no, I haven't forgot the pigs

What fun they had after tea, a real mad half hour. Brother and sister having a bit of a tussle as other sister had a pet all to herself. All three running around the pen like racehorses (well that may be a bit of an exaggeration) but funniest was the girl we are keeping (we must give her a name or number or something) climbed onto the bale of hay and sat beside me. She will be asking for a fag next !!!

Beehave

Tonight I had an assignation with a gentleman who had a very special box. We had pre-arranged a rendezvous at 9.00pm on the A69. I slipped him a wad of £20's as he positioned a prepared box in the boot of the car (they don't come cheap) (sorry that was uncalled for) And as the sun settled into dusk we went our seperate ways. All the way home a distant hummmmm could be heard. What a lovely buzzzzzzzzz when we opened the boot. They certainly sound like feisty bee's

One step beyond

The little chicks had their first step outside a cage for the first time today. At first they hesitated, soon exploring the vast open space of their enclosure which will prove too small for them in a month or two. They found a hiding place scurrying back each time they heard a new noise they weren't sure of. By afternoon they were having a wonderful time, practising flying, one divebombed landing on the back of another. One caught a worm and ran around with it hanging from its mouth, all the others chasing it, till it realised it was good to swallow. However as soon as I got the camera out they decided to became candid and would not perform at all!!

chick pics

This is one of the 4 week old chicks, its a cochin. It has already got the start of it characteristic feathered legs. They look like bloomers. We moved them into the old guinea fowl pen tonight so they are able to leave the hutch, which is a little crowded, safely. Only a few were brave enough to do so and then it was tentatively, except for the hyperactive welsommer. It decided to go piggy back on the cochin before taking flight landing half way up the hutch and falling off!!!
Pigs are doing well, coping with the trail of visitors they have each day.
My last day of holiday tomorrow, its going to be difficult leaving these animals on their own again. I'd best make the most of it

An acquired taste.

At breakfast this morning along with their pig food they were given a small helping of courgettes mixed with cucumber. scoffing their ordinary food with the usual gusto I hadn't time to wait and see them devour the C & C. By lunchtime when I went to replenish the water (those sneaky cows are putting their heads over the fence for a swift half bucket) the C & C had disappeared completely, I wonder by whom. Have the pigs acquired a taste or did the cows scoff the lot!!!
We have also had another delivery of chicks. 4 weeks old a variety of welsommers, rhode island and cochan.

We remembered the tape measure and low and behold they are getting bigger, the two girls measuring at a hefty 31 inches and the boy 30 inches. How they enjoy being measured, continuing to rutt away oblivious to the task. Occasionally walking away, taking me and the tape measure a few yards, me landing flat on my face.....oh the joys of measuring a pig!!!

Lots of visitors today, Antonia suggested calling the pig Pixy or Pearl. As usual they were very well behaved, had a hair brush but we forgot the tape measure for the weekly weigh in so we will have to do that tomorrow. They are so laid back as easy as an old shoe

not so fluffly chicks

The chicks are 7 going on 8 weeks old now and are losing their fluff. I still believe that we have a hen and a cock of each variety as the crown is quite pronounced on one of each pair. This is not a fail safe method of sexing hens and we will still not know for definate until they are 16 to 20 weeks old. By this time if the days are still long enough the hens will start laying and the cocks will start crowing and showing other behavoural characteristics. We only have 1 Ancana and i think it may be a hen.

playful pigs

Rachel suggested penelope pigstop as a name. She is so sweet natured perhaps we should call her honey. She just loves a brush and a cuddle and the boy, now, is always first to lie down for his tummy tickle. They now let us touch their ears and are totaly comfortable and at ease with us. This is important as it will be less stressful for them when they need their injections etc. especially when they are too big for us too manhandle. Surely it can't be cruel to give them a good life.

to name or not to name

That is the question, everyone asks us what we call them...The Boy, The Girl We Are Keeping and The Girl We Are Not Keeping !!! A bit of a mouthful I know we can tell them apart...The Boy has a pink nose, so we know which one he is if he is facing us or not.......The Girl We Are Not Keeping has a white tip on her tail and a broader saddle.... and The Girl We Are Keeping has the narrowest saddle and is slighlty smaller than the others. We dont really want to give the ones we are not keeping a name but thought it might be an idea to give The Girl We Are Keeping a name. Gertrude and Buttercup are favourites but we welcome your suggestions please keep them original she will have to live with it for a while :-)

pigs in the mist

At morning feed time it was difficult to see the pigs through the mist, it soon cleared and they spent most of the day happily rutting whilst their neighbours stole their water, tut tut. There was another calf born in the early hours (I hope it wasn't startled by mr. fox sneaking off with the last of the guinea fowl hens).
This afternoon feed found us singing in the rain again, not quite in the style of Gene Kelly but hey ho we can't all be as lightfooted as he.
Jane sends her apologies but will be here tomorrow to brush out any tats, if your lucky she may have a mud pack and flannel......does this constitute as a pamper day!

If this weather keeps up we will need to teach the pigs how to swim, their hair will be ruined!!!

Hairdressers

Finishing the day with a visit from the hairdresser and a good old brush down.

Weight Watchers, Hairdressers and cucumbers

After tea we had a weekly measure, a bit like weight watchers in reverse.
girl we are keeping 28 inches
boy 29 inches
girl we are not keeping a wopping 30 inches.

They then had some cucumber to cleanse the pallette from all the mud and grass between the teeth.

The pigs are certainly fettling this field. They had tried rutting from arrival but since the rain it wont be long before there isn't much grass left at all. The girl we are keeping greeted me with a buttercup sticking out of her mouth and the girl we are not keeping bit my bum!
A little known fact brought to me by Richard  Smith tonight, 'pigs can devour a human body in 24hours and it is the most common way to get rid of evidence and the body' !!!!

Well I managed to get through today without a soaking. Piggies have found a new game, tipping their water bucket. I wondered how long it would take them to learn that game. A trip to farmways tomorrow methinks to find something more suitable for them to drink from.

Great North Yorkshire Show

We had a look at the sheep too. This is a teeswater which has a lovely curly coat. In its first year the fleece grows nearly to the ground. Each year after this it only grows half that length but the quality is just as good.
We had a great time there, gathered some very useful information however once again the heavens opened and we were soaked through to the skin. Fortunately we were prepared for the weather and had our matching eden project kagools to keep us dry. Unfortunately we spent most of the day looking like Howard and Hilda!

ginger pigs and spotty ginger pigs

I think these were the best pigs at the show. The Hampshires were ok and the saddlebacks were not as nice as ours, the large whites were the ugliest pigs i have ever seen.

canny calf's

Proud mum showing off her calf born yesterday.

courgettes and cleavage

While the pigs were at trough I picked some courgettes thinking it would be a nice tasty treat. I thought pigs ate everything...hence the saying greedy pigs...but no they turned their snouts up. My kids wont eat them, not even the pigs will eat my juicy courgettes!
Afterwards Rachel and Kyloe came to see the pigs. At first they were quite excited but then the heavens opened and while we stood round like nanas getting wet they went in their ark and settled in for a cosy night snoring. Soaked through to the skin we couldn't get any wetter and decided to show Kyloe the chicks. They were sheltering from the rain but came out to see us until Rachel informed us she had a river running down her cleavage, twanged her bra to prove it, and scared the chicks back to their quarters. Needless to say this is not an adult site so I wont be posting a photo!!!

Two days in a row and I havent taken photos. They were just as playful as ever after their feed tonight but like us were inquisitive as to what was happening in the field next door. Low and behold a fluff ball...... ney a huge fluff ball emerged from the grass. We had missed the miracle of birth but were just as excited to witness its first steps. I felt it would intrude the moment to take photos, tomorrow however I think it will be acceptable. So far all the calfs that have been born are boys.

I'm not sure if we have the best pigs in the whole wide world or if we are just natural pig keepers!!! Tonight the boy, whom not long ago would only come near us if he had the support of a sister to rely on, not only came first for his back rub/scratch but virtually rolled over for a belly rub.
The chicks have settled in nicely. They have got used to the comings and goings and strange noises. the inquisitive vorwerks are less interested and their fluffy bits are turning into proper feathers.

I haven't forgotten the pigs, though i didnt take a photo today. they are still as healthy and playful but are now strong enough to knock me over if they tried. Emily thinks they are better behaved than my dogs, they are, but I do have the worst behaved dogs in the world. Their pen is begining to look more like a pig pen as they have started to rutt properly now the ground has been softened with the rain.

fluffy little chicks

delivery of these chicks came on Friday and i cant resist posting them on here. They are about 4 weeks old 1 ancana, 2 white leghorns, 2 blue leghorns and 2 brown leghorns. They are pesently living in a little ark which is secure from foxes in one of the hen runs. It won't be long before we have to make a few more runs for them as it looks like we have a hen and cock of each and the ancana could be a hen. It's hard to tell at this stage things could still change.

how to measure a pig

• first catch it
• make sure you have the right end of the tape measure
• voila, 27 inches.....is it still legal to measure in inches?

should chick's be on a pig blog

I dont know if I should include chickens on this post but they are so cute

The trio have had a right squabble today. Pushing and nipping each other. I noticed the boy who still doesn't have a name, had a sore eye. I should have thought 'all this boisterousness has ended in tears'. Instead I panicked, called Jane with the sad news that 'the boy' had a gammy eye. She came straight over sent me for fresh water and clean cloths. She spent the next half hour coaxing him to get his eye cleansed. How funny was watching Jane wash a pigs face with a flannel!!

it's behind you
oh no it isn't

I think they  have grown twice the size they were last week. They are turning into real porkers!!!

having a snooze after tea

The girls aren't getting their own way with the boy anymore. He has become more forceful, getting his fair share of the food this morning. Even pushing his larger sister out of the way. He was the first to come and see me for a pat and a stroke.

Sitt!
good girl
are you ready for your close up

why don't the chihuahuas sit to command?

we'll get some canny pork chops from you

They certainly have their own personalities, even if they dont have names. We have decided which female we are going keep. She is the smaller of the 2 with the narrowest saddle. She is the friendliest of the trio but is also striking up quite a relationship with us. The male is scared of nearly everything, he comes around if you are with him long enough or he has the company of his sisters. The larger of the 2 females is extremely confident and rules the pen.

if you have an itch you have to scratch it

over protective parents at the mother and toddlers group

home

pig ark supplied by Solway Recycling

After it rained they discovered the purpose of their ark. They have by now explored every inch of their enclosure. Enjoyed a good wallow, a scratch, rutting. mud packs however were something they didnt quite understand.

They slept outside the first night, possibly because it was too hot, probably because they hadnt quite discovered their arc was to sleep in.