Teenytinyfarm’s Weblog
A learning farmer’s blogArchive for February, 2008
Ants in your pants…
We’ve got ants…not in the pants. In the garden and yard. Let me be specific here- these are no wimpy little black ants- these are nasty mean red biting fire ants. It is “winter” here in the FL panhandle, so the colonies have died back some, and the bites cause only a simmer in the blood when they bite now- not the rapid boil that will come with the warmer weather. I’m looking for a way to get rid of these ants, but I need something that 1- is safe for the kids, chickens, dogs, and cats and 2- is safe for the environment. We have a well, so I’m not anxious to contaminate the groundwater with poisons…plus, we prefer to use natural methods when possible. Ideas are welcome!
In the past, we have tried -unsuccessfully- : boiling water, digging the piles up, “flooding” with the hose, and a borax/sugar mixture. Last year, after the kids and I were bitten to pieces, I resorted to poison bait. All the agonizing I did over using the harsh posion only to find out….it didn’t help much.
These buggers are bad- I don’t mind them out in the field or in the woods too much, but in the garden and yard where the kids play…they gotta go! I’m thinking DE…supposedly it “dries” out the exoskeleton of bugs. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Puppies week 6….
Today the puppies had another checkup! They all had some wormer, and were vaccinated for:
- Distemper
- Hepatitis
- Parainfluenz
- Leptospirosis
- Parvo
- Bordetella
The vet said they looked great and issued each pup a health certificate. In just under 2 weeks they will be able to head to their new homes! “Red” and “Brown” – a female fawn and male brindle- already have new homes. The pups can be seen at www.teenytinyfarm.com under the “mastiff” page.
Mixed Emotion Day…
Today is a day of mixed emotions here at Teeny Tiny Farm. It was the pigs….graduation day. That is the day they graduate from farm pig to freezer pig (a term we read -and laughed over- at Vaughnshire Farm’s blog. (There are tons of blogs full of help for those of us learning about farming!)…but I’m rambling. Back to the day…
We headed out to the field at about 7, the trailer was in place and the pigs weren’t fed last night. As soon as I headed out this mrning, I could hear them squealing for me- or corn to be more exact. I opened their gate and led them down the field to the pen we had set up for their transfer to the trailer. PigPig 1 (the black pig) headed right in for her scraps. PigPig 2 (the pink one, smaller and smarter than her sister!) wasn’t so eager to climb in. We did eventually get her to head in- bribed in with saltines soaked in sweetened condensed milk! It took three of us- Doug, Amanda and myself- to get them in, but we did it! Then we headed off to the butcher. And I cried.
The butcher shop we chose is run by a husband and wife- nice people- they run a clean, inspected shop and were very helpful. We chose to have the meat prepared in a variety of cuts. They are saving the “parts” (liver, etc.) for our dogs and the fat so that I can use it to make soap. The husband does the killing and he promised me it was quick and humane. I still had to cry a little.
Clearly, I’m not a hundred percent sure about eating our animals! However, I cannot support the corporate run/factory farm industry. The damage these farms do to the environment and the animals is not something I can condone by giving them our hard earned cash. (Remember- vote with your wallet! Support humane farms!)
I feel good that our pigs had a great life- plenty of attention, fresh grass and water, mud holes to roll in, and no antibiotics or hormones. I am glad we chose a butcher that will not treat our meat with sodium nitrate or gassed with carbon monoxide. But I do miss my pigs!
