I transplant, but it seems smarter to start off smaller and then size up since I have limited room. When I transplant I will probably use the Miracle-gro potting mix since the plants will be larger and stronger and better able to withstand any issues.

The tomatoes are always my favorite. I poured over catalogs trying to choose which kinds I wanted. I went with my favorites: Cherokee Purple, Pink Brandywine, and Amish Paste. I also added a new one. Keegan loves eating the small tomatoes right off of the vine so I got him some Egg Yolk tomatoes which are small and yellow and look like, you guessed it! Egg Yolks. They are supposed to be sweet and tangy. We shall see. I planted approximately 10 each of the pink and yellow tomatoes, 15 of the purple, and 25 of the paste. Also planted were 7 egg plant, 13 pepperoncini peppers, 15 jalapeno peppers, and 25 bell peppers. The last 4 cups I had left over were filled with oregano seeds. None of the ones I planted last year came up but I am hoping with the soil change it will do better this year.

Now for the watching and waiting for my little seedlings to break the surface begins. You would think that after hatching as many eggs and planting as many seeds as I have that it would get old, but I feel like an expectant parent every time. What's more, I love it! The excitement is just beginning.

Hope you all had a beautiful Valentine's Day too!

Here's to 2014!

It has been a few months! Blogging has just been off of my radar for a while. I hope to remedy that and what better time to start than when I am starting to get spring fever? We shall see. I tend to stay more caught up with blogging when things are really busy around here, which it hasn't been recently.

That isn't to say that nothing has been going on or changing on Sunflower Hill.

The garden is closed down for the year, with the exception of some carrots still in the ground, but will be back up and going very soon! It is past time to start seedlings already!

The guineas free range full-time now. They bully the turkeys terribly so they had to be booted out of the turkey coop. They are still bullies when the turkeys are free ranging, but it helps the rest of the time. The guineas now sleep high up in a couple of trees that are located in a triangle between the turkey coop, chicken coop, and pig area. They are pretty safe there, especially guarded by the dogs all night. They also help protect the other birds. All are still accounted for and are healthy and LOUD! One thing is for sure... Nothing will enter our yard without the warning sirens going off.

The turkey population here at the homestead dropped by almost half right before Thanksgiving. A pair of black babies and a Bourbon hen found new homes. One turkey was sold for Thanksgiving dinner to a wonderful native american lady and her family who wanted to thank the spirit of the turkey before humanly processing it. Three others were processed here at the Homestead for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were wonderful! We are blessed. We now have 6 turkeys. A Blue Slate trio (Yellow, Tallow, and Sari) and a Bourbon Red trio (Franklin, Tabby, and Terra). A new Bourbon tom, named Franklin, has joined the main flock. He is very curious (even by turkey standards), has to be in the middle of everything, and basically resembles a rambunctious teenage boy in every way. He is sweet and we are enjoying him. I am especially enjoying that I am not moving hoop tractors everyday anymore! I will soon forget how much work it was. I am already anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first turkey eggs of the year.

The tractors have been retired for the year but I expect to get them back out soon. Yes... despite being exhausted from working such long hours (tax season) and being sick lately, I have again been struck by chick fever! The incubator has been put back into action and is currently filled with two dozen Speckled Sussex chicken eggs. I have had roos of this breed in the past and loved them so I bought hatching eggs from a friend of mine. Unfortunately, the day after they were set the temperature here dropped and so did the incubator temperature without heat on in the house. It wasn't a huge drop. Just to 95F or so, and I don't think it was for very long but it was severe enough to have potentially killed the embryos. I am anxiously awaiting candling day!

The reason for the breed switch is because we no longer have most of our Buff Orpingtons. Our puppy, Luna, managed to take out all but 3 hens, including our head rooster, Jack. She is such a super sweet girl but she just couldn't manage to keep from playing with the chickens... to death. No harm appeared to be meant, but regardless, she was no longer able to be trusted with chickens. She was tied to a run line during the day and let loose at night to get her energy out for a while, but she soon learned how to free herself from the chain. She has since had to be rehomed. I really hate that, but living her life tied up was not fair to her and putting the lives of my birds in danger constantly wasn't fair to them. We sorely miss Luna, as well as Jack and his girls.

The other chickens are doing well, although not laying well at all. I think that some of them must be laying somewhere else but I have yet to find where. We are still way over our ratio of roos but I just don't know what to do with the 3 silkie roosters that we ended up with. The other rooster, Red, is one of the little ones I hatched out in the soup pot. He is so big, goofy, and sweet, that he has just managed to stick around so far. We shall see what happens later I guess. Hopefully the remaining hens will begin laying better soon.

Our pigs are no longer with us, but are rather, in my in-laws' deep freezers down the road along with a cow they had processed at the same time. One was processed right before Thanksgiving and the other two went to the butchers in early January. I had planned on processing them myself but my father in-law managed to convince me otherwise. The butcher shop is a very small family business and does a good job in a humane way. The pork is AMAZING! I never want to eat store bought pork again! I guess happy animals really do make much better finished products. I wasn't sure I could part with the pigs in the end and even though I was ready for a break, tears were shed when they left us. By me, at least. They didn't seem to care, being more interested in the feed and fresh eggs in the back of the trailer we used to haul them. It was made much easier by the sweet cutie baby pigs turning into giant monster pigs that tried to knock me over and bite my legs every time I got near them and were FOREVER ripping the hose off their waterer and flooding the pasture. I couldn't even get on their side of the fence most of the time without them running toward me full speed and threatening bodily harm. Especially when there was food involved. They fought with each other and anyone close to them was likely to get hurt. I know that most of the time they didn't mean to be mean, but those were some really big pigs and it wouldn't take much to hurt someone! I loved having pigs but pigs that size can be dangerous and I was not-so-secretly ready for them to go. I do look forward to having them again, though. We are already planning to get new babies in April, so we have them when the garden is in full production and canning is producing a lot of waste.

Here's to a brand new year! I hope it is as magical and blessed as the last! Things are not always sunshine and roses on a farmstead but it is an amazing life full of blessings, all the same. I'm looking forward to another beautiful year on Sunflower Hill!

I know it sounds silly

I have a problem. I'm indecisive. It doesn't sound like too much of a problem. More like an annoying habit. I seem to take it to a whole new level. My indecisiveness can be crippling, as it has been the last few days. If I'm not sure exactly what the best way to do something is, or if I have a ton of things to do and I'm not sure which I should do first, I mentally shut down. Instead of making a decision and running with it, I just can't seem to bring myself to do anything at all. Something as silly as "should I let the guineas out to free-range today, or should I let Luna off her chain (whole other story) to run for a while, because they both need to get out and exercise" is impossible for me to decide upon sometimes. Needless to say, neither got to run free for a couple of days. Planting beets has been put off for days because I'm not sure where the best place to plant them is, "and should I find something to amend the soil with because nothing else I have planted is doing well because the soil is crap in that area, but what do I amend it with because I have no compost and I don't know where to get any from, so what I really need to do is build a proper compost pile because the chickens just scatter anything I try to compost, but the chicken manure won't give me all the compost I really need... what I really need is a cow". Yep... that's how my mind works. Chaotic, isn't it? And in the meantime nothing gets accomplished. In my own defense, it isn't that bad all of the time. Rather, I'm usually better at controlling it and forcing myself to be more focused. I have ADHD and I don't take medication for it because I have learned to live with it, but when I'm stressed or I have a whole lot on my plate, I lose the ability to function like a normal human being. My brain seems to short out and just go completely haywire.

Today I actually managed to get something accomplished! I let the guineas and turkeys out to free-range for the first time while I let Luna's correction collar charge. Guineas are loud! I have read that they will quiet down after they get used to free ranging. Apparently, they start a ruckus whenever they see something new (which is what makes them such good "watch-dogs"). The thing is, right now EVERYTHING is new. So they weren't quiet the entire time they were out. (I tried to upload a video of them, but blogger was not having any of it tonight.) They stuck pretty close to the turkey coop and were amazingly easy to put up for the night. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Bugs-beware! The guineas are comin'!

The guineas moved in one cohesive group at all times

I love their beautiful feathers! 

Sari, one of the new hens. I thought she was a self blue but she has
a single slate marking on her wing. 

Ari chillin' with Jack . Einstein and Jack had a fight the other day.
Apparently Einy won "Head Roo" position. That means that Jack has no
more ladies so he has been spending his time checking on the turkey
babies and hanging out with the dogs. Hopefully once the 4 cockerels
go to freezer camp Jack will get some of his ladies back. If not I will get
him some more. He seems so lonely! 

"Can I help you?" Last of the original flock all refeathered and beautiful

My handsome fella, Yellow, showing off his new tail feathers. 

I bush-hogged the back and side yard. At least until the mower deck threw half a metal disk out from under it and it started shaking so badly that I was afraid I was going to throw a blade. I swear I didn't do anything rough with it! I was just mowing! Flat ground with nothing but grass! I Promise! It was really rusted and I guess it just decided to give up the ghost at that moment. Either way I managed to break my father in-law's bush hog attachment... thingy. I hate breaking stuff that belongs to other people! I am always so careful with things that don't belong to me! I admit that I am really rough on my stuff though. Ugh... At least it waited until I was pretty much done with the back yard.

I also weed-eated (is that a word??) the pig fence line, the garden fence line and some along the paths between garden rows before I wet through all 3 batteries. Did I mention that Brad got me a battery powered weed-eater? It is a Black and Decker and takes the same batteries that my chainsaw does. It was refurbished but is working like a champ. The real sell? It came with 2 batteries and a charger AND it cost less than a single new battery would have. I had been planning on getting another battery for my chainsaw because it never lasts very long. Now I have 3 batteries and can charge 2 at a time. I think my old battery is having a hard time holding a charge though. I have a bad habit of leaving it on the charger even after it had been charged.... like for weeks. Note to self: DON"T DO THAT!!! Anyway, now I can weed-eat in the garden so I can see where I am walking and don't step on anymore snakes. Hope, hope hope.

While I was in the garden I pulled out all of the sad, mostly dead tomato plants. The aphids and stink bugs finished off what the blight had all but destroyed. Even the green tomatoes I kept trying to bring inside to ripen kept rotting before they could because the aphids compromised them in some way. I started to burn the vines, the stakes, and the ties. Normally I keep the ties and reuse them, but I don't want to spread blight to my plants next year. The plants were still green enough to make them too wet to burn. Hopefully the fire dried them out some. I will try to burn them again tomorrow. Now the only thing left in that row are my pepper plants, which are still doing marvelously and pumping out the peppers, I might add! I also turned the soil and planted a small patch of beets (detroit red). I plan to plant more, but I need to amend the soil... with something. I figured that at least this way, some got planted. Whether they will grow is another story all together.

I cleaned out my in-laws' 3 deep freezers a couple days ago. We needed to make room for all of our future pork! The pigs greatly appreciated it. No... not the freezer space. They got everything that wasn't meat. About 5 trash bags worth of creamed corn, boiled peanuts, okra, bread, peas, and other yummy stuff. I shared the pumpkin, pumpkin pies, bread, berries, and corn with the chickens, turkeys and guineas. They were very grateful for the treat.

The pigs are doing great and are getting so big! I switched them to a locally milled unmedicated mash. They seem to like it. The chickens aren't managing to steal quite as much, and it isn't as big of a deal when they do now that it doesn't contain antibiotics. I have been raking acorns up and feeding them to the pigs, as well as throwing them persimmons as they fall from the tree. Good thing that they are happy with that. I completely forgot that they are out of feed until about 30 minutes after the feed store closed today. I think some days that if if it were up to me to remember to breath, I would have keeled over many years ago... Oh well. Scraps, acorns, and persimmons it will be until monday. And maybe some chicken feed.

I have to say, pigs are the easiest animal on the homestead to take care of. They are such a pleasure! They never cross the fence, or even test it much anymore. A single strand of electric keeps them in their paddock. They aren't into anything. They don't make a ton of noise. They eat all of the scraps, and aren't picky like the poultry. Refill their feeder, check the waterer to make sure it is functional, toss them some scraps (veggie peels and such), and they are content for the day. They may be a permanent addition to the homestead. Not these guys, as they are all male and are all "fixed", but perhaps next year I will get a breeding pair.

Oh, and Luna... She killed one of my chickens the other day. It was "Peggy": My gold and black Easter Egger, as opposed to her sister and counterpart "Sue" who is black with gold markings. She did it while I was at my in-laws' cleaning out the freezers. That correction collar doesn't do any good when I'm not here to push the button. She has been tied during the day for the last few days. I have been letting her off the chain to run and play with Ari and Elliot at night for a few hours. Once it is dark and all of the poultry are safely out of her reach. I need to get her out during the day and spend time with her around the chickens so I can correct her when she gets tempted. She isn't going to get trained tied in the front yard... Tomorrow I am going to start doing that. I'm writing it down so I will hold myself to it. I am holding out hope that she will be a good livestock guardian. She is still young and full of energy. She seems to realize what she did wrong, now. Hopefully I can deter her from making the decision to do it again. My rottie, Cassie, whom I lost a couple years ago at the ripe old age of 15, killed a chicken when we first got them. I trained her not to even look at them and she never touched another one. She was the most brilliant and loyal dog I have ever had the pleasure to see and I was blessed to have been her owner. She, too, was a shelter rescue. Cassie, however, was capable of things that most dogs aren't. Did I mention that she was brilliant? So, just because it worked for Cassie doesn't mean it will work for Luna. Luna seems really smart and receptive though. With enough time spent training her I am hopeful. Only time shall tell.

Now off to start dinner.... super late I know but Keegan is spending the night with a friend so I'm not in a great hurry. I also need to try to find a recipe for pickled banana peppers. I picked a load of them tonight and they wither quickly if not used. I also picked a few jalapenos and lots of bell peppers! Sounds like a good night for Brad's favorite: Tacos! Made with his dad's ground beef raised right down the road on pasture. :) I love eating as locally as possible! It makes me feel good to know how and where my food was raised. Life is Good. And so are tacos :) MmMmMm

We've had a chicken incident...

I was on my way home from picking Keegan up from band practice when I got a call from Brad. He said that he heard Luna outside barking like she was playing. When she didn't stop and he didn't hear the other dogs playing too he decided to check on her. She was indeed playing... with one of my hens. I asked him which one, having named pretty much all of them, and myself and Keegan knowing each one. He replied " I dunno... its one of the pretty ones." Hmmm... Well that didn't help me much because I think all of my chickens are pretty! When I got home he was sitting on the front porch with "Little Bit" on his lap. She is the youngest chick, and only hen, that I hatched out of my emergency egg incubator in March.

I checked her over and she appeared to only have superficial damage done. Missing feathers and some scratches on her back. She was shaking quite hard, breathing loudly, and having a hard time standing. I don't know if it was just because she was, quite understandably, scared and shaken up or if there is more damage that I'm not seeing. Brad had already sprayed her back down with vetericyn. I gave her a small dose of penicillin and she is currently borrowing Ari's dog crate. She is resting comfortably and seems to be much more alert than she was earlier.

I showed Luna the chicken and made is quite clear that her behavior was not acceptable. She seems to be a really smart dog. Hopefully this will be a one time deal and the lesson has been learned. I know it sounds terrible, because I don't want any of my chickens to suffer, but why do the dogs always have to get my favorite birds?! Ugh... well. Poultry are remarkably resilient creatures so hopefully Little Bit will be back out free ranging quickly.

On a happier note, I got my Basil planted. There are very few spots left in the "pig plowed" section of garden. I am still waiting on my order of seeds from Baker Creek. They should be here by now and I'm getting antsy. I want to get my beets in the ground! I also ordered some giant eckendorf beets that are supposed to be good for animal feed. Specifically for the pigs. At this rate they won't be done growing before the pigs are in the freezer!

Speaking of pigs... I realized that the pig feed that I have been giving them is medicated! Argg!!! One of the reasons I decided to raise my own pigs is because I don't want to eat meat that has antibiotics in it! I didn't even think to check, or to specifically ask for unmedicated feed. You know what they say about assuming... They are almost out and I will make sure that mistake isn't made again. Luckily, they haven't been on it for long and antibiotics will leave their systems quickly. The biggest problem is that the chickens are into everything, i.e. they have been eating the pig feed every chance they get. The pigs don't seem to mind at all that the chickens run directly to the feeder every time they walk more than 2 feet away, but I'm not too happy about it. That means that their eggs also contain antibiotics. I have had to start feeding the pigs every single egg laid until we get unmedicated feed. It would be so much easier to keep the great big pigs out of the chicken feed... the chickens and traverse almost anything and the more I attempt to keep them out the more interesting they think it must be. Keeping the chickens out while still enabling the pigs to get in will take some thought. Even after I switch the feed I need to try to find a way to keep the chickens from getting to the pig feed. Pigs are omnivores (as are chickens) and I'd be willing to wager that the feed contains chicken. Not a good thing. I wish I lived close enough to a mill to have my own feed ground so I know exactly what is in it. I will be looking into some kind of way to do that.

Rain is on the horizon! It has been overcast, hence much cooler, for the last couple of days. It is supposed to rain tomorrow! The grass is crunchy and we really need it. A strange thought after having daily monsoons for most of the year. It is amazing how powerful rain is. Too much or too little can be disastrous. Especially for a farmer. I'm so thankful that, while I try to live off of the homestead as much as possible, our livelihood doesn't depend on it. Worst case, we can still get food from the store. It seemed so normal to do that before, and now it seems to foreign to me. I hope that our fall garden doesn't leave us in as bad of shape as our summer garden did.

Well... Like a beautiful lady once said, "Que Sera Sera... Whatever will Be, will Be". One of my favorite quotes, and I can often be heard singing it (quite badly might I say) as I am working around here.