Pigs # 6

Quick weigh in update, no Excel tonight but I should be able to update the graphs over the weekend.

Week commencing	Small Feed (g)	Big Feed (g)	Total Feed (g)	Small Weight (kg)	Big Weight (kg)	Small Weight (kg)	Big Weight (kg)
27.04.2012	1520	2256	3776	33.1	49.1	33.0	49.0
04.05.2012	1691	2461	4152	36.8	53.6	36.8	55.2
11.05.2012	1871	2675	4546	40.7	58.2	41.9	58.5
18.05.2012	2059	2896	4956	44.8	63.1	44.20	63.30
25.05.2012	2256	3126	5382	49.1	68.1
01.06.2012	2461	3126	5587	53.6	73.3
08.06.2012	2675	3126	5800	58.2	78.6
15.06.2012	2896	3126	6022	63.1	84.1
22.06.2012	3126	x	3126	68.1	x		x
29.06.2012	3126	x	3126	73.3	x		x
06.07.2012	3126	x	3126	78.6	x		x
13.07.2012	3126	x	3126	84.1	x		x

I'm really glad, they are sticking to the predicted growth rate curves like glue, and seem happy and healthy - nice curly tails and bright eyes!

I've just noticed that one of their favourite 'scratching posts', a 2" ish diameter elder tree has finally given in to 63.30kg of pushing & scratching!  Photos tomorrow!

I can't believe it's only 4 weeks until Big Pig is big enough to go to the abbatoir!  I wish in hindsight that we'd got 2 pigs of the same size so that they will both go together - not really liking the idea of poor Small Pig on her own for the last month.  Will try to check with someone who knows over the weekend whether Small Pig would be too small to go at the same time as Big Pig.

Chickens # 3

I've been looking at the Fosters Poultry website (www.fosterpoultry.co.uk) at day old chicks - I think I've pretty much decided that this is the best way to go.  I'd considered hatching eggs, but the cost of a fertile egg doesn't seem to be hugely different to the cost of a day old chick, and you then need an incubator, and the sex may not be what you need.  I think maybe once we have a substantial flock, with a cockerel and 'the bloodline' starts to become important then the incubator route may be a good way to go, but probably not for now.  The other thing I'd considered was just buying point of lay again, which worked really well for our current small flock, because I wanted something instant and proven, and we were absolute beginners.  However, for a new flock of 20 layers, and a cost of £14 each for hybrids, and significantly more for pure-breeds, which are what I want, that adds up to a lot of money!

So, I think the plan for the Tymawr laying flock is to purchase 20 day old chicks, a heat lamp, and to create some well insulated space somewhere to bring them up to an age where they can go out into the old hen-house (A major cleaning / repairing job for the weekend I think!).

I'd also really like to get some 'growers' and I was interested in the 'Hubbard' meat chicks from Fosters Poultry too - they say they can be killed to make a 2kg bird at 14 weeks, which my back of an envelope calculation gives a cost of about £5.50 or hopefully a bit less (cost based on the feed costs per head/month of my mature layers plus £2 a head cost to buy the chicks).  Asda (http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/catalog/sectionpagecontainer.jsp?departmentid=1214921923769) sells free range whole chickens currently for £4.58 per kg, meaning a price of £9.16 against my cost of £5.50 or less.  If it comes together as planned that seems like a nice discount! 

The main problem that I can see will be whether I can actually learn / bring myself to kill, pluck and gut the chickens when the time comes!  However, the older I get and the more engaged with the farm I get, the more I'm coming round to the idea that if you choose to eat meat, you should have the conviction to ensure that the animal has had a great life, and the courage to do what is necessary to convert it into meat!