“ Growing up as a kid a few miles from Disneyland in California , my favourite part was Tom Sawyer Island where you could race through the tree , ” recall Niki , who runs5 Dog Farmalongside her partner Mr. Bluejeans in Tennessee . “ I really felt a kinship to nature , and my dada always had lots of andiron . So that was all set into me by the time I was five . ”
Situated over 60 acres , 5 Dog Farm has recently expanded to add Kunekune and Mangalitsa hog to the rank of its nonmigratory animal . The land also houses trees that bring home the bacon hickory and walnuts .
We speak to Niki about the delight of running a four - generation fellowship farm plus the origin of the speculation ’s canine tooth - centrical name . We also got into the item of harvesting nuts .
What’s in a Name?
A Charles William Post deal by ? Niki ? ５ Ｄog Farm ? ( @5dogfarm )
When Niki and Mr. Bluejeans originally institute 5 Dog Farm , they named the enterprise after their dear dogtooth . “ We set off out with one and , because I ’m a breeze , we got four more rescue , ” recalls Niki .
“ At this point , because our daughters have decided to move onto the farm , the amount of dogs is now 22 , ” she adds . “ But I ca n’t keep changing the name of the farm ! ”
Read more : When it come to livestock dogs , it ’s hard to beat the Australian Shepherd breed !
Adding Kunekune & Mangalitsa Pigs
5 Dog Farm recently welcomed a number of Kunekune and Mangalitsa pigs into its fold . Niki explains that the Kunekunes are “ like dog — they arrive to you when you call ! ”
Talking about her Mangalitsas , Niki say that the breed is “ reckon to be the Kobe beef of the slovenly person world , very marbleised and a mystifying red color . ” She adds that they ’ve also shew adept at rooting . “ They ’re doing the tilling for me ! ”
Discovering Hickory Nuts & Acorns
5 Dog Farm host a routine of trees that produce nuts . They came as part of a package of 60 acres of in the buff land that Niki and Mr. Bluejeans originally snapped up .
“ We have hickories and oak with acorn and walnuts , ” she say .
take more : you may implant your own orchard full of nut trees ! Here ’s how .
Tips for Harvesting Nuts
When it come to harvesting nuts , Niki enounce that she ’s delegated the task to her daughters . “ They ’ll go out with the bucket , ” she explains with a laugh . “ The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree help us because they ’re so abundant that we pick up what ’s on the ground at this point . We ’re not having to shake the trees . ”
After break start the harvested nuts , they ’re placed in a dehydrator before being used for feeding , baking and to feed to the animals throughout the gloaming .
Working Together to Stay Stronger
Reflecting on the 5 Dog Farm journey so far , Niki says that one of the most rewarding aspects of lean a venture that involve four genesis of the family is act together .
“ We all have different strengths we did n’t originally know we had . And we listen to each other , ” she explains . “ the great unwashed are building their case and their military posture through the farm . ”
