To market, to market to buy a small pig...home again, home again jiggety-jig...

So, we are doing it...after tossing around the idea of getting goats or pigs...We are getting pigs!  Ossabaw Island Hogs to be exact!  A family friend has a breeding pair and is selling us a couple so we can see if we can get along with raising pigs to butcher.  Hopefully...hopefully next year we will start breeding our own.  At least that is the plan.  From what we hear pigs can be beyond challenging.  Most people have recommended purchasing a butchering hog at auction vs. raising them ourselves.  But, we are stubborn people who just have to try it ourselves first.

Meanwhile...we are getting ready.  Back story...shortly after we moved into the house my sister gave us an old trampoline.  She didn't want it around anymore after my nephew broke his arm doing a back flip off one.  We found all sorts of ideas on Pinterest to use it for...an in ground trampoline (nixed after the broken arm). A swing...a teepee.  All sorts of really cool things.  We opt for making a greenhouse.  We wanted to go as cheap as possible, using supplies we found around the property.  I know your thinking...what does a greenhouse have to do with pigs?  Just bear with me...I will get there...a bit of the long way...but I promise...I will!!!!

Putting the frame together

First we assembled the trampoline into halves. Then we added parts of the legs to it.  It was really easy, self explanatory, and almost kicked our butts!These became the front and back of the greenhouse.  It was weird...there were only screws (and screw holes) for every other leg.  We weren't sure how we were going to keep it together.  Hubby scratched his head, went into his workshop, dug around for what seemed like forever. Then it hit him...he decided to  use some sheet metal screws he had from an old project.  They were self tapping and are holding things together rather nicely.

Adding copper poles

Then we had to figure out how to connect the halves.  On Pinterest some people used PVC pipes, or flexible vacuum tubes.  We found 10' conduit down in the hunting cabin.  They turned out to be perfect.  It took us a bit to figure out how to connect the conduit to the frame.  Turned into a simple, easy fix.  The conduit fit perfectly into the legs of the trampoline.  We then attached theconduit into the legs with more sheet metal screws.   Unfortunately we came up short on how many we needed...so off to the local, small town, hardware store.  I think in the end we used an additional $13 worth of screws. Of course we spent more because we bought a big box of them...but we never know when we will need screws!  DIYers know what I mean by that!!!  lol

Our little helper and
 complete frame

Next up we pieced the two halves together and used MORE sheet metal screws to finish holding it together. You can see our "helper" in the corner of the picture. Our 6-year old loves to help build things.  In fact, he has his own tool bag and is as bad as I am about confiscating Daddy's tools if he leaves them unsupervised to long (I just wait till he goes out of town to steal, I mean, confiscate them...our son is just faster!)

But, as you can see, we now have the frame of what was to become our greenhouse.  We also purchased some 4mm plastic and sheathing tape to finish the project.  We just wanted to wait for it to warm up some more.  This was built the last week of January...so we weren't quite ready for it yet.  We just sat it in location, staked it down...and left it there.

Tarp for cover

Now, introduce the idea of getting pigs.  We debated for several days, did some more research, made some phone calls, sent lots and lots of PM's over Facebook.  Debated some more, researched some more.  Looked over our back yard and debated some more.  Then decided to go for it.  Just jump right into it before we changed our mind.  We decided we will pasture them for most of their feed.  Figured out what to buy to feed them, how we were feeding them, etc.  Now to figure out where to start them and a shelter.  Back to the greenhouse...PERFECT!  Just repurpose it into a pig shelter.  It was a beautiful day to get outside and get creative.  Very, very warm for a February...we hit 82* yesterday (when we worked on our project).  We broke some serious records here!


Continuing with using supplies around the house...a large tarp became the cover. Zip ties are a poor mans best friend.  They serve so many purposes.  We used them to help secure the tarp into place. We also used them to help attach cattle panels to the t-posts.  We go through zip ties like candy around here.  Just ask my 4-year old who loves to play "connect them together" while we work.

We have a second smaller tarp that will help finish enclosing the shelter.  Now, in comparison to the size of the piglets right now...there is more than enough room for them.  From what we hear...the piglets are the size of 2 footballs.  Lol.  Using sports equipment to give estimates works for this family!  Our 6-year is searching for a second football so we can have an exact visualization.  Since we will be transporting them in a dog kennel, knowing they can share one makes me feel better.

Hiding and playing
with zip ties

We decided that the piglets can help start preparing our garden for planting season.  We haven't had a chance to plow it under.  So they can root around it in.  So, as you can see we moved the shelter to the middle, upper field.  We didn't have anything to enclose the garden with...so we headed over to Riverside Farm Supply and got 8 cattle panels and some t-posts.  They are so sweet over there.  They ordered, picked up, and delivered everything to us!  We got most of them set into place.  Either tomorrow or Monday hubby will build a gate and finish the enclosure.  He will also run some electricity.  From what we have been told...pigges like to escape! 

Our Great Dane relaxing
 in the shade of the shelter

While we are proud of how it is all coming together...our 4-year old is unimpressed.  According to her we have to build a brick house to keep the big bad wolf from blowing it down.  At least for HER pig.  Her brother and sister can build straw and stick houses for theirs.  But hers has to have a BRICK house.  And she has decided that she can tell them the story of the 3 Little Pigs and she gets to play the roll of the Big Bad Wolf and blow down her brother and sisters pigs houses.  We have tried to explain to her that we are only getting TWO pigs...but she doesn't care.  Her story has 3...therefore we will be getting 3. This child has an imagination that goes with her attitude...WILD!!!!!

Well, it is late...and all of this building and story telling has wore me out.  We will be picking up the pigs in the next few days to a week.  That will be an adventure in itself.  I hope to get some good pictures of our friends place to share.  They have goats, pigs, chickens...you name it.  I can't wait to get back down there!!!!

Until next time!!!!!

Where has time gone?

Oh my...I didn't realize how long it has been since I last published in my blog.  The last date I see is 2010!!!!  It is now 2017!!!!  Where has time gone?  Where have I gone? What has happened?!?!?!!

So much has changed...a new baby in 2013, an angel in 2016. Hubby started traveling for his job and is gone quite a bit. Our older 2 children have graduated high school (one is 2014 the other in 2016)...the oldest moved out and he is living on his own (insert tears here).  Five "rats" (as I love to refer to them from our favorite tv show "Rugrats" which we still watch!) are still living at home. I started selling with 3 direct sales companies...still sell with 2, but don't promote.

Home...now that is the BIGGEST change for us.  We have moved!!!!  In 2013 my mother unexpectedly passed away, devastating us.  We realized that our children didn't know their grandparents at all.  So, hubby and I decided that it was time to leave California and move to West Virginia to be closer to family. We left California June 2014.

My sister and her family opened their arms and home to us for a year while we did upgrades and placed our old place on the market.  It finally sold in August 2015 and we purchased our new home (along with 105 acres of land) a few days later!  It was all in the timing...and boy did it work out!!!!!  Our place is amazing!!!!  Close enough to get to town (15 min drive)...but far enough out that no one can hear you scream.  Well, one neighbor can...they live right across the road, up the hill...and sound echo's.  But hey...I can't reach out and touch someone any more.

Front of house from road

Sorry, now I'm just rambling....

Anyway, we are trying to grow our little farmstead.  We started with a small garden last year that didn't produce to much.  It was our fault really.  It had been a while since I attempted a garden with more than just a few plant varieties.  But, I had a very high pregnancy at the start of the gardening season, after we lost the baby ...well, it was just to much for me as the summer went on.

Our back yard...perfect for sledding

We also started raising the first of our chickens.  We started the year with 5 hens and a rooster (he was a oopsie).  Purchased 6 more hens a few months later.  We lost the rooster and 5 hens over the summer due to wild critters.  Apparently raccoons and opossums love fresh eggs and chickens as much as we do! We finished the year with 2 roosters (one was given to us by a neighbor and one was hatched by a broody hen) and 7 hens (2 were hatched by our broody now known as Mrs. B).

Baby #1 hatching

At the beginning of February this year we purchased an incubator and started incubating 7 eggs.  We discovered at 1 week incubation that 1 was infertile.  At 2 weeks incubation we had what appeared to be 6 healthy eggs.  On day 20 (average of 21 days incubation time) our first 2 babies hatched.  It was an internet sensation!  I live streamed it via Facebook and several friends (and their kids) enjoyed the show.  We have been anxiously waiting for the other 4 to hatch...but we are now at day 28 and it appears that the others will not be hatching.  Which is a bummer...but it's how it goes sometimes.

New babies in the brooder

Now, I should share that my husband has been getting excited about having new chickens.  He was reluctant last year about purchasing more.  However this year when we found a local farm selling straight chicks (unsexed) for just a couple of dollars each he suggested we go out there. So, we went out to meet them and we purchased 7 new chicks for my brooder!  While I don't know off hand what breed the 2 babies we hatched are I do know that I purchased 4 Silver Laced Wyandotte's and 3 Red Cross.  They are 2 weeks old and doing well.  They are enjoying the occasional live streaming I do.

Meanwhile...we rehomed our youngest rooster "Jack".  We have a friend who needed to replace their very, very aggressive rooster and since "Papa" (our older rooster) was now attacking "Jack" when he got to close to the ladies...it was time for one to go.  So, "Jack" now has a coop full of ladies just for him!  On a sad note...a few days after rehoming "Jack" one of our hens jumped off a hill and landed right in front of a truck.  She was killed instantly.  Of course tears were shed because she was one of our original chicks and a favorite of the rats.  But that is the hazards of raising free ranged chickens.

Jack in his new home

Tomorrow we will start incubating aprox 30 eggs.  We are so excited.  Most of these chickens will be slaughtered for meat when they are big enough (what? 3-5 months ish?) We also have a lot more interesting things going on and more animals to add and shelters to build...  But, I'm going to end this here for now.  It has been an interesting few years...and the last few days have been busy.  Hopefully I will be able to keep up with things a bit better and...well, I don't know.  Who knows what will show up here! 

Until next time folks!!!!!