Well my good intentions of regular blog entries seemed to fall by the wayside when last season got busy. This is a new year, with new intentions and there is definitely no shortage of entertaining, educational, often humiliating farm stories to share, so here we go again...
I just found my old copy of PIGS by Robert Munsch on my bookshelf and am blown away by just how accurate a reflection that story is. I had no idea as a small child, but now, as I finish up my first year of raising pigs I can attest to both their smarts and their destructive powers.
March 2010 marked our entry into the world of pig farming and we jumped in whole-hog, bringing 7 little weaners (that's what they call little pigs that have been weaned from their mama pigs) home from a Milverton farm. These weren't just any old pigs, they were Berkshires- desired by chefs around the world for their flavourful meat and I was purchasing them from a farmer who raised them both on organic grain and pasture, exactly the way I planned to. Bonus! Our plan was to raise 5 of them for meat and keep the most promising 2 gilts (that's what they call unbred ladies) to have our own piglets the following year. What followed was an enjoyable few months watching these babies play and run and roll in the mud, eat copious quantities of discarded vegetables (along with whatever else they could get their snouts on), and grow, grow, GROW! Despite the fact that we didn't properly train them to their electric fence, they stayed contained in their pasture for the most part. Any piglets that did stray, didn't go far and always returned to barn for their next meal. We were lucky to have a good abattoir just around the corner from us, and although I could probably write separate blog entries about each time we loaded and delivered pigs, suffice it to say that 5 of them made it successfully into the freezer to be enjoyed by many. By the fall, we were left with our 2 lovely ladies that we planned to breed. We named them Penny and Fran and figured the winter would be a breeze with them until they farrowed in the spring. Not so. I am not sure what changed for these 2 black beauties but somehow the 1 acre pen and pasture that was of ample size for the 7 of them, no longer suited these 2 and they took to breaking through the fence on a pretty much daily basis. Some highlights include:
- a friend of mine planting trees in the ditch along the road and feeling a presence behind her. Assuming it was the dogs, she turned around to find a 350lb pig watching her work.
- arriving at the barn one morning to find only one pig in the pen. Frantically searching the barn/pasture/whole farm, calling her name and imagining the horror of having to knock on my neighbours doors to tell them I lost my pig. Or worse yet, hearing on the news about a stray pig wreaking havoc around town or parading down the highway. After working myself into a frenzy, I returned to the barn for a THIRD search only to hear a familiar grunt as Penny emerged yawning from beneath an entire bale of hay in the sheep pen where she'd spent a cozy night.
- patching a hole in the fence and then watching a few minutes later while a powerful snout tears a new one right beside it.
- watching helplessly while both of them make their way through our raspberry patch, into the asparagus, and past the bee yard.
- getting a phone call from a helpful neighbour while out doing errands, informing me that there are 2 black pigs standing on the road in front of my house...might they be mine?
-begging, pleading, bribing, doing anything to try to convince these 2 (now almost 400lbs) to return to their pen when they've walked through the electric fence. They're always scared to cross the threshold back once they've had a shock on their way through. I have no idea why they can't just remember the shock while they're on the RIGHT side of the fence.
Luckily, neither can resist meal time and are both always back where they're supposed to be in time for the next feed. A $600 fencer, many hours spent repairing fences, and lots of time to practice my patience, we have (for the most part) succeeded in containing them. They've become friendly, lazy pigs who will roll right over to have their bellies rubbed, or sidle up beside me for an ear scratch. I'm well aware that these humongous creatures could crush me in an instant if they so choose, so I've opted to develop a friendly rapport with them rather then one based on fear and intimidation. I know they're smart but also incredibly stubborn. I also know that the way to their hearts is through their bellies so often resort to tasty treats as bribes.
Next week we go to pick up their new beau (who I've affectionately decided to call Boar-at). We're borrowing him for a month or so from a nearby farm to breed our ladies. I am hoping for a peaceful, uneventful time but based on my last year of pig experience, I can almost guarantee there'll be a new pig related blog entry in the near future.
Stay tuned....
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