My Chicken Died! Why I'm OK with It

Thank you, Jonah, for starting the fire. Yeah, we're gonna do the piggies later today. It's especially important to me that we all do our chore, every chore together, so I can see what's happened and we can spend extra time together.

Can we actually do milking after all the chores?

After the chicken chores? Sure. You ready, farmer boy?

Yep.

Come on, let's do Lily's chores first. Everybody wants to see the pigs, including yo, but we got to do the pollos first. The fence is It's off, Lily. Can you make a habit of turning it on at night? Okay, well now what's there to do? You already— they're already out. Can you make it a habit of shutting them up at night too? Okay, I hope this hasn't been empty too long. This is too big. I can't— I can't really get in there. I have another smaller brush that's supposed to be right here. Speaking of feeding pigs, here's our swill stuff. We're missing a leg. Oh, hey, there you go. Thank you. Hey, Jonah, there's only 3 legs to the outdoor grill. Do you know where the 4th one is? Do you know where our outdoor grill is? Okay, what's happening here, Lily?

It got out one night and then I tried to catch it.

Can you catch that bird, Gideon?

Grab it while it's on the net.

Good job, brother.

You caught her.

I'll wait out here. He wants to pet you.

She does, doesn't she? Okay, I hear something, guys. You want to see them? You guys haven't really gotten to see them yet.

Not a lot. For a little bit.

Oh yeah, no shivering. Don't know if they've drank their milk. Yes, some of it, I guess. They ate a lot of their scraps. They left the broccoli. We'll need to school for that.

And the banana peel.

You want to get in there and pet them, Mr. Brown? Yep. There you go. Get them used to you.

They're very not skinny, although they'd be very chubby, but they're They're burping. They're burping.

We have so much food scraps and skim milk, I don't think we'll be needing any grains for a while.

No.

How they doing in there, Mr. Brown?

Good.

Okay, let's move their coop. Well, you can let them out first.

Go ahead.

Why are you doing that?

That won't get them to get out.

That'll stop them from getting out. Premium manure right there. Josiah, hey, good morning guys. Josiah, will you please clean those buckets and waters while I milk? I hired my buddy Ben to come help with the milking while I was gone. I didn't tell him about the hind milk, about milking, then putting the calf on, and then, uh, milking again. But you're gonna get him in here?

Yeah.

He's not going for it.

I think he's, uh, tricked. He knows he doesn't want it. It's weird.

He knows that we're not gonna give it to him long. There does come a point where they figure it out and they don't go for it anymore. She's given us all she's going to give us. The calf will stimulate and get some more down, and then we'll have more milk, also the hind milk. But Ben's the kind of guy that just figures things out, right? And you're the good kind of guy, just give him a little bit of hint, he, he can get— he can do it. It's very competent. Takes him a minute to get it flowing. Jona took Phyllis up. How'd that go, Jona? She wouldn't let you ride her?

She ran down the lane.

She went the wrong way, what you're telling me. She let you ride her, she went the wrong way. It's amazing what a hole just a little sapling—

hey, hey, hey, hey!

Next luchador! How have you guys been? Hey, you left the door wide open, honey. Hey, Jonah, you left the door wide open. Just drop that fence there. I'm gonna get this out of our way. We're gonna pull in here and get these sheet, uh pigs in the stall, I don't know, a week or so. Whoa, I just realized we're leaving Tuesday on vacation. Snap! And it's— what is today, Friday? I guess we'll just keep them in there through vacation. Yeah, deep bedding, deep bedding, that's gonna be the easiest thing. So we'll keep them in there and it'll be easy on the farmhands. You don't want to— you don't want to put young piglets, maybe just trained, not sure, you haven't proven it yet, to your farmhands. You want to make it as easy as possible. We'll pull right here with the Suburban. It's not like we have to herd them in. I'm going to pick them up and carry them. They're not that big, so that'll be okay. Hey, let's check our hair. Let's get some bedding down. Oh wow, did you already put hay down? Oh, this will count. This is where the sheep were here last. This is vibrant decomposition here. Deep bedding. Two little pigs like that could be— you could raise two pigs in this the entire time. I proved it with the pig port. Got a little distracted, saw a pallet. I don't know, even just 2 days off the farm, you just come back with a new energy. Should have had a pallet under that water weeks ago. Just helps keep it clean. Good job. So basically the chickens have to jump up here, walk to the pallet And they lose a lot of— they lose a lot of dirt, and there's no scratch. They don't scratch around it either. Keeps that water so much cleaner. All right, back to our mission. Pigs. All right, here we come, pigs. Getting you a new home. Hey, we're about to take the Suburban, but then I realized We should start the tractor, get it warming up. We can get it out of the way and get this trailer back. The brisk morning. Let's go start, Jonah. Oh yeah, give me a hard time the other day.

Okay, ready?

Started the tractor, got it warming up. We're gonna take this, uh, down and put the pigs up. Just came to get a new battery for the camera. Mr. Brown must've come. It's good, but it's bad. It's gonna slow us down, but ah, what are we living for, right? I have to remind myself that. We're not moving pigs. We're growing children.

Hi. I'm gonna see the pigs.

You gotta zip up your sweater.

Oh, we're gonna do the pigs?

Yeah.

Right now?

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, you're welcome. Here's your shoes.

Thank you for telling me.

Oh, you're welcome. Don't fight with Jonah, he was here first. Just get up there with him. I hear him.

What if you're the one letting go?

Think they're eating? Hey, are you drinking your milk? That's good.

Look, it's like a mini big one.

They're drinking their milk. That's really good. We need to put some apple cider vinegar in that. I'll grab— well, Jonah, you think you can grab one?

I'll grab the little—

let me grab one. Yeah, so, so let's call the red one bacon and the black one sausage. Okay, is that fine? See, he's trying to eat that cauliflower stem. That's gonna be much better in Swill. Let's do Swill after this. Feisty.

Okay, see, I was able to grab one leg.

Look how quickly he— she takes to it. I'm going to let you catch this next one, okay, Jonah? Catch one leg.

Yeah.

And then grab the second leg.

Okay.

I'm so nervous because last time I did this, I— it was really hard.

Well, I was hoping not to spill the skim milk, but there you go. Good, good. Don't hit his head on the— don't hit her head on the thing. You need help?

Yeah, got it.

Here, take her. You got her. Stout little things. Clean out their skin, uh, skin bucket. We're gonna put a little bit of water in it, some skim and some apple cider vinegar for their water. Here you go, guys. Shivering again. I think it must be a nerve thing. It's not that cold out here. Get in, let's take this trailer back. Do you have our other leg? Oh, you do. You got all 4 legs. Ready?

You got one going.

Yep.

Hey, we're in business, bro. Oh shoot, I forgot the lid over there. We get that while I fill this up. Uh, we had a chicken die. It's no longer a problem now that we have pigs. Don't know what killed it. Don't, don't really care. It happens. Uh, we're gonna rest the bacon and sausage. No disaster. Whoops. Cut the legs off, otherwise they stretch out when they get cooked. All right, let's cook some of these broccoli stems. 2. Are you excited to be back in swill? No, no, we just have to throw that chicken in the woods, bro. You did it with matches.

Yep.

Unfortunately, they can't stay out here though, it's humid. Okay, here, we'll give them these scraps while they wait. Let that cook, uh, maybe We'll cut it off right after breakfast, okay, Jonah? And then we'll give it a few hours to cool. You are really spoiled, aren't you?

I have a question for you.

Sure.

What one do you like the most?

Let me come in. Oh, I like the— whoa, that's hard. Did somebody do one and somebody do the other?

I did them both.

You did them both? Okay. If I were to hang one, I could only have one and put it on my wall. Oh, it's tough. I guess I'll go with that one because those are your lovely hands.

Jaden, what one do you like?

Hey, what happened, buddy? Did you get cold? What do you mean? I've been working and you left me. Oh, what are you painting? Let me see your painting.

Over there.

Wow, funky. Where's yours, Josiah?

Uh, right there.

Oh, that's a racetrack. Nice. You painted a box? How practical. I really like that.

It's a horse bed.

Let's check on Rebecca. Wait a minute, you're shopping for pregnancy bellies for me? The contest isn't even over, Becky.

Oh, I just want to get— I just want to get informed.

We gotta get a count.

You like this one?

Hopefully we're gonna get a count by the end of the day who's winning. If Rebecca sells more Homestead Mama shirts I have to do chores as a pregnant lady one morning. If I sell more Pigs 4 Everyone shirts, she has to milk the cow no matter how cold.

I'm gonna help her milk the cow. I'm gonna help you milk the cow.

Oh, that's good. You got help, Mom.

You're gonna help me?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'll load up for it and help you.

You will help me?

Yeah.

I'll load up for the cow.

How are the pigs?

Good.

I just finished editing. It's like 2:20 in the afternoon. I realized we never turned off that swill. It's still smoking. That's a good sign. Oh my gosh. Oh, I smell burnt. I smell burnt. Hopefully there's water still in there.

Is there?

Now that needs to cool for maybe an hour. Should have set an alarm. I wonder how they're doing.

Oh, look, they're napping.

Come back this evening, they're gonna love that chicken. Afternoon chores, Mr. Brown. What am I gonna say next? Where are your shoes? Wait, you don't put one on yet until we find— okay, you just destroyed all this. It was just organized. Okay, there's cowboy boots. You want to wear those?

No, I already got an idea.

Here's play shoes.

Oh, there's one boot!

Where? It's in Laurel's doghouse, buddy.

A cat must have chucked it in there.

Look who's so ready for a move. Always miss this. This is always fun to get back to. If all we had to do was give cows new grass You'd never need a break. You grab my poles, Jenna. Sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep! Come on, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep! Sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep! Come on, Moose! Calf, calf, calf, calf, calf! All right, just gonna give them some skin and water. And Rebecca, my lovely videographer right now, said I'm gonna curdle the milk, put an apple cider vinegar in it. Yeah, so you curl—

are you carrying it?

We'll get rid of what they have. And then she said they might not eat it.

Well, I mean, they might. I don't know.

Curdle them. They love curds. Is that all that's happening? I don't know. They love that.

I mean, I make it like in the buttermilk or whatever.

They love that. Hey, they're dripping. They're dripping with milk. So I think they're gonna be okay.

So cute.

They're cute at this stage. Now see that food? We're gonna add some swill to that and they're gonna go nuts. Ready?

You can pour it.

Go ahead, go with her. Get in. You both can pour it.

Let me pour it in there.

Sure.

Yeah, good job. Whoa, shut that door.

Wow, Jonas, you got that door shut? Come on, bring up this.

You just bite your toes.

Okay, here we go, here we go.

Here we go.

They're active little suckers.

They're like, leave me alone, I gave you—

Oh look, he gave us— Gave him the chicken. Hey, hey, don't, don't be ugly. Be nice. They're fast. They're so fast. Hey cutie.

We got a boy, we can have some babies. They're in a girl and a boy.

No, they're both girls. Look, Bacon's smelling Rebecca. She's got her nose up in the air smelling. She smells that chicken, feathers and all. Yay! Hey guys, who likes bacon more than chicken? Me!

Pigs for everyone.

This is all right. This is all right. We turn— we turn what could have been a disaster, a dead chicken for whatever reason, into bacon.

I can find you. I thought you were in the laundry room.

Nature's greatest miracle right there, guys.

Thanks for everyone. Thanks for everyone. Pigs for everyone. Pigs for everyone. Pigs for everyone. Sausage for everyone! What one's sausage and what one's bacon?

The black one is sausage, the red one's bacon.

Yeah, sausage and bacon.

The daily t-shirt count is in, Rebecca. Yep. But first, I realized we showed off these blue blockers last night. No, we showed off these blue blockers. You're probably gonna need to tell people why in the world we're wearing these funny orange glasses.

Did you fart?

No. Somebody did.

It was you.

You know what they say, the smeller's the feller.

Okay, it was not me. Okay, so you want to degrease the blue light at night, so these are blocking the blue light so that we sleep well. And we used them for the first time last night, and I think that they worked really well.

And for those of you who don't know, blue light is all around us. It's everywhere.

It's good. You want it in the morning because it activates like your body waking up and things like that. But at night you want to decrease it. And if you want to have the lights on at night, which are putting out blue light, you should wear glasses.

Lights are good. Lights at night are good.

Yes, it's nice.

Come on, Rebecca. Heather updated the website. She's gonna put a banner up every day, the score. Permaculture pigs versus homestead dog. I don't know, we're gonna see. Oh, there it popped up! Oh, what is it?

123.

Oh, 210. 110. You're pulling away from me.

I'm 13 ahead.

You— I thought you were gonna give me 5. No, no, there's no 5s here, Becky. Yeah, I meant you guys, come on. Yeah, everybody wants to see you in a pregnant shirt. It's gonna be— I might have had the— I might have got the short end of the short straw.

And just so everybody knows, I think you're the one who came up with these ideas. We were trying to think of stuff.

Well, Heather said, will Rebecca have to milk the cow, or would Justin have to do chores with the pregnant belly? Okay, we'll see.

Um, I'm gonna buy that suit, y'all, and I'm gonna fill it with sand, not air, because we need to have some weight to it. All the mamas out there are like, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

No. Okay, you guys, uh, have a great weekend. We got at least one bonus video for you, the Roy Feek tour, but I don't know, Jonah has a birthday too, so we're definitely going to document that. So we'll just see what happens.

It's gonna be an exciting weekend.

Good night, y'all. How'd you like the vlog?

Loved it.

I just realized something.

What?

If we're in like the 120 20th range shirts. We could sell out. I know, 150 is all we have, right? To get out for like 150 and it's over.

And how long does it go to?

And we probably won't bring them back to like Homesteaders of America, what do you say? I mean, like October.

I mean, like, people are—

it goes till the 15th, you know. So 15th of December, it looks like you're ahead of me. I haven't given up, but guys, if we do tie She has to do it too.

On a nice warm morning.

He keeps trying to say that he's gonna pick it, it's gonna be cold. January morning.