Thanks to Judy at Ricketts-White Design for designing our new farm logo! Leave a comment with what you think.
Here piggie, piggie
Next weekend, we will be adding 2 pigs to the farm! These pigs will be raised on organic, GMO free, soy free grain, fresh fruits, and goat milk (the goats are also eating organic, GMO free, soy free grain). We can not guarantee the hay for the goats and pigs is organic, however, we can ensure the meat will be raised soy free from the time it comes to our farm.
If you are interested in buying some local pork, keep reading!
The pigs will be about 2 months old when they arrive. We plan to raise them to about 6 months old, which means they will go to butcher in January. Based on the results from another nearby farm who raised pigs on the same grain and milk diet, the pigs should be around 300lbs live weight at 6months old. It is possible for us to take a pig to slaughter earlier if desired.
Instead of re-typing, (or copying) what I have found about how much a pig will yield, I will let you read one of the better write-ups about yield: http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2006/07/04/what-is-a-half-pig-share/.
There are only 2 pigs. We will not be selling cuts, only a whole or half pig. Our pricing will be $5/lb hanging weight (without the head) for a half-pig and $4.75/lb for a whole pig. We will be keeping at least half a pig for our family. Buyers pay the slaughter and butcher fees directly to the butcher when you pick up your meat. We will likely use a local butcher in Preston CT. The slaughter charge is expected to be $75/pig and $1.30/lb hanging weight for butcher fees (please note, these prices are estimates).
If you would like to reserve a half or whole, email me and then send us your deposit. A deposit of $150/half or $200/whole is required to hold your pig. A second payment of the same amount is due on November 1st, and the final balance will be due when the pig is slaughtered.
Stay tuned for pictures in about a week!
Amanda starts preschool!
This morning I dropped Amanda off at preschool for the first time. As we left the house she noticed her Morning glories had finally started blooming almost as if they had been waiting for this day. She walked in the door at preschool and started playing like she had been there for years. Washed her hands, put away her lunch box and hung up her bag like she had done it a thousand times. Her preschool is the Little Log Preschool in Griswold, a whopping two miles or less from the house. It was recommended to me at the three year old Griswold schools screening, and Amanda will attend two days a week. Full day. I’m feeling a little emotional, but I have to get some work done on the farm, so off we go (Mack and I).
Alpha trials!
While Anna and the kids were in Sweden, I bought a new toy. I believe the comment when we pulled in the driveway was “Why is there a travel trailer parked in the yard?”
That’s right, I bought a 29′ toy hauler without telling my wife. We got it because we are now spending more weekends at fairgrounds showing the goats and rabbits. And who doesnt need a travel trailer.
Since we have a fair next weekend, this weekend is alpha trials at Hopeville Pond State Park, all of 2 miles from home. It makes it easy to go home and do chores and pick up things we want to add to trailer. In fact, since we didn’t make reservations we actually have to break camp in the morning and go home then come back later to a different site. That’s fine, we didn’t plan to site here all day.
Training Calli – Breakthrough!
Calli and I have been having a tough time lately. I have been busy working on projects and just wasn’t making progress (read – wasn’t riding). I finally broke down and hired a friend to do some training with her. The first ride went well and the trainer agreed that Calli has potential and is willing to learn. The second ride – Calli was lame. This was a lameness in her back/SI joint area. I saw the exact same lameness in her last fall after a few days of harder work.
In frustration, I actually listed her for sale on a Facebook group. Of course, when I read my own ad, there is no way I would buy her. I guess that’s why no one was interested.
So, I had some massage work done on her, which helped some. Then a Chiropractor came to visit. I hope she appreciates her spa treatments…
Tonight, I took her out for a ride. My instructions from the Chiropractor were to take it VERY easy. That was my plan.
About 7, I left for a trail ride. Alone. Just before dark. Without my trail pack/saddle bags. Without a trail map. Calli. Ok, it doesn’t sound so smart when I write it down. I did wear my helmet, protective vest, and did let some friends know I was going with a return by time.
So, with Calli’s Easy Boot Gloves on front and back, we headed out and decided to scout a different trail that we hadn’t ridden before. Did I mention this was the first time I had ever ridden Calli on the trail by herself? It turns out, turning right, instead of left is not a good plan. We ended up on what is probably the most technical trail I have ever ridden on. I know it was the hardest trail Calli had ever been on. We definitely couldn’t go faster than a walk, because it was extremely rocky.
Calli was AWESOME. She got nervous a couple of times, but trusted me and kept going. There was one point we when she was clearly too nervous about crossing some large rocks, so I hopped off and she followed right behind me. Then we started climbing a hill. This is when it got interesting. We had been riding for about 30 minutes. I was pretty sure I knew that we could keep going and connect to trails that would bring us home. Or go back through all the rocks. The problem was, if I was wrong, we were going to be out in Pachaug after dark without all the things I mentioned earlier. So, on we went.
Once we got to the peak, the trail became more open and only average rocky instead of crazy rocky. I gave Calli some rein and she picked up a trot! That was a very good sign because I was worried the rock work might have been too much for her to handle. As it was starting to get dark, I discovered Calli was unsure about going down rocky hills in the shadows of dusk. Not wanting to push things too far, I just jumped down and we jogged down the trail. It was actually good for me to stretch my legs. Eventually, I recognized the trails and we connected back to the gravel road leading towards home. Based on Calli’s nervousness in the quickly fading light, I decided to just ride the road home. We had enough success for the day. Calli was feeling very good and kept trotting down the road.
Overall, I was thrilled with the ride. First, Calli was completely sound. I guess the chiropractor visit did some good. Additionally, she was a champ on some very challenging conditions. I did learn a few lessons and I don’t think I will be trail riding without my pack again. I also plan to add a few things to the pack just in case something happens and I get stuck out after dark – headlamp, reflective vest, snack food, etc. I’m looking forward to another ride this weekend!
Countryside Organics feed
Imagine you walk out to feed your chickens and spill some of the chicken feed on the ground in an area where the chickens can’t get to it. If you came back a few weeks later, what would you expect to find? Well, if it was commercial feed, you would probably find a pile of moldy feed. What you wouldn’t find, is sprouts. Just like the potatoes you bought in the grocery store – when was the last time you had to remove a sprout? More and more chemicals are being used on the foods we eat, and on the foods we feed our animals. Soy is cheap and has become a MAJOR component in animal feeds. One REALLY big problem with that is almost all of the soy grown in the US today is GMO soy.
For quite a while, this topic has concerned us. The problem is, commercial feed is cheap, and organic, GMO free, soy free feed is NOT cheap. However, we have decided the time has come to shift our farm to a product line that is GMO free, Soy free, and organic. We have chosen Countryside Organics because they offer feed varieties for all the animal types we currently have on the farm (and are considering in the future). The down side is cost. Our rabbit feed will be more than 2x as expensive. The chicken and goat feed will be about 80% more. However, in gathering info, another farm told us that their goats consumed about 3o% less feed and produced more milk on the Countryside product.
Since we know others in the area may also be interested in some of the products, we are starting a co-op. There are no resellers nearby, so we will be buying a full pallet at a time and having it shipped from VA (that’s not cheap). By coordinating a co-op, we won’t really save any money, but it allows us to order more frequently and not have to worry about exactly figuring out the next 3 months of feed needs.
If you are interested in joining our farm in the co-op, let us know. The first order will be going on Monday, 8/12.
New buck pens
Last weekend I was able to get one project knocked off the list. I spent Friday after work building the shelters, Saturday afternoon they for painted and started fencing. Sunday was the completion of the fencing and the boys moved into their new pens around 8:45 when I was done. We are now ready for breeding season, and the bucks are too (they already smell).
And the momma hen with her chicks:
Barnyard surprise
Surprise! We had a broody hen with a huge clutch under the Porta Potti by the barn. I have seen 10 chicks so far. And she is still on more eggs. I guess that explains why we haven’t been getting so many eggs.
Limited Time Offer – Free Farm Experience!
I know many people want to build fences, but just don’t know how. Or maybe you want to muck out horse stalls but don’t have any horses or stalls. Want to build goat shelters, but don’t have the lumber? Want to clean rabbit cages, but don’t have rabbits. do you have the urge to pull weeds out of the garden but your garden just doesn’t grow any weeds? You are in luck, because we can offer all those opportunities and more!
Now, you are probably thinking an opportunity like this would cost hundreds of dollars a weekend. Right now, the Sawyer Family Farm is offering FREE farm experience opportunities. There is currently NO waiting list to get the full farm experience. Give me a call and we can get you started right away!
Mack update
It has been quite a while since we updated about Mack. He had adjusted well to the new farm. We bought a remote training collar which has been effective at teaching him to stay with us outside. He no longer chases the chickens. And Alex has become quite fond of him. In fact, Alex wants to join the 4H group for dog training.
