More pictures

Here are some more pictures from our small but growing Shaker Hill Farm in Henniker NH. We are located at 53 Shaker Hill Road in Henniker (hence the name Shaker Hill Farm).
These are some pictures of our livestock that we raised through out 2012. Now we are down to 2 goats and 80 chickens. We had to sell some of our sheep and goats.
I also butchered and skinned our 2 lambs (Calvin and Hobbes). Calvin's hide I sent to Bucks tanning place in PA. It just came back and it looks amazing! The kids love sleeping on it; it's so soft!
Now I am trying to see if I can tan the other hide by myself at home. I think I have all the right tools. I'll let you know how it works out!

Here is our rooster slaughter. It took us a while in the beginning, but once we got the hang of it, the process became faster and easier.

                                The result of all our labor!

These are our first chickens (the aurucaunas)

Getting the wool ready to be spun. An art passed on from grandmother to granddaughter.

Our sheep (Mama Leche) with her lambs (Calvin and Hobbes)

One of our goats (Faline)

My daughter spending quality time with our piglets. That was their first day on our farm and they needed lots of loving.

My little helpers on the farm, spreading pine shavings as bedding for the animals in the barn.

Pig butchering photos

Here are some of the pictures I promised from our first pig butchering event in November 2012. Since then we enjoyed many hams, sausages, ribs, etc. The taste is unbelievable!

You will notice in a couple of pictures that I smoked some of the meats over an outdoor fire pit surrounded by poles and covered with a tarp (like a tepee). While that definitely increased the flavor of the meat (I also brushed the meat with some brown sugar and maple syrup in the smoking process), I think I did it too soon. Some people suggest salt curing the meats for a couple of weeks prior to smoking. I did it the following day! I guess I was a bit impatient!