Bye-bye!

 After about 6 months, it was time to end our relationship with our hogs. They transitioned nicely to the trailer so that wasn't a big deal at all. They loved eating the apples we gave them. They barked and snorted at us whenever we came to them. Kevin and I drove up to Pinconning and dropped them off and it went amazingly well. Kevin had to "push" them out of the trailer with the feed box but they went into the holding pens without any issues. We left them with some apples and will receive them again when it is time. Thanks for the fun, pigs!

I should take a picture of their yard. Marissa made them a little mud hole when they were little and the mud hole grew as they grew. They really enjoyed their mud hole on those hot summer days. They would be covers in the mud on both sides and all the way up their snouts. You had to really watch out if they started swinging their tails because they would fling mud everywhere. By the time we got them on the trailer, their yard was totally harrowed up from them just rooting and rooting.

Garden Update

I'm pretty sure I posted about our newest gardening idea. Here is an update:

We are harvesting - mostly zucchini from Kemiah and Xiomara.

Kemiah's bed - a little full.

Check out all those banana peppers!

And loads of zucchini.

Marissa's bed - healthy peas all in front.

Xiomara's watermelon plant and zucchini.

Domonique's watermelon and pumpkin.

So cute!

Emily's onions, potatoes and tomatoes!

We will be eating lots of cherry tomatoes!

Harmonie and Camdilyn's strawberry patch.

I wonder if we'll get any berries.

I need to read up on how to care for these to get more berries!

My husbands onions, my tomatoes and potatoes and cucumber.

Ben's potatoes and pumpkins.

He's so excited to see lots of pumpkins!

The great farmer!

The pigs love the water hole Marissa made for them.

They have made it larger and love to sit in it most of the day.

Yuck.

Barnyard

Tolerant (old) Anna, the rooster.

The kids can pick him up 

and carry him anywhere.

The pigs are getting used to us already!

What sweet little piglets!

Puzzles and Piggies

Kemiah wanted to show off her skills...

I think the puzzle got put away in big sections.

Kevin decided to get pigs again! 

He took the girls with him to pick them up yesterday.

Yes, they are Babe and Wilbur, again.

Yes, they will be in our freezer by the end of the year.

Yes, we all think it is great to have them again.

The girls are working hard on getting the pigs used to them.

Votes are in...

Kevin picked up the pig meat today and we thawed some sliced ham to see how it was. Everyone agreed it was very good. Some even said it was better tasting than store bought! In the next week we will have some pork loin, bacon, and the big ham. We'll keep you posted on the taste - although I'm sure we will be pleased. The only issue was that we didn't specify with the sausage.... it all came as just ground sausage instead of links. Bummer.

Ham and bacon

Spare ribs, organs

Sweet and mild sausage

Shoulder roast

Pork loin Roast

They are gone.

The time has come, and our pigs have reached that weight range which means they are no longer roaming free in our backyard. Kevin built a fence on the trailer and backed it up to the pig yard. He put the ramp down and "fenced" it in so the pigs could go on if they wanted. We had no idea what it would take to get the pigs to cross the line where the electric fence wire had been so we hoped for the best. We put corn cobs from the farmer's field behind us (which he had just harvested) and put the corn on the trailer. It was early and we had time because we didn't need to get the pigs to the butcher until the 11th, and this was the 6th. The kids enjoyed one last romp with the pigs.

Fortunately, we have great pigs! They got onto the trailer all on their own and had no issues. Monday, the 8th, when Kevin came home from work he stopped by to check on the pigs. Both of them were in the trailer so he went ahead and closed it up. They were ready to go. He moved them to a little different location with the van, hooked up their water hose and gave them food. He got an old tarp and covered them because it had started to flurry.

The pigs spent the next few days on the trailer, getting treats from us and water from their hose. Thursday, Kevin was able to come home for a bit in the afternoon so he could drive the van and trailer to the butcher. I went with him because we weren't sure how the unloading would go. He backed up the trailer to the butcher's place and the ramp got caught on a bolt so it wouldn't go all the way down to the ground. Wilbur was ready to get off and he just went right down. Babe was a little more unsure and took some talking to. Eventually they both went down and into the building. What good little pigs.

Today is the day. They are no longer with us but we will always remember Babe and Wilbur.

Petting and Feeding the Pigs

Kevin took some leftover cheese out to the pigs to see if they would eat it, and you know what?... They ate it out of his hands. He ran in and told me to get some cheese and come see. It was so funny! They finally came over and were very interested in me. Still a little skittish when I tried to pet them but they were happy to eat my treats.

I then got some of their pellet feed to see if they would eat that out of my hands.... they didn't but the chickens were more than happy to eat it. Sweet birds.

All the girls wanted to have some time feeding and getting to know the pigs. It was fun for everyone.

I'm sure the pigs ended up with belly aches from eating so much - they like to eat the weeds that are growing in our garden.... Maybe now we will weed the garden more regularly so the kids can feed the pigs. Wish we had known that a while ago!

Wilbur comes right up to us and you almost feel like he's going to eat your legs.

Even though Ben is not pictured, he enjoys the pigs as well! It's going to be amazing to watch them get huge! Eventually we may all have to stay out of the yard because they'll knock us down but we shall see.