Spring is finally here to stay it seems and with it comes a never ending list of things that need doing. Now that we sort of feel like we have gotten the whole baby thing down, the new challenge seems to be trying to get all the farm chores done while caring for an infant, especially since it has become clear that her nap boycott is not a passing phase.
When we first started on this farming journey, a baby was never a part of the vision or planning process since we had been told long ago that we were not able to have children. Don’t get me wrong, she is a true blessing in our lives and we would not trade her for anything, but it has been a big adjustment. We now have to regroup and make some modifications of our vision of the development of the farm but are even more motivated to move forward since we see this farm as a big part of our daughter’s future.
Nick and I have started to learn how to tag team between baby and farm projects the best we can. For some things though, we just tote her along. For example, last weekend we had to wean the smallest piglets and get momma back in the big pig pasture. Nick put the baby in a front carrier to help herd momma pig and I ran around with the feed bucket trying to lure her in the pasture. I’m sure it was quite a sight. Luckily, she does seem to enjoy being outside and is not very mobile, so we can put her in her stroller or a carrier and work for as long as her patience allows. I’m sure things will get even more interesting when she is crawling and walking!
In other news, we welcomed 12 Barred Rock pullets who are residing in our bathtub brooder for the time being and we also got 10 Guineas. We hope they will help with our major tick problems when they get bigger. It’s our first experience with Guineas and I’ve been told by some that they are not the most intelligent of creatures and have the propensity to stand in the road and watch each other get run over. We plan to keep them in the pig pastures which are far from any roads.
We are getting ready to send some of the pigs off for processing in a month or so and Natasha will be having another litter around the same time. We are still offering pastured Berkshire pork by half or whole hog if anyone is interested, just contact us.
When we first started on this farming journey, a baby was never a part of the vision or planning process since we had been told long ago that we were not able to have children. Don’t get me wrong, she is a true blessing in our lives and we would not trade her for anything, but it has been a big adjustment. We now have to regroup and make some modifications of our vision of the development of the farm but are even more motivated to move forward since we see this farm as a big part of our daughter’s future.
Nick and I have started to learn how to tag team between baby and farm projects the best we can. For some things though, we just tote her along. For example, last weekend we had to wean the smallest piglets and get momma back in the big pig pasture. Nick put the baby in a front carrier to help herd momma pig and I ran around with the feed bucket trying to lure her in the pasture. I’m sure it was quite a sight. Luckily, she does seem to enjoy being outside and is not very mobile, so we can put her in her stroller or a carrier and work for as long as her patience allows. I’m sure things will get even more interesting when she is crawling and walking!
In other news, we welcomed 12 Barred Rock pullets who are residing in our bathtub brooder for the time being and we also got 10 Guineas. We hope they will help with our major tick problems when they get bigger. It’s our first experience with Guineas and I’ve been told by some that they are not the most intelligent of creatures and have the propensity to stand in the road and watch each other get run over. We plan to keep them in the pig pastures which are far from any roads.
We are getting ready to send some of the pigs off for processing in a month or so and Natasha will be having another litter around the same time. We are still offering pastured Berkshire pork by half or whole hog if anyone is interested, just contact us.