Free's piggie thread...new pics p 19

[Henrietta23]

if you're ever in Iowa my SIL may have a job for you. She owns the Iowa City Fencing Club. People frequently call looking to hire her to fence something in or out. She teaches fencing, as in the sport. You could be a side line. IC Fencing and Fencing.
Anyway~yay! Piggies. Can't wait for pics.I'm so glad the fencing was successful and I don't need to feel guilty borrowing your goat expertise!

 

[TanksHill]

Yeah for the pig fortress!!! I can't wait to see pictures.

gina

 

[freemotion]

Last weekend when I was teaching at the massage school, I lifted my long skirt so my students could see the position of my feet (teaching body mechanics, bow and horse stance). It was then that I remembered that my calves were covered in scratches and bruises. Lest they think my dh was abusive, I said, "Excuse the scratches, I was fencing yesterday." Some thought I meant the sport! I laughed and said if that were the case, I lost! And my sparring partner has bad aim!

FF, the whey is from a mesophilic (cool, non-pasteurized) cheese that was processed at 86 F, so there are lots of live beasties in it. Similar to yogurt. But I think adding a glob of yogurt would make it even better.

I just came in from giving them food and water and taking lots of pictures, and singing, "Pig-pig-pig! Piggie-piggie-piggie!" to them. They both ate some pellets, ate some grass, touched the water and were startled, and did a little plowing. I put a little whole corn on the ground for them to find, and the girl found some and crunched it. The pink male is a bit smaller and more timid than his spotted sister. But he finally came out of the house and acted like a pig. I even got a tiny bit of video, which I will have dh post on youtube if it came out ok.

 

[Dace]

Oh YAY!!!!

You got your piggies! Congrats....can't wait to see pics!

 

[Henrietta23]

There are always young pigs at the farm day we go to. They completely rototill the penned area. It's amazing to watch!

 

[freemotion]

I ended up giving them a couple of cups of Mya's milk mixed with a couple of cups of starter pellets last night, as they hadn't touched the dry pellets. They ate some, fighting over the milk and slurping it up. We don't really have milk to spare so I hope they don't need much. I'd rather give them whey, but I might need to give them milk for a few days just to get them to eat in the beginning.

This morning as I approached their pen, calling my pig song, I saw no movement. As I got closer, I saw no pigs. The pen was very plowed up. I started scanning the field, looking for escapees. I started scanning the fence, looking for a break....we do have a large black bear that crosses the farm next door on occasion. We do have a juvenile bald eagle that took a bunch of my hens....ok, calm down, these pigs are too big for an eagle.

When I finally got close enough to see into their house, I could see them both sleeping. Or dead. They still were not responding to my voice. As I went through the gate, I saw a tiny movement in one ear of the boy (Porkchop.) The girl, the more vigorous one (Bacon) was not moving at ALL.

As I approached the door with the food pan, they opened their eyes and just looked at me. I got all the way to the door with the pan and crouched down, two feet away from them. These piggies panicked yesterday whenever I approached. They must certainly be at death's door today! But then they got a whiff of the food and got up and came right over, exploring the food pan while I was still holding it and talking to them. They took a few bites, and I put the pan outside their house. I could see that they both had dirt well past their eyeballs, which is supposed to be the sign of a happy pig, according to Joel Salatin.

So I decided that they are just exhausted and a bit stressed from their big day yesterday, and likely got up early to dig and found stuff to eat. I left them with a pan containing a quart of whey, 1/2 lb of starter pellets, a cup each of whey-soaked whole corn and sprouted barley, and some fava bean pods. A generous portion, considering they never finished the pound of pellets I gave them yesterday. I thought a two-month-old pig should eat two pounds a day, so they are three pounds behind....unless I have incredibly grub-and-acorn rich soil!

Some pictures from yesterday:

The girl, Bacon, exploring the pen:

The boy, Porkchop, a bit more timid:

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

I could see them both sleeping. Or dead.

yep. they do that.

i called Bourbon Red HYSTERICAL one day shortly after we got our pigs. same situation. he laughed and said they were like cats... they sleep most of the time. so its ok. if you are extra hot there make sure they have a mud spot or some kind of tub to stand in. if its extra extra hot we use the hose as a sprinkler and they like to run thru it. they might take a couple days to get acclimated. so dont stress out just yet!

and remember you can always wet down their food so they will eat it.

great pig work!

 

[Dace]

Cute little porkers!

They look pretty porky already

 

[freemotion]

Some pictures of housing construction:

The back view, before stain and peak flashing was finished:

Detail of the peak:

Detail of the floor:

A room with a view:

Detail of how I hinged the gate:

Detail of how I latch the gate...there is another one at the top of the gate:

The round pen, made with two goat panels, six t-posts, and a scrap of something similar to the panels but smaller:

 

[freemotion]

Bacon getting her first whiff of milky pellets yesterday evening:

Both piggies exploring the pen and getting braver....about to start some serious plowing with the shovels on their noses: