Initial Pig Progress

Minor changes so far, besides the hat upgrade for Trins we've changed this activity to...

...bulk feed delivery, it saves $91 per ton (a "stop-gap" measure until we can get the pigs into bigger paddocks and save even more money after they are less dependent on feed)

"plus it tastes better"

Sammy making sure the pigs agree while assessing morale.

Cutting of surplus concrete grid reinforcement with bolt cutters to make additional temporary fencing.

They measure 16' x 8' and if cut in three sections you get 48 linear feet of fencing that is almost 3' high (sufficiently high to keep pigs in) but still heavy so as a bonus you get good exercise installing them.  These are going into the wood line so the pigs have access to shade (you need to offer them the means to cool down like in an area for them to wallow or shade since they don't sweat).

Once a new area is available, they don't waste any time entering it.  One immediately hears a slightly squeaky sound as they pull on grass and other plants with their mouths.

Here is portion of a long term paddock plan, still in draft.  Thought has been put into available forages, topology and efficiency - for example this area has a northern facing slope and for some reason is well disposed for huge oaks (which means these paddocks can be used for finishing the pigs on acorns in the fall), there is also a significant ravine on the north edge to be avoided (crossing ravines increases fencing costs in addition to engendering gaps) but I'm still able to define paddocks that are about 1 acre each.  The yellow lines are to be 20' removable gates to funnel pigs as needed and water troughs will be placed across the fencing that divides paddocks in order to maximize their use (as opposed to buying a trough for each paddock).

Now it's time for a break.  What's going on in the kitchen?

Get down from there! Can't focus on this post with plates dropping on the floor!

Where was I?  Oh yeah, about bees.  We had a visit from a bear (wasn't happy to find this).  Notice the comb has been scooped out and piled on the ground (it also left behind tracks).

All bee HOAs have now been upgraded to gated communities (used 16' x 8' grid cut into two sections, so fencing is 4' high), wrecked comb from the bear encounter is where it was originally dropped in the bottom right, the hive was put back together and now inside the fencing.  The resident bee keeper says it's not the honey that bears are after, apparently they like to munch on the brood.  A week later bees were still coming in and out of the damaged have.  I will be amazed if it survives, only 10-15% of the comb was left in it.

A Predicament For Pigs...

Imagine being confined in a room with no way out and no bathroom.  The only food are slices of Wonder Bread thrown in a bin once a day and water that is dirty enough to be confused with tea.  You are also with bunch of other people, including siblings, for weeks and now months... that would be horrible (and you don't have a smart phone either).

That’s the situation that needs to be resolved for almost 100 pigs.  They have been confined in various paddocks which are now denuded of desirable forages (this pen used to have a nice sward).  Allowing the extinction of all the plants and grasses will also hinder future recovery of this area - the wind will send topsoil airborne and when the rains come even more topsoil will leave with surface run-off.

Some paddocks are in better condition but still damaged.  In addition to the poor conditions a confinement model fosters, this particular situation has been unsustainable from a business perspective - the feed costs have been considerable.  They've also only been fed cracked corn which offers too much energy (analogous to Wonder Bread) and insufficient quantities of other essential nutrients like protein.

No... this isn't tea.  Access to water and its quality is essential to ensuring a pig's health.  This trough was the cleanest.  In one paddock it appeared that the pigs weren't thirsty but that was only because the float mechanism was hindered by debris and didn't allow sufficient water to flow to where they drink from.

One quick solution for halting the "bleeding" (i.e., lower or eliminate the feed costs) and improve their diet is to provide left overs from meals, or restaurant scraps.  But the state dictates that feeding leftovers or restaurant food to pigs is against the law.  The claim is that pigs can get sick from the food you or I eat – this has been done since time immemorial with domesticated pigs with no problem, so what's the real issue?  I suspect if the research is done one will discover that the large pork producers lobbied for such a law because it is an abundant resource available to small producers which would greatly reduce their costs and impact the market share of the large producers – a topic for another post.

What’s the solution then?  I think we're going to allow pigs to be pigs, by converting this system to one that allows them to forage as they normally would (also should eventually cut down on labor hours).  Sounds simple, but to implement this it takes research and thought to design paddocks that facilitate livestock management while allowing them to consume what they’re designed to eat without creating a lunar surface everywhere they go.  Once implemented the goal is to cut feed costs 85%.

We opened a small portion of fresh pasture to see what they would do - would they graze or root, and how long will it last?

The condition of that same area five days later. As you can see, they graze.  They only begin to root once the forage on top is depleted.

We plan on posting our progress. We’ve set some initial goals for the next six months but in the time being there is a lot to think about (or meditate on, and yes, for those wondering we’ve scheduled an appointment for Sammy with the Oracle). Now on to other (kind of) unrelated things as usual.

Tried to take a short cut thru some temporary electrified wire.  Idea was to lay a few posts down and drive over them.  Usually works but this time one of the wires caught on a steering component.  I told Sammy not to touch the wires and to leave that for...

...Pippi, who eventually touched the wire and discovered it was "hot."  It's always nice when someone else confirms.  I've noticed that 5-6,000 volts causes adults to involuntarily shout expletives.

Converting Grass to Food

The top right side of this pic would normally be cut by a lawn mower and the clippings placed in the trash or at best in a composter.  What amazes me is that a cow is a machine that converts this resource into milk, butter, cheese or meat.  The input costs are nothing other than the time required to implement sound pasture management practices.  In this pic we just apportioned a new section of yard/pasture for the cows by repositioning fence posts, running more electric wire and moving the water troughs (don’t forget to turn the fence energizer off or you’ll know what an AED feels like).  Size and time spent in an area depends upon the time of year, number of cows and condition of pasture.  Your lawn will not look as pretty as when cut by a lawn mower but… there is a special satisfaction from function staking - by having animals mow AND produce food.  (You apportion and rotate cows thru sections of your yard/pasture in order to maximize the productivity of grass.  If not managed cows will damage the pasture by only eating what is most appealing to them - it happens as the grass is re-bitten after trying to regrow after the initial bite. This is repeated and the grass' root stock then shrinks in proportion to its stalk height.  As the roots shrink more soil is available for less desirable or unpalatable species of grass and weeds so the best grasses in your pasture die off and the less desirable grasses or weeds take over).

Once the grass is converted to milk it is extracted by little kids.  It doesn’t matter if it’s raining.  The trampoline moves with the cows during very hot days to offer shade in paddocks where no trees are present.

If you’re really good at managing cows you’ll have a winter reserve pasture(s).  We had to supplement with hay.  This was a night time drop over the wire of a ~1000lb bale.

You can keep your bales exposed but we try to keep them covered if possible.  They also allow for kids to push each other off of them.  Looks cute but they are ruthless.  The fun stopped after Liberty got the air knocked out of her.  In this pic Keena is about to use Liberty as a step on her way to challenge Trinity.  (This is where I start to digress and this post eventually goes off the rails.)

Caleb used a different approach to feeding his hives this year.  He built these trays for Warré hives and filled them with heated liquid sugar.

The girls did very well at speech and debate this year, they cleaned up with a few of their friends.

It was cause enough for Trins to celebrate with a bottle of soy sauce even though she won fourth place.  Good thing she didn't win first place.

 

This pic was taken at the church where Caleb attends college.  Churches sure aren't made like this anymore.

This pic was taken at our church fellowship meal where we are members (in Caleb's church the stall partitions are made out of limestone).  It appears that Sammy and friends discovered that these lever activated fountains were useful for rinsing spoons.  A good reminder to pray for the Lord’s blessing upon your meal before eating.