Saturday 28th January 2012.
Just enough overnight cloud cover to ward off the forecast frost.
The day continued warm and dry.
Out with the Old, In with the New - We're talking Pigs.
No piggy pics here today - just in case anyone out there is getting attached to them! Yesterday evening we sold Squiggle and Curl's legs! Don't worry, they get to keep them till the end, they're just promised to someone else when the pigs no longer have a use for them...which will be Monday 13th February. This morning I phoned the butcher to arrange for their dispatch. It's a small family concern, some 20 miles away, but it has a much better reputation than the abattoir nearer home. Part of an animals welfare is minimal stress at the end. I have choices as to how the pigs are divided up, but despite having read about this several times in the past, it doesn't seem to be sticking in my head. On top of this, I have no real idea if my pigs are the ideal weight, or whether they will be too lean or too fatty. So I thought it better to profess my beginner credentials to the friendly butcher and have arranged to go in one day so they can take time to explain the choices I have. Pork chops and loin...or bacon...or a bit of both? And what is a gammon? Do I have to choose between that and a shoulder, or will I not get one as I've sold the legs already? And if I want more sausages, which bit do I not get?
I'd better read that section again before I meet the butcher. There's a difference between beginner and rank amateur!
Anyway, I just need to get their ears tagged (phoned this morning, tags promised early next week) and get the right paperwork ready - a movement form, which I'm familiar with, and a Food Information Chain form, which I've no idea about.
The patter of 40 or more tiny feet won't be too long after Squiggle and Curl have gone off. I'm pretty sure Daisy is preggers - it's not easy to tell, even for the vet. I'm guessing just over 2 months gone. Pigs are pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days (Though surely that must depend which months are involved??) so she should give birth sometime in March. To that end, it's time for Gerald, her boyfriend, to go. He's actually going to perform his services on another farm next, but don't tell Daisy. Daisy and Gerald,
chilled out in the stables.
(I know I said no piggy pics today,
but these two get to stay.)
Chicken House Clean Up
Finally managed to snap Chick of Elvis snuggled into her new egg-laying site.
Today was a good day to clean out the chicken houses properly. Every couple of weeks I empty out all bedding, shavings and hay, and scrape the floor and perches clean with a cheap wallpaper scraper. In fact I have three sizes to fit different nooks and crannies. I then liberally sprinkle the accommodation quarters with mite powder. I can use as much of this as I like as I've found an unbelievably cheap way to buy it. Branded, it costs almost a tenner for a small tub (300g), which doesn't go very far at all. However, the ingredients are 100% diatomaceous earth. I discovered that I could buy 25kg of this on the internet for £28. That's over 80 times the quantity for three times the price. Maybe I've made some huge mistake and I'm not buying the same thing, but it looks the same, feels the same, smells the same and is called the same! And so far, no mites. Maybe I should offer a cheap refill service.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment, I love to read them. I've been having a little trouble with not getting notifications, but think I've sorted it out now so I'll do my best to answer!