Welcome the Hagi

I don't know what it is about our pigs but it strikes me they're all turning into Prima Donnas.
This is Precious's 7th litter and you'd have thought by now she'd got the whole thing down to a fine art.
Three months, three weeks and three days and "Pop - there's your piglets".
But no. She has to make a special thing of it.
Of course, she'd heard on the hogvine that Delila was now being spoken of in the same breath as Stars of Stage and Screen. So, what's a girl to do?
Go one step better of course.
None of this hanging around and just dropping the Little Ones like it doesn't really matter: 7th litter or not, each one is Extra Special to Mum.

So, we have to make an occasion of it.
How?
Wait for a special occasion.
Trouble is there're not that many of them in January.
Not if you miss the 1st that is. You 've just got to hang on till nearly the end of the month and then what have we? That's right. Burns Night.
That'll have to be it then.
Bust a gut, but wait till January 25th ---- and then they'll be special.
What's more Everyone - human, porcine, equine, canine and the rest - will recognise the fact.
There's no spots on Precious. That's for sure.
And because they're Special they get a commensurate name: Remember those famous men from 2000 odd years ago - travelled to a Stable and all that. Well, these are The Hagi. And in 2000 years from now pigs near and far will be telling tales about how they arrived on that Special Night long, long ago (actually they arrived from 2pm onwards but let's not split hairs - and there were rather more of them than the original bunch.....)

They're living up to their name already and making journeys far and wide - relatively speaking. One little one was brave enough to make a strike for independence on Friday morning, exploring round the interior of the ark and its hillocks whilst his/her siblings were snuffling small things close together.  This afternoon a breakaway group decided to venture further afield and were tottering around the outside of the ark despite the gloomy,cold and drizzly weather ..... I just managed to snap this one before it staggered back indoors in response to Precious' instructions.      "Uh Oh": if they're like this now I don't fancy The Bestest Gundog's chances of keeping them under control in 2 or 3 weeks' time.

Mind you The Season will be long over by then so maybe he'll be glad to have his paws full of piglet problems.......!!!!......

STOP PRESS!

To Precious and Samson this afternoon from 2pm onwards - 11 squiggly piglets. Full report and photos to follow

Waiting....

We're waiting for Precious to have her piglets.   She started making her nest yesterday. Best part of a bale of straw and lots of different size sticks. Spent most of the moring at it.
"We'll have piglets within 24 hours" I told the boss confidently when I came in.
I crept round in the dark after evening stables last night; listened outside her ark.
"No piglets yet" I reported when I went up to bed.
This morning she was late up for breakfast. Most unlike her. So I crept quietly up to the ark and saw her fast asleep in her lovely fresh straw bed --- alone.
"No piglets yet" I reported before leaving with The Bestest Gundog for another day in the field.
Rushed round when we got back this afternoon. Finding Linda in the stables changing Ritz's rug: "Any sign of piglets?" I asked.  "Nah, she's having us all on; been trotting round her pen most of the afternoon but she's looking very 'due' ".
So we're still waiting.
In the absence of pictures of little piglets I thought I'd include this photo of a beautiful Lincolnshire sunset over South Ormsby, taken last Wednesday as The Bestest etc. and I were leaving after a day's 'work' over there. Nothing at all to do with piglets.
But then, nor is Precious at the moment!

Hesitation....Repetition....Nature's way

 It is said that 4 or so days after weaning the sow comes in season and is ready to mate again. Delila was weaned last Tuesday and moved back to Samson three days later. They were in no great hurry to catch up on the news of the previous 3 months getting on first with the important things in life.... dinner, checking out the premises etc. On Saturday, like a long married couple, they were meandering about together, enjoying the sun but otherwise just chilling and chomping. Same again Sunday. 

Yesterday was a different story. Samson was not particularly interested in his breakfast.  "Aha" I thought.
Sure enough, after Delila had finished all the food he started following her round like a lap-dog. Whenever he got the opportunity he nudged her in the belly - "Hey, you, here I am" he seemed to be saying.

She ignored him. He hesitated, thought things over then pursued and nudged and pursued again.

She ignored him. He nudged some more. She moved away, trying to ignore him. They might be a long married couple but she'd no intention of making it easy for him.  Well.... not too easy.

 Then he stopped hesitating and became quite insistent. "Oh, I didn't realise you were being serious" she said, turning in the direction of the ark. He followed. She went in. He followed. She looked out the door and disappeared inside. He looked out the door and disappeared inside. Soon she came out. Followed by him.

They wandered across to me at the gate where they each had a drink and a nuzzle. "See" he seemed to say "I won her round - again".

He's such a charmer.

There was no hesitation next time. She turned; he nudged; she walked back to the ark, he followed...... For all I know they may have repeated the ritual all afternoon but I left them to it - no need to be nosy,

"Samson & Delila have been at it!" exclaimed Linda when we caught up with her this afternoon. We were off to the saw mill. When we returned and were unloading she chirpily told us they'd repeated the process again when she was doing Tea Rounds. So she's recorded it in the Hog Book.

The cycle continues.... a coy hesitation then repetition.... no worries.... just nature's way......

Repetition, hesitation, deviation?

Apart from gale force winds it's been a very quiet start to 2012. With the pork provisioner not attending any markets till (or "while" as they say in Lincolnshire) 20th January there's been no need for to-ing and fro-ing. However, piglets being weaned reminds us that there are other cycles to attend to. Hence Friday 13th was the first of the new year's Pig Movement Days. Lots were planned; the 6 'Victorian' hoglets had to be transported from the barn to their new rented premises a dozen or so miles away. That entailed moving the one gilt - Victoria - in with the Merkel the Ferkel et all (EU Leaders litter) - a feat which under normal circumstances would have required at least two humans. But who cares for normal. Linda hefted Victoria out of the barn and across to the stalls, hardly hesitating to draw breath (actually, she admitted to questioning her actions half way but by then it was, as they say "Too late" to buzz anyone.....).
 So, Hoglets loaded and off without a hitch. Settled at other end, instructions left for the care and the removal team were back here within minutes of The Bestest Gundog and I returning from another day in the field.

Next job was to part Scrabble from Samson. The hurdle channel was meticulously constructed to ensure Scrabble knew where to go. Two judiciously placed bowls of food saw her journey' accomplished with hardly a moment's hesitation. "Why did we need to set up all these Hurdles?" asked somebody. I think it was Conley.  Scrabble was quickly transported up to the woods; she happily trotted out of the trailer into her new pen without hesitation or deviation; snout hardly leaving her bowl - eyes maybe lifting for a second to register new surroundings.Maybe.But actually, I doubt it!  Hurdles packed up - a bit repetitive this -and everyone back to the Church Field to move Delila up to Samson.  Another hurdle channel constructed. As you  can see, Delila wasn't hanging about. I think she'd have jumped over the gate if it'd been less gloopy on her side. She positively ran into the trailer -Linda and the bowl of food may have motivated her but I think she'd have gone regardless. No deviation; no hesitation. Hurdles packed up and removed to Samson's pen entrance. Sturdy construction built (Repetition). Delila out of trailer and straight through gate without looking left or right. Again no H or D.  Maybe raised her eyes a moment to acknowledge where she was but I can't honestly say I noticed! Food over and it off to check out who'd been sleeping in her ark and then it was "Hello Samson, nice to see you again".

"What did we need these hurdles for?" somebody - probably Tony that time, asked........... Packed them up and moved the whole kit and caboodle up to Darbie and Joan's pen. ( More repetition)..... Another hurdle channel constructed from pen to trailer. Opened gate and down they jumped (thanks to the mud there was a height difference of at least 18 inches between inside and outside pen!) and trotted on to the trailer with only minor deviation by Darbie. May have had something to do with the foodbowl they were following. On the other hand I think they were ready for a new adventure. Still we packed up the hurdles and took them up to the woods with the trailer transporting the two girls. Repetition. Reconstructed the secure hurdle channel from trailer to pen gate. Opened trailer and out they trotted - with just a little urging from Tony but only because they were still happily chewing on their food - and followed Linda into their new pen without further hesitation or deviation. Hurdles not required. "They just provide that extra little bit of security" said the boss when somebody else questioned (Linda?) why we'd bothered with the hurdles........

Thanks to the amenable nature of our pigs and the slick synchronisation by us humans all that lot was achieved in just over an hour and a half. Why do people always think things go wrong on Friday 13th? I haven't a clue.

Done and dusted

Before going off to the 'office' on Tuesday with The Bestest Gundog I opened the old stalls door. The wandering piglets were wandering more than they were at home - even followed me up the drive on Monday afternoon. So I thought that the open door might get them investigating and when it came to weaning it would be easier to get them to go in there! Came home Tuesday afternoon and noticed a light on in the Stalls:
"All done and dusted." said Linda when she came over. I was surprised: I must have looked surprised; "Oh" it's not too soon is it????" she asked. Well, no. I was just surprised that she'd got it done so easily. "I had a bowl of food and they just followed me in she said." Well, I thought the last lot were easily weaned but this lot were even easier... just walked through the door, snout in bowl, shut the door. Deed done.
Delila didn't even notice....till, oh I don't know, probably not till Wednesday afternoon. When she made a bit of a fuss: as if she'd just noticed the little ones hadn't come home for a while... "Oh, I'd best behave like a sad sow" she thought to herself.....   Tomorrow she gets to go back to Samson...I suspect she knows that, which is why she's not so sad to lose the little ones...... Another litter done and dusted she probably thinks to herself.....

Pine tree pasture

RectoryReserve continues to expand...if not in one direction then in another! When we moved here twelve or so years ago we tried to acquire a 3 acre strip of pasture bordering our drive. It had previously been attached to the premises but on one occasion of the property being sold, the field remained with the vendor rather than transferring with the remainder of the property to the buyer. Presumably a pricing matter. Our original offer was refused. We made subsequent attempts to no avail, most recently at auction when we were outbid at a ridiculous price. Santa popped up on his travels though and offered it to us out of the blue if we could complete by Christmas. The dust hardly settled under The Boss's feet and before you could say Hay 'n Oats, Ritz & Rocco find themselves grazing in a Totally New Place! Pine Tree Pasture we've called it. We put the electric fence up in a howling gale on Saturday and moved the pair up on Sunday.

Usually when horses moved to a new paddock they gallop around in great excitement, checking the boundaries and looking for aliens. These two are not normal. Ritz put his head down immediately and started eating: Rocco stood as if transfixed;  looking out into the horizon to left and right. All day as far as I know. Looking, looking and looking; for what? Blackbirds coming over the hills? (It's said that in ancient times blackbirds were the size of giraffes and horses were the size of rabbits; that's why horses always leap when a bird startles out of a hedge two fields away). Who knows? When I came past on my way back from walking the dogs later in the day Ritz & Rocco cantered purposefully across to the gate. "Take us home" they said. So I did. Very fast. They towed me home; one trying to trot fast than the other, with me in the middle. Same again on Monday. Great excitement coming home. Wanting to come home fast. We think Pine Tree Pasture is great. They think it's scary, new, unsettling, 'far from home' and insecure. Being flight animals, in a new place they are constantly on the lookout for danger - something to flee from. I put them in the familiar confines of The Rectory Field this morning. They galloped around as if relieved to welcome the familiar. "This is better; this is what we know; this is home!" they seemed to be saying. They kicked and bucked and rolled. Relaxed. They'll grow accustomed to Pine Tree Pasture in time; I'll know they're 'at home' there when they go for a good gallop round. Funny things, horses..... you can lead a horse to grass but you can't make him eat.......

Through the kitchen window

If you asked them they'd probably say they were just coming up to give some company to the little guy on the stone slab (which incidentally covers the entrance to the well)! If you ask me, it's high time they were weaned! If they are going to start hanging round the house so often they'll be trotting in through the back door as as soon as it's left open. Good job they haven't sussed that there's food in the house or they'd be in already! They're at the stage where every open door is an invitation. Before she left this afternoon Linda had to go in search of 5 of them as they weren't in any of their usual places. As a long shot she looked in the garage - and out they tumbled in relief. They weren't the only ones who were relieved. As is her wont, Linda had left the doors open when she fetched out the lawn tractor which tows the muck trailer. It never crossed her mind, as she shut up later, that the piglets would have gone in there whilst she was otherwise engaged. Well - why would it? I'd guess they were there for a good hour or more......  dread to think what havoc they may have wreaked during their enforced sojourn......... do hope I don't have too many surprises in the morning when I look..... And to think I was smiling as I saw them through the kitchen window.........

Undecorating.........

In a daze this afternoon, undecorating the tree, packing away baubles, bells and bunting, mulling over the whethers and whats of New Year resolutions....... something caught my attention on the other side of the window. It didn't register for a few seconds - you  know how it is when something's out of context and out of place....... the penny suddenly dropped though - Delila's piglets were looking at me through the glass!

It's almost two weeks since we cut the wire which enabled them to escape from their mum; since then their explorations have taken them ever further afield but this is the first time (that I'm aware of) that they've come to investigate the house! They snuffled everything in sight and chewed everything else and then scampered off

in search of other excitement! Typical piglets.

Following on from the successful weaning of the previous litter we've been feeding this lot in one of the empty stables. They're now becoming very familiar with the routine: so much so that Linda reported this afternoon that they were outside the (closed) stable door waiting for her to serve them their tea ! They've also been visiting the the other weanlings in the barn - no doubt asking them how much they had to pay for their luxurious indoor pad! However, the stalls are now prepared so that at any time over the next week we can shut the stable door whilst they are eating and then carry them off one by one to the stalls........ Since Delila can behave in a most undecorous manner at weaning time, that'll make our lives a lot easier....