Sometimes Farm Life Revolves Around Hay

Farm life doesn't always revolve around fun and pigs.  

Little boys looking in at baby pigs

Baby pigs snuggled close

Sometimes it revolves around hay.  We wait and wait for the weather to be just right.  Then it rains.  

Hay at the Sunman location waiting to be baled. (Rained on 3 times)

Or we wait and wait and the perfect timing is perfect timing for other events too.  You go to parties late or excuse yourself from guests that were at your home, or desperately seek help because now you have square bales that have to be picked up and stacked in the barn before it rains.  

Matt's sister Amy was kind enough to help

It really gets interesting when in the middle of all of this you realize a pig or two is on the wrong side of the fence.  Crybaby decided he wanted his own meet and greet tour.  He visited juniors and dined in the peewees feed bin which is much more substantial than anything he has access to on his mostly grass diet.

Bacon (left) and Crybaby (right).  Notice the size difference!
Any yes, they should not be on the same side of the fence!

Everything is in its place as it should be, except for those aching muscles and scratched arms.  Thanks to the help of friends and family, we now have roughly 200 75 lb. bales of oat hay, and 23 800 lb. round bales of grass hay. This is in addition to the fields at our Sunman location that were custom cut and baled on shares where we have another 22 or so 800 lb. round bales. 

Will had fun hiding from mommy behind bales while Daddy and Keegan had fun walking on the bales.

We have just about what we need to make it through the winter.  If the opportunity comes along we'll put back a few more bales for insurance.  But we are getting close to being ready hay-wise.  

Taking hay to the barn

The hay will get used in a variety of ways.  The farrowing and nursing sows and their pigs will get the oat hay when they are in the barn.  It's high in protein and calories since it was baled in the milk / dough stage of the oat head.  The grass hay will be used for bedding, and eating.  The pigs will use it to build nests and deep bedding areas to keep warm in the winter.  The pigs will also eat this hay.  And lastly, the hay is fun to play around and take photos.  I suspect we will take some updated family photos soon by the big round bales.

Little boys sitting on a round bale