When you have your first piglet litter, there suddenly appears a plethora of piglets pics. How many piglet pics can the piglet loving public ponder? I hope I don't over piglet you...but, they grow fast, so I intend to enjoy them. I will repeat that, although the days have been hot, I have had many moments this month of feeling completly in my element, where I should be. I got up again at 7 and rode Boone this morning, stopped over at a friend's with horse in tow, picked up some pig stuff and as I drove home I thought,
I just got to take my horse to a friend's house to pick up a bunch of pig stuff. This is a good life for me.
My pig friend–I just love saying that–came over yesterday to see the new piglets. She was amazed they were the same size as the piglets that come out of her Berkshire sows. Our Guinea Hog breed are about 150-200# full grown, and her sows are about #500 full grown. They do have larger litters, sometimes 12-14, but we were both in awe that Nature made them the same size.
She also told me in about 3 days those piglets are going to be jumping all over the place.
I got a feel for that jumping this morning. Nature was also smart when she devised these little eating systems. Man, piglets are tough, very different than lambs. I'm really enjoying the process of learning their behaviors. Today they were doing a bit of romping, still in the wood hut, but I think by late afternoon or tomorrow they will venture down the ramp to sunshine. They have plenty of escape shade areas near the hut so it will be okay. My friend lent me a waterer they devised out of pipe, so I can get them on drip waterers right away. I made the mistake of not doing that with Doris and June, and they will learn to use them too. If you are wondering why this is a good idea, pigs will try to bathe in anything if they don't have a wallow of water and mud. It is hard to keep the water buckets clean for other animals.
I can already see the gilt [unbred girl] with the white front feet will be the tiger of the litter. The little male runt [shown above]is doing well, he is a fighter for food and gets on that teat and doesn't let go, so I think he will be okay.
And although we didn't get Earnest's colors, all the piglets definitely appear to have his squatter Kune face.
