My camera that is – at last. Elle saw it – waiting for me on top of the fuse box attached to the power pole in the yard. I was standing not even three feet away.
The good news is that we found it before the rain started. And now this morning the wind is blowing hard. It is overcast and not warm.
We opened up Stage Two of the barn for Molly and her babies. She and the piglets will have both sides until this afternoon then I will shut them out of the farrowing side, clean that side and settle Poppy in there.
Last night when I checked them they were all sleeping in the straw on the new side, after a big feed. They will have a different outside area and a new creep area with a new warm light to lure them in there. I am alays nervous of piglets in straw but they are old enough now to stay out of trouble – I hope.
There is a video version of this on my instagram account. One of these little guys is still way too small but I am watching him. Usually I shift babies into their Stage Two area then wean them from their Mum after a bit but I am leaving Molly with them for a few more weeks to get more weight on the little ones.
Poppy is waiting. All the big sows (including Sheila) have this hair loss. Last summer they all lost all their hair. They are all on a perfectly balanced vegetarian pig feed called Sow and Pig, which delivers the ideal amount of zinc and iron. So I simply cannot account for it. Most of the pig people suggest oil so I will get some flax seed oil and add that – we will see.
Other than tufty hair Poppy seems happy, wide and settled. I look forward to getting her in the farrowing pen.
This is the first time Ellie has ever touched a cow. Who better to begin with than our Lady Astor.
Well it is an overcast blustery stormy looking day. Just the day for cleaning out the farrowing pen and getting it ready for the next farrowing.
We will get just a few more plants in the ground and some seeds too if the ground in not already too wet, we have four days of showers and heavy rain, severe weather and storms ahead of us at this point. At least it is running through the weekend so the workers (including John) can all stay out of the weather. I will get out my Aussie Oilskin which my Dad gave to me as a present years ago and has been keeping me dry ever since. He even found me a matching hat. It is second hand and enormous, coming to just above my ankles, so I move across the landscape like a small dark tent but I am dry as a bone under there. It is for horse riding so it has straps that you can attach to your legs. the best coat in the world for wet weather farming.
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
Thursday 04/27 20% / 0 in
Chance of a morning shower. Overcast. High 58F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.
Thursday Night 04/27 20% / 0 in
Partly cloudy skies in the evening, then becoming cloudy overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph
The Kitchen's Garden 
34 responses to “Found IT”
I’m glad Camera House was found before it rained. The spouse left a cell phone sitting screen up out on a porch post overnight in a drenching downpour earlier this month. It was fine after being opened and dried in a bag of rice for 24 hours. Still would’ve been better for it not to have been left out like that. Love that oilskin coat. My father had a rubberized suit (jacket, pants and hat) that he wore on the construction sites he worked at, I know how miserable it can be to have to work all day being damp or wet. Have a great day.
Your coat sounds wonderful! And so glad about the camera.
Yay for Camera House! Yay for the wee piglets and those yet to come! Yay for Ellie who is rubbing Lady A in the same spot we ‘scritched’ our milk cow, Bossy. She always came to the barn for milking when she heard ‘here Boss’ and thumping on the bottom of the milk pail. And she was notorious for slipping through the front gate to trample the flower beds! Have a great day, Ceci of the of the oilskins!
Oh, Lady Astor is loving her head scratch! She’s thinking…this feels so good, I’ll just close my eyes and enjoy! It reminds me of a British farmer I saw on a PBS special that scratched his great, huge Bull’s back with a long handled rake…and it almost put the dear thing to sleep! 🙂
Maybe the Red Cell will help with the bald patches C. Hope so!
Does your coat frighten the pigs, I am amazed how my pigs react when I am wearing a raincoat, or even carrying something that they are not families with. Lots of barking and running away, I have to say “its me” as I approach to stop them running. Actually I say “its me, its always me, you bloody idiots”😀
For what it’s worth, a few years ago when I was worried about a hairloss situation with one of my does, two different vets mentioned adding a vitamin E capsule to her daily rations. And zinc, if the goats weren’t getting it in their feed. Also, an oldtime farmer told me that cottonseed in their feed had caused hairloss in his cattle. (Ever since I’ve avoided anything containing cottonseed oil in my own diet – my hair has thinned a lot in recent years!)
Those Little Piggies are just tooo cute!!
Until now I honestly thought Drizabone coats were a worldwide item! Could not do without mine 🙂 ! I knew Akubras were more of a ‘Down Under’ thing ! Hoping that the forecast stormy weekend weather will not cause havoc on the farm. Once the sun is out again could you possibly take a photo of that large, marvellous potager you have just planted at this early stage . . . that will take an awful lot of your and your wwoofers’ time this spring/summer! Is the Illinois spring/summer rain sufficient and reliable for the vegetable growth or will you sometimes actually have to water that large area? How, if so?
My boar is shedding like that too. He did the same last year (he is two years old this June). I started giving him an oil supplement a month ago but have not noticed any change in his coat. He is fit, healthy and happy otherwise. Perhaps this is just something some pigs go through each season?
So pleased that you found your camera .. Lady Astor is loving that attention