Farming Friends

I have been trying to think of suitable names for pigs. #here are my suggestions so far:

• Runter
• Pinky
• Perky
• Roastie
• Missie
• Woofer
• Spot
• White Stripe
• Mrs P
• Stripe
• Porker
• Miss Piggy
• Chops
• Soxs
• Jools
• Bella
• Tasty
• Snouter
• Leggy
• Pinkers
• Blacky
• Belly
• Hairy
• Chap
• Curly
• Trotter
• Pickles
• Brawn
• Babe
• Frisky
• Chubby
• Grunter
• Squealer
• Crackling
• Chitterlings
• Chop Chop
• Lardy
• Bacon
• Fatters
• Ham
• Prancer
• Shank
• Apples
• Sausage
• Black Pud
• Sporty
• Posh
• Meaty
• Jointy
• Chunky
• Baby
• Cracker
• Flash
• Roxie
• Lightning
• Splendid
• Splash
• Dasher
• Stumpalina
• Rocky

If you have any names suggestions that would be good for a pig then please leave a comment. I would love to hear what you call your pigs. My two Saddleback pigs are called Cagney and Lacy.

Have you ever wondered which type of potatoes to grow, when to plant them, where is the best location, what soil type should they be planted in or what chitting means, then How To Grow Potatoes ebook is the book for you. How To Grow Potatoes is an eBook full of knowledge for the gardener growing potatoes in their vegetable garden or allotment.

I bought this excellent ebook for only £2.99 and it was £2.99 well spent as I have already been able to consult it many times whilst I have chitted and planted my first earlies and if you are not sure what first earlies are or which potatoes come under this category then get yourself this informative and easy to read ebook that will answer all your potato questions.

Here are some photos of the newborn Saddleback piglets.

Cagney’s Litter - Cagney had 10 piglets which were born sometime before 6.30am on Thursday 10th April 2008. Nine of the piglets were doing well but one of the piglets had got too cold and was laid near cagney’s head. I am pleased to say that we revived the piglet with calf’s powdered milk and a warm in the aga!

Lacy’s Litter - Lacy started to farrow at about 2pm on Thursday 10th April and she finished some time around 5pm having 11 piglets. After an initial bit of snapping at the first few piglets Lacy calmed down and the rest of the piglets were able to suckle as soon as they were born.

I will post more photos soon.

I dedicate this post to my friend Trisha or should I call her Birdy Trish over at Bird Table News who I know will be very interested to hear which birds are beginning to nest in my area.

In the last week or two I have noticed alot of activity with the birds. I have seen a great many varieties hopping around the garden and farmyard picking up straw, foliage, grass, leaves, twigs and anything the birds think will make a good nest material. It is a great sight to behold watching the activity of many birds all with the same mission to build a nest so that they can lay a clutch of eggs. Spring is truely here!

I have noticed blackbirds, songthrush, sparrows and fieldfare all collecting nest material. which birds have you seen nest building?

Pig Definitions

• Abattoir - A slaughterhouse.
• AI - Artificial Insemination, when gilts and sows are impregnated artificially.
• Animal Movement Licence - Pigs can only be moved with an animal movement licence.
• Barrow - A male pig castrated at a young age.
• Boar - An adult male pig that can be used for breeding purposes.
• Boar Taint - This is a strong smell and taste on the meat from a boar over the age of seven months that has not been castrated.
• BPA - British Pig Association.
• Brimming - This is when a female pig comes into season and is ready to accept the boar.
• Chitterlings - The small intestines of a pig.
• Colostrum - The first milk after farrowing from the sow. This milk has some of the natural immunities of the mother which are passed onto the piglets.
• Creep - An area where piglets can feed away from the sow.
• Creep Feed - Food that is given to the piglets from two to three weeks onwards which is high in sugar and milk proteins that is given as a supplement to the mother’s milk.
• Cross Breeding - The mating of pigs from different breeds.
• Drove - A herd or group of pigs.
• Estrus - The period of time when the female pig will accept the male pig for reproduction.
• Farrow - When a gilt or sow gives birth to piglets.
• Farrowing - Giving birth to piglets.
• Farrowing Crate -A pen made of metal and wood that confines the sow or gilt so that they do not lay on their piglets. The crate restricts the pigs movement thus protecting the piglets once they are born.
• Gestation Period - The length of the pregnancy, which is approximately 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days for a pig or approximately 114 days.
• Gilt - A young female pig that has not yet had piglets.
• Hog - Another term for a pig.
• Hurdle - A solid gate used when handling or moving pigs.
• In-Pig - When a gilt or sow is pregnant.
• Lard - Rendered pig fat.
• Litter - The offspring of a single farrowing.
• Meal - Feed.
• Navel Cord - The cord which attached the unborn piglet to the uterus.
• Needle Teeth - Two large teeth on each side of the upper jaw.
• Overlay - Overlay is when the sow or gilt lays on the piglets and crushes them to death.
• Piglet - A young pig.
• Ring - A metal ring that is placed in the tip of a pigs nose to keep the pig from rooting.
• Runt - The smallest piglet in the litter.
• Scour - Diarrhoea.
• Service - When the female pig is mounted by the boar.
• Slap Mark - A form of identification where the pig has been tatooed with an identification number.
• Sow - An adult female pig which has had piglets.
• Stag - A boar that is castrated after maturity.
• Swine - A term used to describe all pigs.
• Teats - A female pig has teats which are on the underpart of their body and allow the piglets to take milk from the female pig.
• Weaner - A pig that is strong enough to have been removed from the sow which occurs from 6 weeks of age.
• Vulva - The external part of the female pig’s reproductive organs.

I am delighted to have been asked to review an ebook called Rearing Weaners For The Table - A Beginners Guide By Rebecca Hillman of SallyGardens Smallholding.

I have printed the 23 page book that Rebecca sent me via email so that I can read it thoroughly, so that I can give a comprehensive review of the book.

My initial thoughts are that this is a great book for those wanting to keep a few pigs for the table as it offers practical advice, support and information with lots of facts as well as first hand experience.

I wish I had read this book before I got my pigs as I wouldn’t have felt that I was facing pig rearing on my own.

I will post a more detailed review when I have finished reading the booklet but my reading has currently been interrupted by the arrival of 21 piglets!!!

This afternoon at 2pm I went to check on Lacy, my Saddleback sow to see if she was starting to farrow. I was greeted with the arrival of a piglet. Lacy was jsut beginning to give birth to the first of the eleven piglets that she eventually produced.

This is Lacy’s second litter and last time Lacy showed signs of aggression towards her piglets. I decided that I wouldn’t intervene straight away and would see what happened. All was ok until piglet number three found itself under lacy. I managed to move the sow and the piglet was luckily unharmed. At that point I decided that I would move the piglets to one side as Lacy kept standing and lying down through farrowing. By the time she had had five piglets I was having trouble keeping them confined to an area away from the sow as their natural instinct was to find the sows teats. When the piglets got close to Lacy’s face she seemed to snap at them which she did back in October with her first litter. I was worried for the safety of the piglets as I have heard that some sows can eat their piglets whilst they are farrowing. I wasn’t taking any chances, however keeping the five piglets away from the mother was not easy.

When Cagney, the other sow who had already pigged in the morning let her piglets suckle, Lacy laid on her side and it was at that moment that I saw my chance to introduce the piglets to Lacy. I was thrilled and relieved to find that she took them without becoming aggressive. She went on to have another 6 piglets who all seem to be doing ok.

Lacy took about 4 hours to have 11 piglets.

Last time my pigs farrowed, John (Farmer Giles) asked if I’d noticed whether the piglets went straight for the sows stomach and the teats. With this question in my, I observed the piglets closely and yes the piglets do head straight towards the sows stomach and if the sow is laid on her side it can be a matter of minutes after the birth that the piglet is suckling.

I do have some video footage which I will try to edit and upload soon, so watch this space for the pig video.