Chesapeake and Finnemore Resting in the Sun by the Creek

The last few days have been sunny and warmer than average.  Today we hit 60 degrees.  After such a long, cold, and snowy winter, all of the animals (including me) are happy to get a glimmer of warm hope.  Spring is coming and you can already see the hyacinth and daffodil stalks emerge from the once frozen ground.

During the cold winter, Chesapeake and Finnemore go outside only to use the bathroom, but then quickly return into the warm house.  But on days like today, they went out in the morning and spent the whole day outside playing, napping, looking through the woods to find something to eat, and generally having a wonderful day.  The pigs were not the only ones to enjoy the sun.  The sheep and goats also emerged from the barn to soak up some sun.

Seeing such happy animals always brings a smile to my mouth.

Eliza Working on Her Tan

Yes, Oscar, as he is called, holds the Guinness World Record for his old age.  Oscar is 20 years old whereas normally potbellied pigs only live around 15.

Still, it wouldn’t surprise if there were other pigs that share Oscar’s feat of long life, but whose owners did not think to submit the requisite documentation that would prove their pigs’ ages.

For example, the late potbellied pig Gwendolyn who caused such a stir in Maryland was said to be 20 years of age as well.  It would be interesting to know of other cases of elderly pigs.

Chesapeake Playing With His Busy Ball

I am often asked whether my animals like to play with toys.  The answer is that they all love to play, but there aren’t too many toys they enjoy.  Sheep, goats, alpacas, and chickens don’t have any formal toys.  Sometimes I hang some fruit from a string and the chickens seem to enjoy pecking at it, but I would hardly call it a toy.  The sheep and goats love to run around, play tag or king of the wood stump, but they don’t really have any toys that they play with.  The pigs on the other hand like to play with various objects.  Their favorite toy is their busy ball.  A busy ball is a hard ball that has holes in it.  You stick in some pig food and the pigs push it around the house hoping a morsel or two fall out through a hole.  Finnemore plays with this for only a very short time and then realizes the amount of food coming out is hardly worth his efforts.  He then goes and pursues other games.  Chesapeake on the other hand can play with the busy ball for hours.  Even when he was a piglet he enjoyed pushing the ball around the house.  It is fun to watch him because he is obviously enjoying himself.  His tail wags, he has a smile on his mouth and a twinkle in the eye.  He even pushes the thing around when there is no food in it.  Another toy the pigs love is a newspaper.  This is cute to watch them play with it, but it kind of makes a mess.  They love to shred the newspaper up and make a huge pile.  They love shredding all paper, but particularly newspapers because their are several layers that they can shred.  Shredding newspaper is only helpful when you are trying to make a fire in the wood stove and need some shredded paper to get it going.  Otherwise, they just make a mess, but they have fun doing it.

So the animals at Piscataway Acres play a lot, sometimes with toys and sometimes without, but they love to play.

Brie sitting on her table contemplating what went wrong...

Brie is a good goat.  She is sweet and calm.  She isn’t pushy and respects the other animals in her herd, namely Kit, Kaboodle, and Eliza.  Brie wasn’t always like this.  When she was younger, she was the herd leader.  She bossed everyone around as if she were queen of Piscataway Acres.  She was a very proud goat.  She was stronger and more clever than any of the others in the herd.  When it was time to feed the group, she always ate first.  Sometimes, just for fun she would rear up and hit a poor unsuspecting sheep right in the side, causing the sheep to forcefully expel whatever was in their mouths at the time.  Brie would plow right into the sheep and even her best friend Eliza.  Brie continued this rude behavior for months.

But unfortunately for Brie, the sheep grew up and it turns out, they are now larger and stronger than Brie.  Brie tried for several weeks to dominate the more powerful sheep, but to no avail.  It soon became clear that Brie had lost her royal spot as herd leader.  Oddly enough, Kit, the weakest at birth and the one that was picked on by all, is now in charge.  Now Brie spends her time thinking about days past.  She is frequently sitting alone on the card table.  I would like to think that Brie has learned something from this, but perhaps not.

As with humans, the strongest animal becomes herd leader.  But perhaps a more benevolent herd leader will outlast the bullies, for what goes around comes around.

My Icelandic Sheep, Kit and Kaboodle. They are waiting to see if they can't be models for a new Wallace and Gromit film...

There aren’t many breeders of Icelandic Sheep around.  This surprises me because they are terrific animals.  Icelandic sheep are classified as triple purpose.  They produce milk, meat, and wool.  They also have fantastic personalities.  I have shared some of the fun experiences I have had with the two girls, Kit and Kaboodle, as well as with Thor, the ram.  Whenever I have a chance, I like to promote this breed and encourage those interested in getting sheep to seriously consider Icelandics.

One farm located in Virginia that has a wealth of information on raising this breed, a lot of very high quality animals, and terrific ideas on what to do with all of the wool and milk the sheep produce (as well as some great lamb recipes) is Ingleside Icelandics.  In my communications with Ingleside Icelandics, I have found them to be helpful and encouraging.  I have also enjoyed reading their blog, Keeping the Farm, where I have learned a great deal about Icelandic sheep and homesteading.  This is a great resource for anyone interested in crafts made from the products their animals provide.

Thor trying to look cute in order to persuade me into giving him more treats.

I have mentioned before that my animals are spoiled.  Although I enjoy spoiling them, there is one major disadvantage to having spoiled animals (similar to having spoiled children), they constantly want more!  Even when they are full, they are begging for something.  More hay, better tasting hay, more grain pellets, more sweet feed, more oats, more attention, more everything.  Whenever I head out to the barn, there is an expectation that they will get something from me.

Thor in particular is feeling rather needy these days.  He is ready to breed and there are no ewes ready for him.  He doesn’t understand nor is he terribly happy with his situation.  To make matters worse, he is separated by a fence from two lovely ladies.   I always try to give him some extra treats just to make him feel special, but I am not sure if they make up for his frustrations.  But he does enjoy the treats and will put his hooves on the four foot gate and peer over expressing interest in something tasty.  He likes to eat everything, but carrots and raisins are on the top of his favorite list.

Having animals that beg constantly is cute, but on days when you don’t have the time or energy to give them the personalized attention they want, it can be a little overwhelming.

Ezekiel the Rooster and his Harem

The new rooster has been given a name, Ezekiel.  It seems to suit him well.  He is no Jorge by any means; he crows a lot and loudly, he is mean to me and the pigs, and he has brought the hens under his dominance.  In my experience, when I introduce a new rooster, it takes several weeks before he feels comfortable enough mating with the hens.  Not Ezekiel.  He started chasing them shortly after he arrived and has no problem grabbing one at random.  I suppose that this is good because I will start collecting eggs in the next few weeks for incubation.  I am very hopeful that I will have a good batch of Americana chicks this year.  I knew what to expect with the previous rooster, Jorge, but I am a little on edge waiting to see what kind of chicks hatch from Ezekiel.

None of the other animals seem to like him much.  The pigs have had it with his bossiness.  The alpacas are not fond of his loud crowing in the barn.  The sheep and goats think he is over protective of the hens.  The hens think he is a bit rough.  My altercation with him came after I chased a hen out of the barn that was trying to make a nest in the alpaca’s hay.  As I pushed her out, she squawked and Ezekiel took it as a threat and came charging.  I hope that he is this brave if a raccoon or fox comes around.

Eliza Playing

Eliza is one of the two Nigerian Dwarf Goats at Piscataway Acres.  She was purchased from Hearts-N-Hooves dairy goat farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland when she was just over a month old.  She is a character and a handful.  Her favorite activities include jumping over fences, breaking into feed containers, knocking over feed containers, waiting for the back door of the house to open and then run in, and being held in the arms of a human.  She is very affectionate which is sweet, most of the time.

Although Eliza gets the most human attention, she is near the bottom of the herd in seniority.  Although she attempts to exert some power over the sheep from time to time, she is no match for the sheep who are a little larger than her and more aggressive.  Eliza just isn’t a very aggressive goat.  Because of her position in the herd, Eliza has made good friends with the pigs, Finnemore and Chesapeake.  The three of them are often off hanging out, trying to find something to eat.  As with many goats, she is stubborn.  Her stubbornness alone isn’t what causes her to get into so much trouble, it is her agility.  She is able to clear many of the 4.5 foot fences and she knows how to open feed bins.  This has caused her to have many an upset stomach and me sitting out with her to make sure she isn’t too sick.  She is also the reason that half of one of the rooms designed for chickens and rabbits was turned into a locked feed storage area.  None of the other animals seem terribly interested in breaking into things, but Eliza has a mischievousness that is unparalleled here at Piscataway Acres.

With her big personality comes a great personal relationship.  She and I know each other well and I have found that she can be a very sensitive goat.  Despite her faults, she is loved and appreciated.

Tasty Pasture Raised Beef with Root Veggies

A tagine is a Moroccan cooking dish that has a unique cone shaped lid that locks in moisture and flavor.  I have just started using this ceramic dish and have found that meats are much more tender and moist than cooking with traditional pots.  I have cooked several meals with this North African pot and have enjoyed each one.  My two Moroccan traditional meals I cooked were “Lamb tagine with prunes, apricots, and honey” and “Chicken tagine with preserved lemon, green olives, and thyme”.  If you would like specific recipes for these dishes, please write and I will send them.  They were great.  I have also tried cooking different cuts of meat in the tagine.  Tonight, I cooked a round steak with potato, carrot, and onion.  Although a little similar to a pot roast, I cooked the meat with very little moister hoping that the tagine would seal in the natural juices.  It turned out terrifically.  Tender, juicy, and delicious.  A fine steak with some root vegetables was an excellent dinner on a cold winters night.

The reason I bring this up is because for those of us who have changed our diets to  eat more pasture raised, locally produced meats, a tagine may be an excellent way to maintain some of the moisture we are used to.  I discussed some of the pros and cons of eating pasture raised, locally produced meats in an earlier post, “Isn’t Organic Best?“.  On that same topic I would ad that eating pastured meat is better for your health.  Commercially raised meat contains a lot more fat than does pasture raised meat.  Also, commercial meat has been exposed to a number of drugs and chemicals designed to keep the animals healthy and growing fast.  I am a firm believer that most of our food supply is safe to eat and that one shouldn’t overreact to all the hype regarding the production of meat.  However, I have much higher sensitivities commercial meat than others.  I can not eat commercial beef without getting sick afterward, however, I can eat pastured beef without any problems.  Overall, pastured meat contains less fat, more Omega 3 fatty acids, less chemicals and hormones, and is more humane to the animals and utilizes far fewer resources.

In the post “Isn’t Organic Best?“, I did not discuss the fact that eating pastured meat requires that you cook it slightly different than commercial meats.  I have found that one excellent way to prepare pastured meats is in a tagine.  Maintaining the terrific flavor, but keeping the meat moist is not a challenge in a tagine.

A View of the Piscataway Creek

Another day and another foot of snow.  My sentiments echo that of the animals; this is getting old.  But other than the limited mobility, I and the animals are doing very well.  I opened up the pens in the barn to give the animals a little more space to move around in.  I figure if they are going to be penned up all day, they might as well be able to move to different sections of the barn.

The challenge now is that the fences and gates are completely buried.  It is now nearly impossible to enter most sections of the yard or barn as the snow has piled up too high.  Once the wind stops, I will remove as much snow as I can from the gates and doors.  The fences will have to remain buried and I hope the goats don’t figure out that this could be a means to escape.

The sheep followed me out to the creek, and seemed to have an enjoyable time, but they turned back as the wind was blowing very hard.  Although a nuisance, it is very pretty.

"What are you lookin' at?"