Friday, September 27, 2013

Born Leader



I do love the Red Wattles and although the majority of my work is computer stuff, I do spend time outside whenever I can , doing whatever I can.

One thing I do not do is feed the big pigs.

They are not mean, they intend no harm but even though I am sturdy I am quite short and not near as fast as my sleek hubbie. So at a certain point, when the pigs are about 3 months old,  it is he who jumps in the middle of the lot and then runs like the wind spreading grain out as evenly as possible before he is run over.

Oh I still help from outside the pen, watering for example, and of course I am the queen of the castration scalpel  but as I've gotten older (and shorter !) I happily step aside  to let he with the fast limbs care for the breeding stock.

The feeder pigs has an large automatic feeder from which they can eat all they want whenever they want. And weight gain is a good thing with feeder pigs destined to be shoulder roast and bacon. But the breeding stock are limited in their diets. Too fat and they will have trouble with fertility as well as farrowing.

9 comments:

  1. My dear wife sits down with a glass of wine, and shouts instructions. I could send her over, if you like, to show you how it's done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro, I'll put clean sheets on the guest room right away!

      Delete
  2. I would be more concerned with the feeder pigs...especially if they remember the castration. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well sine I'm the one who wields the castration knife, Keith is still the one they adore

      Delete
  3. We've had a pair of Berkshire crosses twice, and when they start to get bigger I'm leery of going in with them. We have their feed tubs attached to the fence so I can dump the feed in over the fence. Then once they're busy, I can go in and pat them. Our pigs have never been aggressive or tried to run us over to get to the feed, but being, ahem, not so young anymore, I always think better safe than sorry!

    By the way, I went on your site for selling the farm (again) and noticed that the captions don't match up to the photos. Not sure if you're aware of it. Sometimes it turns out pretty funny, such as a barn full of hens labeled the downstairs bathroom, but you might prefer to get the captions right even if it's not as funny. :) I know you love a reason to smile, but I also know you want this farm sold already! Any nibbles? I hope!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan

      I've tried to change the captions and pics (they were correct when I did them) but with no luck. I gave up as people read them anyway, finding them amusing just like you did. And yes we've shown the place to five folk since the drop in price. No offers yet. Probably just afraid of the chickens in the bathroom!

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't think I would enjoy having such large animals around me either. I love seeing piglets but wouldn't argue with their mum. It sad you haven't found a buyer for your lovely farm. The pictures look wonderful, Donna. I hope you hear some good news soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nowadays, other types of leaders have been determined by the contemporary cases that are showed in the world like the Transformational, the Charismatic and the Authentic leaders, bringing ethics and moral considerations to the leadership studies.
    Communication Skills Training in Bangalore | Presentation Skills Training Bangalore

    ReplyDelete