New pigs, a lamb, and a note about being a poultry broker

We have scheduled our two pigs to go to the butcher on May 17th.  They have been very good pigs, and while we will be sad to see them go, they have served their purpose and we will greatly enjoy the food they provide to our family.  How amazing for them to turn grass, food scraps, and grain into the most lovely and delicious lean protein, plus till our garden to boot.

Unfortunately, the farmer that bred our pigs has moved down to Texas, so we needed to find a new source.  I have had a really difficult time getting new feeder pigs.  I have tracked down several leads, only to find out all the piglets had already been bought.  There is a man in our town who is well respected in the rearing of hogs.  I was able to talk with him this afternoon, and by a stroke of good luck, another farmer was coming to see him today to breed his sow and mentioned he had two piglets from his last litter left unsold.  They are six-week-old Chester, Duroc, Yorkshire crosses.  He was selling them for $75, which is a very fair price, considering a lot of 6-9 week old pigs are going for upwards of $100 in our area.  His daughter raises the pigs for a school project.  So, this afternoon I went and picked up our two new boys.  This family also sells hay, so it is good to have another source for later this year.

So, the two little pigs are in the barn until the 17th when the other two go to the butcher.  They are very cute, and at this age it is hard to imagine eating them (we didn’t get out others until they were almost 12 weeks old, much bigger and much less cute).  But, such is farm life.  

On Thursday we go get our ram lamb, a Romney Hampshire cross, we call him “baa baa black sheep” as his fleece is jet black and super curly.  He will live on our pasture this summer, get sheared in September, and then in October go to the butcher.  We plan to have his pelt turned into a shearling, so not one piece of him will be wasted.  More pics of him to come later this week.

Finally, I have been pretty darn successful turning my excess poultry into profit.  After a posting on craigslist.com and to a local parenting board we belong to, I have sold a lot of chicks.  So many, in fact, that I am considering placing another order, especially of ducks, with the sole purpose of selling the majority of them.  If I am able to sell enough to cover the costs of the animals I want for myself, I will consider the venture a success.  We will keep you posted.