Finally Free!!

Yikes! I wanted to take some pictures of this beautiful day but my family took the digital camera with them to Pennsylvania. It was sunny, warm(or warmer) and the snow was finally melting in spots. It was the first time since the snow that I found the chickens in my front yard. I wanted to take a picture of the rooster and his ladies on my front porch. Ramona's piglets were out and about for the first time today! It was fun to see little red things dart back and forth across their field. I wanted to take a picture of that, too! My next group of Berkshire pork was completely covered in mud. I can tell and name each one of my pigs. All of them. But today, I couldn't tell any of the Berkshires apart. The time just before sunset was really beautiful. It was a great opportunity to look at my animals and make sure everyone is happy and healthy. Mary Lou(a Tamworth gilt) needed extra rubbing. I love when you touch them and they just collapse right on the ground. She is just like her mom(#2). It was also a great opportunity to study conformation. Hopefully we can expect quite a few litters in the spring.

Because of all of our wonderful customers, our farm is busting at the seams. I can't think of a better "problem"! Too much demand, not enough supply. We are researching now in hopes of expanding our markets. We still will only provide pork and poultry. We love the pigs, love the birds...no need to expand the livestock list. This is what we want to specialize in, what we want to educate everyone with and simply what we want to tuck in every night!

Just thought I would add a picture of part of the restoration. This was at the very beginning. The portico was falling on one side...had to be raised. The pilasters had to be rebuilt and the front looked as if it had been bombed in the Civil War. But notice the perfect symmetry of the flowers and flower pots! I am a complete spaz about symmetry!!

Red Dalmatians?

Back in August, a Berkshire sow, Ramona, decided to get out of her paddock for an early morning walk. I discovered her down the hill walking alongside Big Daddy, our Tamworth boar. Scott and I got Big Daddy back in his paddock and we walked Ramona to the pasture in front with the other Berkshires. She was in heat so it was important to get her with Ollie. So, for the next 114 days, we would question what the outcome would be...crossed piglets or pure Berks.

Ramona started farrowing late in the evening on December 15th. I quietly walked over to the hut with a flashlight and was surprised to see the first three piglets..."little red dalmatians"...Big Daddy got to her first! I woke up around 3:00am and realized I would never be able to go back to sleep unless I checked on Ramona and her piglets. Ramona was absolutely huge and we were hoping for a large litter. At 4:00am I got my coat on, grabbed my flashlight and made the trek up to the hut. She had a total of fourteen! However, one had been stillborn and one was most likely dead for a long time. It was very small and already decomposing. Twelve incredibly cute piglets.

For the first few days, I feel like I always hold my breath as I approach the farrowing hut first thing in the morning. It's common for the big moms to lay on small piglets, especially the runts. We'll lose some every now and then because of that. Ramona did lay on one, I'm guessing, last Friday. It's disappointing.

Already they are running around inside the hut. If there wasn't snow on the ground, I'm sure they would be exploring outside. We won't be expecting any more piglets until next spring, which is fine since it appears this will be a snowy winter.

Pretty Pigs in the Snow

We've been here at Pleasant Hill Farm almost five years and haven't needed to experience livestock management in blizzard like weather yet. We haven't really seen much snow in the last couple of years, at least since getting the pigs. Scott was supposed to go into D.C. yesterday but since the storm was definitely heading our way, he thought best to work from home and get the animals ready.

One thing we learned about farming is how closely connected we are to the weather. You listen to the reports and prepare. Prepare for rain, extreme heat, snow, etc. We had to make sure we were aware of what the wind direction would be. Scott moved and turned all of the pig huts so the snow would not be able to blow inside. He made door coverings out of extra plywood we saved, just so the pigs could have extra warmth and shelter. Fresh straw was placed in all of the huts. All of the feed bowls had to be brought into the shop so they wouldn't be covered. The water troughs were dumped and moved directly in front of the huts. We also needed to make sure our newly farrowed litter would be okay. It was an all day event and just after it was dark, we were done.

Today, with almost two feet of snow and four foot drifts, it was another all day event feeding and watering. Feeding wasn't so bad but our irrigation system is still primitive. Our one and only hydrant was covered in a huge drift. Easy solution...my oldest son, Jonah, filled up the water buckets with hot water from the bathtub. What wasn't easy was walking through the drifts trying to hold up the buckets. One time I fell on some rough ground, but I saved the water!

Watching my hogs in the snow made me appreciate the Heritage breeds. They can handle this harsh weather. Lulu, one of my Tamworth gilts was outside walking around all morning. She was beautiful with her striking red hair covered in snow. Scott and I took some water down to the Large Black Hogs at the bottom of our hill. I looked up and saw several Berkshires running down towards us, with snow just about half way up their bodies...not even phased. I will be glad to greet them again tomorrow morning...and do it all over again.

Leftovers Plate Number One

Of course my favorite part about Thanksgiving is the leftovers. It makes the best breakfast! I already had my big plate this morning. We went over Tony and Careen's last night. Tony cooked two Bourbon Red hens...one smoked and one traditional. Everything was wonderful. We took half of everything home. I can see for now on, Thanksgiving day for us means taking a huge breather and being thankful for a day of rest. I don't have a desire to cook all day. I would much rather enjoy the event on Friday or Saturday.

Scott did very little farm work yesterday. He enjoyed cups of hot tea and reading the book, "Omnivore's Dilemma". I, on the other hand, finally enjoyed getting my hands on my pigs. I haven't seen them in a week. I cleaned out feed and water troughs, made sure everyone got enough feed and made sure all grunts and oinks were normal. We also have a sow, Ramona, who is due very soon with a litter. We moved her to the hill with the farrowing hut. Now we just have to watch her milk rows. That lets me know just how soon she will deliver.

We sure do hope all of our customers enjoyed their Pleasant Hill Turkeys and the time spent with their friends and family. We were glad to see our repeat customers and it was a true pleasure meeting new ones! We're thankful for all of you. Now it's time to order turkeys for next year!

Weaning

When our piglets are about six weeks old, we wean them from their mom and put them in a confined area with hog panels. I have to say I absolutely detest this part of pig farming. Piglets are like puppies with playful, mischievous spirits. When they are first born, they don't wander too far from mom. After about a week they start to explore. It doesn't take too long for them to realize that we keep the feed in the shop. Before I know it, I am greeted there with tiny grunts and oinks. "Where's my food? Where's my food?!" How much fun it is for them to find a new spot to explore and see new pig faces who may be their future friends. My neighbor has called me, "I just want to let you know there were a bunch of small red piglets way up in my yard." Life is good.

We just weaned a litter of Tamworths today. I find myself feeling melancholy because for a short period of time, they will not be free to explore. I can hear them grunting because they don't know where they are and of course they miss the security of mom. Mom pigs really do need to separate from their babies at this time. Nursing a big litter is hard on them and they start to lose some weight.

Eventually we'll run some electric wire in their weaning pen to get them to "respect" the electric fence. When they get big enough, we'll build out large, wire paddocks for them to roam and explore. They surely will be happy again!

Chickens are done!!

This is such a busy time of year for us. We're winding down with the turkeys...taking Thanksgiving orders and strategically placing dogs to keep them safe at night. We finish up with the broiler chickens for the year until next February when we receive the first batch of chicks. We just processed the last batch and I just finished cleaning and bagging them. I always find the last ten to be torture because I want it to be done and I'm tired of handling chicken!

I enjoyed watching this particular batch. We didn't have enough solar chargers so they didn't have one connected to their poultry net. So knowing it was not electrified, they found it easy to escape under the net. The Cornish cross chickens cannot fly. Even though all of our birds forage within their netting, these guys truly hit the jackpot with totally free foraging everywhere! Under buildings, under the deck, even by the pigs...which it wasn't too smart for them when they were little. Pigs eat chickens!

My Loves and Joys

About two years ago, Scott went to a local farm, Cibola Farms, to inquire about a job with farm markets. Cibola Farms raises bison and pork and sells in farmers markets in the DC Metro area. I found myself a tad surprised when he came home and said,"I think I'm going to buy some pigs."

Hmm... okay we have some chickens, are we ready for pigs?

When we moved here to our farm, we knew we would raise some animals for our own purpose, but we NEVER thought we would raise for the purpose of farming for others. After a two minute conversation, we decided to purchase a Tamworth boar and three Tamworth sows from Cibola. Pig farming has begun!

We fell in love immediately (and respected immediately) our new herd. We called the boar Big Daddy and the three sows were #2,#4, and #5. We were trying to think of names for the girls, but after so many days went by, the names became their ear tags...#2,#4, #5. What a joy it was to realize how pigs are incredible animals. They are smart(too smart!), have personalities like dogs, and love to be around people.

We still have Big Daddy and #2. #4 never produced a litter for us so you know what that means. And sadly, #5 died last spring. She was about three weeks away from farrowing. It's hard to say what happened with her. Thinking maybe something intestinal. I'll post more about her later. She was such a sweet pig.

Since that time, I have become obsessed with pigs. Neverending research has led me to other breeds of hogs besides Tamworths. I've fallen in love with Berkshires as well as Large Black Hogs. The photo is that of my Berkshire pork, ready in March.

As of now, I will have 23 breeding sows for next year's production. And believe it or not, that's not enough. I have to turn many people away because I don't have enough pigs!

I truly have such a warm spot in my heart for these creatures. I love being out there on a warm day and giving each "joy" a good rub down. They love it as much as I do! I possess happy pigs!!

How Did We Get Into This?

My husband, Scott, and I never talked about farming. It all started when we moved out to the "country", thinking we hit the jackpot with one acre of land. We quickly realized that the houses were still on top of each other. I remember thinking of the strong desire that I would like to take a walk on my property. My feelings were pretty much confirmed when my oldest son(third grade at the time) came home from school, excited about the possibility of getting a chicken. His class had successfully incubated eggs and with parents' permission, could take a baby chick home. I had to explain to him that it was against the rules to have chickens and other farm animals in our neighborhood. So the search began.

At first we were just looking for land with whatever house happened to be on it. I would drag Scott to numerous places. He didn't really feel a connection with any of them. During a vacation to New England one year, we went through a tour of Franklin Pierce's house. At the same time, something changed in both of our hearts...the desire to restore a historic house. We loved how there was a story about each room, as if the house itself was living to tell its story to each generation. We were hooked and the search changed to a historic house we could restore.

Pleasant Hill was for sale and I knew once I showed the listing to Scott, he would feel connected. We knew it was going to be our home the first time we walked through.

The first two years were mainly about cleaning up and working on the house. We started with guinea hens and soon after decided to try egg layers. The next two years we found ourselves farming with broilers and turkeys and had an opportunity to purchase some pigs. Little did I know, this would be the beginning of a love affair! There are numerous stories to tell since January 2005. As I remember some, I surely will post. Scott and I have learned that farming can be incredibly frustrating and difficult. But by the end of the day, week or month, we find it to be wonderfully rewarding. We love what we do.

One story that does come to mind...One evening at about 11:00pm, we realized our 500 pound Berkshire boar was out of his electric fence. His area was down the back hill by the creek. This area is rocky in some places with heavy erosion. Did I mention it was pouring down rain? And pitch black? We had no choice but to get him back in the fence. We were running with sorting panels trying desperately not to break an ankle on the terrain. I'm sure God must have been laughing hysterically at us. Finally, Ollie the boar made it in...and we all were exhausted. As Scott and I were walking up the hill, the only thing that came to my mind was, "How did we get into this?"....