His Homestead

Category: Farm Field Notes

Real lessons, decisions, and observations from the day-to-day work of His Homestead.

  • Before You Buy a Livestock Guardian Dog: Questions to Ask Your Homestead

    A livestock guardian dog is not simply a large outdoor pet. Before looking at a puppy or adult dog, it helps to define the work, the property, and the expectations waiting at home.

    What needs guarding?

    Start with the livestock, their ages, their housing, and the predators or pressures in your area. A dog living with poultry may face different daily work than one moving with sheep or goats.

    Is the boundary ready?

    Walk the entire fence before the dog arrives. Look for low wires, loose gates, washouts, climbable corners, and places where a curious young dog can squeeze through. The dog should not become the tool used to discover every weakness.

    What will the first year look like?

    A puppy needs supervision and gradual responsibility. Decide who will observe livestock interactions, interrupt rough play, handle feeding, and keep training consistent. Expecting mature judgment from a young puppy sets both the dog and livestock up poorly.

    Can the property live with guardian behavior?

    • How close are the neighbors?
    • How will you respond to nighttime barking?
    • Are there other dogs on or near the property?
    • Where will the dog be fed without livestock stealing its food?
    • Can a veterinarian safely examine and handle the dog?
    • Who covers chores when the family travels?

    What do you expect from the breeder or farm?

    Ask for clear parentage and health information, honest discussion of temperament, photographs of the actual dog, and a written explanation of deposits, pickup, support, and return terms. Good placement begins with questions in both directions.

    The right guardian dog is a long-term working relationship. Taking time before the purchase is easier than trying to redesign the job, fencing, and expectations after the dog arrives.

  • Why We Keep Sold and Placed Animals on the Website

    A farm website can become confusing when old listings disappear, available animals mix with past ones, or a visitor cannot tell what the farm has actually raised. We keep a Sold & Placed section because it solves all three problems.

    It keeps availability honest

    Every animal listing should have a visible status: Available, Reserved, Sold or Placed, or Staying Here. Moving a completed placement into its own section keeps the current page useful without erasing the animal from the farm’s history.

    It shows real experience

    A record of past animals gives future buyers a clearer picture of the breeds, litters, and types of animals that have been part of the homestead. It is more useful than vague claims about experience.

    It respects the animal’s story

    Animals raised here remain part of our story after they leave. A placed profile can preserve photographs and a few appropriate details while respecting the privacy of the new family.

    What a good placed profile includes

    • A photograph of the actual animal.
    • Name or litter identifier.
    • Breed or parentage when known.
    • Birth date or approximate age.
    • The clear words Sold or Placed.
    • Only the placement details the new owner is comfortable sharing.

    A sold profile is history, not an advertisement. Current inquiries should always begin on the Available Animals page.

  • What We Ask the Processor to Save From a Mangalitsa Hog

    When we send a Mangalitsa hog to the processor, our goal is to bring home more than the familiar retail cuts. For a large family, the fat and bones are part of the harvest, not waste.

    This is the list our family uses as a starting point. A processor’s equipment, policies, labeling, inspection status, and curing options will determine what can actually be returned.

    Our core instructions

    • Bone out the meat cuts.
    • Save all usable fat and package it separately for rendering.
    • Save all bones and cut them into practical sizes for broth.
    • Save the ears and nose for appropriate use with our dogs.
    • Label cured, fresh, fat, and broth packages clearly.

    Why we ask for every bone

    A mixed box of soup bones gives us flexibility. Joint and knuckle bones add body, meaty bones add flavor, and larger bones can be roasted before simmering. Asking for manageable pieces matters because a home freezer and stockpot are much smaller than a butcher’s equipment.

    Why Mangalitsa fat matters

    Mangalitsa hogs are known for carrying substantial fat. We plan freezer space for it and ask that clean fat be kept separate from the meat. That lets us render in manageable batches and decide how to use it rather than receiving every cut trimmed the same way.

    Cured and fresh decisions

    Ham, bacon, jowl, and other curing choices deserve their own conversation with the processor. We decide which work we want the processor to do and which pieces we want fresh before the cut sheet is finalized. Saying “save all fat” does not automatically tell the shop how heavily to trim every cut.

    Before pickup

    • Make freezer room before processing day.
    • Bring enough coolers or insulated totes for the trip home.
    • Ask how fat, bones, and nonstandard parts will be packaged.
    • Check every box label before stacking the freezer.
    • Write down what worked while the details are fresh.

    A whole-animal mindset

    Using more of an animal takes planning, time, and freezer space. For our family, the extra broth and cooking fat make that effort worthwhile and better reflect the value of the animal that fed us.