Who's Your Pig Farmer?

We drove to Eureka (very northwest Montana) this weekend to get in a little camping in near Lake Kookanusa and to pick up our large black barrow hogs from Cranky Carl's Farm.

Cranky Carl is married to Gritty Gretchen; their nicknames are apt descriptors. Use your imagination. Carl made a dive into mud and manure to catch a runaway piglet, and our awe/admiration just grew from there. Our two blacks, roughly three months and probably 90 pounds each, are surprisingly mellow compared to the skittish pink Yorkshires we had last year. We also picked up another couple of younger piggies for our neighbor, and these guys are about a month old, and iddy biddy. Gretchen plucked them out from their pen, and with the help of her two young boys, put the piglets on their backs, sloshed some betadine over their bottoms, then made quick work with her 11 blade surgical knife and sliced their balls off. The two little squealers were castrated before I even fully comprehended what was happening. Apparently, she does that to help them grow faster and taste better. And probably so no one breeds her hogs without the additional "breeding fee." 

Two little newly-castrated Large Blacks, in our trailer and ready for the road!

Gritty Gretchen with a Red Wattle hog, another heritage breed.

A Mama Black and her litter.

Home at Blue Cloud. Check out the difference two months makes (one month vs. three months old). Eat up piggies!

So, after Rocky Mountain oysters, piglet style, we said our goodbyes to Cranky Carl's and headed home. A six hour drive through the rain was no fun for anybody, especially the little blacks, who started shivering on the way. But they toughed it through. They're now sharing a roof with our chickens, and the seem pretty content in their new home. For now, they are limited to the existing fenced-in pig pen with access to the chicken coop for cover; but we should have the electric fence up and running soon, and they'll have plenty of space and liberty to graze. Pigs that eat grass...and hay. It will sure be nice not to have to buy so much grain and corn this year. 

Lawn Furniture

Check out Bill's latest furniture: Adirondack chairs! Perfect for sitting in.