Havenfield Farm

03/30/2026

03/22/2026

…… but I’d still never want to do anything else 💗

owning livestock is beautiful.
but it’s also brutal.

people show the good parts..
the babies, the first steps, the magic.

but not the part where you walk into the barn
and know something’s wrong.

the panic.
the helplessness.
the quiet after.

because we don’t just “have animals.”
we know them. we love them.

and when we lose one… it wrecks you.

you still cry in the stall.
you still carry the guilt.
you still bury them yourself and whisper “i’m sorry” even when you did everything you could.

this life is real.
and it hurts.. because you loved them.

03/09/2026

02/27/2026

02/04/2026

Heartbreaking 💔 but such a great reminder. Thank you for sharing your story.

☠️ Cyanide poisoning in pigs ☠️

It can occur if they ingest 🍒 , peaches 🍑 & plums (pits/seeds) and Rhubarb leaves 🍃 .

They contain cyanogenic compounds that can release cyanide when metabolized.

Symptoms may include:

⚠️ Difficulty breathing

⚠️ Weakness

⚠️ Lethargy

⚠️ Bright red mucous membranes.

‼️ Rapid intervention is crucial for survival ‼️

Cyanide poisoning in pigs can occur if they ingest cherry pits, as these contain cyanogenic compounds that can release cyanide when metabolized.

Not knowing this was the case right away, we did not respond with intervention for possible cyanide poisoning.

It’s not until after the fact that we pieced everything together and came up with a possibility to what MIGHT have caused it.

Not knowing the list of all foods that were all potentially harmful at that time, the pigs were being fed a variety of different produce every day and at that particular time, unfortunately and regrettably several bags of cherries were given to them.

Her being small and only a piglet, as well as the presenting symptoms the next day, fast breathing, lethargy not wanting to eat, we believe that this is what caused her death.

Pneumonia was our first thought. So we didn’t respond in the right way with the correct intervention & treatment in a timely manner.

She was perfectly healthy with no previous presenting symptoms. We will not ever know for sure. Only God knows. It was painfully heartbreaking 💔 whatever the cause.

Seems this is a topic more of us could benefit from having more knowledge on. We hope her story can help someone else or save another pig’s life. Maybe that is her legacy.

Maybe at the very least, it will shed more light on the risk of possible cyanide poisoning that can occur from feeding your pigs Cherries, peaches & plums (pits/seeds) and Rhubarb leaves.

I encourage anybody and everybody with pigs to do your research on what they can and cannot eat before you feed them anything.

Maybe have a list printed out of the foods that are harmful to them and personally pay attention to everything that gets fed to them.

People seem to think, oh well pigs can eat anything, but that’s not necessarily true. Be cautious. Be careful. We hope someone else can learn something from her story.

We are first generation homesteaders, learning as we go, making mistakes and learning from them. Give us some grace.

We have grieved Moon and are moving forward. We are looking to the future & the beautiful new season that we are in. We don’t want to keep circling back, but we did want to update everybody and give closure to this.

Thank you to everyone who has showed compassion and kindness and extended their condolences. 💐 We appreciate you. 🫶🏻

02/02/2026

Helpful winter tip!!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AaFfp5VRE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Feed at dusk. Stop the calorie deficit. Save core temperature.

When livestock face overnight cold, morning feeding is the fatal mistake. Digestion generates heat. Poor timing wastes that heat. Ruminants produce 15-20% of their body heat from fermentation—feeding at sunrise means this metabolic furnace burns during warm daylight, leaving animals cold and defenseless during subzero nights.

Why morning feeding kills
- Peak digestive heat production occurs 4-6 hours after feeding
- Morning hay = heat production at 2 PM when temperatures are warmest
- By midnight (coldest hours), digestion is complete, no internal heat generation
- Core temperature drops, animal burns fat reserves just to maintain baseline
- Hypothermia risk peaks between 2-6 AM when heat production is lowest

The thermodynamics of timed feeding
- Rumen fermentation is an exothermic process, generating 1000+ BTUs per feeding
- This "digestive furnace" is most valuable during coldest hours (10 PM - 6 AM)
- Feeding at 6 PM = peak heat production at 11 PM through 2 AM (critical survival window)
- Strategic timing converts food into both nutrition AND environmental heating
- Same calories, same animal, dramatically different thermal outcome based on timing alone

Feeding protocol for subzero nights
- Primary hay feeding at 5-7 PM, never at sunrise
- Larger evening portion (60-70% of daily intake) for overnight heat production
- Morning feeding optional and minimal—animals generate heat when they need it most
- Below 0°F: add evening grain for faster fermentation heat boost
- Monitor body condition at dawn—fat reserves indicate if timing is working

In extreme cold, when you feed matters more than how much you feed. Timing saves lives.

01/23/2026

A Farmer’s Prayer Before the Freeze

Tonight, we ask for mercy in the cold.
For wind that softens its grip,
for temperatures that ease just enough
to let life hold on.

Watch over the animals tucked into straw and wood,
the quiet breaths in barns and coops,
the ones who trust us without words.
Keep them warm where our hands can’t reach.

Bless the fences, the heaters, the water lines,
the lamps glowing through the dark.
Bless the tired hands that checked one more time,
and the hearts that won’t rest until morning.

We’ve done what we can.
Now we place the rest in Your care.
Carry us through the long night,
and let the morning come gentle.

Amen 🤍

10/04/2025

10/02/2025