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