No one told me I would need to give shots

One of the pigs seemed not be feeling well. His back legs were giving out from under him as he walked. He was eating fine and otherwise doing well. I called our 4-H leader and he recommended giving him some shots of penicillin. Off to the store I went and came home to give a very uncooperative swine his shot. You would never know how fast one of those animals could move until you jab one with a big fat needle. Sixty pounds of rocket pig went across the pen with the needle and syringe still sticking out of him. I had to run after him and depress the syringe before he had another chance to take off. The next day he needed his second shot and this time Suzanne and I went at him with a two person approach. After some wrangling and herding into a proper spot, I grabbed his back legs and pulled them straight back so his belly was on the ground, he of course hated this and squealed like crazy,  and Suzanne poked him with the needle. All in all a good method. The next day another pig had the symptoms and I made some more calls. The funny thing is we now think all they have is a bad case of SUNBURN. Holy Crap!!!

Video of the 4-H pigs being picked up.

Here's a little video clip of the girls picking out their pigs for their 4-H project.

Pigs are here for a few days

The pigs have settled in nicely and I think they like their new digs. They have never been out of the barn where we bought them, but they new just what to do when we put them in their pen. They started digging up all the grass so they could lay in the cool dirt. We added some water to the dirt so they could stay cool in the mud. Like all babies they like to eat, play and sleep all day. I still have some work to do on their pen but that will come in time. We have a video of when we picked them out at the farm and I'll try to get that finished in the next couple of days, so stay tuned. 

The Pigs Arrive Tomorrow

OK, here we go. Saturday morning we go and pick up the pigs for the girls 4-H project. I think it will go like this, there will be a bunch of pigs at the farm we're going to and the girls can pick the four they want. They will weigh between 20 and 40 pounds each, so I think I can get them into two dog crates I'll put in the back of the truck. Their pen is about 3/4 done. I just need to finish up the walls and hook up the water supply. I'll do the electric and paint down the road. I'll shoot some video of the pick tomorrow and try to post it later in the day.

Kass's section on her daddy's blog

Just got home and dads quietly sitting on the computer checking his blog. The girls and mom are finishing up the night with stories and tucking in for bed. I noticed I was not on the blog so I decided to embellish this Internet diary with words of wisdom from a 17 year old point of view. They key to living well is indeed being at peace with yourself however, it takes many trial and error efforts to make this happen. Some roads are more happily walked upon then others. Tonight, for example, was an easy night to be at peace with myself and I truly believe it is because I have been raised with the thought to do so. My Daddy and Momma are two very smart people that direct us, as daughters, in the right direction but with enough freedom that we are able to learn from the mistakes that we've gotten into. They aren't too strict and are not too lose and it makes just the right concoction that is able to turn out 4 amazing girlies. 

love you papa,

xo Kass

Hog feeder arrived today

The hog feeder I ordered arrived today, and of course it needed to be assembled. I spent all morning putting the thing together. Who would think you would need so many darn nuts and bolts for a hog feeder. Was like Christmas eve and I had to assemble the kids toys!!! Any way it came out nice and I didn't have too many extra parts.

Getting Ready for Pigs

We ordered our four pigs and they should be here by the end of April. They will weigh between 20 and 40 lbs when they arrive and be sold at the 4-H fair in August weighing about 250 lbs. I pent most of Saturday cleaning out an area next to our barn that used to hold animals and building a roof. I was thilled to find that for once something was done right on this farm. Under about half a foot of leaves and dirt was a concreate floor with a drain in it for waste water and general cleaning. We're off to a good start. I put up the roof and will finish it off next weekend. Two weeks until pigs arrive.

Raising Pigs and 4-H

Not like we don't have enough  to do in our daily lives, Suzanne and I have decided to raise four pigs and have Erin and Sydney participate in 4-H. We had thought about it last year while talking with some friends that do it in Montana and it sounded like a great idea. Then with all the projects already in motion in our life we had second thoughts. I had dismissed the idea until Suzanne came home from work one day and said she thought we should do it, even though it would be a huge amount of work. Why the second thoughts I said, and her response was interesting. She said she had had a conversation with a friend at work that was interested in finding a farm to live on and raise animals and gardens, but wasn't able to find anything they could afford or liked. Suzanne's rationing was that most people live in settings where they aren't allowed to have animals and that it would be a shame not to take advantage of our situation and it would be wonderful for the children. Hence the birth of this blog and our adventure into 4-H and raising four pigs. I hope you enjoy this story it should be interesting!

Living well

I think the key to living well is being at peace with yourself. My wife Suzanne, and I have never chosen the easy path it seems. I think mostly due to our lack, or mine, of thinking we should do what is expected of us. I rarely do what is expected of me and must have a conflict gene that goes into high gear when authority figures tell me what to do. That's another story. We got married in 1989 having no jobs, while we were still in college. Suzanne was 8 months pregnant when she graduated and was the only person I know to have her graduation gown almost fit as she excepted her diploma. Fast forward to 2009 and we are living on a farm we are rehabing and raising four girls.