chores
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nature’s green acres
Our chores begin far before any birds or pigs arrive. While we feed cattle all winter, we are also planning and brainstorming for the spring. Fixing and building pens, planning the garden, deciding on how many chickens and pigs we’ll raise, trying out different marketing ideas and much more.
Before you know it’s April and calving time begins. We’ve been blessed with a herd that has very few problems calving. But none the less when a cow looks close to giving birth you need to keep a close eye on her, that includes through out the night.
About mid April, just as calving has started, we pick up our day old chicks. We set them up in our homemade brooder. Each chick must have it’s beak dipped in water as soon as they arrive so they learn where their water source is, a lesson usually learned by watching their mother.
The chicks are indoors, under heat lamps, fed, watered, and given clean bedding twice a day for 3-4 weeks.
When the weather allows, usually by May long weekend, we move the now chickens to the outdoor pens to eat the new grass and tender alfalfa shoots. And we’re hopefully done calving.
Twice a day for the next 5-6 weeks, the pens are moved and fresh water is given. Along with the lush green grass the chickens and pigs are given mixed grain to balance their diet and supply the protein needed to power their bodies.
And the chores continue. Daily we check the cows and calves. Two to three times a day, we water and move the pigs. If it’s hot they need extra water, if it’s rainy they need to be moved more often so they don’t damage the ground too much by digging.
Along with feeding and watering, there’s always trouble shooting and maintenance that needs to be done.
Some where in there we take the time to pull the bull out of the pasture.
By about mid September the pigs are ready to be butchered.
So the only animals left to worry about are the cows and calves. Other then checking on them and the pasture growth, they’re pretty low maintenance. Thank goodness! By this time of year we’re tired.
This would be an example of a perfectly smooth year with no problems or breakdowns, and really we all know how likely that is!
Beginning of May we pick up our pigs. They go straight into the pens. Well, they never go straight unless they’re heading straight at you or away from you! Loading and unloading pigs is a challenge to say the least! They are extremely smart and strong! At this time we’re still calving.
The start of June the cows and calves are out to pasture. We are careful about how soon we turn them out in the spring because new grass can be over grazed by the cattle. Over grazing can shorten the growing season of the pasture. If our land’s not healthy then neither will our animals.
By July the chickens are ready to butcher.
The start of July we turn our bull out to breed the cows naturally.
About mid to end of July it’s time to cut and bale our hay to stock up the winter feed supply for the cattle.
Pigs have skin that’s a lot like ours and it sun burns very easily. Pigs also don’t sweat, for these two reasons pigs wallow in the mud. The Mud covers their skin cooling it and protecting it from the suns rays.
Because of this God given instinct, we set up a controlled, portable mud pit for the pigs. An area of the pen has a steady drizzle of water, the pigs naturally root up that area and make their own shallow mud bath. (As seen above enjoying this system)
The pigs drink from what’s called a nipple waterer, it’s like a giant hamster waterer. If we were to fill a water trough for the pigs they would instantly roll in it making it extremely muddy and shortly after, dump it. This nipple system guarantees clean water that’s always available. (as seen above and below)
For all the work this is, it’s perfect, we love our life. We’d never live any other way. There’s something pure about raising your own food. Whether it’s a garden or an animal, you feel a certain connection to and gain a huge appreciation for the way God has created everything to work in harmony.
