Yay SPRING!!!

After what has seemed like a HORRENDOUSLY long winter, in which my creative juices as related to blogging have been pretty much frozen, it's looking like it's finally time for a thaw now that it's OFFICIALLY spring! As previously stated, winter really doesn't usually bother me. But this winter I had the worst case of cabin fever in the history of myself. As a result, it seems almost as though this is my first spring ever, and I find myself noticing every new sprig of grass, every bird coming back, every goose saying adios and heading back north, and so forth. The spring peepers are now joined by a heavy chorus of tree frogs, and soon the crickets will join back in. Speaking of bugs, I'm even welcoming them back. Though give me a month, when I'm loudly cussing my first batch of chiggers, peppered with tick bites.

Unfortunately I ushered in the first official day of spring with the worst cold I've had in several years. Mr. Hooter had one too, though he complained a lot more. Men. I think we're on the mend, and I look to resume work on the Hen Hilton, or as some people may call it - the chicken coop.

My chicks are all doing well, and this coming Monday will be a month old. They are still in the brooders, which have now been changed to very large cardboard boxes, and they've been moved into the barn. It's more acceptable to have your barn smelling like a barn rather than your spare room/house. Here is a pic of one of the Eggers on their last day in the house...this Barred Plymouth Rock was determined to sleep on the food jar, despite the fact that she was just too big.

Here is a current pic of the Eggers in their barn brooder, quite a bit bigger and definately more feathered out. Hopefully in another week or two they'll be able to go out in the regular coop, and maybe they'll at least start getting inspired to lay some eggs. Likely, though, we still have months before we can expect out first eggs...the waiting is tough. I can only imagine how excited and proud I'll be when I find that first pullet egg!

The Meaties have been spending a few nice days out in their movable coop. They seem to enjoy being out, though they don't seem to be very interested in foraging...mostly they just sit around and get fat and look tasty.

And speaking of tasty, we now have pigs! There are actually five pigs in the pen, but we're only keeping three temporarily for a friend. Our two are "Whitey" and "Petunia", and bless their hearts, they are about the ugliest pigs you've ever seen. They came from a pretty horrible, muddy, rocky environment, and had been allowed to go half wild. They got to our pen and, pardon the pun, were in hog heaven with the grass, dry ground, and sunshine.

I've been asked by quite a few people I know how on earth I can be such an animal lover, yet be raising chickens and pigs for meat. So, I guess I need to explain myself with a little rant. First, I think we're WAY to dependent on The Industry to get our food for us. This globalization isn't a good thing...I don't really like the fact that my apples come from Argentina, all covered in wax and preservatives and pesticides. The mega food industry really bothers me...such as chickens and pigs. Take the chicken industry - these poor chickens are debeaked at a very young age, stuffed in a tiny cage, and live their short lives being stuffed full of antibiotics and who knows what else, never once seeing the sun shine or getting to even set their feet on grass. Then, when it comes to butchering time, they are stuck on a conveyer belt-ish machine, where they may or may not be killed instantly, and are further machine processed like any other mass-produced product. And with pigs...most commercially raised pigs are forced to live in little pens, on concrete leading to all sorts of painful leg and foot problems, shot up with who knows what medications, then face the same conveyer-belt style processing as the chickens.

The reality that most people don't want to face is this - if I want to eat chicken or pork, or whatever, an animal has to die. At least I know exactly what my animals are eating, they have lots of room to just "be chickens" and "be pigs", and when the time comes to go to the big coop or hog waller in the sky, they will have had a good life, and the end will be swift. And at least I will know that my family is not contributing to what I consider very unethical industry practices.

It just all comes down to us being way to dependent on others to take care of us. Now, before anyone gets the idea that Mr. Hooter and I are forming our own militia, we're not quite THAT extreme. But it does bother me that in just a couple generations, we've forgotten knowledge that for thousands of years people have just KNOWN how to do. I recently heard a story about a young woman who actually cried when she was informed that the electric company would be turning off the neighborhood's electricity for a couple hours for routine maintenance. It made me realize just how dependant we are on what really is a fragile system. Maybe I'm nuts, but I just don't feel like following the herd anymore.

And maybe after I clean my first chicken, I'll decide to go back to following the herd. :)

That's my rant and rave for today, which has been enhanced by a Nyquil induced stupor...I hope everyone is out enjoying this weather!

Also, stay tuned for an UPDATE TO MULLETHUNT '08!!! This winter has produced some VERY FINE specimins, and I'm hoping the warmer weather will coax more out of their winter hibernation. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!