During the summer months piglets have been known to leave their mum's side and wander off outside her pen within a week. Two weeks is unexceptional and three weeks par for the course. Victoria was very protective of her first litter though and, despite the fact that it was spring, she wouldn't let them out of the ark for nearly 4 weeks. They grew robust and rotund and have continued to develop into nice specimens!
Based on the success of that strategy, she excelled herself with her next litter. Born on 17 December, it was almost
6 weeks before she gave them permission to step outside the ark - and then not for many minutes. Not surprisingly, they were the roundest and most compact piglets we had ever seen. Yet they needed hard food to grow.
We scratched our heads. How would we ever wean them if they never left the ark - never mind the pen. Gingerly, over the next few days, they explored the two square feet outside the door.....but she quickly scurried them back indoors..... We cut the fence near the ark to enable them to get out. Victoria blocked the hole. We moved the blockage. We fed the piglets next to mum within the pen and gradually moved the bowl closer to the fence and then - suddenly - outside. Timidly, one by one, they learned to slide down the mud to the feed bowl below --- and after that it was a quick lesson to encourage them further and further afield..... It was only a few days before they were greeting me outside the barn at breakfast time......
Soon they were trotting around visiting the rest of the herd - across the lawn and up the drive to see Black Banana .. mooching across the orchard and around the yard looking for whatever they could find. It was only a couple of days more before they were following the feedbowl to wherever it went. Yesterday Linda put the bowls in the
stalls and they nonchalently drifted in to eat. Today we had a morning of hail, sleet and snowstorms. I was surprised to hear Victoria moaning and calling out -- until, in the midst of the storm, I found her brood cosily snuggling up in the hay in the old stalls. They looked up at me dozily when I went in and didn't fuss at all when the wind blew the door shut on them. It was well into the afternoon when they emerged to run around and, eventually, return to their distressed mum.
Amazing to think that two weeks ago we were worrying about how on earth we were going to wean them away from Victoria's apron strings and now it seems a simple matter to just shut the door and that'll be it. Don't know why we ever worry about these things...... They are still the roundest and most compact piglets we have ever had but I'm sure they'll catch up..... the three boys are destined for Elsham Hall for the summer so there's no doubt they'll have a contented and interesting life and their 3 sisters are also likely to go to a custodianship home so will be thoroughly spoiled also..... and Victoria will soon return to Black Banana which will keep her happy too........
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