Had a break today......SLED RIDING!!

I finished my salting by 9am today so I came home and wrapped up a few odds and ends and then went out and packed the hill for sled riding!  Neighbors came out after lunch and we went out for a little while.  Gonna take a nap and then I will go out and run the tractor again tonight after they all get done with barn work.

Little man was helping drive and direct traffic!  After he watched from there for a while he sat on my lap and helped steer.  He is learning so quick.

 Picture of the hill.  We start on the top of the hill in the neighbors field and go down and across my field.  The goal is to see who can get closest to the trees without hitting any!!  Longest run was down, turned to the left and made it almost to the road.  We will see what happens tonight once the snow refreezes and is much faster!!  Total length of the hill is about 300 yards.  Total length of time for a run is 20 seconds or less.  When it is good and cold is about 15 seconds, but that to the time the sled or tube stops.  When you go down that fast you actually turn and end up down toward the road so you are actually going about 400 yards!

Steven found a new seat.  

 

 Picture of the return trip.  Anyone who was at the customer appreciation party will recognize this.  Works pretty nice and keep the operator warm and happy!!

 

Daisy came out to play as well.  She would ride up and then chase everyone down.  She is now completely worn out and is sleeping next to the heater vent here in the house.  

 If you look closely you will see Alex looking out the back corner window watching everyone getting the sleds and themselves on the trailer.

 All in all it was a beautiful day and everyone had a good time.  The little kids will all be in bed later and the older ones will all be back over to go again.  We build a fire at the top of the hill to warm up by and it keeps everyone happy.  Hopefully no one gets hurt and everyone has fun! 

Piggy update; feeder upgrades are working so far.  We will get a new feeder this summer after we get the birthing pens built.  Till then we are stuck with what we have.  Also reduced the size of the pen by 40%.  This was to take away the indoor restroom (or at least that what they thought the space was for) and force them to "GO" outside.  So far it is mostly working.  A little bit of poo in the barn but not nearly like before.

Cow update; everyone is doing well.  The calves are growing so fast I am blown away.  Precious, born 4/23/10 is already pushing close to 800 lbs.  The two July calves are upwards of 500lbs.  What is most amazing is to see precious stand next to the two Angus heifers I purchased at auction last year that are a year and a half old and realize she and they are the same size and weight!  I am so anxious for summer to get here to see my new calves, it is gonna be great!

All in all it is going to be a busy year once the weather breaks.  Pig lots to build, pens to construct, hay to make, calves to be born.  And to think just five years ago all I had to do was bale some hay and didn't have any where to sell it or cows to feed it to.  Now I don't know where I am going to get the time to get everything done.  But hey, that's a good problem to have because the opposite is no fun at all!

Kenny

Where oh where is spring?!!

I really hope that spring comes early this year!  I am ready for it now.  They are calling for a moderate thaw next week in the extended forecast, let's hope it is true!

we cleaned pig pen and tweeked the feeder last weekend.  Still need to add one more thing and I think we will get through the winter with it.  Our current problem was wasted feed.  There were no covers or sides on the trough so the small pigs would stand in the feed and root it out onto the floor.  Then they would spread it everywhere.  The big pigs would simply pull it all out and make a pile on the floor.  In one day they managed to empty the entire thing onto the floor and then pooped in it.  That is another problem, they won't "go" outside when it is cold!  Instead they are making a mess of the barn.

Well, to try to control the waste I added sides and doors to the feeder.  They then ripped one off already.  It did cut down a lot on the waste though.  They have been several days without emptying the barrel which means they are actually eating it.  I noticed tonight when checking on them that the side missing the lid has feed on the floor and the other side does not.  They are having trouble getting the feed to come down as they cannot root as deep as they could before.  We are gonna add one more board for them to knock around that will keep the feed moving.  We are just trying to get through this first winter and generate some income to get a proper feeder that will handle more pigs eating from it.  It will also be difficult to find one that will handle the feed mix with the hay in it.  Most all feeders are designed to handle grain only. 

The poop and pee issue will be remedied this summer as well.  First of all we are gonna construct some pig lots to contain the little ones in till they are big enough to respect the fence.  We also need another lot for breeding and to separate the boar from the piglets when needed.  Some form of water will be available out in the pasture so that they have to go out of barn more than a couple feet to get it.  This will hopefully get them to "GO" along the way in the winter.  In the summer they have the stream and such which will keep them out of the barn except to sleep.  Lastly we are gonna construct some actual birthing pens that can also double as winter housing for them that will be easy to clean and maintain.  The only way to clean the current setup is with a pitchfork through a hole in the wall.  The boar will have use of the pen in the barn for himself and I will decrease its side and put a shelf over the top for hay storage.

The cows are doing great.  The hay is lasting a little longer due to two less mouths to feed.  Wife is putting finishing touches on cut sheets for the two at the butcher.  The two new dudes fit right in with everyone and seem to be quite happy and are doing well. 

Time to head to bed, gotta be up in a few hours to go deal with currently falling snow.  I used to love the snow and plowing and salting, now it is just another thing I gotta do when it is cold out!  I just wanna have a campfire and sit outside and drink an ice cold beer in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts!

Stay warm,

Kenny

A whole new meaning to the term Frozen Beef!!!

Well, for anyone who hasn't been outside yet, it is cold!!   When I left to do snow it was -3 and by the time the sun came up it was -15.  I went out to check on everyone and found the cows all at the feeder.  They looked a little chilly and Frosty wasn't the only one frosted!!

 

Most people don't realize that cattle are not bothered by the cold like we are.  As long as they have protection from the wind they are perfectly at home in the cold.  They have a higher normal body temp than humans do and they act of digestion actually creates heat.  This is why they do not eat as much in the summer and their feed consumption goes up the colder it gets.  They will probably be at the feeder all day today do to the really low temps.  

The pigs were not as happy as the cows.  They were all piled on top of each other in the barn and only came out long enough to drink and then quickly went back inside.  

Everyone is still fine though and doing well.  We took two steers to the butcher Wednesday.  One was 1163 and the other was 1222.  Hanging weight, the weight of the carcass hanging on the rail which is just the meat and bones, was 640 and 672.  That makes the dressing percentage about 55%.  I am hoping to get that up to 60% through genetics.  They gained an average of 1.44lbs/day.  I expect that once I start having my own calves born here to fatten out that my rate of gain and dress percentage will go up.  I have had only one set so far that were born and raised here so far.  The steer average 1.98lbs/day and the heifer gained 1.58lbs/day.  

What I believe is happening here is a combination of things.  Until I am able to meet my demand with my own supply of steers I have to purchase calves at the auction or other sources to raise for meat.  This means that those steers have been weaned from their mother before coming here and most were stressed during the move also.  This stress coupled with a change of diet to all grass causes a period of little or not weight gain.  I do not wean the calves here.  I let their mothers do that when the time comes.  This means it will be done gradually and without any stress.  Meanwhile the calves raised here learn to eat out of the feeder very early  so by the time they are weaned they are already getting a full stomach of hay and are used to the diet.  If the numbers hold true from the first two born and raised here I will be able to take a steer from birth to 1200lbs in the same number of days or fewer than I can purchase a 500lb steer and fatten it out. 

These numbers probably won't mean much to most people, but to anyone who has or is currently raising cattle for meat they mean a lot.  I am very happy that my grass fed system is working.  I have always been told growing up that you have to have grain to raise a cow.  I am proving everyday that I can not only raise a cow on grass only but I can get good daily rate of gain (ROG) also.  I would like to be in the 2.25 to 2.5lb/day ROG range.  This will come with better genetics and time!

Last topic I want to bring up is the new pig feeder.  We put the barrel on top of the trough to allow for constant feed supply for the pigs.  This was a great idea and worked well for the first four days.  That's when the pigs figured out that the feed would continue to be there even if they rooted it out onto the floor.  So that is just what they did!!  They pretty much emptied the feeder all over the barn!  So to stop the waste I added a board to one side of each end of the feed, the side they were rooting feed off of, so they couldn't just flip it over the edge.  that worked for a couple of days also.  Now they are flipping it off of the other side.  So I think I will add a board to the other side and they will have to eat one at a time.  If you have any ideas feel free to leave them in the comments.  I am open to suggestions.  I will have to post some good pics next time we clean the pen.  

Clean the pen....that is another thing.  Due to the cold and the snow, the pigs decided to make a potty spot in the barn!!  Not cool.  They are making a mess in a hurry and I am not happy about it.  We will be building some pig pens and lots that can be cleaned with a skid steer as the current one can only be pitched out under the rubber flap covering the door way for the pigs to go outside.  We are gonna try something new the next time we clean.  We are gonna clean the pen as good as we can and then spray it down with Clorox to remove the poo and pee smell so they no longer think there is a potty spot in the barn.  

I will keep you posted,

Kenny

Oh how I long for summer.

When I was a kid I used to love winter.  Now I dread it.  I still love the snow and driving in it.  Just don't like working in it.  Also, long periods of time with no sun really depress me.

Well, on to a more positive note.  We ground the feed for the pigs yesterday.  Took quite a while as the neighbor sold his older small grinder and we had to get the newer bigger grinder out to use.  It did a much nicer job of grinding the hay.  It runs at a much higher speed so it breaks the hay up much smaller.

After finishing all the other work of grinding and other little chores I finished building the pig feeder I started a week ago.  We have been using the bottom already but the pigs can get in it and they root the feed out of it onto the floor and waste it.  Steven and I have been trying to figure out how to make a box for the top without having the feed hang up inside.  With the feed being mostly hay it doesn't flow like a grain so it will hang up in a feeder if the walls are not smooth and too close together.

Then, Yesterday, as we were getting ready to head out to grind the feed, my wife suggested using a plastic barrel on top of the trough instead of building a box.  Awesome idea!  Smooth walls, equal size from top to bottom and all I had to do was remove the bottom and top and fasten it on.

Yes, they were very happy and so am I!!  They get an endless supply of food like they would have in the summer from the pasture and I only have to fill once or twice a week.  Furthermore, I weighed a bucket of their feed.  Now when we fill the feeder we will use that bucket to do so and we will know exactly what they are eating every day.  This will allow me to plan when to make more and how they are gaining compared to what they are eating.

This is a pic of the first morning after Pig and Pig Pig came home.

There were separate sleeping accommodations.  It was kinda cute.  They are starting to get along like nothing ever changed now.  The only thing is that the older pigs will not let the little ones near the feeder till they are done.  No exceptions!  Thus is life.

This was taken right after we unloaded Pig and Pig Pig and turned them all loose in the pasture to clean the pen.  There were pigs and cows running everywhere, except two little steers.  If you look closely at the top right of the picture you will see the two new steers I added to the heard over the holidays.  They just stood there most of the time watching everyone else act crazy!

Anyway.  We will need to work on a watering system this coming summer as carrying water from the house during these cold days is not an efficient use of time.  Probably going to run a water line out to barn area and put a hydrant on to we can have water year round out there.  During decent weather the pigs can go to the creek to drink but when there is a large amount of snow on the ground and very cold temps it is not very feasible for the little ones.  But for now, I have a bucket and I long for summer!

Kenny

Pig and Pig Pig come home today!

This has been my view for the last seven days!

 Finally got to get some sleep yesterday, first time since Saturday night.  I fell asleep by 1pm and didn't wake up till I got called back in to work at 2am this morning.  Didn't even realize my family came home.

I found this toolbox listed on craigslist last week.  We drove up to Cleveland last Sunday to pick it up.  Got it for about half what it is worth new.  Best thing is it is still new.  The guy I bought it off of only had it for a few weeks and decided to get something else!!  All I need is some socket and wrench organizers for the drawers and I am good to go.  The only problem is that I need a day off to go get them.  Probably won't happen very soon.  I am lucky to be home now.

Anyway, we are going to go pick up the Pig and Pig Pig today while I am home.  Then we are going to let them all out again and hope the little ones stay in this time.  We are going to build a couple of large pens off of the barn once ground thaws to keep babies in when they are really little.  We will set a bunch of wooden posts and attach pig panels to them.  This way they can still go out on pasture but be contained till they are big enough for the electric fence to contain them.  Having Pig and Pig Pig home will help as well as the little ones will want to stay with the rest of the group. 

I will try to grab a couple of pics while we are out there today.  Hopefully it doesn't take long so I can get some rest before work!!

Kenny

Built a new feeder for the piggies

Well, the babies are not really babies any more and are starting to make messes with their feed tubs.  So I took some of the scraps from the barn doors and garage and built a nice heavy feed trough to put their ground hay into.  It weighs about 75lbs and is made of mostly oak.  I also made it with smooth sides so they cannot flip with their nose and dump it.  We are considering putting a hopper box on top.  That way we can fill it up and it will keep feed in the trough so they constantly have something to eat. 

 Here is a quick pic of one of the meals my wife cooked over new years weekend.  She marinated some chicken wings and cooked them up.  The other thing you see there is calamari, aka. fried squid.  She powdered them with some kind of curry powder mix.  Very very good.  I never would have though of eating something like that as a child but my kids ate it right up!

I haven't had time to get any good pics lately due to snow and work.  Hoping to get some this weekend.  Snow makes for a nice backdrop and we have got a few inches of it out there again!

Well, off to take a nap before getting up at 1:30 am to go plow and salt lots!

Kenny

Well, its monday.

 Well, first Monday of the new year.  They never get any better do they.  Only good thing about this one is I took vacation till tomorrow so I could start the new work year on a Tuesday!!  This gives me today to finish the garage project.  

This all started with a repair needed on my truck.  I have a space heater I bought when we moved in here.  It was a $60 special at an auction.  It has worked pretty well till now.  Now it quit working.  Well, we have free gas and it is already piped to garage so we decided to get a small gas heater to put in the garage.  However, the garage was completely unfinished.  So, for the small heater we were getting to be efficient we had to put a ceiling in with some insulation on top and on the walls.  They, after getting the ceiling in and seeing the mess that I was gonna be left with I decided to just get the last of the OSB (Oriented Strand Board) and just finish the walls so I can set up the garage into a shop that we can work in year round as well as a garage.

Above is how the garage was gonna stay for a while.  I didn't like the look of it plus the kids and animals can access the insulation and make a mess of things.  Furthermore, any shelves or benches I installed would have to be pulled back down to put walls up some day in the future. 

Below is what it looks like after putting walls on.  These shelves were free standing and I built them into the corner so they are stronger.  I am gonna paint later on.  Trying to decide between a buckeyes theme and straight white.

 Below is a pic of the one of the two new steers I got last week.  He is the one in the back.  The front one is Chio.  The new ones are both shorthorns.

Here is the new Tamworth Boar.  He is the red one on the left.  He is a full blooded registered Tamworth.  We will be using him to breed our pigs from here on out till he gets too old to do so.   We are trying to come up with a name for him.  If you have any suggestions Please comment!!! 

They spent the first day fighting over who was gonna be boss again.  I am guessing that last nights cold put an end to that.  I am headed out shortly to check on them.

Lastly, for anyone following that is getting meat, I am still waiting on a set butcher date.  It was supposed to be last week or this week but the state changed deer season.  The deer have to be processed separately so they cannot do any steers till next week.  I will keep you all posted.

Kenny