piglets.

The piglets are totally out of control, they come and go as they please. It's about time to wean them, as they have been eating solid food for a few weeks now.  This weekend the boys will be rounded up and castrated.  I have put an ad up on Craigslist and our local radio station to sell these babies.  I suspect they will go pretty quickly, as not a lot of people in our area raise pigs.  The plan still remains to keep Ermine and one of the males. Also we will keep back a boar from the next batch and use him as a stud for Darryl Faye.

piglets

Not much news to report on the piglets.  We lost the runt, which was expected.  He got a shot of antibiotics, but wasn't showing any signs of healing.  Also we have taken one of the little sows up to the barn for some intensive care, she's got some sort of eye infection.  The rest of the little piglets seem to be doing well though. They love to explore the pasture, and seem very interested in what the milk cow is up to.  No calf yet by the way... maybe tonight.

just a bunch of piglets.

The piglet's tails are starting to fall off (from sunburn), it looks like only a couple will keep them.  They are starting to break out of their pen, to explore the pasture.  Darryl Faye is very protective of her slop bucket, but everynow and then one of the babies gets a nibble.

Piglet update

The piglets are all still alive. We have decided to doctor the runt a little bit. He has a cut on his ham, that is preventing him from putting any weight on it. They are really growing very fast.

On the left you can see Ermine mouthing off, as usual,  They are starting to get curious about Darryl Faye's slop. Probably this weekend sometime, they will all be out in the field and all along the creek bank, just looking for trouble.

They are nearly impossible to catch! even the runt (with only three good legs.)

piglets on a friday

The piglets are all still alive.  Looks like we might loose some tails, from what appears to be sunburn.  Darryl Faye had them outside on a pretty sunny day, so our theory at least makes sense to us.  These babies are getting harder and harder to handle each day. 

Everyone's favorite piglet in the front.  Ermine won't let us pet her at all.  She's so mean.

pigs and stuff

Here's the runt, out of the house, in the rain, limping on a leg that his mother probably stepped on.  Seriously, if anyone wants a bottle piglet, here's your chance.

Darryl Faye has kept the babies in her house for the last couple of days, because of rainy weather.

rainy days

This is all we could see of the piglets all weekend.  Rain kept them cooped up in their house.  Darryl Faye has been a very attentive mother, all ten piglets seem to be thriving.

more piglet photos.

The piglets are all doing well.  They've all survived some pretty cool nights since they were born.  It's interesting to see how differently each one is built, and personality traits are already becoming clear.  It's probably too soon to be choosing which will be keepers, and which will be sold.  I'm sort of fond of this little girl on the left (with the white diamond on her head).  In case anyone is wondering, Darryl Faye, the mother of these pigs is a cross breed, prob duroc, and tamworth in her pedigree-and she was bred to a purebred Hereford boar.

There's the little girl I'm thinking of keeping (Ermine) and we'll prob keep the spotted boy to the right, just because he's different.  He's also one of the longest pigs in the litter.

 

And I wanted to include this photo where you can see all ten piglets... including the runt on the top of the pile.

piglets!!!! (photo heavy)

Finally this weekend Darryl Faye had her piglets.  She went into labor Sat. morning.  When I got back to the farm from town, She was laying down and ready.  I stayed with her about an hour.  Rob came down to the pig pen and hand fed her strawberries, minutes later the piglets started squirting out.  I was a nervous wreck that she was going to roll on them all and kill them, but she's turned out to be a good mother.  The whole birthing process took 20 minutes.  She had nine by the time it was dark.  But when we all got up and moving on Sunday morning... there was another one.!  10 healthy little piglets.  One or two little runts, but they've survived their first two evenings...we even had a frost the last couple nights.

here are the photos more or less in order.  pic heavy, and prob. considered graphic to some...

there's a snout...

already napping.