Skip to main content

Make do and mend







Our pigs are destructive, each group that spends time in an enclosure add their bit of destructiveness. They love to dig and dig and dig this is sometimes under their huts, they don't understand about foundations or when digging inside a hut can cause a pool of water to collect when it rains in the winter. Often digging causes mud to cover the electric fence, it fills their water and food containers and makes huge holes in the ground but they are so happy digging, a natural instinct that is stopped when a ring is placed in their nose (this along with tail docking and teeth cutting is not allowed in organic farming but is routine in intensive indoor production) and is something that we would never endorse.

A favourite past time of dismantling huts by knocking out planks of wood is enjoyed as much as pulling at the plastic covering that farmer J used to cover the backs of huts last year that was left over from building work. Strips were torn off with pig in chase games as one ran around plastic in mouth with the others following. Buckets offer endless fun, tossed in the air with bonus points won if the handle comes off. Pigs do cause maintenance work a lot of the time.

Before the winter sets in this year we plan to move the pigs furthest away to enclosures nearer for carrying food buckets and water in the mud and snow is no fun. These spaces have been rested for half the year (clearing any parasites from last inhabitants) but before pigs can be moved huts need to be mended with floors being built (hopefully to stop digging and to keep them dry).

The first pen had to be finished for five new piglets we brought in to replace ones lost
from Sandy's litter. They are Champion the boars off springs, farmer J picked them up this afternoon. Their enclosure was ready, hut with clean straw, new water container and food laid out in a clean half drain pipe, all very clean and tidy, probably not for very long. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Snap shot

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Another steer went off on Wednesday. After spending 3 years with them it doesn't get any easier when they leave.
Post a Comment
Read more

Weeding

Potatoes A sad looking patch Hunting for carrots The weather has now gone from one extreme to the other from rain, rain and a bit more rain to hot, sunny and hotter. Time to access the veggie patch after I planted everything in one hit and then it got very damp and soggy. Well the potatoes are growing well, although they are going to be a lot later this year, kind of Earlie's for late ones and late ones maybe ready for Christmas dinner ( if they survive the bugs, rabbits and moles). The weeds have and still are growing really well, this morning was spent finding the carrots and parsnips, which I have with no help from Sorrel, who after a quick sniff lazed under the shade of the apple tree (which by the looks of it hasn't got hardly any apples on it?) The poor herb seeds sowed don't look to good or the french and runner beans, think a hungry mouse have nibbled on them so I will have to resow (once I have weeded -again)
Post a Comment
Read more

A problematic Ewe

While Master C and Miss F were here over the weekend we took the opportunity for their help in moving the two ewes, Gorgon and Thumberlina to the field where the donkeys had been. What with all the rain we have had lately the grass grow super quick. The only problem was Miss Fatty did not want to move from her safe field (if only she knew she was moving to new lush grass). It took farmer J and Master C to try moving her after pushing from me and Master C had failed and she fell to the floor not moving an inch. There try also failed so they were both lead through the field in another direction. Of course once in the new field there was no looking back. Gorgon on the other hand was a breeze to move, as long as you have food he will follow, you just need to make sure you have enough food!
Post a Comment
Read more