PIGS AND PUMPKINS / DOES WANTING BUCKS

It's time to feed the pigs our left over pumpkins and they love them! The piglets have never had pumpkins before. It is now the season for the does to start eyeing the bucks. They are constantly calling out to them and they are more "affectionate" and want to be around me more. I have to winterize the water hose that I use to water the animals. Some of my chickens and guineas prefer to roost outside the coop. That's okay, but they will be confined during the winter. JoJo's coat is already thick and fluffy for the upcoming winter. I think I will ground feed the pigs. They fight over their food when I bowl feed them, so we'll see how it goes.
Every day my family and I are learning what it means to run a hobby farm. We started with chickens then added myotonic, or fainting, goats, and eventually kunekune (kune kune) pigs. Throw in some Guinea fowl and turkeys and cats and dogs with a creek and tons of wildlife and you start to get an idea of what our hobby farm is like. Hobby farming is time consuming and hard, but rewarding and fulfilling. There are daily chores that never stop. The animals need to be fed and watered. Pastures and pens need to be fenced and built. Goats and pigs need to be rotated in their pastures to give them fresh food and to rejuvenate the land. Food is planted and grown for the animals. Medicines are given orally and injected to prevent and cure sickness and combat parasites. Hooves need to be trimmed. Babies need to be raised. At any given time we have gilts, sows, boars, piglets, bucks, does, kids, chicks, chickens, keets, guineas, turkeys, etc. that need our attention, love and care. Follow along and we’ll learn and grow on this adventure together!