My skinny girlie arms are SO tired. We collected 100 bales of good alfalfa hay from my friend the straw man and then one by one we hauled them up into the mezzanine floor of the barn to wait for winter. The Teenager unloaded them from the trailer..
..and carried them through to Our John who winched them up into the hay mow (said like Miaow) using this wicked ancient old pulley (found in another friends scrap metal heap) that you pull up by hand. 
Once John had swung the bale on to the first floor, pulling on the rope attached to the apex of the barn, I disengaged this apparatus, dropped that back down to The Lanky Teenager, carried the bale across and stacked it with the others. I like to stack because then I get the hay in the order I want it because I feed out by myself all winter and no-one else does it right! 
There are three grades of hay that will need mixing at feeding time as different animals have different nutrition requirements. Grass, alfalfa/grass (Johns hay) and alfalfa. The alfalfa is the highest in protein. In NZ alfalfa is called lucerne. It is the good stuff. These bales are very heavy. There is a good solid 60 plus pounds of hay in each. ) A cow will eat half a bale a day. Usually a quarter alfalfa and a quarter grass hay. And due to the dry weather hay will be in short supply this year. So I am feeling smug about having it all in and under cover. Johns alfalfa field, though struggling, will be mown and baled later this week if all goes well.
The Shush Sisters were setting up quite the clammer as they watched us work so in the breaks I let them out for a wee run and some training. 
I have been thinking about the pigs and the cost of feeding them once they are big and I am not sure the farm can feed and house two through the winter. Also the area designated for pigs in the winter was only meant for one pig. I am very against overcrowding animals. So I am going to be looking for a nice student to sell Charlotte to. My goal is that the farm is to feed the farm. Our pigs came from a litter of eleven. I am not even sure at this point whether I will breed Sheila as that is a lot of pigs to manage and sell. If Sheila is good with her training then she will be out and about with me most days. And in the dead of winter she will be in the barn with the other animals and me, so she will not be alone.
Sometimes we make mistakes. I think that the mistake is just that a mistake. But admitting the mistake, owning it, then dealing with the mistake is very powerful. My mistake was buying two piglets, sweet and entertaining as they are at this age. But they will grow to be about 400 – 500 pound and that is not be sustainable or manageable. Not to mention having two 500 pound sows trotting around after me as I go about my work. So I need to make this better.
One can come and sit on the verandah, not two. Well, let me know what you think. You all have a voice in the farmy and many of you have very experienced voices.
Good morning. Yesterday Daisy gave so much milk that she overflowed the bucket into the air line and down into the pump. All this in just under about three minutes by the way. Luckily our John was on hand to clean and dry the lines and the pump is still going. So he has ordered a bigger bucket. The one I am using is stainless steel so I cannot see when it is full. It is a 35 pound bucket full. So I have to keep lifting it. If it feels full (a knowledge that only comes with experience and that is something I do not have) I am to stop milking and pour some out. Then either reattach the cups and start again or hand milk the last of the milk out. I hope the bigger bucket comes FAST!
Paisley Daisy is in a good paddock! All that lovely clover. This bucket is full at just over 3 gallons. The next one will be 5.
Now I had better get my tired and achy self out there and get to work.
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
85 responses to “Daisy’s Cup Runneth Over”
enchanting and so caring – i visualize your hitting the bed at night and thunking into sleep within a microsecond!
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thank you i shall pop over.. c
Good morning my friend, it’s so nice to wake up to such beautiful photos!
Please though rest, have a brownie and enjoy the view, you are always so productive and it amazes me 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I used to be around/ride/feed horses a lot as a young person, and just looking at that hay reminds me of the sweet smell of hay and barns…and how heavy and sticky a hay bale is! I agree with above, even though it was a mistake to get two piglets, Charlotte will end up with a better home/situation than she probably would have. Smart of you to know you need to do this now rather than later.
I like the system you have for the hay & that you have control over the stacking/unstacking process. Smart. I’m sure the solution for Charlotte will find you now you’ve put it out there. Once the cats realise the original source & timing of the milk, they’ll be in there & you can practise your old timer’s milk squirting technique. My pa used to do it to me 🙂
how sweet, we learn a lot for our Pa’s.. c
I wish I had girlie arms like yours! lol You’re right about the pigs becoming quite large, and a handful. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision for all concerned.
I think you have to do what’s right for the farm with regard to selling a pig. I do hope you breed Sheila though 😉
This sounds like the most sustainable answer.. c
Maybe no pigs is the answer. Are they ready necessary for sustainability? Oh, you must be attached already…
Oops – that 2nd sentence could read “really” or “readily” necessary… Just cut my nails and can’t do a thing with my fingers!
pigs have many jobs on the farm, cleaning up paddocks we will replant, eating all the scraps, turning over old straw in the barn, larking about.. making sure nothing is wasted.. they are my clean up guys.. c
Ah so, that’s the reason. And one can do all that? Oh, Celi, I don’t mean to turn this into Piggeries 101 – I genuinely didn’t realize they preformed such a significant role. I thought their main purpose was their pork.
Thanks, now I see why the decision is tough!
Oh you keep working so hard. But good for you, for being able to look ahead as well as dealing with the tasks on hand. Storing up the alfalfa well in advance of when it’s needed, and realising the mistake about the pigs – this is all part of keeping things sustainable. I take my (woolly winter) hat off to you Cecilia.
P.S, Take a look at the winter produce on the organic farm close to the bach:
http://seasonalinspiration.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/good-earth.html
I love your attitude and outlook on life. I think you’ll do the right thing. I’m sure it will be hard to let one of the Shush sisters go, but it sounds like it will work better for everyone in the long run.
I love the idea of the pigs following you around while you work. I’d never thought about that…I love the way the animals are a part of your life and you a part of theirs. On such a deep, day-to-day, all day long level. It’s wonderful. Their spirits are so important in our self-consumed human lives. We live in a city, very urban, but it would NOT be the same without the dog and the rabbit who keep each other company — and us — all day long. I remember what you wrote about animals needing the company of at least one more animal, and that philosophy guides us now. I understand the pig dilemma, but wonder how you will choose. I also wonder what role a pig plays in a sustainable farm if that pig doesn’t exist for being eaten. I know that sounds cruel…but I’m curious. Why do you have pigs ? They are certainly lovable…is that the main reason?
The pigs are my clean up guys. They eat everything that is left over from each process. Plus they do a cracker job at cleaning up the barn. As the gardens finish, the pigs will go in with an electric fence around them to finish up and turn everything over, doing a wee big of fertilising on the way. And as I will be keeping one, if i breed her I will sell the piglets. So they do have a role. It is really the size of the grown animal that will keep the permanent pig presence to one. c
Oh my goodness! Up to 500 pounds? Wow.
Hmcm..
Hi Celi! I sure know what you mean about the pigs! Our pigs were ordered by My John, sort of on a whim before we even arrived to start our farm last year. The two expensive pigs are very big girls now, and eat quite a bit. I think I mentioned that now we cannot find a Gloucestershire Old Spot boar to breed them to and we have considered buying another boar. But another piggie mouth to feed is NOT a good idea. And I really don’t think we want to go into the ‘pig farming’ business. So, we are sort of at a stalemate about what to do. Jack loves the pigs. If we could find someone to buy them, that would be great. I think that’s our plan right now. It’s definitely a conundrum!!!
(So, as far as advice, Charlotte will be just fine in another home, and Sheila the Babe will be perfect alone on your farmy!) xo
You certainly do not want a boar.. john has had them before and is adamant about it. and I agree completely the thought of having two litters which on average would be the addition of twenty little piggies. Um. No. and have you looked at the castration business? Um no again. But why can’t you get semen from the guy you bought these from.. he could FedEx it! Though i am sure you have looked into that too. It has a very short shelf life! c
Sadly the guy we got our girls from has downsized his business and gone into cattle. In fact, he won’t answer our phone calls or emails, and we’ve sent emails and called many times. Jack checked into getting semen shipped. The only place to get the GOS semen is from England (their original home) and it costs over $1000 a tube!!!!!! Outrageous!!! So….
Not sure what we will do now……. I’ll keep you informed as decisions are made (hopefully!). Di
Probably the most tired I’ve ever been in life was after clearing two field of alfalfa bales and stocking them in a barn. i feel your pain C!
Sensibly, one large pig is quite a enough. The pig has a community of friendly animals so she won’t be too lonely. ( and she might be inclined to sit on the porch in your company)
We had a old pulley very much like that on my uncle’s farm. Oh, the wonderful smell of the hay once stacked in the barn! (of course we kids didn’t have to stack it!)