Pearl gave birth to Biscuit sometime the day of Sunday, 6 May. The kids went down in the evening to check on the animals and came tearing back up the hill, "PEARL HAD A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!"
We were all concerned--Pearl just wouldn't let Biscuit nurse. She was really agitated and jumpy, and since she was a first-time mom, and we were first-timers as well,...
...Elise...
...and Mason cozied up in the clean straw and bedded down for the night. My neighbor, who has milk cows, came over after his work shift and was able to help Biscuit latch on. So the human kids didn't end up spending the night at the barn--when my neighbor got there, Elise woke up and headed back to the house, with Mason following close behind her.
The next day we got Pearl on the milking stand,
...and Biscuit was able to latch on. I don't think I've ever been so relieved in my life! Turns out, maybe the reason Pearl was so jittery the previous night was that she had another baby in there. Sadly, it didn't make it. We weren't there when it was born, and it was cold by the time Trevor noticed it on the ground under the straw. I nearly threw up, I was so mortified. This circle of life thing is understandable in theory, but heartbreaking in practice.
But Biscuit was thriving!
Trevor named him.
On Monday, 7 May, while we were down with Pearl and Biscuit, Lincoln noticed Ruby acting strange. Soon she gave birth to a little doeling.
And then another doeling!
And then a buckling! Triplets!!
She was such a good mama, cleaning them right up and nuzzling them.
She let them nurse within an hour after birth.
We locked Pearl in the milking stand several times a day for the first week or so she and Biscuit could get used to each other. Grain helped with that training!
Elise named Ruby's babies Aster, Begonia, and Cosmos.
Out on pasture for the first time, 26 May.
We started milking them about 4 weeks after birth, more for us to learn how to do it than to actually get milk. The ladies didn't take too kindly to milking, hence the tied up back legs. We had to tie Pearl's legs for months and months, but Ruby got used to it quickly.
The triplets have always been a little scrawnier than Biscuit--he was twice the size of them in just a few months--no competition for him!
For FHE one night, we recreated the Nephite empire with blocks and beanie babies.
Trevor turned 5!
We canned lots and lots of applesauce to go with the peaches, pears and corn.
Picking out a pumpkin. At Walmart. Because we are that awesome.
God's gift to women (he just went along with what I said he should be), a ghost, half evil/half beauty queen, lion, knight. Money spent: $0.
His school Halloween costume. Isn't he cute?!
Our rooster, Rusty, proved his worth yet again. His loyalty saved the rest of the flock, and we will sorely miss him. We have two cockerels in our younger flock who will hopefully grow into wonderful protectors. RIP Rusty, we'll miss you.
(Side note: I finally got the 22 unlocked, but took no pleasure in killing the fox.)
I learned how to make apple cider vinegar! It's come in super handy in the care of animals.
When we moved to our property over a year ago, we were excited to jump in to 4-H and decided to try out the swine project. Everyone told us, "new to 4-H? Do pigs, they are easy." "Pigs are no work!" HA, I say. Just HA.
The adventure started last fall when we found a breeder and visited their farm, meeting the pregnant mamas. (We also got two kittens from them.) We went back again when the pigs were very young--I really wanted the kids to see the whole circle of life--and again a couple of months later so the kids could choose their pigs.
An honest-to-goodness pig pile.
"Oh, the cuteness! I just love them and can't wait to bring a little darling home"...says Elise at the beginning of the process
Getting the back of the barn ready for a cold-weather home for the piggies.
April 1st. How much does that pig cost? I told the kids I would pay $125 towards the purchase of their pigs. Mason chose a $250 pig and Elise and Sammy each chose a $300 pig.
We brought the pigs home in a rather unconventional way...in the back of our Suburban. We also learned that pigs don't say a simple "wee-wee-wee" all the way home. It's more like "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" until they run out of breath, only to do it all over again. They are LOUD!!
Elders Donovan and Elder Allen helped us unload the pigs. It was hilarious!
Mason named his pig Smoke E. Bacon
Introducing Kris P. Bacon
And here is Tomato Lettuce Bacon
First time walking the pigs...it was not a success. In fact, it took a looooong time and some serious help from friends before we got it figured out. Turns out you don't just give incessant little taps, it sometimes takes a few good whacks to really get their attention.
Elise loved grooming the pigs and spending time with them.
She didn't so much love walking them. That didn't change through the 4 months we had them. One time she came in sobbing hysterically, which continued for at least 5 minutes. During that time she threatened the life of her pig several times, begging for an axe, finally calming down enough to say, "I'm going to do cake decorating next year."
Getting bigger, but not much better at being obedient.
Hooray for short-sleeve weather!
Our first weigh-in, June 1st. It only took one pond visit and 1.5 hours of trying to get the flim-flanging pigs loaded in our neighbor's horse trailer. Elise had some friends from MN visiting, so they got to enjoy the 4-H cultural experience with us. Pigs weighed in at: Kris--151, Smoke--144, Tomato--135.
We changed up their feeding after weigh-ins--making more feed accessible at all times. They had to weigh at least 220 at the fair weigh-in on August 1st. They gain about 2 pounds a day, so we expected them to each gain about 120 pounds, easily making weight.
In their outside enclosure. We would spray down the dirt when it got really hot--they loved the mud!
Getting better at listening...training pigs was an excellent lesson in patience and perseverance for the kids.
Ruth is growing up in a very different environment than the others have--she'll grow up knowing fairgrounds and how to raise animals!
Elise and Mason participated in the Cowboy Youth Classic--and time to learn about how to get pigs ready for showing and then getting the chance to practice showing them. They learned a TON--it was the best fair prep we did.
This picture is awesome because it looks like the pig is actually doing what Mason wants it to do. It's not really, he's just following it around. :)
Sable and the pigs had a funny relationship. She loved being in the pen with them, but they would always nip at her tail, causing her to growl at them. Sometimes she'd herd them, which turned out to be super helpful when they would start running outside their pen.
Sunscreen au natural
Bath time at the farm! It's amazing what a little shampoo, conditioner, water and lotion can do for a pig's looks.
Mason's pig was a little sunburnt, so needed a little more TLC.
Washing in the pig pens at the fairgrounds.
It's so much easier to wash here than at home!
Kris's final weight: 256
Smoke's final weight: 260
Tomato's final weight: 239
Filling the waterer was just one of the fair chores.
Mason during the showmanship round. For some reason I didn't get any good pictures of him.
Elise at showmanship
Sammy--his pig actually did really well!
Nearly every day that we had the pigs each of the kids spent quality time with them--that didn't change at fair time. Now they just got so spend time with clean pigs in clean pens.
Elise and Kris were penned pretty early on in the market round.
Every child had their picture taken with their animal--it was hilarious to watch!
Twice a day we went to the fairgrounds to feed and water the pigs. Once a day the kids washed the pigs and cleaned out the pen, removing the old bedding and replacing it with new. At the beginning of the week they shaved their pigs--there is a lot of work that goes into getting a pig ready and keeping it ready for fair!
Mason started breaking out in hives about Wednesday of fair week. On Friday I took him to the pharmacy to try to get some meds so he wouldn't be so uncomfortable. I told the pharmacist his symptoms and that we thought it was the barn at the fairgrounds that was causing the reaction. She told us in no uncertain terms, DO NOT take him back to the barns. So Sammy and Elise ended up doing the rest of the pen mucking/cleaning.
A 4-H friend...just hanging out!
Lincoln stepped up to help since Mason was forbidden from entering the barn.
Fair kids are strong kids.
Saying goodbye. Sammy was the only one who cried a little at "goodbye".
At the auction!! Sammy's pig sold for $1,600, Elise's for $1,500 and Mason's for $1,300. All the kids decided to do pigs again next year.
Farewell to pigs! (We let Mason in the barn for a quick goodbye pic.)
