B***y pigs!

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B***y pigs!

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mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 06 10:21 am Post subject: B***y pigs!

The weekend before last we were doing some work in the piggery which has become rather muddy. Think mud wrestling-type muddy (down, NL). The old chap was inside the ark and I was outside entertaining the girls when one decided to lean on me for a good scratch. I lost my footing...

The result was, me up to my waist in mud with two pigs lokking on in amusement, me laughing so hard I couldn't call the old chap to help me up. When he finally worked out what was going on he was doubled up laughing too.

Finally managed to extricate me to the sound of a very loud 'sluuuurp' and I waddled back to the house and stripped off in the yard: ye gods it was cold! Straight into the shower: thank goodness for showers.

Then this weekend we moved them to their datcha in the top field. Well, that was the intention, and haveing got the electric fence organised we let them out ot their ark to go the few hundred yards between the wood and the field. They got to the line where the electric fence used to be... and would go no further, despite temptingly rattle bucket of food and encouraging words. One went a few yards after about half an hour and then doubled back.

By then, night was beginning to fall... So we shut them in the ark and went in. We phoned the neighbour to come and land a trotter the next morning for the second attempt.

So, Sunday morning and the neighbour turns up with camera, in case of more mud-wallowing and hoping for a scoop for the Farmers' Guardian. Three pig boards, one bucket of feed and two hours later they were successfully moved. The hardest bit was gettling them along the narrow path from the wood to the garden: once they were in the more open area they trotted along happily, apart from refusing at the stream, straight into their new house.

They've got more space in the new field, and decidedly less mud: they've already strated earning their keep by bracken digging, so all's well. Until the next time they push me over...

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 06 10:25 am Post subject:
You did better than my mate down the road. It took him nearly a month to get his girls to cross the electric fence line!

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 06 10:31 am Post subject:
Now I feel good! And the mud episode made me feel like a real pig farmer!

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 06 6:10 pm Post subject:
Where would we be without our indomitable senses of humour (sense of humours? Whatever!) I do feel sorry for people who insist on being grown up about these things, and taking like so seriously! Glad your enjoying the piggies Mochyn!

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 06 6:39 pm Post subject:

I had (until someone pinched it an an event) the remains of one of my medieval dresses to evidence just what piggies get up to. I was taking a tour round the medieval village, and had hopped over the wall of the pigsty to scratch the boar/tamworth cross pigs behind the ear whilst I delivered my standard 'pigs through time' talk, anyway, the audience seemed particularly riveted by my talk, and it wasnt until I climbed out of the sty that I realised the sow had quietly eaten the backside out of my dress while I stood talking! Fortunately I had a long shift underneath, or the rest of the tour would have been draughty! Put a huge patch over the gap but it was never quite the same afterwards

Heres the piggy that stood by smirking whilst his mate tried to embarrass me

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46212
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 06 8:02 pm Post subject:
dogs are no better and people dont see them as pets you can eat if it all goes wrong .

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Mar 22, 06 9:32 am Post subject:

dpack wrote:

dogs are no better and people dont see them as pets you can eat if it all goes wrong .

My dog runs into the electric fence long after the pigs have stopped doing it

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 22, 06 10:51 am Post subject:
You can tell it's sunny today: the girls kept rushing up for a scratch, even abandoning their food thhis morning! very playful, even bouncy. And at over 100lb each that's quite a bounce...

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Wed Mar 22, 06 12:51 pm Post subject:
Do yours like footballs? Most of the piggies I know will play for hours with a ball

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 06 10:29 am Post subject:
Excellent idea, Sally. I've heard of this before but it had slipped my mind. When I went out to feed them this morning one was outside the fence: the clip had got knocked off the battery, so I had to entice her back in with food. Obviously they haven't yet learned to respect the fence again. Never mind, I'll go out and check them again soon. Off to Oxfam to look for a football...

kiwi

Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 73
Location: new zealand

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 06 10:40 am Post subject:

hi

I really loooove my 3 piggies Reg always comes galloping over for a scratch and tummy tickle whenever i so much as walk past, the other 2 Ruby and Jet are soon to be moved to a new paddock they are being temporarily housed in the cattle yards at the moment, will probably out them all in together when the new paddocks are done, judging by the other stories I might need to set a fair bit of time aside for doing this.

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