The Not-So-Ugly Bucklings

Our lives have changed since living out in the country.  We do strange things like pick up animals as impulse buys.

Wee, wee, wee, all the way home

We got another couple of piglets for the freezer.  Two girls, or guilts they are called.

Noah will be caring for the piggies this time around.

Like most of the livestock that arrive at our farm, have come home in the tardis, er, the faithful, old blue dog crate.

Last time we hefted the dog crate all the way across our yard from the barnyard to where we wanted them and then had an impromptu pig rodeo.  This time we watched how the farmer did it and imitated him, though he carried one pig in each hand, by one hindfoot.

Emily took one and Ethan took the other.  So much easier!

The plan is to give them less grain this time around since there is plenty of lovely, lush, green grass to be grazing upon.  

We've been working on taking down some of the old fence line and replacing it with goat proof fencing and we have recycled the old field fencing material by putting it back up in the wooded area we have slated for "Pig Alley"

We are fencing a series of several small paddocks that run the width of our property and end in the area of woods that we have lots of Oak trees in.  The plan is that the hogs will end in that last paddock and use the acorns to fatten up on.

We were told that pastured pork would not need rings in their snouts if they have plenty of grazing, but it must be a learned behavior.  Our pigs began gleefully rooting from the start so we will need to put rings in their snouts to prevent them from tilling everywhere they are put as we don't want them to ruin all the wonderful grasses we have back in the wooded area they are going to.

Unfortunately they've already turned their area to mud while we've been trying to get a fence up.  We ran into a difficulty, or rather quite a few difficulties.

Black Locust Trees.

Wicked trees.

The trunk is covered in thorns and the whole tree is thorny.  And the thorns are venomous.  The tree is poisonous to livestock and humans and it's no fun being stuck or scratched by them, which has happened to us countless times while we've been trying to clear the trees out.  The scratches stay angry, red, welted and tender for weeks.

This unusual tree is very invasive.  It has three ways of reproducing; by putting out new growth near the base, by seeds that drop and by sending out runners.  Cutting them down causes them to send out new runners vigorously.  You must cut down all the new growth the same growing season.  There is no way to eradicate them and control is an ongoing battle.

No fun at all.

So while we battle the Black Locust Trees, the piggies wait in their pen, surrounded by all the green grass.  Poor piggies.  Hopefully we will get it finished soon and move them to Pig Alley.  For now they are enjoying all of our scraps and milk waste.  They are quite happy with that!

If I'd a cow that made such milk...

We have been watching craigslist for months and contacting individuals and writing to all the dairies within a 3 hour drive from us searching for a family milk cow for months now.  

Quite a few of our weekends have been taken up with going to look at a cow and discussing it and making a decision.   

We just brought home our new family milk cow.  Our neighbor was kind enough to haul her for us.  It's such a blessing to have good neighbors!  She doesn't have a name yet, but she is ours now and she is home at last. 

The Lord's Been Good to Me

Do you remember the Johnny Appleseed song?

Eulogy for a good cow

The day finally came that we had to say good-bye to our beloved old milk cow, Girlfriend.  She had been doing better and better as the weather warmed up.  Her arthritis had been bothering her over the winter but the past couple of weeks she had been heading out to our meadow over the creek and enjoying long days soaking up the sunshine and relishing all the new spring grass.  She was on her way back home to the barn when she slipped coming up the incline and fell on her bad side.  She just couldn't get herself up this time.  

She was laid to rest on the grassy banks of the creek, where the wind rustles through the trees and the birds sing, with lilacs tucked into her collar. 

She was such a lovely cow with a sweet and gentle nature.  Just enough mischievousness to give her some spunk and character and make her so endearing.

Oh, how I loved Girlfriend!  

It is surprising how attached one can get to an animal.  Girlfriend taught us a lot about cows.  She was so patient with us.  It's hard not to think that we'll never find another cow quite like Girlfriend.  

Emily and Girlfriend had a special relationship.  Emily knew all of her special "scratchie" places.  

Last summer we let Girlfriend graze all around our yard so we could keep an eye on her.  The ground is more level  and this prevented more stumbles due to her increasing unsteadiness.

Few things promote relaxation than watching a cow chew her cud!

She had a "bad leg" on one side and if she fell on that side she had a hard time getting back up and so we were happy to baby her and prevent any falls that we could.

 Girlfriend loved chewing her cud beneath the mimosa tree.

Silly Girlfriend getting a drink from the kids' swimming pools!

Girlfriend coming to Noah for some affection.

A cow trap!  Girlfriend thought there might be some chicken feed in this run that she could snack on.

Girlfriend was a licker.  She would bathe us with her tongue for as long as we would allow her.

Oh, Girlfriend, you were an enormous blessing to our family and we sure do miss you!  It was an honor to retire you and provide you with peaceful pastures for the end of your life.  Thank you for all you brought to our lives, not just the milk and butter.   

Good-bye, Girlfriend.  Rest in peace.