Week #17 - A busy week!

As we head into May, we are ramping up for our busiest time of year. This week was a busy one! 

We started the week with a bang when Patty, the pig gave birth to eight healthy piglets. As a first time mom, we weren't sure how she would do, but she did great! The piglets have almost doubled their weight in 6 days and are doing very well. Patty is a very attentive mother and we are planning on moving the crew outside to pasture shortly. 

This week we also rounded up some lovely new chicks from a lady near Dugald. While we are hatching our own, I wanted to explore a few new breeds and bring some new genetics into our flock. Looking forward to watching these little ones grow! 

Our third arrival this week, was Oliver! At a week and a half, he is a strapping young fellow. He and his twin sister are half Nubian/half Alpine. Their mother was struggling to feed both the twins so their owner decided to sell Oliver. We are bottle feeding him of course so back to regular feeding times we go! 

At the end of the week, we managed to get most of our field prep done. We plant in black, biodegradable plastic mulch which heats the soil, traps moisture (there is a drip tape hose running underneath) and keeps weeds away. This weekend we put the mulch down on both fields and smoothed, shovelled and hoed the rows to be sure that all are even and secure. We even got a few of our kozy koats filled up - we put our tomatoes in these waterfilled mini-shelters to give them an early head start. 

Just talking about the week leaves me satisfied and tired... definitely will sleep well! Sweet dreams!