Homestead fails with pigs

We've had tons of fails as we learn homesteading. Sometimes we listened to the wrong expert. Sometimes we didn't listen to good advice. Sometimes we have no clue what went wrong. 

So the first part of this series is taking a look at what we believed would absolutely work. Why we think it didn't and what we did differently. 

We listened to a farmer who swore you could train pigs to three strands of electric wire. So we set up our pig area with electric fence spent time training them. The biggest of them all Boris, figured out how to jump through or over the wires, he taught everyone else. 6 months later we were catching 300 lb pigs daily, leading them back to their area and giving them a treat for coming back which honestly felt like rewarding bad behavior. 

Something had to change. So we still run single strand wire electric fence on the inside of 4ft hog wire fence. Now we only have to catch pigs if the hotwire goes down for some reason (I'm looking at you Fauna the Nanny goat who likes to unplug the charger cord in the barn). But it's pretty rare and has saved us headache upon headache. I'm sure we screwed up the training to the hotwire, not the farmers fault for telling us this. Seems to work great for his farm. But we adjusted to what we had to do to work it out. 

Homesteading, first gen farming, whatever you call this crazy thing we do is all about learning, changing, and growing. So I hope I'm not the only one who just failed miserably at three strand pig keeping. 

Homesteading myth

Folks say homesteading is a myth. And honestly I agree. It's 100% a myth to say that someone is self-sufficient. 
So I thought I would break it down for you. 
We have a homestead of 10 acres. We make all of our own milk, cheese, eggs. But we have to buy hay, feed, enclosure supplies and supplements. We have to pay for electricity for running the well pump for water. We can't make all of those things here. I don't have the skills to make 600 lbs of food a month or 1200 lbs of hay a month. I can't pay for solar power yet (maybe someday!). I have no idea on how to make chicken wire or hardware cloth. 
The homestead pays for itself 100%. But not how folks believe that works. 

We pay around 300 dollars in feed a month. 
Our chicken feed is 64 dollars a month. 
Goat feed is 78 dollars a month. 
Pig feed is 100 dollars a month. 
Rabbit feed is 13 dollars a month.
Duck feed is 12 dollars a month. 

Our herd shares average 49 dollars a month. Folks get 2qts a week at that rate. At capacity we have 8 herd shares available. That's just under 400 dollars a month but we have to annualize that over the 9 months they're in milk. Once annualized it's 300 dollars a month. 

Goat kids sell for an average of 200 to 300 per head and we have about 12 per season. Annualizes as 250 dollars a month. 

Duck eggs sell for 6 dollars a dozen we sell 2 dozen a week. So about 24 dollars a month. Annualized for the 6 months they lay its about 6 dollars a month. 

Rabbits sell for 15 each. Right now we sell 20 every three months during the summer which ends up being around 50 dollars per month. 

We raise 100 chickens at 15 dollars each for folks. So 125 a month over the year.  

Monthly Revenues:

Goats- 550

Ducks- 6

Rabbits-50

Chickens- 125

Total- $731

Minus revolving expenses the homestead annualized a perfect year clears $431. 

Goats are our heavy hitters. They ended up being amazing for us. 

But these are very perfect numbers. If we have no babies born early, too cold, etc. We have been on this property for 3 years in July.  We have had all of those nasty things happen over our time. We also bought two new herds this year some of these animals were ill and had to be quarantined and nursed back to health (never free). We had to repair and replace fences. We had two enclosures cave in from the heavy ice storm this year. We're building a farm stand and investing in additional fencing for adding intensive rotational grazing.  Very quickly those profits are absorbed. 

That doesn't mean it doesn't work but rather just keep the cash on hand for these things because they will happen. Usually all at once. Right at Christmas. 😂 

Here's the thing though. We're a family of 8 and we don't buy dairy, chicken, or eggs. And that little bit of security is so addictive. So this year we have poured profit into building out more enterprises which are eventually going to add to our security. We invested in pigs this year to hopefully add pork to the list of things we don't buy from the store. We added meat goats to supplement our meat costs. 

The following is our security we love and want to keep nurturing:

We use 4 gallons of milk a week, two for drinking and cooking, two for cheese, yogurt and creamer. 

We go through two dozen eggs a week. We eat about two whole chickens a week. Since we raise them from our stock they only cost us for their feed.

The farm essentially pays for us to have these things. Someday it may pay us to do live the way we do and that is the prayer. But for now it pays for itself and there is the difference between self sufficient and sustainable. The homestead is sustainable in that it pays for itself with the surplus it provides beyond our needs. Self sufficient is a dream and a myth but sustainable is obtained through careful planning and tracking.

I track every enterprise on our farm. Each large animal has its own pnl and each enterprise has to pay for itself directly or in my savings or we have to move in another direction. (Gardening I'm talking to you! 😉) 

The real reason to not breed goats

Don't breed goats. 

This winter we lost 4 baby goats. One was born breech and the other three were a miscarriage. Ooftah, so sad for the loss. Moms that miscarry look lost for a few days after, looking for their kids and are just out of it. They should be monitored and segregated for biosecurity and their health. 

Its a mystery still as to why Momma Oreo lost the pregnancy. We have a suspicious feeling that Poppa Branch was in with her too long as bucks can cause miscarriages in does later in pregnancy. He got out of his apron for a day. That's all it takes. Two of our girls got pregnant out of our normal cycle due to his escape from his birth control. So these babies will be born during our coldest time of the year. Which means we need to be on top of our due dates and watching all the time. 

If a baby goat can get dry and colostrum they have a better shot. If they have an easy birth they have a better shot. But even with all of our precautions and everything set up perfectly we lost two last year. 

So don't breed your goats if it's going to hurt too much. Because I will promise you will have losses. 

And I don't care how long I've done this it's never gotten easier. It hurts every time.

But then we had days like today. Normal chore day. Billy goes to fill up the hay and there is this little brown guy just hanging out. 

He's so chill. He loves being picked up and snuggled. His momma was slow to figure out what to do. But now that she has they're back in the kidding room under a little bit of heat. We try to keep interventions like heat to a minimum because it can create a huge problem if it fails. (Like they're all used to extra heat in the barn but we have a 3 day storm that takes out power) But in situations like this one, born out of our normal cycle, is -5 here now, and he and momma are still figuring things out, he will get to be on heat for about a week longer if he's not making good weight gains.

He will eventually go up for adoption until then he needs a name. He's our first baby this year!

Here is some of our previous kids and honestly what makes the risk of occasional losses worth it..

Eggs as financial insulation

I might sound like a crazy lady around here when we get our first egg of the season. But this year it was on another level. Because it's insanely expensive for store bought eggs here in Michigan. Michigan went cage free and if you're so lucky to get eggs from the store, because it's super limited to find them here right now. And if you're in any egg section in Michigan store right now everyone is talking about getting chickens. 

That's a bit of a problem... It takes 5 months for the girls to start paying the rent (eggs). It's an investment if you've never had chickens. We were in a different place financially when we got chickens so we were able to spend 500 in infrastructure that we built ourselves to get started. So like each egg pays off .001% of this initial adventure. But we are in this for the long term so... I'm still saying financially it's not worth it the way we did it.

 Here is what I would do differently: aquire supplies for free. We had no business buying all new wood. There is always supplies available for free if you look. Be patient, it won't be built in a weekend. That's ok if your understanding is this is supposed to be an investment in security.

I wouldn't buy premium chickens. 

I wouldnt buy for egg color or pretty chickens. I would find a farm with backyard breed or go to tractor supply and get the 2 dollar birds (or even better clearance birds). I would invest in better feed for my birds 100x over what color they are or eggs they lay. 

Most egg layers lay about an egg every other day. If they fit that they'll work.

I wouldn't stress so much about heritage breeds and rather focus on getting sturdy for my area breeds. 

 Eggs won't feed you completely and you have to feed them really good food. But let me tell you once you have Those eggs from happy chickens who have a varied life and feed, you'll never go back. It's just not the same. 

I do love data so if you do as well and want to still focus on good breeds for what you want rather than the egg getting 😂 I got you I will link my spreadsheet for driving myself and family crazy trying to get the perfect breed. 

Chicken Vault

Trading Pennies for Dollars

Trading Pennies for Dollars is a series of small changes we make to stretch the dollars here and there, and make healthier choices in the process. Our objective is always to create sustainable systems that support healthy peaceful intentional living. 

Something that drives me crazy is when something is super inflated for what ingredients go into it. Spices are like that in a lot of ways. First there is the fillers of spices. I don't need a thickener, thank you very much. I'll decide how salty I want it. My goodness chili powder, taco seasoning, grated parmesan cheese, gravy packets are often full of extras to add bulk to a small amount of the actual product you want. There had to be a better way. 

So I started with Taco seasoning. 

So here is the one I use and love. 

Keep it out of humidity or it will try to clump up on ya!

12 tablespoons chili powder (4 each Ancho, Guajillo and Arbol ) I get the three pack on Amazon 

6 tablespoons ground cumin

12 teaspoons ground black pepper

6 teaspoons ground paprika

5 teaspoon garlic powder

3 teaspoon onion powder

4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 teaspoon dried oregano

Running my costs of seasonings runs about $0.59 per ounce vs the $0.97 1 ounce pack with the fillers and thickeners and salt. I like it heavily seasoned so I do 3 tablespoons.

Do what you can with what you have and you'll be blessed with more. 

Trading pennies for dollars (Part 1)

This series is one of those things that has been on my mind for a long time. Food insecurity is real for so many people. Budgets are tighter. The story is no different on our farm. Feed costs, supplies, and such all cost more than they did when we started. There are things we do; some are seen as normal, and some are maybe extreme, to try to stretch every dollar. 

Off-farm income is a way we pieced together the living expenses. I worked in a very good job, with an excellent income, security and benefits. But then, suddenly last month, I was handed the gift of being here full time, in a pretty ugly package: a major debilitating health problem.
I went from partnering and running multimillion-dollar businesses to needing a driver to go to the store. I now have to check with my support system to see if it's okay to plan something because I may not be well enough to go. To be the same mind and soul who supported, managed, and coached thousands of people over the years, to have the basic functions of life that I need assistance with, it's bizarre.
This was not how I expected things to go and yet we are blessed. Blessed, because I would have never picked the farm over my work. I was called to help people become better and to leave that work would have meant giving up somehow. I would have never left that work. Being forced into it broke my heart. 
Of course, I felt pulled to this lifestyle. This farm was my passion project. Creating a life that is sustainable and that works for all the needs we have here. For me this was the retirement plan. This was the back up. This was healthy food, extra income, and a way to connect with our community. A way for the our kids to gain experiences and knowledge that will serve them through their lives. Now this homestead has to become more. Teaching, coaching, partnering will always be my calling. So I'll grow where I'm planted. I'll teach, coach, partner from here. 

We love good food, which is why we raise our own. We know the inputs and how it was raised. More than anything, we've noticed that the flavor is unlike anything we've seen for sale in the grocery store.
We raise chickens for eggs. Sometimes, the cost of raising them exceeds the output, while at other times, they provide much more. During winter, the chickens don't lay as much, but in the spring and summer, we are in egg overload! It's definitely a blessing. I can't explain in words how much better our eggs are from our girls.

To stretch our dollars, I make some condiments because it just makes sense. It takes all of 5 minutes of work, but the money saved is worth it. Same deal here I know the inputs. And it cost pennies vs 2 to 6 dollars in the store.

Cost to buy: 

Name brand 20 oz: $5.99 (.30 per oz)

Generic brand 15 oz: $2.12 (.14 per oz or $2.82 for 20 oz)

Cost to make: 1.76 (.08 per oz) 
Oil 12 oz = $1.20
Mustard 1 teaspoon .2 oz= $0.05
Vingegar 1 tablespoon .5 oz= $0.01
Two egg yolk= $0 (free for us, 0.50 for bought)
Total= $1.76

Mayo recipe: 
Whisk egg yolks and vinegar and mustard (an immersion blender works best but you can still make it without these)
Add in oil a tablespoon at a time. You want everything as smooth mixture so take your time. 
You'll see it start to turn whiteish like mayo and then you can get slightly more liberal with your oil. Keep blending until smooth. 
This mayo keeps in the fridge for about a week. 

If you're like me and like games to be more frugal. When I do these types of savings measures I think of what paying myself the difference would be. 5 minutes of work= $5.99-$1.76= $4.23 saved (name brand) take this into an hourly wage, means I just made over 50 dollars an hour during that 5 minutes 😆 

If I buy 1 jar a month that's 48 dollars over the year. 

Does this its make or break us? Of course not. But the only mindset is to do what you can with what you have and this is part of a whole system that makes those dollars cost pennies. 

Marina Di Chioggia: A Bountiful Harvest for Our Homestead – Feeding Animals and Family Alike

On July 1st, I decided to experiment with planting Marina Di Chioggia, an Italian heirloom winter squash renowned for its bumpy blue-green skin and rich, sweet flavor. Fast forward to today, September 16th, and I'm thrilled to report that the experiment has been a resounding success! We now have 10 squash, each weighing in at a hefty 15 pounds, with even more developing every day. 

The abundance is truly a blessing.
Here on our homestead, nothing goes to waste, and that includes our Marina Di Chioggia harvest. Not only is this squash a fantastic staple for our kitchen, but it’s also a powerhouse when it comes to feeding our animals. Let me share how we make the most of this versatile crop, from feeding our chickens, guineas, and pigs to creating delicious meals for the family.
A Perfect Feed for Chickens, Guineas, and Pigs
One of the reasons I chose to plant Marina Di Chioggia is because of its incredible nutritional value, which makes it perfect for supplementing our animals' diet. As a rich source of vitamins and minerals, it helps keep our animals healthy while saving us money on feed. Here’s how we will use it:

For the Chickens and Guineas:
Chickens and guineas love the soft orange flesh of this squash. I simply cut it into chunks and place it in their feeding area. They peck away at the bright orange flesh, which is packed with nutrients like vitamin A and beta-carotene that help maintain their health and egg production. With feeding squash as a supplement to our chickens, our eggs have the most beautiful orange yolk and taste so much richer. 
- The seeds are a bonus! We grind them up and mix them into their regular feed to boost their protein intake naturally.

For the Pigs:
- Our specially selected Idaho Pasture Pigs, Natasha, and Yolanda, thrive on a diverse diet, and Marina Di Chioggia is a perfect addition. It’s easy to prepare—just chop it into large pieces, and the pigs do the rest! The high moisture content of the squash helps keep them hydrated, and its fiber supports healthy digestion.
- Feeding them squash also cuts down on how much store-bought feed we need, making it a win-win situation.

From Field to Table: Cooking with Marina Di Chioggia

Of course, it’s not just the animals that benefit from this harvest—our family plans to enjoy this heirloom squash as much as the chickens and pigs do! The dense, sweet flesh is ideal for a variety of dishes, and its versatility makes it a potentially new kitchen favorite. Here are a few ways we will use it in our meals:

Roasted Marina Di Chioggia
One of the simplest ways to enjoy this squash is to roast. After slicing it into wedges and removing the seeds, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and herbs, and roast it until the flesh is tender. I've heard it is served in Italy simply with olive oil. It makes for a hearty side dish, and leftovers are perfect for soups or mashed into a creamy puree. Our teen boy sat down with half of one of these and a spoon 😂 

Homemade Squash Soup
As the weather cools, there’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of squash soup. Roast the squash, blend it with broth, onions, and garlic, and finish it with a touch of cream. It’s a comforting meal that highlights the rich, sweet flavor of the squash.

Squash Bread and Muffins
Squash can also be used in baking. Like pumpkin, Marina Di Chioggia can be mashed and added to bread or muffin batter, adding moisture and sweetness to the dough. It’s a great way to sneak in some extra nutrients, and the kids love it!

With more squash developing every day, we’ll be enjoying and sharing this bounty for months to come. Marina Di Chioggia has proven itself to be a powerhouse crop for our homestead, providing nourishment for both our animals and our family. 

As we continue to harvest and prepare this beautiful heirloom squash, I’m already thinking about planting even more next year. 
Whether you're looking for nutritious feed for your animals or a delicious addition to your dinner table, Marina Di Chioggia is a fantastic choice. If you haven’t planted it yet, consider giving it a try—it just might surprise you!


I’d love to hear from you—how do you use squash on your homestead? Leave a comment below, and let’s share our favorite tips and recipes!