PUMPKINS FOR PIGS
And cows! Yesterday I rose with the dawn as usual – bug used my blogging time to hurry through my chores so I could drove over to a friends farm to collect pumpkins and still be back in time for afternoon chores here.
My friend sold the blossoms from these plants all summer long – for 50 cents each. At least a thousand blossoms a week. But now that season is over, and I was given the field of pumpkins for the pigs and cows. 
I filled the truck right to the brim and over the next few days I will sort any that will store into the shed as I feed out. The pigs and cows will be living on pumpkin for a good few weeks. ( Mixed with their feed but still saving hundreds in feed costs). The animals will eat them all up before the land freezes and everything in the shed freezes solid too.
Above is my friends old Gleaner combine. Such a cool old machine.
The piglets loved the pumpkin immediately.
Del is still teaching the other cows about them. They need training to new feeds. The calves were chewing on them by evening.
Even this little steer on the other side.
Well I have my work cut out for me today. And we got some rain in the night so I will be unloading fast so as to get all the pumpkins into the dry before the showers return.
There was talk of a crew coming to take down two dead trees close to the house today. But I am not sure if they will still come after the very welcome rain.
We will see.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Celi
44 Comments on “PUMPKINS FOR PIGS”
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All those pumpkins! I would have my oven full of them too. Those piglets are so darn cute.
Yes! Roast pumpkin with something tonight. Maybe a risotto?
wow, 50c a blossom … maybe that’s something you could copy
Oh Lordy no – think of the picking! And boxing and storage and transport. Not for me. I will just take the pumpkins. I am all into byproducts this year!
Nice …. good to get them now before Halloween next month. Laura
I abhor the practice of putting perfectly good food on the steps to rot. All this season I have to resist the urge to run onto people porches and steal their pumpkins.
Hum, I’m wondering about the seeds and roasting them. And then about volunteer vines next spring from where you are feeding these out. 🙂
Yes- I love the idea of volunteers. But hulling and roasting seeds from these little pumpkins is beyond me. The animals will eat them!
I understand the hauling part! 😉
What an awesome gift!!! A Win-Win for everyone, especially the pigs and cows!!! 🙂
Yes! Once the new cows learn that they are food!
50cents a piece? Good grief!! Great that you’re getting the fruits of her labour though; ).
Terribly sad that they don’t know what real food is like, hey?
I haven’t eaten pumpkin blossoms. Now I want to try them. Imagine selling so many and still ending up with so many pumpkins! Pumpkins or pumpkin seeds are a good worm preventative, aren’t they? Or is that just for dogs?
For everyone! Us too I think!
Free worming? Yes! Put another big check mark in the “Win!” column: )
I’d have been unable to resist hauling a box of them into the house and stocking the freezer with gallons of pumpkin soup, a particular favourite of the Husband… Lovely chubby little piglet bums there, they’re growing well after their shaky start, aren’t they?
They are doing well aren’t they! They are already grown out if their house. I will have to put in the big blue house soon.
What lucky pigs! Those little ones are looking quite big now.
They sure have fat little bottoms!
Pumpkins so l have heard are very good for you..full of good things to keep the body ticking along ( and at my age l need every tick) so its good to hear that pigs,cows and any other animal around will get a good chew at pumpkin.lt will give them healthy teeth and a shiny coat. We also had rain last night..it was a good test for the roof of Rockies kennel. We renewed it this year using polistyrene..being light,warm and hopefully waterproof. So far no sign of a bedraggled wet dog so it must have worked Take care. Lots o love BG
Rocky is a lucky dog!
So wonderful the other farmer lets nothing go to waste either by sharing with you. Wish I had room to grow pumpkins but I do not buy them for holiday decor either. Yay for free food. 🙂
Pumpkins are so tasty. I am roasting some up to make pumpkin stock for risotto tonight.
Yum. 😉
I have a pottery pumpkin candle holder in order that on Halloween l light the candle and put it in a front window.
The youngsters in our village then know they are welcome to knock for a treat.
That sounds delightful!
I hate to see pumpkins used as decor to them smashed everywhere when Halloween is over! We are a wasteful bunch here, that’s for sure! 😦
C. if those dead trees (snags) don’t pose a hazard to your house, you may want to leave them standing..for wildlife! As they decompose, they provide, food, nesting and sheltering places for all kinds of creatures. Or you could just have them topped! They’ll look a little unsightly that way but your local wildlife will thank you!
They are right up against the house and already dropping branches on the roof. Taking down gutterings etc. I have plenty of other dead trees in my gardens for the wildlife. And two huge dead ones still standing. You have seen them on photos.
Every year I see pumpkins sitting on doorsteps and it kills me I have no way of collecting them and bringing them to you. I’m remembering Sheila enjoying them but I’m so happy you got a ton of them.
Sheila still loves them!
A pumpkin fiesta!!
You might ask if your town does a pumpkin round up after Halloween- ours does and gives it to farmers to feed to livestock and to keep away from the Bears.
I have been working on
That for years- but there is little interest- basically they let the pumpkin rot on the porch and then throw them away. I do have a number of people who give me theirs every year though.
Our Bear Smart organization does the planning and the city picks up on trash day.
And it did take a few years to really get going.
Sounds like an excellent idea!
oh my goodness….look at all the yummy food for your animals!
Yes! It was a score!
Pumpkin flowers… now there’s a thought. Yum ☺
Oh, ok, I didn’t realize they were that close to the house…best to get them out! 🙂 We had 3 huge Douglas Firs next to our house also and we were afraid that one of them…or all three would come down on the house in a windstorm…which happens all the time around here…so the tree people encouraged us to just top them…leaving no branches and no chance of toppling in a wind storm…They looked really ugly like that for a long time but before we knew it…they were full of birds, such as owls and huge woodpeckers, our native squirrels, all kinds of miniature wildlife, etc. and some really cool mushrooms growing on them. It is nice that you still have some other dead trees around! They do get pretty holey after awhile!
What a great arrangement for the pumpkins!
Now THAT is a Combine… (Not one of those behemoths that travel on a gazillion balloon tires; )
(And take up both lanes of the roadway… ):
Such fabulous images Celi 🙂