Firsts

This is just the best time of year!

 

Everything is just exploding with new life and we have the whole summer ahead of us to enjoy it! The trees are filling out with bright green leaves, seedlings are shooting up everywhere and piglets are exploring the world with nosy enthusiasm. I love being out and about in the busyness of creation. Birds are filling all that winter silence with their chattering, critters are out and about everywhere and the amazing earthy smells from the warm summer breezes are such a treat to take in. I have such a hard time staying inside for long.

We have had some firsts around here this last week. Some exciting firsts, and others I am sincerely hoping that there won't be a second!

First of all, we weaned our little piglets and put them out for the first time. They are being hot line trained and I am working to get all the ticklish out of them so we can handle and measure them as needed.
We have made a tradition of taking a family photo as we put our piglets out and this is the first year they are piglets that have been born on the farm! Not only that, they are healthy, feisty little Berkshires, which is a breed I have been admiring for a while. Its thrilling to see your dreams pulling together.

Letting the little guys out for the first time

This is a good first spot for them because there is a strong physical fence to contain them while they learn to respect the hot line.



They took a bit to figure out the hotline. Probably because once one touched they would all pile on top of each other and squish together. Then when the next one touched it would shock the whole group. I was scratching one today on the edge of the group and I got shocked through them all!

Horses are always watching them

Wondering what goodie I have for them today

Little farm girl has bonded with them. They seem to enjoy the same activities together.

They say pigs are very intelligent and we have been toying with that a bit. Before we fill the pig trough with feed we have been spooning some to the piglets who are willing to sit. Its crazy cute to see a piglet sitting for its dinner and I like watching the wheels turn in those little heads.

Nope, that is not how you get the food!

That'll do pig!

Another first. A loose pig in the barn. It was my fault really. I noticed something was wrong with how her latch was closing and I couldn't get it sorted out, but I also couldn't get her door open so I figured she would be fine. Thankfully she got out into the barn isle and I had closed up the barn over night. Its was quite a surprise to walk into the barn in the morning and see her her blinking in a very satisfied way while lying in a  pig sized crater in the barn isle. I don't think the dirt floor in there will ever be the same!

Right after that I went outside to discover a bear in the hay field. Not a big surprise really, but it was another first for me.

Once I went in, I watched little farm boy take his first tottering steps across the living room. A big first for him!

And then I also got my first mosquito bite of the year. I guess it had to happen at some point...



We have lots of different egg cartons we regularly reuse and I did a bit of research on the different egg labels that are all over them: cage free, free range, free run, omega enriched, vegetarian fed and so on. It was pretty disappointed to read what they actually mean. If the best you can say about your eggs is you don't feed your chickens other animal byproducts, that is kind of frightening! I also stumbled on some interesting research and articles regarding pastured eggs and how much more nutrition they contain, but I think that would be another whole blog in itself!



Our chickens are thoroughly enjoying being out. We were moving them every 3-4 days when we first put them out. I am glad to see the grass is growing quickly and we don't have to move them quite so often. In the this picture you can see the spots they had been. I replace and rake out their hay bedding from the camper over the areas so it looks kind of yellow. 



And an interesting observation. I actually noticed last year that we had the same crows around all the time.
Last year we had a Momma crow with three babies. They were around for most of the summer and they really made me laugh. The "babies" were indistinguishable from their mother until she would find a worm or insect. Suddenly there would be three full sized crows throwing themselves at her with their mouths wide open like baby birds. It would be a big cawing commotion and she would feed them as they all fought to be closest to her. It went on for a good chunk of the summer and I am sure they were fully capably of looking after themselves.

This year we have a crow with a limp. Its like one of her feet is stuck in a closed grip position. She hobbles around and seems to go places with us as we work around the farm. I am actually starting to think of her as a bit of a companion. Its kind of weird too and I imagine I am thinking to much into it, but three times now when I have gotten home she is waiting at the end of the driveway and comes with me to the house.

Anyway, as always, lots to do!