We're Back....

Sorry it's taken so long to get back on track with the posts and the website.  We have been busy rebuilding the house, still in progress, and building up the farm.  We now have our cattle, our pigs (red wattle and one mixed breed female), and our chickens.  We will be adding goats, horses, and rabbits here soon once we are more established in the house where we can actually have extra time to work on animal housing.  Our sow Olivia gave birth for the first time this winter, poor girl.  We were able to build a birthing house for her, but she chose not to use it.  Unfortunately that caused us most of the litter.  For her first time, she birthed 12 little piglets, only two survived.  We learned our lesson and the next time she births, no matter the weather, we will have her under the barn.  With both of us not really knowing how she would behave with the litter we were weary of her taking care of the two surviving, but she has proven to be a very good mother.  Whenever it's raining or too cold for the piglets she puts them in the house so that they stay warm and dry.  They are both very stocky babies and we are debating on keeping the little female.  Along with the piglets, our chicken Sassparilla (Splash Cochin) was feeling broody and she brought 4 little chicks into the wintery cold world.  Three of the four survived, the one that didn't survive had split legs when born and I wasn't able to get it placed correctly.  Unfortunately, this winter, Sassparilla and another of our Cochin (Silver-Laced) were taken by an unknown animal from the chicken coop.  We are in the process of setting up traps to stop this animal (probably a raccoon).  We also have been greeted by some opossums eating our eggs and getting into the chicken food.  Needless to say, this winter has been a trial and error.  We are finally getting on track with how we want to live and the house is winding down to where we can live in and have the best time of our life.