Poor, Poor Piggies

Penelope is our only female pig. She is relaxing in this photo, happily enjoying her "femaleness", while her brothers prepare to be castrated...an event that started out quite humorous, but ended in a very different way.
Much of our farming experience has been gleaned from neighbors and friends who grew up on farms. Tending animals is second nature to these folks. They rarely call a vet out to the farm, only for extreme emergencies. We have learned to trust the advice of these successful farmers. We are grateful to them for sharing their knowledge with us.
This round of piggies at our farm has been a unique bunch. After being at our farm for a couple of weeks, I noticed that the males were developing two little bumps on their backside...hmmm...the last round of pigs we had didn't have those bumps...you don't have to be a vet to quickly determine that these male pigs had not been castrated. Oh no!
I investigated our options. You don't need to castrate for meat production, if butchered at a young age, however, the meat may develop an undesirable "boar" flavor. Not good. Two of the pigs are 4H projects, to be sold at the livestock auction at the Albemarle County Fair. The rules state that all male animals must be castrated before they may enter the fair grounds. Ok...I guess that helps in making the decision. I called the farmer who I got the pigs from. He said he would come over to castrate the pigs as soon as possible. He did not seem concerned about the fact that the pigs were getting older. But, time marched on....
We had never seen the procedure for castration of pigs. We have "banded" goat bucks and bull calves. Banding involves using an "elastrator" to put a rubber-band around the dangling sac, causing lack of blood supply and eventual removal of the body part. Pigs do not have "dangling sacs". We knew that banding was not on option.
I'm not sure that the farmer doing the procedure realized how much the pigs had grown until he arrived at our farm. Maybe he would have recommended calling in a vet instead if he had realized? Not sure?
The first scheduled appointment was a disaster! We ran around the pig-pen trying to catch the pigs who definitely knew something strange was about to happen, because they gave us a run for our money! We never did catch them that day, but the farmer insisted that we did not "waste his time" because he thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment of watching the chase! Quite funny in retrospect.

The next day, we coaxed the pigs into a dog kennel, by placing irresistible food inside. Once caught, we put "leashes" around their mid-sections and waited for the farmer to arrive. Then, the funny aspect of this event subsided, and the reality of the procedure set in. Just how was he going to do this? How would we restrain the pigs...we all began to have a sick feeling in the pit of our guts. We had to hang the pigs by their feet upside down. Pigs scream anyway when they are stressed or scared, but we knew what was coming. The screams only added to the awful feeling that we were experiencing.



Once hanging, the farmer located the pigs testicles, made an incision and removed them one by one. Poor, poor piggies! I wish I could say it went quickly and painlessly. After the procedure, the pigs were let down...I tried to make up for it by giving each pigs a bucket of goat milk, which they joyfully slurped down and then ran off. We were quite shaken up. Dennis and I take seriously the call by God for us to have "dominion" over the animals. We were both saddened that we caused pain to these animals. For days, we have prayed over the pigs for speedy healing, comfort from pain and for no infection. God is faithful and all is well with the pigs!

I think the lesson learned for our family is that procrastination in farming leads to animal sickness/discomfort. And this is not acceptable on our farm. We learned to ask the right questions about animals before bringing them home. We are truly grateful to our farmer friends who have helped us learn so much! I continue to be amazed at how much these farmers know and do without a second thought...and without one day in the university!

....how does your garden grow?

Gardening should probably be classified as a hobby for me rather than a chore. If I had nothing else to do, I think I could spend every waking hour out in the garden. Now, I must say that I am not the best gardener, not the most productive, but when given a day to do anything I want...I would be outside, in the sunshine, weeding/seeding/watering/picking! There are so many different techniques to gardening...so many methods. How does your garden grow?



We use an organic method of growing. We have NEVER used pesticides/herbicides of any sort on our land. I love the "Ruth Stout's No Work Garden" mulching system to keep weeds down and moisture in. We compost in place...with mulch of hay and grass clippings, decomposed chicken/cow manure and even use the animals to assist in the tilling of the land. Chickens tractors help fertilize and prepare the soil for planting. Pigs till up and fertilize our old corn fields. I use companion planting methods, where some plants actually benefit others when growing nearby...as a natural bug repellent or to encourage certain insects to help with pollination. Read "Carrots Love Tomatoes" for more information on this.



Last Year Dennis built our little cold-frame boxes, which give us a head start on cool weather planting. We already have pea plants approaching 1 foot tall thanks to these boxes.

My least favorite gardening activity is weeding. If I were doing the Ruth Stout method correctly, there would be little to no weeding, but I am sometimes stingy with my hay/mulch! As of today, in the ground are the following: potatoes, cabbage, beets, rutabaga, turnips, kale, lettuce, spinach, snow peas, sugar snap peas, carrots, radishes, swiss chard, mustard greens, sunflowers, dill, cilantro, onions, leeks, shallots! Coming back from last year we have asparagus, mint, oregano, strawberries, rhubarb, sunflowers, bronze fennel, not to mention a mystery squash that is volunteering in our old pig-pen! We need to get our corn in the ground soon!

After Mother's Day we will plant sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, melons, squash, green beans, lima beans, butter beans, cukes, okra, basil, nasturtium, sweet potatoes...and whatever else we have room for!

It is a very busy time of year for the Bessette family. We will start with farmer's market the first week of May...then try to keep our garden watered and growing in between bread baking and animal care. I wonder how some people could feel bored??? I could fill my days with this farm/garden stuff! Thankfully the sunsets are stunning here on this hill, because otherwise I would feel sad that the sun had to go down...and that another day is finished!

The dangerous job of chicken farming!

Bessette Family Farm has gotten a little "cocky" this year. We are enjoying the Dark Cornish breeder-flock that we started last year, for the purpose of egg production, but also for the ability to hatch our own meat-birds for butchering. We have had incredible success at hatching (83%) and excellent survival rates...I think we have only lost 3 chicks out of about 70. So far, so good. But we are getting a little "cocky" around here....

To produce baby chicks, there are several key ingredients....in addition to hens that lay eggs, it is important that we have roosters that fertilize the eggs. Of course, unfertilized eggs make great omelets, but not so great baby chicks! Anyway, we have been experimenting at the correct number of roosters that abide with the hens. We have read that a 1:10 ratio of rooster:hens is ideal. We started with 25 roosters to 100 hens, figuring that we would lose some to predators. All roosters survived. This resulted in a small butchering session.... a day when 12 roosters earned the privilege of abiding in the Bessette chest freezer instead of the hen-house!

Last Friday, while the girls were doing school work, I decided to get the chicken chores done by myself. Usually, we feed the chickens outside of the hen house (in their electric-fenced yard),then one person blocks up the entrance to their house with a trash-can lid, while the second person collects eggs and replenishes water. All of this is necessary due to not-so-friendly roosters! On this day, I guess I wasn't thinking about the dangers of chicken farming. I fed the chickens, then entered the house. No eggs yet, so I grabbed the waterer and began to exit the hen house. Just as I was leaving, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rooster flying up at me...feet-first...attempting to "spur" me! I quickly reacted by shutting the door. What I saw next not only perplexed me, but made me double over in laughter!

There is a gap between the bottom of the door and the frame. I haven't measured it, but it looks to me like it is just about the width of a rooster's leg....




The bad rooster did a little "sit-up" and just looked at me with discouragement as his efforts to kill me were thwarted! I left him there for just long enough to get Austyn to take some pictures, because I couldn't even begin to describe how this happened???? Once set free, he returned to the flock...scolded by his band of brothers and ashamed of his miserable failure. The dictionary defines "cocky" as too sure of oneself; arrogant; conceited....may we all learn a lesson from the roosters!

All flesh is grass

"All flesh is grass..." this is part of a bible verse,Isiah 40:6. This verse is taken out of context, but even in its partial state it holds amazing truths. Think about it...plants are the only "producers" in our ecosystem. They are able to use the energy from the sun to produce food for themselves in the form of glucose through the process of photosynthesis. It is actually a chemical reaction, taking water, carbon dioxide and energy from the sun, along with chlorophyll to produce glucose and oxygen! The producers (veggies/fruit/nuts/grasses/algae/kelp) provide food not only for themselves, but for living things that are unable to produce their own food... a cow eats the grass, we eat the beef that the cow produces. The nutrients that we eat give us energy to survive, but also are the source of any bio synthesis in our body. Remember that we "are what we eat" and that "all flesh is grass".
So, if we eat a hamburger, then we are benefiting from the cows ability to take grass (which is indigestible to us) and convert it into meat. If grass is managed properly, it continues to grow, even thrive, with the frequent grazing that a herd of animals provides. It is a "free" renewable resource! What good news!



The Bessettes have been inspired to take advantage of this free food. We host cattle, goats, chickens and pigs here at our farm. Cattle and goats are herbivores (ie vegetarians). Chickens and pigs are omnivores...like the Bessettes...(eat fruit/veggies/meat or just about anything). Since grass is the topic, I'll stick to the cattle and goats for now.

At this time of year our "free-food" is abundant. In the past, Dennis or Alex would spend hours on the mower and use gallons of gas every week to "manage" the huge lawn that we have. We have now realized, as have many other farmers, that the key to our sustainability is growing (not mowing) that free renewable resource that humans can not digest! GRASS! We are becoming "grass farmers"!

We now set up electric fencing /netting, powered by solar chargers (free again)in areas of the land that have sufficient grass growth. We move the cattle and goats to these areas and they naturally do the rest. They "cut" the grass to just the right height. They release nitrogen and healthy microbes into the soil through their urine and manure. They tread on the ground aerating the soil and allowing "pockets" for moisture to soak into. It is an amazing symbiosis! The size of the grass above mirrors the root matter below. When an animal "cuts" the grass, the roots die back underground to again mirror the grass above. This is great for the soil, as it adds organic matter to the soil, which will then be decomposed by earthworms and microbes, adding necessary nutrient/minerals to the soil to help the grass to stay healthy! What a design! When the grass is grazed to just the right height, we move the pen and the animals to a new spot! Over-grazing kills the grass, so we're careful to not keep them in one place for too long.

So, as the rain poured down last night, I thanked God for free food for our animals! Grass, which will become food for us in the form of beef, milk and cheese!Thank you, God, for your masterful design and for the free food!

Flip Flops in April

The weather in Esmont has been unusual. We are supposed to have temperatures of 91 degrees today. We are opening our pool tomorrow. It is only April 6th! I find myself stressing out about how "late" I am with my garden. I have to remind myself that we almost always get a killing frost just before Mother's Day, which is still 1 month away. But it is very tempting to put out the tender plants like tomatos, beans etc. I did this last year, and found myself in the dark, several evenings with old quilts..."tucking in" my plants to protect them from the cold. The tomato plants never did produce too much...they got some sort of a blight, and fizzled out. So...I choose to be patient. I will stick to my planting schedule.

We had a great storm last night...high winds, thunder, lightening. Dennis loves to watch storms, and is never intimidated by weather. Last night, he called the children down out of a sound sleep, at 2:23 am, to be in a safer place. We thought a tornado was coming...it was a really bad storm. I was thankful that we have trained our children to respond quickly to our requests. They obediently got up from bed without question. They did not whine or wonder why such and unusual request was being made...they just obeyed. Good for them, and good for us...you know the Bible says “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Thankfully there was not a tornado last night, but if there had been, our children would have been in a safe place because of their obedience!

The weather dictates so much of what a farmer does. We are without control over so many aspect of the farm. We depend on rain, but not too much or we flood. We hope for sunny days, but not scorching sun. Breezes are nice, but strong winds are destructive. Kidding/calving during mild temperatures is a piece of cake...but in extreme heat or cold...it can be dangerous to the animals. Last night, one of the children worried that an animal might be struck by lightening. It occurred to me that all that we have could be destroyed in one instant...by one weather event...yuck...what a thought! I guess I realize that it is important to not make "gods" or "idols" out of the stuff we have, or the things we "do". We must live each day, thankful for what we have or can do today...not looking too much into the future...but just enjoying each circumstance, being content with whatever the day brings!

Today, looks like it brings flip-flops in April! So...I will enjoy!

Peep, peep...the muffled sound of a 20 day old chick taking its first breath is heard through the styrofoam incubator. Eggs aren't supposed to make noise...or move on their own... I continue to be amazed at the hatching process. I am a person that likes predictability...and like clockwork, with no reminders needed, the chicks begin the process of entering the world on day 21.


First, it breaks into the air sac (located at the blunt end of the egg) and starts to breath. This is when you begin to hear peep sounds. Then, as the 21st day progresses, the little one uses its egg-tooth to "pip" through the shell. I wonder if the phrase "pip-squeak" came from watching this process? Anyway, it must be exhausting work, because the chick often rests for several hours after it pips...then it begins to crack the shell in a circular pattern, then finally, it kicks out of its "safe-house" and enters the real world! Wet and tired, with a face only a mother could love! Thankfully when kept at 90-95 degrees, the downy feathers fluff up quickly, providing insulation for the chick, and a much "cuter" look for the creature!

We are pleased that we had 35/42 eggs hatch. That's an 83% hatch rate....math is so much more fun for my children, when it is practical...percentages of hatch, ratio of fertile/unfertile eggs, $$ value of live chicks if we were to sell or if we were to purchase from a commercial hatchery...I love math anyway, but apparently, this is not a trait which is automatically passed on to children!

We used to buy our chicks from a hatchery. Prior to hatching, the yolk of the egg is absorbed into the chick's body. It provides enough nutrients for the first 72 hours of life. Hatcheries pack up chicks in vented boxes and ship them out to customers.Hopefully they will arrive at their new home within 72 hours. Survival rates depend on how hard the trip is on the chicks. Now that we are hatching at home and watching the chicks thrive as they eat and drink within 1-2 hours of hatching, it almost seems cruel to put the little ones through the hardship of the US Postal system...We are pleased with our new system...it makes us happy to be providing for our animals in the best way possible. We take the responsibility of having "dominion" over the animals seriously!

Today, something crazy happened. We were sitting on the back porch. It was very warm, so we kept open the door to the brooder-house, which houses the 1 month-old chicks. A couple of them had ventured out eating bugs/worms/seeds...suddenly, out of no-where, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped down, only 5 feet away from us, and grabbed a plump little chick! Thankfully our good friend Todd yelled..."Look out!!!!"...and the hawk realized that he was caught! He dropped the chick, unscathed, and flew up into the big maple tree! Quite impressive! This chick had been named "Lucky" because we helped him hatch...he wouldn't have made it without the help...thankfully he "lived" up to his name today!