Pig Farrowing Huts

This morning, the moment after  I’ Press Publish’,  I will leap up and gently turn the incubating eggs (one more day of ‘turning’ to go) then on with the hoodie, the extra pair of socks, farm overalls, the scarf, hattie, jacket, gloves then overgloves then I am off out the door – feed the two big pigs, feed the barn fowl, feed the peacocks and cats and dogs, feed the short fat kunes, feed the laying chickens (10 eggs a day now)  and the cows and the sheep.

Then I will leap into the borrowed Matriarch jeep, with the little trailer already attached and off we will go to Indiana to pick up the two calf/pig huts. It is a three hour drive so we will be back in time for evening chores.  Spring is coming you know! Soon the animals will begin their mini migration out of the barn and into the world of fields.  They will, you know. Spring is coming!  So this is the beginning of the outdoor sleeping arrangements. Plus one of these will be Poppy’s summer field farrowing hut. 

If these work out I will order more of these shelters for the goats and the kunes. Evidently they are very tough. Goats? I hear you say? GOATS! Well maybe, but not until the sheep have gone off to their new homes. I like to stay small and manageable. I am looking at these goats.  Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. They are small, funny, very good mothers and have great milk for cheese. Apparently we are going to need toys. So I will probably milk the mothers. It’s all about the cheese! Plus there is a breeder near by. 

Let’s hope Sheila likes them. But plenty of time –  I am still at the research stage.

Speaking of cheese. Yesterday the Cadet and I spent her hour excavating the wee cow corridor  – forking out all the old straw so that we could open the interior door. (The kunes had spread their living arrangements all over the show). This way the cows come in one door to be milked then exit another door.  It will be part of their training to follow this routine every day from now on. These are older cows remember, they have never been milked by a person so I want to ease them into coming into the milking parlour,  being clipped to the head board, (their collars have arrived) pausing for brushing and touching, having something tasty to eat, then reversing and exiting as the next one comes in. So when we have calves as well, they will still know their way and the tension will be mitigated. 

Think like a cow, remember.  Cows love routine.

On Sunday the eggs are due to hatch. So from Thursday evening on there will be no more turning of the eggs.  As well as the risk of damage to the chicks we also have to keep the incubator at high humidity so the shells are easy for the chicks to break. 

Also for your viewing pleasure. There is a transparent window. So I will hopefully capture images of chicks hatching for you. Isn’t that exciting! Though, as they say, one should not count ones chickens until they are hatched.

I need a video camera. I need to think about that. That might be fun.

However – we have Camera House. And with any luck one of the chicks will hatch in the light.

I hope you have a lovely day.

Your friend on the farm

celi

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