It's Pig Time

Last night, I brought home four new pigs.

From left, clockwise: Poomba, Escargo, Porkie, and BB'q.
Our new American Guinea Hog piglets will provide tilling services,
waste management, and delicious meat.

The pigs are purebred, unregistered American Guinea Hogs. The breed is a thick-framed, small-sized, docile breed known for their excellent meat, friendly demeanor, and their lard.

5 Reasons to Keep Backyard Chickens

As keeping flocks of backyard chickens is growing in popularity, people are also starting to realize the many benefits of raising a backyard flock. Different people may have different reasons, to be sure, but the cumulative benefits cannot be understated. From insect control to fresh eggs, from fertilizer to entertainment, backyard chickens are a great move.

Keeping your own chickens is more than just cheap entertainment!

I have 16 grown chickens (15 egg layers and a rooster), and another 16 chickens in the chick-u-bator. Wife and I have discussed getting another 20-30 meat birds this summer. So, we'll be up to our necks in chickens before long.

But that's a good thing.

A Cow for the Whole Family

Bridget Da'Cow is truly a family cow for us.

Bridget Da'Cow with Thing #3 (left), Thing #1 (middle), and Thing #2 (right).
I tethered her near the family while we worked on reinforcing the paddock fences.

She is extremely docile, has already mastered halter leading, and even stays perfectly still when the kids are nearby petting her. I think they petted her like this^ for a good 30 minutes. Bridget didn't budge.

Seeds are Sprouting!

Wife started some seeds last week, and they're sprouting!

Emerging broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and celery. Yay!

They're just poking up. In addition to the tray here, Wife also started some pepper and tomato plants for Round 1 of this year's plantings. We've only ever done a single planting, but starting early and expanding the gardens this year should allow for 2, maybe 3, plantings.

It's almost spring! Woo hoo!

First NFP Class in the Books

First CCL class: taught!

Wife and I taught our very first NFP class yesterday! It went really, really well. We met the couple in their homes since the husband travels for work. Their schedule did not exactly line up with our planned course offering, so went ahead and met at a more convenient time for everyone.

It worked out very well. It was nice to sit a more relaxed environment as we get used to being teachers. I think it helped us calm our anxiousness and first-time jitters. Plus, all of the kids all played together, so we didn't even have to worry about babysitting.

All in all, it was a great class, and a great experience for us as first-time NFP teachers.

Reinforcing Combo Panels

As part of out big plans for 2014, I bought sixteen 16'-long by 52"-inch tall combo panels. They are a very thick gauge wire, and the horizontal wires are spaced progressively closer as you go toward the ground. The reason for these specific panels will become clear in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

But in the meantime, the cows have been hanging out in here while we wait for the grass to start growing so we can tether them out. Despite the wire gauge thickness, the panels are very flexible. After a few days, they all started bowing outward as the cows gently nudged them to bite off a few more lingering blades of grass. With the expectation of progressively more and more, uh, wear and tear, I had to upgrade them. So we made a Saturday family project out of it.

Finished product from the weekend's labor. Chicken coop in the distance.

This picture shows the reinforced edge of the corral at the moment. I only got halfway done on Saturday (8 out of 16 panels). I'll have to finish another weekend. But, let's step through how I made the combo panels stronger.

Is Pot Pie Preggo?

Pot Pie is looking a little more round than before, and more than the others.

Pot Pie, middle, looking plump and carrying.

Wife noticed her abdomen move slightly on Friday. Like there was a little lamb wiggling about in there. That's really exciting for us. The sheep have been very good lawnmowers, and I love being welcomed home with a "Baaa!" But we really got them for, ya know, the lambs.