Gardner’s California Homestead

[Finnie]

Everything looks great!


That's funny! I had a Russel Crowe rooster too. A big handsome Barred Rock.
I wonder how many roosters are named after him?

(I botched getting the quote in the same message as what I wrote. Oh well. )

 

[GardnerHomestead]

Fall has arrived. Temps in the low 20s the last week or so and some early snow this past weekend. My experimental fall garden is doing pretty good considering the weather. The potatoes called it quits after they got pummeled with hail and snow, pulled those up and got a pretty good haul considering when i planted. I mulched around my broccoli so i hope it hangs in there. although i might have planted it to late. Chickens got loose and pecked out all my spinach starts pretty early on so i put garlic in instead. Carrots and beets still going strong. Peas took a beating also. We will see how they do. All summer veggies have been pulled up and disposed of, canned salsa with all my green tomatoes. Emptying the raised boxes and switching out the chicken wire that we used in a few of the boxes (which did nothing for the gopher issue) for hardware cloth has been tedious. Two more boxes to go.

Gophers my mortal enemy. I've tried trapping them.. smoking them out... I have a killer cat.... baited with bubblegum... nothing has worked. I actually think I just made them more angry lol. I extended my fence to my garden and am tripling the size next year. The raised boxes are very costly so I think im going to try a straw bale garden next year with hardware cloth underneath to prevent pests. Has anyone tried one?

I took my bucks apron off for breeding late August with the intention of March kids this year. 3 of my does went into heat over the last 6 weeks ive had it off. 3 did not, i thought maybe i had missed the signs, it happens. Well now they are forming udders so they are already pregnant and have been for a while. It seems my buck has figured out how to get around the apron. Winter babies it is... I really hate not having a date though. Found a new home for by buck since I had kept some of his daughters from this spring. I was sad to see him go, he was a good boy, but one less goat on the feed bill this winter will be nice. The girls dont seem to miss him lol.

All my orpington hens are molting, so im only getting eggs from my young leghorns. Nothing from the easter eggers yet.... all about 6 months old. Sold all my chicks that my broodies hatched out to a nice older couple that have bought from me many times.

My husband and his cousin butchered Kevin a couple weeks ago. He was almost 300 lbs. The whole experience was kind of a circus starting with us not being able to get him into the trailer, chasing a 300lb uncooperative pig around after he decided he wasnt going into the trailer was fun. He was strooooong. Eventually between the two of us and our 11 year old (keeping the pen door open) we pulled him in by his back legs. i wanted the process to go smoothly as to not upset him but it was a long day. Its all said and done, we have all the meat back and it was worth it. Great flavor. This being our first pig we learned alot. Our freezers are completely full, with the help of all the meat chickens we did this year.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Good to hear from you again, Miss @GardnerHomestead!

I cannot help you with how to take care of the gophers -- others on the forum will know, though. I am glad you caught your pig and no one got hurt in the process. Do you expect to get another one?

Temperatures in the low 20's already? Wow! Refresh my senile memory -- at what elevation are you?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[GardnerHomestead]

Good to hear from you again, Miss @GardnerHomestead!

I cannot help you with how to take care of the gophers -- others on the forum will know, though. I am glad you caught your pig and no one got hurt in the process. Do you expect to get another one?

Temperatures in the low 20's already? Wow! Refresh my senile memory -- at what elevation are you?

Senile Texas Aggie

Hey STA

I think we will get another pig next year. tweak some things in our processes, better watering system, a more sturdy trough for feeding. We raised a Gloucestershire Old Spot pig this year because a friend had a litter and wanted some of my baby goats. The meat is , but fatty, great for flavor but there's quite a bit of waste. So i think we will go with more of a traditional meat pig this time.

We are only at about 4000 feet, this is a pretty early cold for us, prompted us to start our woodstove a bit earlier than last year.

 

[Baymule]

Just got caught up on your journal. Love all the things you have been doing. I have a much easier way for you to load pigs, my secret weapon--BOILED EGGS! I have even loaded a 820 pound boar using boiled eggs. Don't feed them for a day or two, back up trailer, open gate, blocking off any escape holes with cow panel sections and toss boiled eggs in the trailer. I squeeze them to break them open and release all that delicious smell. Have someone stationed at the trailer gate to slam it shut, but not until the pig is ALL the way in the trailer. You are not going to push a hog in the trailer with the gate if his back feet are still on the ground. Boiled eggs work every time, they have never failed me, except for that one time the neighbor slammed the gate on Wilbur's butt, the 820 pound boar. That only scared him and we didn't get him loaded until the next morning. We sure had our fingers crossed!

We went through several batches of feeder pigs before I got the hang of it and built The Pig Palace. I love my Pig Palace. I had one batch of pigs that were creepy, like get behind me to bite, creepy. I never went in the pen without a piece of pipe and someone on the outside. Having the Pig Palace takes care of upturned water tubs, getting swarmed when carrying feed and it just makes things soooooo much easier. Here is a link to my Pig Palace, back up a few pages to see how I scrapped it all together.

Baymule’s Pigs 2018 HEREFORDS!

I keep cans of wasp spray. I don't mind them so much, but not in the places I/we frequent.

www.backyardherds.com

When this year's pigs went to slaughter, we put a steer in there, it is working well!

 

[GardnerHomestead]

Just got caught up on your journal. Love all the things you have been doing. I have a much easier way for you to load pigs, my secret weapon--BOILED EGGS! I have even loaded a 820 pound boar using boiled eggs. Don't feed them for a day or two, back up trailer, open gate, blocking off any escape holes with cow panel sections and toss boiled eggs in the trailer. I squeeze them to break them open and release all that delicious smell. Have someone stationed at the trailer gate to slam it shut, but not until the pig is ALL the way in the trailer. You are not going to push a hog in the trailer with the gate if his back feet are still on the ground. Boiled eggs work every time, they have never failed me, except for that one time the neighbor slammed the gate on Wilbur's butt, the 820 pound boar. That only scared him and we didn't get him loaded until the next morning. We sure had our fingers crossed!

View attachment 78960

We went through several batches of feeder pigs before I got the hang of it and built The Pig Palace. I love my Pig Palace. I had one batch of pigs that were creepy, like get behind me to bite, creepy. I never went in the pen without a piece of pipe and someone on the outside. Having the Pig Palace takes care of upturned water tubs, getting swarmed when carrying feed and it just makes things soooooo much easier. Here is a link to my Pig Palace, back up a few pages to see how I scrapped it all together.

Baymule’s Pigs 2018 HEREFORDS!

I keep cans of wasp spray. I don't mind them so much, but not in the places I/we frequent.

www.backyardherds.com

When this year's pigs went to slaughter, we put a steer in there, it is working well!

Thank you Baymule, that looks so much easier. We didnt have the greatest set up this time, will improve next time for sure. i will check out your pig palace! This guy was only 300lbs and strong as an ox.