"Cheeper" by the Dozen - Part 1

While this article began as a stand-alone one on the topic of using broody hens to foster chicks, necessity dictated it end up as a three part article. 

Part 1 - Attila the Hen and Joan Jett

Here they are! The second batch of baby chicks. 

This batch of babies (all pullets), the Dirty Dozen, included four Welsummers, 4 Ameracunas and 4 Cuckoo Marans.  

If you are counting, you'll only see ten babies in the photo. That's because two of them were already with their foster hen mother.

Earlier this year, I successfully used one of my Cochin hens to foster three Buff Orpington chicks. You can read about that project here: Operation Chicken Little

High off of that success, I figured it would be a cinch to use other broody hens to foster this new batch of twelve.

Wrong!!

If you are planning to try the foster hen program, there a couple of things that seem to be essential for success. First, the obvious one which is a broody hen. You'll know you have a good broody when she's been sitting tight on a nest for at least a week. You can let her sit on some eggs or use fake eggs or even golf balls. Anything that resembles eggs is fine. And second, at least for the first couple of weeks, you need to isolate the broody hen and the foster chicks from the rest of the flock. This protects the hen from interference from the flock and prevents the babies from wandering away from momma. Unconfined chicks can stray away from their mother and be unable to find their way back. They'll get chilled and die or else be at risk of attack from the rest of the flock.

The isolation pen doesn't have to be fancy. I fashioned one from a scrap of chicken wire, a grill from an old oven and a piece of plywood. For this round of fostering, I used cardboard from a medium-sized box to partition off part of the coop floor where my Silkie Bantam had built a nest for herself.

Some other ideas are rabbit pens or dog crates. It simply needs to be large enough to hold the hen and babies plus food and water containers. And it needs to be secure so the chicks can't get out. 

But meanwhile, back at the ranch, I will share with you the semi-disastrous experiences I had this time around.

The day before I got the chicks, I had three broody hens; a Silkie Bantam, a Cochin and a Buff Orpington. All three of those breeds are well-known for their mothering skills and willingness to foster chicks.  Yay! Of course when I have a dozen peeps in a box waiting for their foster moms, the Buff Orpington goes off the nest.  That left me with two hens.

The Silkie Bantam, whom I have named Joan Jett because of her hairdo, had made a nest for herself in a dark corner of the coop. 

In the middle of the night I slipped two of the chicks under her. No problems at all. In the morning, Joan was mothering the chicks and the chicks were happy and doing little chicken things like scratching for food.  Success!

You can see one little peep butt at about 6 o'clock under Joan Jett. 

  
Since Joan Jett did so well with the first two, I wondered what would happen if I gave her two more. I did not wait for night time. While the first two were out from under her and eating, I put two more chicks in the isolation pen with them. Chickens are smart, but they can't count. And Joan Jett gathered the two new ones under her just as gently as could be.  

I know that it all sounds hunky-dory but you haven't met Attila the Hen yet. 

Attila the Hen is the name I've given to the broody Cochin that is also a part of this round of foster mothering. She is a force to be reckoned with!

Attila was sitting tight in a nest box and needed moved into isolation.  In the middle of the night I picked her up and put her in isolation. She pecked me hard a few times in the process. Come morning, she was frantically trying to get out of the pen, so I let her out and she went back to the nest box. The next night was the same.  She pecked when I picked her up to move her and in the morning, she was trying to get out of the pen.  Attila did NOT want to be in that isolation pen. So much for that tactic.

Here I was with eight chicks needing a foster mother and Attila the Hen who was resisting my efforts to make it happen. 

In the event the fostering fell through, I have the heat lamps and such to raise the babies on my own. But the ideal situation is for a hen to do the work. She teaches the babies how to be chickens plus the babies are naturally integrated into the flock pecking order.

As a last ditch effort, I decided to leave Attila in her nest box and just slip the chicks in with her. I set my alarm for 4:00 AM for Operation Peep Sneak said a few prayers! This is when Attila the Hen got her name. 

She pecked ferociously at me when I tried to put the chicks in with her. I used a piece of cardboard to block her because she was blindly attacking anything that moved near her, including the chicks!  But once the chicks got underneath Attila, she settled down. And I settled in to monitor the situation. I sat on an upside-down bucket in the coop in the dark and listened for any signs of peep distress. 

Come daylight, everything seemed to be OK. Attila was sitting quietly in the nest box with the chicks. Anytime another hen would approach, she would make angry clucking noises and try to peck the intruder. 

I took a break to feed some breakfast to the horses, myself and my husband. When I went back to the coop, things had fallen apart.  Attila had moved to another nest box and that spelled trouble. Inside the nest box she'd left were two dead chicks. I don't know if Attila killed them deliberately or accidentally. But it was so sad!  Two live chicks were left behind in the old nest box, two managed to follow Attila to the new nest and two were missing. 

This is why figuring out a way to isolate the broody hen prior to introducing the foster chicks is so important!  If she's confined, she can't move someplace where the chicks are unable to follow. 

I picked up the two chicks who'd been left behind and put them in with Attila. She got me a few times in the process but didn't go after the chicks. I used a scrap of cardboard to close off the nest box so Attila and the chicks would stay put.  Then I went searching for the missing two. One had made it all the way outside into the run and was huddled in a corner, peeping pathetically. The other was still inside the coop, wedged in a corner and looking very miserable.

I brought those two up to the house and put them under a heat lamp. To help their little bodies recover, I gave them these electrolytes in some water. 

But it was just too much for their tiny bodies. Within 12 hours, both had died. 

I had made several errors and now four chicks were dead. First, Attila wasn't isolated before introducing the chicks. And second, when I first put the chicks in the nest box with her, I should have blocked off the entrance to the nest box so she couldn't leave and the chicks couldn't accidentally get out.

Attila seemed to be OK now, though. She was fluffed up and would cluck softly to the four chicks who were nestled in her feathers. But boy howdy she'd turn vicious in an instant if another hen came near or if I tried to see if the chicks were OK.  

The next day, I successfully moved Attila and the four chicks to the isolation pen. (while wearing heavy gloves and a long sleeve shirt as protection from her sharp beak!) She was completely bonded to the chicks and them to her.  Even in the isolation pen, Attila is living up to her name. She perceives any hen in the vicinity as a threat to her babies. 


Although you can't see them, there are four chicks under Attila!

Joan Jett and her four chicks were also doing well. She's a devoted little momma!

This morning, all eight surviving chicks are doing fine. It's fun to watch the little puff balls come out from under their Momma's feathers to get some food or a drink. 

At one point, I watched Attila move to another part of the isolation pen. The four chicks were under her when she did. She was all fluffed up and twice her normal size to cover the babies and moved in kind of a crouch across the pen. Little chick feet scrambled under her to keep up. Wish I'd had some video of that!

If you have been reading this as part of your efforts to learn how to use a broody hen as a foster mother for chicks, please don't be discouraged by the troubles I had. Learn from the mistakes I made.

Isolate your broody hen a few days before introducing the chicks. And make sure hen and chicks can't be accidentally separated. 

Please feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns you might have regarding foster hens. I would be happy to give you suggestions or advice on your unique situation!

In Part 2 in the Cheeper by the Dozen series, things go awfully, horribly wrong.

Here is a link to Part 2:


Cheeper by the Dozen - Part 2

Guest Author Tom Grounder - Thoughts & Issues of Security

Tom Grounder, an NRA Certified Instructor and owner of Defensive Logic, is our guest author today.  Tom is passionate about teaching people to be prepared to defend themselves. His philosophy on the subject is summed up in the name of his company: Defensive Logic. Personal security is best approached in a logical manner and with an individual approach. What is right and what works for me is very likely to be different than what is right for you.  This is where the "logic" comes in to play.

On Saturday, July 19th, I will be joining Tom on his radio show, also called Defensive Logic.  If you are local to Colorado Springs, you can find the show on 98.5 FM and 1040 AM. Or you can listen to the live streaming broadcast at 

I25talk

Click on the link, then on the banner at the top, click on "Listen LIVE I-25 Talk Colorado Springs"

Tom's program runs every Saturday from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM Mountain Time. 

Thank you, Tom, for this excellent article on the topic of preparing.

Thoughts and issues of Security.

I do not consider myself a “dooms-dayer”, “end of worlder” or even a survivalist as defined by many.  I do however believe in the practice of self defense. self reliance and being prepared.   I believe that for one “to not” consider this as a normal outlook on life is a disservice to not only you as a human, but to your loved ones and those whom you consider friends.  

I have a strong feeling that the direction of our society is driving very quickly towards a deep and rapid decline.  That being said, I don’t believe that a cataclysmic event is absolutely on our horizon.  As an optimist I still think that we can pull ourselves back.  Unfortunately I feel that we are at a tipping point that could go at any time with the right push.   What that push may be…I don’t know.  But I don’t believe shoving your head in the sand is the way to approach the possibility.  There will be enough of those types you may have to contend with should events materialize and a social “tanking” becomes reality.  

It is becoming more apparent to me that the need for personal security and scenarios of defense are issues that not only require discussion, but should be seriously implemented and prepped for by all.  

The world, and our precarious place in it, is rapidly evolving.   To use the term “tense and uncertain” is not out of line or context.   I realize that some may feel that my “vision” of the near future is over the top and perhaps totally unrealistic.  That being said here it is. 

In light of the world scene (global tensions, issues of debt, rising prices, unemployment and a clear decline in moral standards)… I believe that a boiling point is close to its peak in this country and world-wide.  A scenario of drastic actions in defense of you, your family, home and immediate neighbors could be a real possibility.  I’m not seeing some “Mad Max” wasteland type of life, but I do believe that the reality of an economic and social collapse of our nation and ramifications to our daily lives could be very close at hand.   Is it absolutely certain??  No,... but highly probable.  

But as with anything else… fortune and luck favors those who can think outside the box and prepare.    I’m not talking about cutting all ties… packing up the family and heading to the mountains.   “Bugging Out” as it is called.  I am no fan of the bug out scenario.  To me, I can think very few situations that would force me to leave my home.  The things we have worked for all our lives and have now…the home and its contents are too critical to walk away from if you need not.  

This includes family members as well as tangible possessions.  You have shelter, protection from the elements, comfort items, the knowledge of the lay of the land around you.  Why would you leave this for an uncertain condition in the boonies??    I do believe that the most crucial period in the event of collapse (economically, power grid loss, food shortage, natural disaster, whatever) will be an almost immediate social breakdown of common decent standards.  This critical time is the “panic phase” in which the reality of what is happening has not fully absorbed into the minds of the masses and panic reaction sets in.  Grabbing of the supplies by any means is a given.

 Let’s take the most likely of disaster scenarios.  Not some off the hook scenario like a Zombie Apocalypse or Alien Invasions…I’m talking real scenarios that face us.  My biggest concern is power grid loss for extended time.  The reason is irrelevant.    If you think this is not a realistic situation, think again.  If you need to have validation…( Katrina, the East Coast Super Storm Sandy, Tornados, a massive snowstorm, torrential flooding, terroristic attack on a city infrastructure, power stations)…you can think of reasons yourself.   Things can happen. The magnitude of them can be small or massive. 

Imagine the Boston Marathon Bombing had the explosion been bigger.  How hard would it have been to create another fertilizer bomb like the one used in Ok City?  Being a veteran of terrorist events from as far back in the late 70’s and early 80’s in Europe, I have no doubt that it is just a matter of time before the technique of small individual attacks (suicide bombers) on targets of lesser value, but higher emotional impact (small town America) begin. Should such a loss of electrical power occur, the time frame for such loss of power could and can far exceed 30 days with no end is in sight.

 Grocery stores carry at best 3 to 4 days of supplies based on the neighborhood it serves.  It will be empty of most usable items within 12 to 36 hours of the event. 

  

Procurement of food, shelter, viable goods, medical supplies, weapons, amunition (there is no limit to this list)… will be sought by others that did not foresee and plan ahead.  In a very short period, (hours or less) the fear and panic turns to simple, basic survival.   The panic grab turns to a hostile and brutally violent procurement event.  The rule becomes “Get what you can to survive”.

 What I want you to remember most of all is simple in its concept… If you have prepared and have stored supplies, this will be sought out by those who failed to take such measures.  Predatory humans will be looking of it.  Sharing with you is not in their plan.   Taking it from you is!!   For you, defending it will be inevitable.   

The mindset of “I cannot or will not take a life”….due to a moral conflict is beyond my understanding.   Your life and that of you families will be at stake here.   Will you really just let it happen?? If you’re inclined to think that you may be able to reason with these people, keep in mind that their mindset is survival rooted in fear and panic.  The capacity for reasoning is limited if not non-existent.   You’re kidding yourself if you think you can talk them into simply moving on.

It is naïve to think that you will be able to appeal to their humanity and good will.  Survival trumps any and all decent human or “Christian” traits that may have existed.  Do not think that I am abandoning the belief in God or faith itself.  I believe!  I believe God will be there, but you have a responsibility to take part in your defense.  I also believe that God expects us to take measures to defend ourselves.  I believe that God helps those who help themselves.  We will come back to faith later in this.

Like most of us, few are owners of large, isolated parcels of land.   You’re generally surrounded on all sides by neighbors. You home is your castle.  It’s not easy to walk away from.  And you certainly have no desire to give it up. 

Unfortunately, our general lifestyles have created little “camps” of isolationist that for the most part, might know the names of those living close to them,  but few can recall the names of someone outside of a 3 to 5 house range in either direction up the street.     In the event of a crisis, this little neighborhood of yours, (your street, block, whatever), will become your best chance at initial survival should the time come.  No doubt that safety is favored by numbers and thus the ability to present a formidable defense. 

But knowing who those persons are and what they are capable of is crucial.  Again, imagine the most basic of a crisis event…a complete, long term failure of the power grid in which all electrical power is lost for an extended time.  By extended I suggest a minimal of 30+ days and or beyond.  The longer it goes, the worse the effect is across the masses.   Foods supplies dwindle to nothing in a matter of days.   Easy fuel dispensing is over immediately.  No lights.  Electric cooking is gone! Refrigeration is gone!  In certain areas water flow may be reduced substantially or lost altogether.  Water treatment facilities will fail to operate.  Potable water will be tough to find within 5 to 10 days.  There is more to consider so at this point let your mind wander. But stay in reality mode.  So if you’re hoping to have some kind of neighborhood interaction and begin your prep,… try this.

PREPARATION:   The key to beginning a plan of defense is getting to know your neighbors.   Throw a block party if you must.  Drag your grill out front.  Illicit help and get a simple burgers and dogs fare going…encourage them to bring a side.  Make it kid friendly!  I would always suggest that you make it as alcohol free as possible.  This is not out of some moral concern.   You want to know your neighbors as they are…clear headed and “normal”.   Be the spokesman if needed.  At some point, and maybe not at this particular event, start engaging in conversation regarding your views and explain this is why you are getting to know who is around you.  If it feels right, address the group.  You may never get to this at a party/gathering.  

Often the effect you have is gradual. Over time more neighbors get to know what you’re about and they either accept it or they don’t.  If you do get the opportunity to address a group, be prepared!!  Be honest in your reason.   Explain that as a source of protection, the collective eyes and ears of the camp are the best line of defense.  Get names on papers, addresses, names and ages of children, PHONE NUMBERS!!!  Make a roster and pass it around to all the neighbors.     

This simple beginning will yield incredible info and increase your ability to actively protect!     Keep this in mind, should a calamity happen, in most cities and towns, small neighborhoods, a simple block of homes, your street, will become individual zones of activity and security.  Each small block can and most likely will become instant, contained camps.  

The inhabitants of these “camps” will be reliant of each other for support, help and very likely, survival.   There is always safety in numbers.  But the numbers must be controlled in a crisis situation.  The harsh reality is that it may be necessary to “cull” those that are clearly a threat to the security and safety of the camp. 

As with most camp operations, there will quickly emerge a leader.  This position will be crucial to organizing security, determination of welfare and delegation of responsibilities.  Once the alpha is identified, support and assume a role according to your abilities, experience and expertise.   If a specific “alpha” does not emerge during your party, expect it to be you.  Take the challenge and do the best you can.  Regardless of who is the designated leader, a chain of command must be established in the event of a loss.

COLLECTIVE TALENT:   As you get to know your closest neighbors… who has what talents? Who has what abilities?   This is very important to learn.  A community is made up of personalities and abilities…all different, but equally important to create a sense of “normal”.   Not all are defenders and fighters.  Perhaps you have a person with an engineering background, mechanical abilities, a medical professional, a teacher, a spiritual minister, builder, carpenter, growers, someone with canning abilities, hunters, and so on!    Know who these people are if you can.  

Regardless of their contribution and skills, they may be called on to perform a duty for which they were not prepared for and had never thought of in the capacity that you’re asking.  Bear in mind that some persons can never take a role of a fighter, or defender.  Know who these people are and do all you can to avoid pressing them into such events.   

BELIEFS:  This is touchy subject.  Make your own determinations here.   For me, I look at it this way. “Among all persons, the desire to be safe and have a place in a group of those determined to have that security… will (and should) trump any and all issue of what some may perceive God to be and what your differences may be to that.” I can look past a person’s religious followings of faith, or lack of, if they are willing to co-exist for survival and the good of the camp.

Me personally I believe in God. Faith is central to my family.  I’m far from perfect in my actions to be “right with God” and whatever that brings me when I’m called,…so be it.   But I try. I believe that in a crisis, God will expect me to stand my ground and if my role is to defend the members of my family or group / neighbors with deadly force to ensure their and my survival, I will meet that challenge with no hesitation.

Religious conversions in crisis events are a sure thing.  Many will begin to turn to it, others will lose it.  I personally believe that in a camp as I described, if you have a spiritual base and leadership in the form of a pastor or minister (ordained or not), you have a core of morality that must be present.   It will make the tasks that we all may face easier to deal with if a strong spiritual refuge is among you.  It grounds you.

TACTICAL  ABILITIES:   The reality of this is the need for a defined mission oriented defense goal for your community or camp.  Each person should have a clear understanding that looting and raids by those seeking to get what they can is an undeniable fact of any disaster, crisis or event that disrupts the normal flow of our lives.  Generally, at the onset of the event, there is a vast amount of mass mobs that will clear a shopping district of goods. 

Homes that have been evacuated by either choice or by order become prime targets for thieves and those seeking shelter.  Law Enforcement resources are dispersed very thin or may not exist at this point and responding to a call for a home invasion to protect your home and those around you is not practical to expect.

This is your responsibility.   The interesting thing about this is that it always has been.  This sits at the root of our nation and its founding principles.   Keep in mind, the term “tactical ability” is not limited to combat action or whatever so many feel is depicted in any number of movies, TV shows and video games.   True tactical security allows you sustain!!!!!   To have, to use, to live, to have a life, and to defend it with distinct advantages and with whatever degree of ferocity is needed based on the nature of the threat.

VIOLENCE OF ACTION:   This is a serious conversation here.  Have you ever really sat down and pondered this?  What is your capability should you be faced with a scenario that can very quickly evolve into a life or death situation?

 Like so many other things, few of us really face this issue.   In the event of a crisis ( and if you need an example again, Katrina and most recently Sandy on the east coast )  riots, looting, murder and many other violent crimes against those that could not defend themselves in the wake of the storm did and will occur!!!!   This will be no different in the future and has been a constant in every crisis situation in the past on this planet.   The media covers all the tragedy, but there was very little coverage of the neighbors that banned together and pooled their resources to collectively survive.   I can assure you that each crisis has such examples.  For you, you must determine now that if you are faced with a threat to your survivability (included family members or even the group)… to what degree will you go to protect it?? 

Violence of action determines not only the amount of force unleashed but most importantly, the speed and prejudice in which it is delivered!   The rule I teach in firearm training for defense is “AVOID & DE-ESCALATE!   Avoid the confrontation if you can. If you cannot, give every opportunity to allow de-escalation.   Keep in mind these options could be exhausted in seconds. 

But if you can look into yourself after a confrontation in which you took a life and you can say that you exhausted the options of avoidance and de-escalation to your adversary, then go about your day and look back no further. 

GET SERIOUS IN TRAINING AND PREPARATION:   To many… often in the camp, within our families and others we may know, the idea of a firearm is a scary thing. It is something they cannot see themselves using our even being around.  And I don’t see them as wrong.  This is a personal feeling that is based in real and tangible fears for them.  Firearms can be dangerous.  People can be hurt by them in innocent ways.  You may never get these folks to change their minds and you must learn to adapt to that.   

The principle idea of a firearm for protection and for provisions is as old as far back as the late 1400,s and beyond.  It is a part of our heritage and our duty as Americans to heed the words of our founding fathers to be the most independent, resourceful, and FREE people on the planet.  It is your duty to carry this into the future for your family and for them to carry forward for their families.  

I could opt to face the challenges of the future without…but I would far prefer to be well armed and trained.    Why???  In a crisis world where an injury that we normally think of as repairable or healable, won’t be so if immediate medical attention is not available or simple antibiotics are not.  Standards of cleanliness may decline due to lack of basic things we take for granted.   The first luxury that will become in short supply could be water.  Injuries, small and thought of as a “boo-boo” can become infected, and fester to a point of death.   Over time our bodies have become less able to ward off the effects of infections on their own. Until we rebuild that ability we must be careful.

 The lack of simple cleaning abilities/items like soap, anti-biotic ointments and a band-aids (and the fact that our bodies have lost certain abilities to fight such infections due to modern medicine) can cause what was once a small inconsequential cut to become a life threatening issue.  This is something that I cannot risk for myself or family.   I want to have the greatest advantage… in the worst situations that can occur… that I can provide.   I feel it is your duty to yourself and your family to provide it as well.  

A cut that festers to infection can take only a few days to a couple of weeks to weaken you or even end your life in a few of months.   Being in good health and acquiring firearms for defense and procurement is essential.  What’s the most important reason to get and learn to use firearms?????  Your aggressors will have them and will use them against you!   Stay fit and rifle up!     

 As you begin to come closer to the neighbors that you know you can depend on, learn what their resources are.   What weapons and calibers do you have in common?   Do you know their level of proficiency in shooting?  What is yours for that matter?   Are you a stand up “static” shooter from behind a bench on line at your local range?  Or do you actually practice the discipline of shooting under pressure?

 Do you practice draws?   In the event of home intruder / invasion...do you know the sounds of your home?   Do you know the creaks, pops and distinct noise that you can associate with someone moving in your home?  

Do you know how to clear you home?  Where are your fire / no fire zones?   What are the “fatal funnels” for you and your threat?   What is your best area of control for defense and offense… your “God Spot”?

Are you completely up on the ballistics of rounds used in your home defense weapons?  What are the penetration abilities?  What lies behind walls that may be a back drop to gunfire?   

 Another concern that is often looked over is the reaction of your family.  Can you be sure that your family will be out of any zones that may hold a fire fight? 

Do your kids know what to do?   Of those old enough to handle a firearm, do they know the proper technique? Have they shot them before?  Do they know how to gain access to them?   All of this should be considered long before you are in the situation and need to know.  

GET YOUR FAMLY, FRIENDS, NEIGHBOR (s) TO A RANGE.  If you have specific expertise in the area of firearms, offer your knowledge to those that lack it.  

The most rewarding thing that I ever do is turn someone on to the joy of shooting and awaken a defensive posture in them!  You may very well change their life.  And you very well may have to rely on them to help save yours    

SHOOT, SHOOT AND SHOOT SOME MORE:   There is no substitute for trigger time and training in different scenarios.  Most states, and Colorado is abundant…have federal lands that allows open shooting.  In such areas…your imagination is the limit to the scenarios that you can create to train on.  Be creative!!  Shoot at varying distances, angles, firing from prone, kneeling, on your back, behind cover, wounded wing one arm...weak side.  Do a static shoot, and then sprint as fast as you can away from the shooting point and sprint back.  Do the same shoot, do it under a time constraint then see how your skills deteriorate! 

 Studies show that regardless of your training level or expertise when your adrenaline and stress level is elevated, your fine motor skills diminish.  Your vision tunnels and hearing will often become directional and go into a mode of filtering.   It’s termed as “auditory exclusion”.  

There is much to learn if you choose to be more prepared and this is just a skimming of the surface. Take it as far and you like.  Range time is not feasible to many with the lack of ammunition. Practice indoor “dry fire” exercises with snap caps.   Although not legal in most city limits, a BB or pellet rifle is a great way to keep up on shooting skills in with little cost and no noise to the neighborhood.  

This is not intended to make you live a ridiculous life of prepping by going nuts. Be reasonable.   Look at what you can do to help you and your family sustain for a minimum of three to six months.  

Get started now!  It is never too late!  

Renee's First Radio Program

Very exciting news here at Crossed Sabers!  I have been invited to be a guest on a radio talk show called Defensive Logic. I'll be talking about the importance of becoming more self-reliant/self-sufficient as well as some of my experiences turning Crossed Sabers Ranch into a working homestead.

The show will air on Saturday, July 19th from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM Mountain time. 

If you are local to Colorado Springs, CO, you can find the show on FM 98.5 and AM 1040.

Otherwise, you can find the program streaming live online at:

I25talk

My segment will start at approximately 9:30 AM Mountain time and run for about the next hour.

I would love it if you tuned in to the show!  I'd especially love it if you tuned in and then called the show to add your ideas, thoughts, and opinions.  

Wish me luck on my first ever radio talk show appearance!

Living with Pigs - Update on Month #2!

Living with Pigs!

My friend and fellow homesteader Barb is back with an update on the two pigs she and her husband are raising. 

I've got to admit that I'm jealous, since I'd love to raise pigs but don't have the set up to do so!

And while you're reading, take a closer look at the water system they're using. Ingenious!

Without further ado, here's Barb with her update:

We have had our cute little pigs for over 1 month now and I must say they are not cute little pigs anymore.  I cannot believe how much they have grown in the last month.  It is a good thing humans don’t grow like that.

We have named them Priscilla and Hamlet even though I know we will be sending them to slaughter.

Hamlet is much bigger than Priscilla as he tries to hog all the food, no pun intended. They love the mud puddle I have created in their pen.  

I am still putting sunscreen on their ears only now, I have realized that pigs do like to sleep late like teenagers.  I go down every morning at 5AM and they are sleeping and don’t care that I am slobbering sunscreen on their ears.

I asked my husband one night if he knew if pigs swam as I was nervous about letting them out of their pen because of our pond.  He said he didn’t know but then a friend sent me a video of a pig saving a goat in the water.  Priscilla and Hamlet had their first outing on Sunday to our pond; oh they loved the mud in the pond.  

Oh what fun they had they looked like little statues with mud all over them

We rearranged their stall so they would have more room; we moved their water tank to the side so they can get in and out of their door to the outside easier since they are getting so big.  

We bought them a bigger feeder since they kept emptying their smaller one.  

Now at work I don’t have to worry if they run out of food.  They like to knock over their outside water buckets but I don’t have to worry about them not having anything to drink as they have their 55 gallon drum inside with their nipple on it.

All in all they are fun to have they grunt as soon as they hear me coming down at night and  they start squealing like crazy as they know I have people food for them .  I never knew that pigs squeal like that out of excitement.  People at work bring me their scraps too, to feed the pigs.

Their pen is right next to my garden. They love talking to me while I am weeding the garden as they know they are going to be thrown all the weeds.

Well that is living with pigs month 2.

I will update next month on their progress.