Hello farm friends! We've been on a bit of a blog hiatus, but we're back in the new year! Lots of piglets on the way end of January, February and March. We're all handling the cold pretty well - lots of pigs snuggled down in hay mounds.
This is Mick Jagger, our new boar who's growing up nicely, and one of his girl friends. Even in the hot, the pigs lay right next to each other. This weather now, though, definitely calls for some body heat.
These orderly ladies are exiting their coop after a night of chicken snuggling. They get back into their coop at dusk - no chicken herding required - and stay in until dawn. They are sheltered from the elements and have long roosts to perch on. We close up the doors at night to keep out curious and hungry critters - possums, raccoons, foxes, etc. The shiny girls are a black sex link, a cross between a Rhode Island Red rooster and a Barred Plymouth Rock hen. At hatch, you can tell which ones are male or female by a white dot on their heads. Genetics are super fascinating in chicken colors!
We have some red sex links - Rhode Island Red rooster and White Plymouth Rock hen - who are the friendliest of all the chickens we have. We had multiple mechanical breakdowns this week - when it rains, it pours OR when it gets really cold, none of the machines will work right. Truck stuck in the mud, 4 wheeler not shifting into gear, tractor not starting....sigh. The Subaru, though, going strong as an alternate feeding vehicle. This hen thought it was her own personal feed vehicle. She's trying out for Tractor Supply spokeschicken.
Thanks to you all for all the support this year and warmest wishes and good luck to you all for the next. We'll hope for normal, whatever that is at this point. Check us out at the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Saturdays 8-11 all winter or order online at porchswingfarms.com for home delivery or market pickup. XO!
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