I just here for another week or so. I need to get back to the USA unfortunately.
we candled eggs yesterday.
looking viable
8 blue laced red wyandotte
12 Ameraucana
16 cream legbars
10 mystery eggs from Kevin. he never tells me what they are but last time they were the ayam cemani cross.
2 from 4 BCM. hoping I get a pullet.
I have some very interesting mixed breeds at the moment. if I was unscrupulous, I could market them as crested Swedish flower hens. there are 3 pullets and a roo. once they start laying, I will give them a small coop and see what the offspring look like. they are actually new Hampshire polish barred rock and RIR. we may have created the "coco breeze" lol
the laborer is here digging a new puso negro (black heart) the local word for a septic. the piggery septic tank is a single chamber so I am upgrading it to a double chamber.
Ariel has just come down a coconut tree. its been raining coconuts for 20 minutes. he is not wearing the harness we supply as he says they are small. he reserves the harness for those over 60 feet. what can I do? he will revert back to this behavior as soon as I leave. at least he is collecting copra and will have a couple of hundred dollars in profit share one he got back to school.
the trailer needs a new floor. I my goal is to get that some today.
I just ordered semen from Luzon for our first "coco swine genetics" born gilt. she is a beautiful landrace girl. she will get the best grade landrace semen and her daughters will be the beginning of our "multiplier" generation of the best landrace sows in southern Negros.
We have 4 of her female cousins with the same sire that are 60kg (130 lbs) at 16 weeks. I expect them to weigh 120+ kg at 7 months and ready to breed. I will use 2 to cross with large white to produce a second sow line that will be 75% large white 25% landrace. the other 2 will be crossed with Hampshire for a few generations.
pig 4, the last of our Duroc Pietrains sows has grown into a monster pig. she stands 6-8" taller than the landrace. She was bred to a large white/Duroc boar and is due on May 4.
pig 2, a landrace and the mother of the 60 kg growers, is due may 8 to a Hampshire/Pietrains boar due on May 8
pig 3, a landrace who's piglets all sold (except the one we ate on Saturday) is crossed to a Pietrains boar due May 8
Mozza will begin training this week. I ordered her nose ring to be delivered tomorrow. she has 2 months left to become useful to the farm or she will be sold.
The goats are doing well. Chabichou is less fearsome than upon arrival. he has a better attitude now with handling. the doelings are Houdinis. the electric fence may come out of storage soon.
I have access to Napier grass that will grow to 15 feet in 4 months. I am going to use the gray water from the pig septic to water about 30 plants as a trial. its a very good tropical cut and carry feed for ruminates. if it does well we can increase to 200 plants that, along with other forage trees, should carry the animals for our goat dairy.
my wife has an aversion to us growing rabbits but I remain convinced that a hutch of 4 does and a buck will produce a steady supply of almost free meat for our farm. mulberry leaves are a great source of most of the nutrition they need. a little Napier grass and an ounce of a pellets will keep them healthy. a week of fresh coconut meat will make plump fryers. 4 does will give us at least 2 bunnies a week to eat. the maintenance cost is less than 75 cents a week total. the hutches will be about 10 dollars each. a great return on investment.
