Let’s talk furbabies and homesteading! I’m not going to lie, if it weren’t for this quarantine I probably wouldn’t have gone as crazy with the animals and projects. But since we’re here I’m just accepting the chaos and having fun with it!
We currently have 32 chicken eggs in the incubator with four days to go!! We have been busy little mama’s around here prepping! We have never hatched chicks, or even watched it happen in person before so we are pretty excited. They will have been in the incubator for 21 days. The temperature stays at 99-100 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is supposed to be at 55%. For the last three days, we raise the humidity to 65% and remove the egg turner. It’s been a bit of a hassle keeping the humidity up while we still had the woodstove on. (If you have ever been in a home that burns wood for heat, you know that we have dry air!)
As far the piggies go, they are doing great! They are currently a muddy mess and LOVE snack time after dinner. We bring out all of our left over kitchen scraps to them at night and pick some grass for them and they go crazy running and rolling around – it’s cheap entertainment! We feed them crushed corn at all times and a local dairy farmer nearby has been giving us their extra milk and they get really excited for that! They are getting super strong and rooting up some massive holes in their pen, they eat practically everything as they are digging with their noses then they look up at you like, “what chu lookin at!!?” Haha!
(Left to right) Luke, Lily & Daisy May 11, 2020 If you remember reading Charlottes Web, Wilbur would talk about how he loved warm slops and that’s all I can think about when we bring it out to our pigs. So cute!
We just finished Charlottes Web not too long ago and I must say, if it’s been over a year, you oughta pick that book up and read it to your kiddos!! So great! Anyways, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about butcher time yet, but we have some time. They are getting close to being 100 pounds – so they have about three more months to grow. We are shooting for 250# pigs! I am quite impressed at how easy pigs are to farm though. Out of all the animals I have had in my lifetime, this was a first and I will definitely be doing this again.
Lot’s to learn, lot’s of new and interesting conversations going on around here lately and I couldn’t be more proud of my kiddos. They soak it all in, they do their chores, they practically live outside, they ask a billion questions and they sleep good at night. What a life!!!
HOMESTEADER’S CREED: To honor old-fashion skills To live a self-sufficient lifestyle To resist consumerism To be good stewards of the land To reuse, recycle and make do To shop local To share with others To pass on homesteading skills
Do you ever get that feeling when your kids say something, or do something just right, and you can’t help but think…..Maybe I am doing something right raising these kids…
With raising pigs and hatching chicks – something has just clicked for my kiddos and it has been an absolute blast watching them explore and learn. It’s different than just emptying the dishwasher or cleaning up our rooms. We are going to benefit from these animals. They are going to feed us and help us grow big and strong and WE did that. As a family. And that’s just too cool for me. So blessed ya’ll.
A good friend of mine says this in her home and we have kind of stole it because it’s just too good….
Teamwork makes the dream work!
If you ever get a chance to raise an animal or have some pets – I think it’s such a great family adventure! A bit of chaos and a lot of dirt, but it’s oh so worth it!!
Best of wishes in anything that you and your family may currently be growing!!
Until next time, xx
Comentarios