What is that sound outside?

I awoke this morning to a familiar sound that I haven't heard in a while.....RAIN!!!  we got over 2.5" last night and it is still raining!  Now I understand it is thanksgiving but we needed the rain so bad.  We have been in a moderate drought since late June.  It is supposed to continue raining most of the day which should bring us up to where we should be in precipitation to start December!!  Another great thing about this cold rainy day is that the animals all have a dry place to get out of the rain now.  Having fixed the shed roof and the barn wall everyone is just chilling inside till the rain dies down then they will head out to the pasture for the day.

Cows are all doing fine.  Jo Jo the bull is still enjoying his visit and is constantly schmoozing with the ladies!!  Hopefully next years A.I. goes better as I spent a lot of money on it this year and I think that only a 2 or 3 out of 7 settled with it.  FYI, it costs about $50/ service to do A.I. (Artificial Insemination).  I bred everyone at least twice.  What I am finding is that my estrus synchronization was off and thus caused them not to be in heat when they were supposed to be.  Anyway, I am going to try a different Sinc. system next year to hopefully get better results!

Piglets are growing so fast.  They are closing in on 20lbs already.  Momma is getting a little thin from feeding them so much.  We have been researching ways to supplement her diet to keep her healthy.

For the cows it is easy.  We keep a lick tub in the pasture that gives the cows any missing micro nutrients and minerals that are low in their diet.  The speed that they eat the tub varies from time to time depending on where the bale they ate came from.  If the fields nutrients are unbalanced the hay from it will be also. 

Likewise is also true for the pigs.  They have free access to the pasture and we supply them with all the silage and dry hay they want.  They eat it and enjoy it but sometimes the nutrients they get from it are not balanced correctly for a sow feeding piglets.  From the research we have been doing you can feed them alfalfa hay, which I do not grow here, or give them some supplement.  One option we found was during the winter months when the pasture is dormant and ground frozen is to give the mother a small amount of ground corn containing the minerals and nutrients she would normally get off the pasture.  This will keep her diet balanced and allow her to supply the amount of milk the babies need.

I would like to ask anyone reading this to leave me a message and let me know if you have any ideas.  Grass fed pork and beef is not new and information for the cows is readily available.  I am finding however that this is not the case for the pork!

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Kenny