Filling in the gaps - part one

.... So let's just wind the clock back a bit.... to October 28th... remember all that noise around Delila's pen when we got back from the Sausage Festival?  I was right to be alarmed. The noise level was not normal. Usually when a sow has had a litter of piglets she spends as much time the first few days just caring for them and suckling them. Well, the next morning Delila was out and about before breakfast. I thought she was just hungry and whilst she was eating I went to see what there was to see in her ark. It was not pretty. There was a bunch of little squigglies huddled in one corner. But elsewhere... too many poor little bodies not squiggling. I removed them one by one. At least one of them had a hole the size of a 50p piece right through the skin on its rump. It was too distressing to look too closely at the others. No wonder Delila didn't want to be in there. I fetched her a bale of fresh straw and she spent ages stuffing it all round the edges of  the ark. I can only imagine a stoat or similar got in through a hole at ground level and attacked the little ones.... horrific. And quite explains the awful squealing I heard. For the next 3 days or so Delila spent far too little time in the ark; we were concerned for the survival of the remaining 5 piglets. However, mum was still doing her job and by the end of the first week life was back to normal. Poor Delila. I don't know if sows suffer post natal depression but if they do that's what she clearly had those first few days.

Just keep your distance......

No such problem with Ginger. Her 6 piglets are bonny little creatures and, only a little over two weeks old,  are already out of the pen and exploring what else is in the world. Mum sleeps a lot - but who can blame her!! I don't think she's in the least concerned with the amount of time they are spending away from home. They are still quite small - whenever I catch sight of them trotting around my first thought is always of rabbits. I'm sure that'll soon change......