January 2010 Egg Count

93 eggs for the month. Not too bad for a COLD January.

The tally is in!

A couple of weeks ago we butchered our first two pigs- both miniature pigs. They are regular pigs, but bred so that they are much smaller. Each one weighed probably 60-70 lbs (versus our other two are at 150-200 lbs). Here's how much meat we got from the two and it's estimated worth:

Ribs = 7 lbs
Back = 11 lbs
Front Hock = 13 lbs
Back Hock = 13.5 lbs
Total: 44.5 lbs of meat

Estimated retail value = $264
Cost to purchase/raise the pigs = $87
Net Profit = $177
Total estimated time to care for the pigs = 8.75 hours

Not to bad for two miniature pigs. Can't wait to see how much we get from the big pigs!

Egg count

Yeah - now we're talkin'! 36 eggs. But the weather is starting to get cold again. Hope it warms back up soon.

New farmer

Well, it's official.  We have another edition to the farmstead crew.  We went to the doctor today to confirm I that I am 7-weeks pregnant and the baby looks healthy! 

On or around Sept 16th, we'll have a major culture shift around our house, but how exciting!  We are both so excited at the prospect of raising a child that appreciates where his/her food comes from, how to grow it with their own hands (chemical free of course) and hopefully will want to carry on this way of life.

Yet another chick!

This morning all of the chicks looked fine. I checked them around lunchtime and one is really weak and looked nearly dead. I checked his bum and it looked just fine. I tried dipping his beak in water and tried to get him to eat. A few minutes later he died in my hand. I have no idea why. Sigh.

2 more chicks...

Two more of our baby chicks died today. We think the culprit is 'pasty butt'. We've been diligently watching and wiping behinds now.

Egg count

Much better this week - 29! The warmer weather seems to be helping.