Eggs

[esshup]

The market weights on hogs have chained greatly over the years. About 40 years ago we used to sell at 220-240lbs. As the years went by the desired weight range inched up. When the the market crashed in 1997 and hit $0.07 we were selling at the 240-260lb range. Today a 300lb market hog is not uncommon. When my youngest son wanted to show hogs I had to re-educate myself and boy had things changed. He was showing hogs in the 300lb range. As for the biggest we had, there were two. We had ole "Gentle Ben" who was a herd boar. When we took him in he weighed 840lbs. It was not long after that we took a old Landrace sow in and she tipped the scales at 860lbs. I have a feeling they both went to Pizza Hut as back then that is where a lot of the old fatties went.

Bill:

A customer raised hogs (up to 40# then they got moved for someone else to finish) and said that a brooder sow that was past her prime goes for pennies per pound and they make great ground pork.

 

[sb47]

You probably have a greater chance of being struck by lighting 5 times in a day then to be killed by a chicken.

I fear no rooster.

 

[Bill G]

I fear no rooster.

Yes indeed. You just need to show them who is the boss man. When we had a rough ole rooster my wife would tell me to "take that thing for a ride" I would take him to a remote field we had. It had a drainage ditch for water with plenty of grass and trees for food/cover. I figured I was at least giving the ole boy a fighting chance.

I will say I have considered geese but my late father would tell me stories of geese attacking him and I do not move very fast anymore. I will not quite say I fear them, I am hesitant though.

 

[Bill G]

Bill:

A customer raised hogs (up to 40# then they got moved for someone else to finish) and said that a brooder sow that was past her prime goes for pennies per pound and they make great ground pork.

It is sad what has happened in the hog industry. What you are referencing is exactly what it used to be like. Folks would farrow pigs and sell them at around 40lbs as feeder pigs. Just like you said they would go off to another location to be finished. That was the standard for years. Today that is near non-existent in most places. Now pigs are farrowed and are weaned at 12-14 days of age. They are transported to finishers and penned inside. I can go into a lot more detail but it will bore folks. Just think about that. A pig comes from momma and in 14 days or less he is pulled from her and trucked a good distance to be penned. My son got a load of (500) 14 day old pigs in this winter. They came from many hours away in Missouri. This was a very mild winter but they arrived on about the only cold day we had and it was sub-zero. He said he expected a death loss but I am not sure how much they had. Just ponder that, the pig is 14 days old happily with the sow at 85-90 degrees and BAM put on a trailer at 0 degrees and trucked north 3-4 hrs. He is then put in the finisher at 85-90 degrees. I am not supporting nor discounting the practice I just think it is amazing how times have changed.

 

[derwoodii]

Yes indeed. You just need to show them who is the boss man. When we had a rough ole rooster my wife would tell me to "take that thing for a ride" I would take him to a remote field we had. It had a drainage ditch for water with plenty of grass and trees for food/cover. I figured I was at least giving the ole boy a fighting chance.

I will say I have considered geese but my late father would tell me stories of geese attacking him and I do not move very fast anymore. I will not quite say I fear them, I am hesitant though.

roosters from our hatched eggs get taken to a local who deals with them no questions asked, thinking chicken pie or despatched myself if needs must.

My gun club has land that would suit a rooster i may take them there this time be nice to have them around the club house

 

[JRM]

new chicken babies now in new secure section of coop.
We get crows hawk rats & fox, all so smart will wait watch & work out how to by pass counter measures

View attachment 1065569

I had been around chickens probably 20 years and never experienced a rat as a predator. Until one year when they got 2 chick's back to back - not even babies but not quite adolescents yet. The chicks were bigger than any rat I've ever seen. I'd of probably not ever known if I didn't catch one in action.

 

[Bill G]

I had been around chickens probably 20 years and never experienced a rat as a predator. Until one year when they got 2 chick's back to back - not even babies but not quite adolescents yet. The chicks were bigger than any rat I've ever seen. I'd of probably not ever known if I didn't catch one in action.

Our worst predator was a Mink. The dirty rascal got in the chicken house several nights in a row and would kill and chew the the heads off then line them up as a "prize" He bored under and then ate a hole through the floor. I found the hole and knew I was going to get him. I did not pug the hole. I put a couple #1 longsprings around it then a couple 110 conibears for good measure. Now this was in the chicken house and I had to keep the hens away. I covered the traps with a cattle mineral tub and a block. The rascal came up through his hole and never stood a chance. It was the biggest damm Mink I had ever caught but it was out of season and was a "cotton"Mink anyway.

 

[sb47]

Our worst predator was a Mink. The dirty rascal got in the chicken house several nights in a row and would kill and chew the the heads off then line them up as a "prize" He bored under and then ate a hole through the floor. I found the hole and knew I was going to get him. I did not pug the hole. I put a couple #1 longsprings around it then a couple 110 conibears for good measure. Now this was in the chicken house and I had to keep the hens away. I covered the traps with a cattle mineral tub and a block. The rascal came up through his hole and never stood a chance. It was the biggest damm Mink I had ever caught but it was out of season and was a "cotton"Mink anyway.

When I installed my security cameras I put one in the chicken coop. i.e. Chicken cam. My camera monitor sits on my desk and stays on 24/7 so any time something gets in the coop I can see it. I have stopped many of chicken snake and a whole bunch of opossums. Now that I have a German Shepherd the opossums never reach the coop before she gets them. She gets at least one a month. She caught a big male last night.

 

[esshup]

It is sad what has happened in the hog industry. What you are referencing is exactly what it used to be like. Folks would farrow pigs and sell them at around 40lbs as feeder pigs. Just like you said they would go off to another location to be finished. That was the standard for years. Today that is near non-existent in most places. Now pigs are farrowed and are weaned at 12-14 days of age. They are transported to finishers and penned inside. I can go into a lot more detail but it will bore folks. Just think about that. A pig comes from momma and in 14 days or less he is pulled from her and trucked a good distance to be penned. My son got a load of (500) 14 day old pigs in this winter. They came from many hours away in Missouri. This was a very mild winter but they arrived on about the only cold day we had and it was sub-zero. He said he expected a death loss but I am not sure how much they had. Just ponder that, the pig is 14 days old happily with the sow at 85-90 degrees and BAM put on a trailer at 0 degrees and trucked north 3-4 hrs. He is then put in the finisher at 85-90 degrees. I am not supporting nor discounting the practice I just think it is amazing how times have changed.

They are still doing the 40# route to this day. His relative bought the business from him, he said he was raising around 250,000 per year when he sold it. That was only a few years ago and he still lives "around the corner" from the farm. He's in Illinois.

 

[Bill G]

They are still doing the 40# route to this day. His relative bought the business from him, he said he was raising around 250,000 per year when he sold it. That was only a few years ago and he still lives "around the corner" from the farm. He's in Illinois.

Wow, I tried finding some 40lb pigs a few years ago and there were none to be found. All there is here is 14 day pigs. In fact in my county there is not even a commercial sow operation. There are many finishers but the pigs come from elsewhere. A 250,000 pig operation is enormous. There is nothing like that here In the late 1990's my wife worked for a 1200 sow unit. I think they might have been producing 24,000 a year or so.

 

[sean donato]

Sean, how long do you keep your eggs?
We've always washed (hand scrubbed and rinsed) ours and never had any issues, not one.
They last a long, long time.

About 3 weeks on the counter unwashed, then they go into the fridge, for a month before we start floating them. We have water glassed quite a few gallons worth of eggs. I expect those to last 12 to 18 months give or take.

 

[sean donato]

Those are terrible stories - but far from the norm. A 76 year old lady and a man with a heart condition on the heels of fighting cancer....
Not very smart being around one with no defense. I always made my kids wear their barn boots and carry a walking stick when going into the coop. The stick hung at the door to the run. Be prepared, not scared.
Caution must be exercised with all animals. Pigs, cows, horses can all have bad days and put a hurting on you if you aren't always on alert when around them. A lot can be gleaned just by watching an animals body language. Even dogs can be unpredictable.....lots of injuries and even deaths come at the hands of dogs each year.

Yes indeed. You just need to show them who is the boss man. When we had a rough ole rooster my wife would tell me to "take that thing for a ride" I would take him to a remote field we had. It had a drainage ditch for water with plenty of grass and trees for food/cover. I figured I was at least giving the ole boy a fighting chance.

I will say I have considered geese but my late father would tell me stories of geese attacking him and I do not move very fast anymore. I will not quite say I fear them, I am hesitant though.

I used to help on my cousins milk farm before we moved off our farm. Was down the street and earned me a few bucks every week. My cousin Andy and I were moving our breeder bull from his stall to the ring to breed a standing cow. Stubborn old thing needed a nudge to get him moving, Andy went round back and forgot to keep his hand on the bull. Wham. Kit (the bull) got him square in the chest and sent him flying. Darn near killed him. Broke some ribs and heart went into some sort of un normal pattern. Spent a few days in the hospital till they got him straightened out. Always been a weary around a bull since. Can't say I've ever given a rooster a second thought. He's gonna play nice or be dead.

@Bill G geese suck when they are laying or have goslings. Other then that they are pretty decent, well accept those white Chinese geese. Those darn things are just f-en nasty all the time.

 

[esshup]

Wow, I tried finding some 40lb pigs a few years ago and there were none to be found. All there is here is 14 day pigs. In fact in my county there is not even a commercial sow operation. There are many finishers but the pigs come from elsewhere. A 250,000 pig operation is enormous. There is nothing like that here In the late 1990's my wife worked for a 1200 sow unit. I think they might have been producing 24,000 a year or so.

They are down in Newton, Illinois

 

[esshup]

I used to help on my cousins milk farm before we moved off our farm. Was down the street and earned me a few bucks every week. My cousin Andy and I were moving our breeder bull from his stall to the ring to breed a standing cow. Stubborn old thing needed a nudge to get him moving, Andy went round back and forgot to keep his hand on the bull. Wham. Kit (the bull) got him square in the chest and sent him flying. Darn near killed him. Broke some ribs and heart went into some sort of un normal pattern. Spent a few days in the hospital till they got him straightened out. Always been a weary around a bull since. Can't say I've ever given a rooster a second thought. He's gonna play nice or be dead.

@Bill G geese suck when they are laying or have goslings. Other then that they are pretty decent, well accept those white Chinese geese. Those darn things are just f-en nasty all the time.

My grandmother was deathly afraid of geese. Seems a goose beat the crap out of her when she was a little girl. She'd eat them, and do anything needed with a dead one, but don't bring a live one near her.

 

[muddstopper]

egg production seems to have stepped up today. Got 4, Yea, birds live another day.

 

[sean donato]

My grandmother was deathly afraid of geese. Seems a goose beat the crap out of her when she was a little girl. She'd eat them, and do anything needed with a dead one, but don't bring a live one near her.

I can understand that, they can be pretty nasty. I've been whacked by them plenty as a kid. Nice part was we had dogs and my puppy was awful protective.....

 

[Bill G]

I just checked this years price on goslings and I am think not a chance I can get 3-4 Mallards for the same price.

 

[farmer steve]

Went to the produce auction today. Eggs were selling in the $2.50-4 a dozen range. Lots there.

 

[Bill G]

Went to the produce auction today. Eggs were selling in the $2.50-4 a dozen range. Lots there.
View attachment 1066201

Looks like they had a bunch

 

[sean donato]

Went to the produce auction today. Eggs were selling in the $2.50-4 a dozen range. Lots there.
View attachment 1066201

Yeah the price dropped a lot recently. We're right at $3.00 dozen, but feed prices dropped almost $1.00 per 50lbs at the mill. Since I got feed last month so we'll be a little cheaper. We're also up to 18 eggs a day on average. Least we got in the past 2 weeks was 14, and 2 days we got 20. The rest of the week we've been getting 15 or 16 a day. Thought it was pretty good for 22 birds.