Or Berkshire to be precise.
The Berkshire sow decided to give birth a few days before Christmas.
I took these photos of them on Saturday for your perusal dear readers:
Mummy and babies are doing fine.
They are all inside in their pens with straw beds for the winter. Eventually they will be free range again and eat grass in the fields and sleep in pig arcs during the spring, summer and autumn.
Conditions are very wet underfoot and there is a storm on New Years night. Forecasters are predicting fourteen days of snow for here and Blighty. I must bring the rabbits indoors this week. They all appreciate a warm straw bed.
The livestock provide lots of fym for next years veg plot. I have some very well rotted stuff if you want to bring a trailer over or I can fill some pig ration bags for you?
Anyone thinking of getting pigs next year?
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All looking very spruce!!
ReplyDeleteThey never cease to amaze me how quickly they feed and walk around. It's great to see at this time of year GZ. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have been eating some fine examples here Dave. Not sure I want to grow my own though.
ReplyDeleteYours are beauties.
Good to read JayCee. We try to give them a good life. We sell some and our chest freezer is full. You seem to be having a great time. Enjoy.🥓🐖
DeleteAnimal young are far quicker at being self sufficient than humans, piglets are cute, we hope out kitten, Lilly will be with us this week. Marlene, poppypatchwork
ReplyDeleteYes we are slow in standing up and exploring our environment Marlene. I look forward to reading about your new kitten on your blog. We have 6 cats.
ReplyDeleteThe woods provides us with all the meat we need, at least so far.
ReplyDeleteThat's great Debby. Pigs will live in the woods. Traditionally they grazed on windfall apples in medieval orchards.
DeleteBut darn, those little piglets are so stinking cute. Who could look at one and NOT want it?
ReplyDeleteAs a bacon sandwich Debby?
DeleteThey grow so fast Debby. They are great for fertilizing and clearing land for a veg patch. The mixed forage adds to the flavour of the meat.
ReplyDeleteUhmm - no not thinking of getting pigs. Rather envious of yours though
ReplyDeleteThey are characters Mark and they keep me physically fit mucking out. The vegetables appreciate the fym.
ReplyDeleteI am not thinking of getting pigs but I am thinking of eating like a pig. Any chance you could send a box of fym over via FedEx?
ReplyDeleteIt would be a bit far fetched YP. Fym from Ireland.
DeleteIt could be the start of your FYM exporting empire. "Genuine Irish manure" with TV commercials and everything... "Hi! I am Dave Northsider and I want to tell you about the benefits of growing your vegetables and roses in genuine Irish manure - all the way from West Cork..." Cue theme music.
DeleteWell there's Jack's Magic compost so why not have Dave Northsider Muck and Magic FYM?
DeleteIf I got piglets I would spend all day sitting looking at them - like an old farm dog we had years ago. He spent his retirement lying on a pile of fym watching the pigs.
ReplyDeleteYes TM. I think Robins evolve from old gardeners and farm dogs were farmers. Stoic, pragmatic and very philosophical creatures.
ReplyDeleteI would seriously consider it, if I had the room :)
ReplyDeleteThey are intelligent creatures Jules and like to be fed at the same time every day. It's a good source for fym for the veg plot.
ReplyDeleteThey are gorgeous. Such tiny creatures to grow so quickly into fine animals. I'd have to wait for them to die of old age before I could eat them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jabblog. I am never happy loading them to go the butchers. But we try to give them a good life. I will eat my own meat but I try not to think which animal it was.
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