Jurassic Pig and Other Farm Tales

Sneaking up on pigs whilst they rest in their shelter

Those pigs!  After we brought them home, it was days before I even saw them 'cuz they kept hiding in the thick growth of their fenced-in pen.  I felt like one of the visitors to Jurassic Park.  Remember when the vehicles stopped in front of the T-Rex cage and it was nowhere to be seen?  Even after the sacrificial goat was proffered, it refused to reveal itself . . . just like our pigs!!  I literally had to sneak up on them to get a few decent shots and then they ran off when they heard the "ding" of the camera.  Those crazy pigs!  

Fleeing pigs . . . 

In contrast, the turkeys come over and "talk" when they see us humans.  Aren't they getting uglier with each passing day? 

Turkeys

Even the egg-laying chickens are brazen.  We added more egg-layers to the group and there's a bit of a turf war going on, with each party avoiding the other (I think the newer hens are scared of the older ones and rightly so, as the older gals are killers--ever see a chicken pecked to death?). 

Older egg-layer strutting 'bout the big pen

I think the resulting stress has put a damper on egg production 'cuz the ol' girls have stopped laying . . . me thinks chicken stew is gonna be on the menu soon if there continues to be no eggs. 

New egg-layer deciding if it's safe to venture out . . . 

As for the meat birds . . . I have never met an animal so stunned in all my life.  Part of me feels sorry for them 'cuz we humans have messed them up by breeding in traits (such as large breasts) that prevent movement--they literally have a hard time walking.

Meat birds in movable pens

And what's a farm without a garden?  The veggie garden has seen the biggest change.  With full-time work and family chores,  I seldom have a chance to get in there.  However, my FIL has done an awesome job caring for the plants.

Potatoes, peppers and celery

For the most part, everything is looking lush and green.  Looking forward to the harvest come end of August . . . .

Corn, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and beets

Later,
;)

On the Farm . . .

So much has happened in the last month here at casa d'acrylic . . . 


Veggie Garden:
Finally it's in--all of it!  Potatoes, onions, beans, lettuce, corn, squash, tomatoes . . . It was a lot of hard work clearing the field: picking out the rocks, getting the rows in, planting the seeds and seedlings, building the fence . . . 

Veggie Garden

The solar powered electric fence isn't quite finished yet, but it should get done within the week.  Hoping it'll keep away the local deer and rabbits.  Of the latter, we think its a family.  We often see different sized rabbits frolicking in the grass munching on clover.  

Chickens:
The girls were gettin' a wee bit crowded in their melon box (and don't they look rather homely as their feathers grow in?  Ugly!).

Big Box

Now they have some room to roam in their new chicken coop.  It's a reno to the back of the shed.

New Chicken Coop

We've got to add a door flap and ramp so they can venture outdoors to scratch in the dirt.  Hopefully that'll get done in the next week or so.


Flower Garden:
Quite a few perennials got planted, but they're so small relative to the big garden space.  

Purple Irises

Tiny Dicentra 

Hoping to pick up a few annuals in the next week to fill in the empty space.  Still, not a bad looking spot.  It'll be pretty in the next few years.

Front Flower Garden

And of course there's lots of wildlife from squirrels, chipmunks, chickadees, mourning doves, gold finches and purple finches.  The big bush also attracts lots of honeybees and butterflies.

Local squirrel

Yup, life grows very nicely on the farm ;)