Sometimes I wonder if I will ever really have a day off again...and I don't even have a "job"!
There is an even greater appreciation here, of everyone that has ever worked on a farm or raised farm animals. Maybe it is because I am learning, maybe it is because I love all these birds I have hatched and raised, I work my rear end off and the days fly by for the most part. This past week has been really busy, and I am not finished re-arranging my coop. I dismantled the roosts and re-worked them and my nest boxes, so that I have more places for my chickens to roost...well, kind of anyway. They like roosting high, so even having 52 feet of roosts in my big coop, they only roosted on 1/3 of the roosts...the top bars of my ladder style roosts. Live and learn...I moved nest boxes to one end and removed the waterer from the wall to make room. I redid the roosts down from the door to the far right wall, the stretch from window to window four feet off the ground and 8 feet across. I have two bars running a foot out from the window on both sides...then the roosts are about every 14 inches for eight feet, but they can also sit on the side bars too. So I went from two and a half 8 foot roosts they actually used to seven 8 foot roosts. I have a 10 hole nest box on the wall on the far side of the coop and one 4 hole one that I will put where I took the waterer down from.
I moved a set of three nest boxes mounted on the front of the run by the door to the left side of the run with the 6 hole nest box I took from the inside of the coop. I moved the waterer I took out of the inside, to the front of the run...the rain barrel that feeds it, I moved to the right of the entry door and I put one nipple type PVC waterer on the inside of the run and one on the outside of the run. I took one nest box and moved it to what we call the condo too. I have found eggs in the Condo, so maybe whoever is laying will use it instead of the floor. I also hung a shade sail that I had gotten for the gun range shooting station...but forgot about...on the front of the coop over the rain barrel to give them some shade. The shade cloth is probably at least 8' by 10', much better than the two chairs they were laying under for shade! I am just hoping that the turkeys don't use it as a trampoline like they do the ones over my breeding/rooster pens. Speaking of roosters...my husband and I caught more and I think I have around 43 rooster in those pens now. I still have a lot of roosters running around too! Lots of them are still young and not "active", if you know what I mean..but taking so many out of the coop and yard I hope my poor girls will grow all their feathers back before it gets cold. Around here, it does not usually freeze until late November or early December...maybe they will quit molting too, my hens hatched last Spring look pretty awful, at least the popular girls do. Some of them even have a sunburn on their bald spots. I had chicken saddles on them, but some have gotten torn up and some just got ripped off. I should have separated roosters out sooner, but I just didn't have anywhere to do it until I built the pens...and finished them with doors and tops.
When I build, rearrange, or tear down anything...I still have all my other chores to do. I partially tore apart the "Lowboy" chicken tractor that was damaged from the weight of water on the tarp I covered it with, I partially cleaned my feed room (where I mix up fermented feed and store it), broke down a lot of boxes to use around plants to try and keep weeds down, plus laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cooking, shopping, feeding, watering, cleaning...well, you know...every day chores. My husband has been feeding the poultry in the mornings, so it gives me a bit more time to do some morning chores in the house and he helps in the evenings when I don't get them fed before he gets home from work. I try and feed them around 3:30 or 4:00pm to give them time to eat and digest some before he gets home and gives them scratch grains. I finally got a shade cloth hung over our back patio too...so we can have a shady spot to sit. We sat out and rested between our activities yesterday. My husband replaced some pullies and a spindle on the mower deck and mowed some yesterday, while I was working on the shade cloth and waterers. It was nice yesterday, there was a breeze and even though it was still really warm...it felt pretty good in the shade.
My husband has been working with the dogs, trying to get them so they don't chase the poultry. Yesterday they got to actually go into the large fenced portion of the yard with all of our poultry, it was interesting watching them. Bailee is really the only dog we worry about chasing and possibly killing anything. She is our Catahoula mix, our Hog Dog. We had to keep reinforcing no chasing, be a good dog and praising her when she behaved. She had turkeys and geese, ducks and chickens all around her...my husband was basically playing fetch with Sophie and Kensie was mainly interested in sitting in one of the large water buckets. We have a few turkeys that like to sit in our laps and they decided to do it yesterday...I had a female in my lap at one point and a male decided he wanted up in my lap, she jumped up on my shoulder then tried to get on top of my head! These are not small turkeys, they have good sized claws too. I got her off my head but he stayed laying in my lap and enjoyed having his neck rubbed for awhile longer. You can tell how much they like it...they stretch their neck out and close their eyes when you rub their waddles or the back of their neck. I think the females probably weigh at least ten to twelve pound now and the males fifteen to twenty pounds...no I have not weighed them, I am estimating. They are a it over four mo this old now.
I cleaned cages on the back porch on Friday, I have a bald Silver Wyandotte chicken hen up there and Pop-Eye the Salmon Favorelle and Buddy Chicken the Cream Legbar both of them have eye issues, I brought them on the porch to make sure they were getting enough to eat...they seemed thin. Pop-Eye is completely blind in one eye, she had a bad eye infection when she was hatched. Buddy Chicken has one eyeball that is way back in the socket and flat...like he has no cornea? I think he can see out of it, just not extremely well...he does not run around in circles like Pop-Eye does. We have one rooster my husband has stuck with the name Blind Melon, he appears to have cataracts on both eyes but he gets around well, eats well and is a very good looking rooster he just gets special treatment...my husband will give him food and set him right in front of it or treats to make sure he gets enough to eat. He is blossoming, he is getting out of the coop and interacting more, has grown well and is a good healthy weight.
I need to get busy, I just woke up early and decided to write today. I still have a lot to do, I am trying to get some building and changes made before the time change occurs November 1st. I plan on trying to get some garden chores done too, need to ad a wire mesh to the bottom of my garden so rabbits can't get in and eat everything, and make a new gate...the current gate is actually part of a fence and my chickens keep getting in the garden it doesn't latch well and I have had to wire it shut...we had to chase a lot of chickens out of it yesterday. I have a plan to move blueberry bushes too...
Monday, September 21, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Playing Catch Up
It is very easy to get behind on chores and duties here on our little farm. I am playing catch up, I always get behind on chores when I build things or it rains a lot. I take care of live animals first and foremost...so, sometimes other things slide, like folding laundry and putting it away, or scrubbing toilets, maybe dusting...well, I don't like doing that stuff anyway...but, I do it. I am behind on a lot...but, I try and prioritize things and get some stuff done while the weather is decent. I weeded the garden I planted...I had to, you could not see anything but weeds...but there is corn planted in there...was green beans, asparagus, carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon...it was covered up with weeds. I had to hand pull weeds that were 4 feet tall, it took awhile...I was trying not to pull up my vegetables with them. I think the only reason there were any left was because of the weeds...the gate became unlatched and the chickens and turkeys decided they needed to check out the garden...I got lucky, they ate mostly the weeds.
I worked on watering today, our lawn tractor is broken again...parts are on order...so instead of filling up my pump sprayer, I had to drag hoses and water by hand. My fruit trees needed it and so did all my potted plants, that took awhile, I transplanted plum trees last year and am trying to keep them alive, my apple trees, pears and grapevines needed it bad too. I pulled up a bunch of weeds in a flower bed too, trying to find these red Spider Lily things that are blooming in other peoples yards...we had them bloom last year, but I think they may have been mowed over this year...oh well. One of these days I will do up the flower beds right to keep that from happening...out here I have already gotten poison ivy really bad trying to clean this flower bed.
I decided I needed to work on the chicken coop. Winter is coming and I need to increase roost space inside my big coop and move chickens around. I am trying to figure out how to get more roosts the same height with more capacity...but still be able to clean easily. I moved a 10 hole nest box inside the coop, I will probably remove the smaller ones and use them in the run or another coop. But I had to clean the walls and didn't get it finished, I had to reinstall a roost tonight in the coop...the second one I put in the run and the chickens started perching on it and it is not attached to anything. I was worried that they would be confused and not find a place to sleep, but they did good. I just hope when I finish the modifications more of them will go into that coop! I am thinking about moving the rain barrel that supplies water to the big coop too, the chickens will stand on the grate underneath the PVC pipe and play with the watering nipples and flood the floor and stand in the water. They make a big mess and I am trying to think of ways to keep that from happening and make sure they have clean water available all the times. Right now it takes a long time to fill all of the waterers I have and to clean them out. But the PVC waterers will explode if they freeze. Ask me how I know this?!
I worked on watering today, our lawn tractor is broken again...parts are on order...so instead of filling up my pump sprayer, I had to drag hoses and water by hand. My fruit trees needed it and so did all my potted plants, that took awhile, I transplanted plum trees last year and am trying to keep them alive, my apple trees, pears and grapevines needed it bad too. I pulled up a bunch of weeds in a flower bed too, trying to find these red Spider Lily things that are blooming in other peoples yards...we had them bloom last year, but I think they may have been mowed over this year...oh well. One of these days I will do up the flower beds right to keep that from happening...out here I have already gotten poison ivy really bad trying to clean this flower bed.
I decided I needed to work on the chicken coop. Winter is coming and I need to increase roost space inside my big coop and move chickens around. I am trying to figure out how to get more roosts the same height with more capacity...but still be able to clean easily. I moved a 10 hole nest box inside the coop, I will probably remove the smaller ones and use them in the run or another coop. But I had to clean the walls and didn't get it finished, I had to reinstall a roost tonight in the coop...the second one I put in the run and the chickens started perching on it and it is not attached to anything. I was worried that they would be confused and not find a place to sleep, but they did good. I just hope when I finish the modifications more of them will go into that coop! I am thinking about moving the rain barrel that supplies water to the big coop too, the chickens will stand on the grate underneath the PVC pipe and play with the watering nipples and flood the floor and stand in the water. They make a big mess and I am trying to think of ways to keep that from happening and make sure they have clean water available all the times. Right now it takes a long time to fill all of the waterers I have and to clean them out. But the PVC waterers will explode if they freeze. Ask me how I know this?!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Small Taste of Piggies
There is nothing like being thrown into a situation that you have no idea how to deal with, but I think we did a pretty good job of taking care of the pigs that came wandering into my yard. Today was the 9th day...after I had a conversation with a neighbor down the street who works at a local feed store I found out who they might belong to...today was the first time my husband saw that someone was home and he went over to talk to the neighbor. They were hers, she described them to a T, they had been missing since the day before they came wandering into my yard. My neighbor thought they were in someone's freezer by now, she heard several shots and figured since they escaped someone probably shot them. We told her we took good care of them but went through the Sheriff's Office and she would have to call them because we needed to be reimbursed for feed and care...she agreed to pay me back for the feed, she was just happy to get them back safe and sound. My neighbor and her daughter came over with a small bucket of food...dog food. I showed her the pigs and she was so happy to see them alive and well. We talked a bit, she moved here from Dallas too! She too is new to raising farm animals but has three pigs and a few chickens.
She had to repair her pen before she got her pigs and I told her that was fine, they had already been fed and it would probably be easier if she came and got them when they were hungry, that we had been feeding them around five or so. I was not ready when she came by to get them. All of my poultry was out and after she put a rope on one and it went crazy and started bucking like a bronco to get the rope off...I figured I should put up my birds. I really didn't want them getting hurt while she was trying to retrieve her pigs. The pigs were not huge but an 80 pound pig could do so major damage to a five pound chicken or a 15 pound goose or turkey. My husband tried to help her while I was doing a mass poultry roundup. It did not go well. I was busy rounding up chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys and I would look over and she would be getting dragged around the pen. At one point she was on the ground rubbed down the male...my husband said it was having a panic attack or something.
We tried different tactics, she left and came back with a heavy duty cage, one of her friends showed up and they tried getting one pig in the cage, they got the big one in the cage but the side door was not latched well and it popped open and she escaped. She tried to get one to follow her home with food...but it came running back to my house. I went and got the bucket of food I had ready and we both tried to get her to follow us to her house, we got almost to the driveway and a car drove by and the pig hi-tailed it back to my yard. It ran up and down the fence driving my dogs nuts. Then it took off down the side of my fenced area and around the back of my poultry area trying to get back to the pen with it's buddy. I figured it would be better to be inside the fenced area and I was able to coax it back into the larger area, but then it started flopping down in the mud and running up and down the backyard fence driving the dogs crazy again...and then I found out pigs like to eat rose bushes. The guys finally got the male pig into the cage and loaded onto the cart, up the hill and I was able to get the big gate opened and they moved the cage next to the SUV...all four of us lifted the cage into the back of the SUV but the little pigs foot went through the bottom of the cage and the weight of it hurt him and he squealed something awful...I noticed his foot and our neighbor was able to work the foot back into the cage while we held it up. Boy was I glad when they drove away with him...one down, one to go!
I went and put the dogs into the house since the pig was running the fence and driving them nuts. It was easier to get it to come to me and I kept scratching it's back and it really enjoyed that so it stayed close...lol, it stretched way out like a dog does when you scratch them on the back almost to the tail...it was pretty funny, but it sure made it easier to keep it from running the yard. It found a wet spot and enjoyed rubbing in the mud...so it was pretty much covered and her owner ended up pretty much covered in mud too. Miss Piggy decided to run once again when she saw the cage, my husband suggested marshmallows to coax her into the cage so I ran and got some...my neighbor tried to get her into the cage using them, but that pig knew not to go into it...that it was a trap. Our neighbor said she wished she had beef jerky...because the pig loved it. I just happened to have some beef jerky...between it and the giant marshmallows Miss Piggy finally went into the cage, ok, it took more than one piece of jerky...the pig and the owner had a bit of a tug of war with the first one. We repeated the loading process using the piano dolly...she was heavier and at least she didn't have any parts going through the bars on the cage...the only one that got hurt was my husband getting his hand somewhat smashed during loading. He is fine, nothing too bad..but I will tell you this, it will be awhile before we are ready for pigs.
When we were out feeding the poultry I noticed the rope and the leash were left behind...so I imagine I will see the neighbor lady again before too long...especially if she didn't get her pen fixed good enough, I think the pigs were very happy here on their mini-vacation...they had about a 36'x65' garden area to root around in...ate well and got a lot of attention..they may be back, but at least I know where they belong now.
She had to repair her pen before she got her pigs and I told her that was fine, they had already been fed and it would probably be easier if she came and got them when they were hungry, that we had been feeding them around five or so. I was not ready when she came by to get them. All of my poultry was out and after she put a rope on one and it went crazy and started bucking like a bronco to get the rope off...I figured I should put up my birds. I really didn't want them getting hurt while she was trying to retrieve her pigs. The pigs were not huge but an 80 pound pig could do so major damage to a five pound chicken or a 15 pound goose or turkey. My husband tried to help her while I was doing a mass poultry roundup. It did not go well. I was busy rounding up chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys and I would look over and she would be getting dragged around the pen. At one point she was on the ground rubbed down the male...my husband said it was having a panic attack or something.
We tried different tactics, she left and came back with a heavy duty cage, one of her friends showed up and they tried getting one pig in the cage, they got the big one in the cage but the side door was not latched well and it popped open and she escaped. She tried to get one to follow her home with food...but it came running back to my house. I went and got the bucket of food I had ready and we both tried to get her to follow us to her house, we got almost to the driveway and a car drove by and the pig hi-tailed it back to my yard. It ran up and down the fence driving my dogs nuts. Then it took off down the side of my fenced area and around the back of my poultry area trying to get back to the pen with it's buddy. I figured it would be better to be inside the fenced area and I was able to coax it back into the larger area, but then it started flopping down in the mud and running up and down the backyard fence driving the dogs crazy again...and then I found out pigs like to eat rose bushes. The guys finally got the male pig into the cage and loaded onto the cart, up the hill and I was able to get the big gate opened and they moved the cage next to the SUV...all four of us lifted the cage into the back of the SUV but the little pigs foot went through the bottom of the cage and the weight of it hurt him and he squealed something awful...I noticed his foot and our neighbor was able to work the foot back into the cage while we held it up. Boy was I glad when they drove away with him...one down, one to go!
I went and put the dogs into the house since the pig was running the fence and driving them nuts. It was easier to get it to come to me and I kept scratching it's back and it really enjoyed that so it stayed close...lol, it stretched way out like a dog does when you scratch them on the back almost to the tail...it was pretty funny, but it sure made it easier to keep it from running the yard. It found a wet spot and enjoyed rubbing in the mud...so it was pretty much covered and her owner ended up pretty much covered in mud too. Miss Piggy decided to run once again when she saw the cage, my husband suggested marshmallows to coax her into the cage so I ran and got some...my neighbor tried to get her into the cage using them, but that pig knew not to go into it...that it was a trap. Our neighbor said she wished she had beef jerky...because the pig loved it. I just happened to have some beef jerky...between it and the giant marshmallows Miss Piggy finally went into the cage, ok, it took more than one piece of jerky...the pig and the owner had a bit of a tug of war with the first one. We repeated the loading process using the piano dolly...she was heavier and at least she didn't have any parts going through the bars on the cage...the only one that got hurt was my husband getting his hand somewhat smashed during loading. He is fine, nothing too bad..but I will tell you this, it will be awhile before we are ready for pigs.
When we were out feeding the poultry I noticed the rope and the leash were left behind...so I imagine I will see the neighbor lady again before too long...especially if she didn't get her pen fixed good enough, I think the pigs were very happy here on their mini-vacation...they had about a 36'x65' garden area to root around in...ate well and got a lot of attention..they may be back, but at least I know where they belong now.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Oh My, Pigs Are Messy!
Pigs like to wallow in mud, but I didn't know they would create their own mud by dumping every container of water we put into the enclosure. We moved the pigs from the backyard because they kept rubbing up against the fence, the house and anything else they could. They dug pits to lay in too, and rooted up around the slab on the house and out at the patio.
We currently have them in a garden area, it is overgrown with weeds...but they can root around all they want out there. It is just 2"x4" field fence though. They escaped the first time we got them in the garden, the gate was very flimsy. I made a sturdy gate and got it hung up and so far it is holding. I think as long as they have food and mud, and shade they will stay in the garden. They will follow you if you have food, but I got my foot stepped on and got pretty muddy yesterday trying to get it set up for them...and I put their food in dog dishes...kinda silly, but easier to carry. So far they like dog food pretty well, I put corn and oats with it and most of those were left on the ground. I guess we have picky eaters.
I thought they had escaped yesterday, I couldn't see them...the pool was overturned and so was the 20 gallon barrel...I went in the enclosure and next thing you know these empty containers started moving...and the two pigs came out. They were well camouflaged with thick mud. I went and got some dog food and cracked corn for them and ended up getting my foot stepped on and mud rubbed all over me. After I put down the food I tried getting the containers flipped back over and refilled. I got an old tarp and we strung it up to give them some shade. It was in bad shape and was sort of falling apart, but it worked until today...they pulled it and it tore more, so I put a new tarp up over the rooster pens, and took the smaller tarps down and used one of them for shade for the pigs...I picked one that was also not in the best shape, but if they can reach it...I didn't want to waste a new tarp finding out.
I think both of the containers they dumped totaled about 75 gallons, maybe more...they made a couple of good sized mud pits after the water softened up the ground and they rooted up all the grass. The pits are deep enough that it is hard to tell anything is wallowing in the mud, until they move. We took the 20 gallon container out and replaced it with the bigger Rubbermaid trough we had in the goose area...I think it holds 55 gallons and is large enough for one of the pigs to lay in. So far they have not flipped it over. My husband got the hose and refilled their mud holes today, squirted them down a little too...they really enjoy that. I can't really blame them wanting in the mud, since they have been here, these great big huge horse flies have been getting on them. I thought about spraying some bug repellent on the poor things, but I am not sure if it would hurt them. So for now, mud is their best protection.
Oh, and I remember the stench of the pig farm that use to be off of Highway 30 and Beach Street when I was a kid, so far it doesn't smell that bad...but pig poop does stink. I am sure it will be smelling pretty gross if they are here much longer. If they clean up the weeds out in the garden and turn the soil well, it is soft enough and the area is big enough for the two of them it shouldn't get too awful. Once the weeds are gone, I can rake the area easier anyway. In our heat here in Texas, things usually dry up fast and break down pretty quickly...but in the mean time my garden plot is getting fertilized and aerated pretty well. If we end up being pig owners I will have to build a shelter in the shade for them a bit further away from the house and the chicken yard. Maybe down by the creek someplace so I don't have to supply as much mud water for them...lol, we shall see what happens. I still wonder if someone dropped them off because they couldn't feed them any more? Who knows, in the mean time they are safe and sound...they won't get hit by a logging truck going 60 miles an hour and I feel better knowing a coyote won't be eating them for dinner.
We currently have them in a garden area, it is overgrown with weeds...but they can root around all they want out there. It is just 2"x4" field fence though. They escaped the first time we got them in the garden, the gate was very flimsy. I made a sturdy gate and got it hung up and so far it is holding. I think as long as they have food and mud, and shade they will stay in the garden. They will follow you if you have food, but I got my foot stepped on and got pretty muddy yesterday trying to get it set up for them...and I put their food in dog dishes...kinda silly, but easier to carry. So far they like dog food pretty well, I put corn and oats with it and most of those were left on the ground. I guess we have picky eaters.
I thought they had escaped yesterday, I couldn't see them...the pool was overturned and so was the 20 gallon barrel...I went in the enclosure and next thing you know these empty containers started moving...and the two pigs came out. They were well camouflaged with thick mud. I went and got some dog food and cracked corn for them and ended up getting my foot stepped on and mud rubbed all over me. After I put down the food I tried getting the containers flipped back over and refilled. I got an old tarp and we strung it up to give them some shade. It was in bad shape and was sort of falling apart, but it worked until today...they pulled it and it tore more, so I put a new tarp up over the rooster pens, and took the smaller tarps down and used one of them for shade for the pigs...I picked one that was also not in the best shape, but if they can reach it...I didn't want to waste a new tarp finding out.
I think both of the containers they dumped totaled about 75 gallons, maybe more...they made a couple of good sized mud pits after the water softened up the ground and they rooted up all the grass. The pits are deep enough that it is hard to tell anything is wallowing in the mud, until they move. We took the 20 gallon container out and replaced it with the bigger Rubbermaid trough we had in the goose area...I think it holds 55 gallons and is large enough for one of the pigs to lay in. So far they have not flipped it over. My husband got the hose and refilled their mud holes today, squirted them down a little too...they really enjoy that. I can't really blame them wanting in the mud, since they have been here, these great big huge horse flies have been getting on them. I thought about spraying some bug repellent on the poor things, but I am not sure if it would hurt them. So for now, mud is their best protection.
Oh, and I remember the stench of the pig farm that use to be off of Highway 30 and Beach Street when I was a kid, so far it doesn't smell that bad...but pig poop does stink. I am sure it will be smelling pretty gross if they are here much longer. If they clean up the weeds out in the garden and turn the soil well, it is soft enough and the area is big enough for the two of them it shouldn't get too awful. Once the weeds are gone, I can rake the area easier anyway. In our heat here in Texas, things usually dry up fast and break down pretty quickly...but in the mean time my garden plot is getting fertilized and aerated pretty well. If we end up being pig owners I will have to build a shelter in the shade for them a bit further away from the house and the chicken yard. Maybe down by the creek someplace so I don't have to supply as much mud water for them...lol, we shall see what happens. I still wonder if someone dropped them off because they couldn't feed them any more? Who knows, in the mean time they are safe and sound...they won't get hit by a logging truck going 60 miles an hour and I feel better knowing a coyote won't be eating them for dinner.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Well...They Didn't Escape
I woke up this morning thinking maybe the pigs I have in my fenced backyard may have escaped...they did not. They did root around a bit, one section of my fence line won't have to be weeded for awhile. We gave them some more dog food for breakfast this morning and scratch grains, I don't happen to have any pig feed handy and they didn't care for the chicken feed I gave them yesterday. One of my Facebook friends said they need five to eight pounds of food a day each...I guess it is a good thing I just got a 55 pound bag of dog food. My husband went and talked to more neighbors to see if anyone was missing any pigs...so far we have not found the owners.
They are friendly pigs, they like getting squirted with the water hose, like being scratched on their ears. My dogs got out in the backyard for a minute with them, Sophie barked at them, Kensie wagged her tail, and Bailee has the shock collar on and didn't approach them or bark at them...she is my hog dog, and a hunter...I thought it was necessary. I wouldn't mind keeping them if we had a proper place to do it, we have discussed other farm animals but we need the money to feed them too. I am not sure how big these will get, but from what my Facebook friends said, they are between 3 and 4 months old. One of my neighbors has a pig at least 5 feet long...they are not his pigs and he told us good luck feeding them!
I am not real sure what we will do with them, but I don't want to keep them in my backyard forever. If we kept them they would need a pen of some sort, that is a bit more sturdy than our current fencing. They probably would need a house too, it does get cold here...but I am not real sure how hardy pigs are. I guess I should read up on them and find out. My husband went to work...I wonder if he will come home with pig food?
I have chores to get done, but it is already hot outside. I wet down an area in the yard with some shade and hosed them down already. I may post a found add on the Trading Post and on some local Facebook sites. We have gotten no calls from the Deputy, no neighbors are missing and pigs.
I built a sturdy gate for my lower garden area, after much running around we finely got the pigs moved, have pool setup in the garden and a half barrel full of water. Hopefully they won't escape tonight either. I am hoping they will eat the weeds in there, I gave them more dog food but I will buy some pig chow as soon as I can get to town. I keep wondering if pigs are suppose to be tagged or tattooed or something for identification purposes, I have not found any markings or tattoos, but I have not examined them really closely but I am still a little afraid of them. They can flip 25 gallon containers of water over easily and I imagine it would hurt pretty badly if they ran into me or stepped on my foot. I will hang some shade cloth so they have shade all day out there and if no one claims them I may put up a structure for them to get out of the weather...I can use the parts from my old duck house that I just took apart.
I wonder if pigs like carrots? I need to make friends with them...it would probably be easier to bribe them to get them to follow me, I guess I will learn about pigs next. I thought my first bigger animal might be a goat, but...I don't know anything about pigs or goats yet.
They are friendly pigs, they like getting squirted with the water hose, like being scratched on their ears. My dogs got out in the backyard for a minute with them, Sophie barked at them, Kensie wagged her tail, and Bailee has the shock collar on and didn't approach them or bark at them...she is my hog dog, and a hunter...I thought it was necessary. I wouldn't mind keeping them if we had a proper place to do it, we have discussed other farm animals but we need the money to feed them too. I am not sure how big these will get, but from what my Facebook friends said, they are between 3 and 4 months old. One of my neighbors has a pig at least 5 feet long...they are not his pigs and he told us good luck feeding them!
I am not real sure what we will do with them, but I don't want to keep them in my backyard forever. If we kept them they would need a pen of some sort, that is a bit more sturdy than our current fencing. They probably would need a house too, it does get cold here...but I am not real sure how hardy pigs are. I guess I should read up on them and find out. My husband went to work...I wonder if he will come home with pig food?
I have chores to get done, but it is already hot outside. I wet down an area in the yard with some shade and hosed them down already. I may post a found add on the Trading Post and on some local Facebook sites. We have gotten no calls from the Deputy, no neighbors are missing and pigs.
I built a sturdy gate for my lower garden area, after much running around we finely got the pigs moved, have pool setup in the garden and a half barrel full of water. Hopefully they won't escape tonight either. I am hoping they will eat the weeds in there, I gave them more dog food but I will buy some pig chow as soon as I can get to town. I keep wondering if pigs are suppose to be tagged or tattooed or something for identification purposes, I have not found any markings or tattoos, but I have not examined them really closely but I am still a little afraid of them. They can flip 25 gallon containers of water over easily and I imagine it would hurt pretty badly if they ran into me or stepped on my foot. I will hang some shade cloth so they have shade all day out there and if no one claims them I may put up a structure for them to get out of the weather...I can use the parts from my old duck house that I just took apart.
I wonder if pigs like carrots? I need to make friends with them...it would probably be easier to bribe them to get them to follow me, I guess I will learn about pigs next. I thought my first bigger animal might be a goat, but...I don't know anything about pigs or goats yet.
Some Days Are Very Interesting...
Today started off normal, but certainly didn't end that way.
I went out and did some normal chores, filling up waterers, making sure the animals are all doing well, picking up things...let the turkeys out because hubby forgot, checked on the baby ducks...things like that. I decided to dismantle the "Lowboy" that was damaged, went and got keys to the shed and collected tools to start to work on it. Sometimes it seems bad to build things well, especially if you want to reuse parts...the Lowboy was basically made from 2"x2" and 2"x4" pressure treated pine, the sides just had chicken wire stapled to them, the top was already torn hardware cloth. You would think since it was put together with screws and chicken wire it would be quick and easy to take apart. It was not. It is not...I got sidetracked and helped by turkeys, it is not completely apart.
I went to get some ice water, today was kind of hot. The UPS guy stopped and made a delivery. I went and got the packages and opened them, new light bulbs for the heat lamps and shade cloth came today, I have to finish pens to separate more roosters...shade cloth is for over the last two pens. I sold 14 chickens to get the money to do it...and help feed the poultry. Anyway, while I was up at the house I saw something run across the street. I thought it was deer and walked over to see if I could see them behind the shed...when all the sudden two pigs came out from behind the shed.
They were decent size pigs and I was thinking, we have not had any wild pig signs out here...they bee-lined it to my grapevines and I thought they would tear them up. I yelled at them and they came towards me, but swerved when they saw the kiddie pool out by the tree...they jumped in the pool! I know nothing about pigs, I ran and got my camera...I figured my husband wouldn't believe me unless I had proof. Then I went out and took a few pictures, and called him. Since we already had a cow loose on our property, he believed me when I told him about the pigs. He had to go before I was able to ask him any questions...he was at work and a customer came in.
Anyway, I decided to try and get them into the backyard. We have logging trucks that drive by at 60 miles an hour on our street and didn't want them to get hurt. I also figured someone would probably come looking for them, they did when we had a cow loose on our land. I got some dog food and poured some on the ground, they gobbled it up. I went and got more and shook the container and called them and they came running. I dumped it out in my back yard. I am a member of a few groups on Social Media and asked what to do...I called the Sheriffs Office since we live out in an unincorporated area in the boonies. They had a Deputy call me back.
I heard a commotion outside and went to investigate. They had dumped out the dogs waterer, the bottle part was on the ground and wetting the porch...along with my feed barrel that was about a quarter full of scratch grains...the scratch grains were all over the porch and both pigs were munching it down. I opened the security door and retrieved the big container and lid. At this point I was unsure of how friendly they were or if they were feral hogs or domestic. I thought they were domestic, I have seen wild hogs before and they didn't look like them. But I consulted with the group and got some answers, I have never dealt with pigs before and it was kind of scary to me...I have heard they can eat people, I gave them more food...I am not ready to take care of pigs, not sure I should start off with any this big. I am guessing the weight of the larger one at 120 pounds, the smaller one at around 80 pounds...female is larger, the male...well I saw pictures of males posted on the Facebook group, he has either been fixed, or is very young still.
I hosed them down and they enjoyed it, they never rushed me or anything so they are pretty friendly, they flopped down in the water as I was wetting them down. The members of the group told me they can sunburn easy. I even was able to scratch their ears. They seem like they are people friendly.
I went out and did some normal chores, filling up waterers, making sure the animals are all doing well, picking up things...let the turkeys out because hubby forgot, checked on the baby ducks...things like that. I decided to dismantle the "Lowboy" that was damaged, went and got keys to the shed and collected tools to start to work on it. Sometimes it seems bad to build things well, especially if you want to reuse parts...the Lowboy was basically made from 2"x2" and 2"x4" pressure treated pine, the sides just had chicken wire stapled to them, the top was already torn hardware cloth. You would think since it was put together with screws and chicken wire it would be quick and easy to take apart. It was not. It is not...I got sidetracked and helped by turkeys, it is not completely apart.
I went to get some ice water, today was kind of hot. The UPS guy stopped and made a delivery. I went and got the packages and opened them, new light bulbs for the heat lamps and shade cloth came today, I have to finish pens to separate more roosters...shade cloth is for over the last two pens. I sold 14 chickens to get the money to do it...and help feed the poultry. Anyway, while I was up at the house I saw something run across the street. I thought it was deer and walked over to see if I could see them behind the shed...when all the sudden two pigs came out from behind the shed.
They were decent size pigs and I was thinking, we have not had any wild pig signs out here...they bee-lined it to my grapevines and I thought they would tear them up. I yelled at them and they came towards me, but swerved when they saw the kiddie pool out by the tree...they jumped in the pool! I know nothing about pigs, I ran and got my camera...I figured my husband wouldn't believe me unless I had proof. Then I went out and took a few pictures, and called him. Since we already had a cow loose on our property, he believed me when I told him about the pigs. He had to go before I was able to ask him any questions...he was at work and a customer came in.
Anyway, I decided to try and get them into the backyard. We have logging trucks that drive by at 60 miles an hour on our street and didn't want them to get hurt. I also figured someone would probably come looking for them, they did when we had a cow loose on our land. I got some dog food and poured some on the ground, they gobbled it up. I went and got more and shook the container and called them and they came running. I dumped it out in my back yard. I am a member of a few groups on Social Media and asked what to do...I called the Sheriffs Office since we live out in an unincorporated area in the boonies. They had a Deputy call me back.
I heard a commotion outside and went to investigate. They had dumped out the dogs waterer, the bottle part was on the ground and wetting the porch...along with my feed barrel that was about a quarter full of scratch grains...the scratch grains were all over the porch and both pigs were munching it down. I opened the security door and retrieved the big container and lid. At this point I was unsure of how friendly they were or if they were feral hogs or domestic. I thought they were domestic, I have seen wild hogs before and they didn't look like them. But I consulted with the group and got some answers, I have never dealt with pigs before and it was kind of scary to me...I have heard they can eat people, I gave them more food...I am not ready to take care of pigs, not sure I should start off with any this big. I am guessing the weight of the larger one at 120 pounds, the smaller one at around 80 pounds...female is larger, the male...well I saw pictures of males posted on the Facebook group, he has either been fixed, or is very young still.
I hosed them down and they enjoyed it, they never rushed me or anything so they are pretty friendly, they flopped down in the water as I was wetting them down. The members of the group told me they can sunburn easy. I even was able to scratch their ears. They seem like they are people friendly.
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