My Native Piggies

We had been planning and talking about having pigs in our farm. All talk no do! We need to construct a pig pen, right? Well we never got around past talking about where to locate it.

Over the weekend Doc Rey asks the staff to source native piglets. He thought that it will force him to move and get his pig pen act together if he had piglets waiting to be transferred.

The staff were able to get three (3) native piglets! The natives ones in our area are black, big and low bellies.

We had a spare brooder for emergency space that is a cage of the bed of an Elf truck. It had been designed and tried against rats when we brood chicks, so this will be a good holding pen for the new babies of the farm.

It is set under trees and very close to where we eat our breakfast and seating area in the farm. Best guage for the "no smell pigs". The bedding is soil, topped with rice hull, sprayed with Indigenous Micro Organisms (IMO) that we make for the farm as we practice natural farming.

Initially when the piglets got to the farm, they were given Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) in their drinking water. They didn't want to touch the grains offered to them. Our caretaker thought that since they were native pigs, they were used to the indigenous diet in their area. She gave them chopped kangkong and Azolla :) They loved it.

Today was the first time we will see them. Drove past the gate, inspecting the fruit trees as we drove by. Talking about the flowering Duhat and Mango trees..but wanting to wring Doc Rey to drive faster to get to my black babies!

Parked by Pen#1 of the chickens and we had to walk through the other pens to check on them before getting to my breakfast area. Now I see them!!!!!

Cutest three (3) Little Black Pigs! I named them Annie, Jojie and Sandy hahahhaha

I sniffed sniffed around....no smell :) Thanks to the workings of the IMO, sunshine, air and shade around them. Same with chickens and humans....that is also what the piggies need.

Now they have started to eat grains, but still prefer their vegetable salad, with their FPJ in their drinking water.

Now, Doc Rey is busy making the pig pens. And talks are now about getting a hospicio for native pigs :)

Azolla

First we had a small microwaveable container with some Azolla, compliments of Edel.

We were so excited as we saw it multiply in a plastic pond.  Next we transferred to a small netted area in one of the ponds.  Oh boy, do they love the sun, the space and the indigenous microorganisms lurking around them.  You can't stop them from coughing themselves around...maybe by the second!

Azolla, as alternative feeds

We harvest a lot of Azolla to feed the three (3) batches of Sunshine Chicken we now have in the farm.  They are fed pails and pails of it daily....the pond just gets thicker with Azolla :)  You feel you have to harvest more to give more space to them to multiply.

All ages love Azolla, this batch was tested from almost day1 and the chicks were really excited every time it is offered to them

This batch is next in line for harvest.  While most opt to play outside, some prefer to wait for their meals in pen.

Very good as alternative feeds.  Now that we are so into natural farming, we threw some Azolla in our Pangasius and Tilapia ponds.  If only you can see the video, the ponds are in constant movement.  The fishes just love eating Azolla.  Now, can you understand why food on our tables taste good? :)

Now we need trolleys to transport the pails of Azolla to the different pens.  Cut down feeds, cut down manual labor...welcome problems to natural farming :)

We saw some floating in the water way on the road.  We had to get them even if we had a lot already.  Why?  We can't allow the farmer next to them spray it with herbicide!  It was a gift to us, so let us natural farmers take care of it.

Study The Area

Natural farming leads you to always be in the look out and to listen to alternative feeds that are abundant around.  Azolla was one that we can multiply fast in the farm and  is very good for feeding livestock, as well as an active ingredient for FPJ.

Read about Azolla here.

Sometime ago, we tried a batch that we got at Earthkeepers in Tiaong.  It either vanished or died and evaporated in thin air.  It was gone.  Got another batch, same thing!  People were talking about how easy it was to propagate it.   I must be so dumb about Azolla that I can kill what is supposed to be a "can't die".

I was so glad that one of the natural farmers in our group distributed containers of Azolla.....here goes again that line that "you can't kill it"....

1st batch again went to this holding area.  A small pond.  Same thing...vanished!  Hmmmmmm  I was starting to get embarassed that I don't just kill it...it can't be found.

Then I saw these group of Sunshines, coming from that "holding area" for Azolla.  They looked like campers happily walking out of the trail....Couldn't the Sunshines be the culprits and had been eating the Azolla even before they can take off and multiply?

Must be!

Oh so thankful that my friends decided to trust me again with a small container of Azolla. We decided to now use a contained area. Net it on top. Meaning, secured it much like brooding chicks :)

The ones who see it daily, reports that it hasn't died, but it was just doing OK and floating around.  At least it was still there.

But for me who saw the container after 2weeks.....HEY SUCCESS!

So it was the Sunshines after all :)  One thing is sure, they loved eating Azolla :)