Treat for the Pigs

Our pigs this weekend recieved a real treat as did our farmstay guests. We found a couple of apple trees on the road past Greenvale which were full of apples, they looked ripe but they were very very tart. So we picked bucket loads of apples over the easter weekend for our farmstay visitors to feed to the pigs and boy did they gooble them up.... They tell me apple really complemets pork ;-)

My Patiented Creep feeder

Hours of design and constuction went into my new Patiented device that allows small piglets to get to their feed and stops the larger pigs from butting in....

No huffing and Puffing

With straw prices at a low we found an economic use for our large bales. Safe in the knowledge that there are no wolves to blow the house down we erected some pig houses.

New Berkshire Sow is first time mummy

Last week we took possession of two 10 month old pregnant sows and a 4 month old berkshire boar. Brother Scott undertook the 7 hour drive to Adelaide to pick them up. As with our Wessex Saddlebacks the Berkshires, or Berkies as owners of these breeds sometimes call them, are also considered Rare Breeds.

This morning Ben and I went out to feed the pigs at around 8:30 and were surprised to find one of the sows walking around with a little one that couldnt have been more than an hour old wriggling through the thin layer of hay. I was surprised that the sow was up and about and at the same time concerned as a first time mum, I wasnt sure she knew what had happened and what her responsiblities were. After tucking down some food however she went and nestled down and proceeded to pop out 8 more. There was a 10th which she had trouble producing and I tried to help every time I saw the feet come out and retract back in. After about 5 minute I caught the feet and helped bring the piglet out however it was dead on arrival.

Throughout the day all 9 remaining piglets were trying to find teats and get their first dose of mums milk.

The other sow should have her piglets in the next day or so......

The Wood oven finished

The final touches were put on our wood oven that we had built today.

We tried out a portable wood oven over Christmas and cooked some succulent pork, lamb and beef roasts and then for New Years eve some very tasty pizzas including a desert pizza made with a base of butterscotch snaps and blueberry sauce and topped with banana and pineapple and a slither of fresh mint.

Now we have the permanently erected oven our guests who stay at Greenvale will be able to cook up their own succulent roasts (maybe from our own beef, pork or lamb) and tasty pizzas for them selves.

The cement slab bares the little hand and feet prints of Natalie, Ben and Giaan.

Greenvale Meats Launched

We are excited about todays launch of Greenvale Meats with nearly 400 flyers going out to the to the local mail boxes. We will be initially offering our customers 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 a side of local pasture raised beef cut up, cryo packed and labled and delivered to their doorstep. Our beef will be dry aged for atleast 3 weeks to give the ultimate in tenderness and then the beef will continue to age become more tender in the cryopack also prolonging the life of the meat.

Our customers will also know exactly where their beef has come from and how it has been raised.

Our guests who come and stay at Greenvale will also be able to purchase our beef to either cook while they are here or to take home.

We hope our customers enjoy our beef as much as we do.

New Piglets

Our distinguish lady of the farm Beatrice has given birth to 3 strong and healthy piglets early last week and the Bissell family was here to witness the exciting event.
At a week old we have one male at 1.4 kgs One Female at 1.6 kgs and another male nearly doubling the other two at 2.7kgs this is definitely Princes boy.

Unfortuanetly 48 hours after the birth of the 3 sadly Beatrice passed 3 more still born. Very frustrating but its part of life and apparently common in older sows.

Today I tagged and documented them which involves weighing them, clipping their ears for identificational purposes, counting teats and documenting markings.

I managed to muck up the ear noticing and instead of marking the second piglet as number 5 on our farm Ive marked it as 802. I think this mistake will not cause any issues at all as its going to be several years if not decades before we will have produced our 800th pig.