Icelandic Chickens

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Oh yes! We had Menards in Iowa! SOLD. You sold me. I am going shopping tomorrow for contractor bags and a pig.

Always have more than one pig.
One pig will not thrive and be lonely.
I think a herd of those little vietnamese porkers would be good, put 1 in each run.
Watch out, if they can get in the coop doors, they'll get your eggs.

I ain't gittin no mob of pigs!

(I just learned: Groups are a herd, drove, mob, or sounder of pigs or hogs.)

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

I would like to have a heritage pig someday.

I pick up my Large Blacks on Monday!!! 2 gilts, a boar and a barrow..

OK, I confess.....
I know what a boar is. The others I will have to go look up.

Male pigs are called boars.
The females are called sows.
The young are called piglets.
A castrated male hog is called a barrow.
And young female hogs are called gilts.​

 

[Chickielady]

Here is one, I have not tried, but the basic idea...

http://www.americanlisted.com/north...vacuum_5_5hp_honda_kv650sph_700_12991653.html
IT vacuums & shreds & mulches & compacts, so 10 contractor's bags of leaves goes through & compresses into tiny pieces.
mine is a hand held shoulder mounted model, I love it but hard on an old lady.
This type with whells looks good to me.
Google leaf vacuums/mulchers & study what you want.
Nice not to have to rake nor bend over...
But it will suck in a chicken!

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Always have more than one pig.
One pig will not thrive and be lonely.
I think a herd of those little vietnamese porkers would be good, put 1 in each run.
Watch out, if they can get in the coop doors, they'll get your eggs.

I ain't gittin no mob of pigs!

(I just learned: Groups are a herd, drove, mob, or sounder of pigs or hogs.)

...I'd get the leaf sucker.

 

[Chickielady]

Here is the one I have now...
and it works wonderfully, but, can get awful hard on the back.
It works so good to "clean" decorative rock gardens, around ponds, in the vineyard, etc.
I suggest a wheeled model, but this is like mine, electric too.

http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls/2641887985.html

I cannot believe how many """bales""" of leaves this bag can hold, when shredded up= NO AIR.

Note: You can reverse the tubes, and BLOW crap all over too!
It can be a big help in cleaning coops/runs/brooder pens/ barns/ and if ya want, your car (

) I used ours alot after we put insulation in the house in NorCal.every eve I would open the back door & blow all the sawdust & itchy insulation OUT!

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:

I would like to have a heritage pig someday.

I pick up my Large Blacks on Monday!!! 2 gilts, a boar and a barrow..

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
I pick up my Large Blacks on Monday!!! 2 gilts, a boar and a barrow..

I have heard they are awesom grazers.
I was trying to talk Jake into them...
There is a farm north of here, on the firm Olympic Penninsula (the only true rain forst north of the equater)) and they have several 20 acre parcels, and black hogs...so cool to see, even in snow.
They are so happy, I gather it is unneccessary to strenthen fences.
All the fences were 4 wire strand standard barb....and the hog were delighted to be right out in the open muching grass.
One spring I will go back there & ask after weaners.

 

[thebirdguy]

Quote:

I have heard they are awesom grazers.
I was trying to talk Jake into them...
There is a farm north of here, on the firm Olympic Penninsula (the only true rain forst north of the equater)) and they have several 20 acre parcels, and black hogs...so cool to see, even in snow.
They are so happy, I gather it is unneccessary to strenthen fences.
All the fences were 4 wire strand standard barb....and the hog were delighted to be right out in the open muching grass.
One spring I will go back there & ask after weaners.

They are more grazer than rooter... You still need good fences but pigs learn quickly about electric... I'll bet the farm you are talking about has a strand of electric also... I am getting mine in Silverton Oregon and Coeur d'alene Idaho.. going to be a very long two day road trip!!! Anyone need something picked up or delivered along the route??? I'm dropping off a couple of Blue Copper Maran roos to a fellow BYC'er in Boise. I have a couple more french black and blue copper marans if anyone is interested...

 

[Mahonri]

I grew up raising pigs and even though I love bacon and chops, I decided early on I'd never raise pigs. Ours were mean.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
When I was a kid we lived on a 10 acre acreage. We grew all our food, raised a few pigs, chickens, and cows. Each year the whole family got together (grandparents, aunts and uncles) and butchered our meat.

Anyway, I remember this one pen of pigs we had. A mean sow. She was moved into a pen alone, as she was about due to have her babies. I was the only one home and she started. She had one and then she started squealing like mad! She was huge and I knew she was mean. Well, I went in there anyway, because I just knew something was wrong. I had no idea what to do, other than hearing about, "pulling pigs." So, I got down near her and figured out she could not do this without my help. She had a piglet turned sideways and could not deliver it until I turned it. So, I did it! I pulled pigs! This was an exciting event to a 16 year old "prissy-type" girl back then!