Wow, what a start to the week! I woke up to the sound of pouring rain, which was not ideal as I was on the Monday morning feeding shift at the farm. (Hopefully you have read my first blog so you know a little about the animals that live there).
With horses and cats fed, I started my hike up the large hill to the top of the field where the pigs are kept. I was a little surprised when I arrived to see Chewey (the boar or male pig) standing out in the pouring rain and not in his sty. As I got closer I could see why - Pokey was delivering what turned out to be the last of her five piglets, which had all arrived a week early! Not ideal, especially as she really needed to be back down at the yard where we had prepared a warm stable all ready for their arrival. And so the fun begins...
THE PLAN: pick up the trailer, drive up the field (tricky in the pouring rain as it is very slippery), move the five teenage pigs who were in the field next to Pokey to ensure they don't try and escape, put all the piglets into a basket, try and get Pokey into the trailer too, arrive at the yard and move all the pigs into their new home...easier said than done!
To cut a long story short, three hours later we had finally achieved our goal, with a few mishaps along the way. Poor Pokey was exhausted by the time we managed to get her settled but with her babies all fed, safe and warm, she lay down for a well deserved nap!
With horses and cats fed, I started my hike up the large hill to the top of the field where the pigs are kept. I was a little surprised when I arrived to see Chewey (the boar or male pig) standing out in the pouring rain and not in his sty. As I got closer I could see why - Pokey was delivering what turned out to be the last of her five piglets, which had all arrived a week early! Not ideal, especially as she really needed to be back down at the yard where we had prepared a warm stable all ready for their arrival. And so the fun begins...
THE PLAN: pick up the trailer, drive up the field (tricky in the pouring rain as it is very slippery), move the five teenage pigs who were in the field next to Pokey to ensure they don't try and escape, put all the piglets into a basket, try and get Pokey into the trailer too, arrive at the yard and move all the pigs into their new home...easier said than done!
To cut a long story short, three hours later we had finally achieved our goal, with a few mishaps along the way. Poor Pokey was exhausted by the time we managed to get her settled but with her babies all fed, safe and warm, she lay down for a well deserved nap!