October has been a wet month for us. If it wasn’t for the vibrant colors of the leaves I would say it feels more like April with the amount of rain we’ve been getting. As much as the soil is craving the moisture it has caused quite a mess in the dooryard where the animal congregate. Although it is thick and gooey, the horses and sheep don’t seem to mind too much. They’re content to schlep through the muck to the round bale, and back into the barn to nap, or go up the hill to the woods where its drier.
The only one on the farm that truly complains about the mud is none other than Priscilla. Unlike most pigs, she doesn’t enjoy wallowing in mud puddles unless its above 80 degrees, and even then a clear pool is more appealing than a mud hole. So with her pen turned 2+ inches of mud from the constant rain she began to refuse to leave the barn.
On the last dry day, Nick helped me move a temporary shelter up in the woods in the driest possible spot. With the help of a few bananas, and a 5 gallon bucket of raw milk from a local dairy farm Priscilla begrudgingly followed me through the mud, up the hill, and was quite happy to find her new hut, without a trace of mud.
With our first full year on our new farm we’ve come to realize some problem areas that are in need of our more immediate attention, and doing some dirt work in front of the barn to allow for more adequate drainage is definitely on the top of the list at the moment.