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Post by johno on Sept 8, 2009 23:35:48 GMT -5
I helped deliver piglets for the first time tonight. That's personal development, because I've always been scared of pigs and grossed-out by babies. Anyway, it was a nice night for it. Of course, the sow picked a place far out in the woods buried up under a cedar tree, but that was okay. I brought straw for the ground and ratchet straps to get the lowest branches up out of the way, and a gas lantern for plenty of light.
We were a little nervous that she was taking too long between babies, and considering manual extraction. So I had my nephew drive me home to google and get some more rags. I found that we were within normal parameters, but now we know what to do if need be. On the way back in (we could only drive so close) 'Brutus' decided to follow and make sure we were acceptable trespassers. He's black and hard to see even by good moonlight...
One was still born and another undeveloped, but the sow ended up with four red ones and three black ones. Nowhere near the 13 the other sow had, but good enough. My job in the assembly line was to cut the cord and disinfect it. Oh, and hold the lantern. It was actually kind of fun.
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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 9, 2009 0:02:08 GMT -5
Aww! Squeee! (that's a piglet noise, as far as I know...  )
So afraid of pigs and grossed out by human babies? Or baby anything? That's cool, Johno. Congrats all around.
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Post by johno on Sept 9, 2009 1:11:27 GMT -5
Aww! Squeee! (that's a piglet noise, as far as I know... )
So afraid of pigs and grossed out by human babies? Or baby anything? That's cool, Johno. Congrats all around. 'Squeee!' is close. Newborns sound a little bit more like cats squalling, then graduate to 'squeee.' And oddly enough, when they're a couple weeks old, they remind me a lot of puppies playing. - Any babies, but especially human. I know... I have to get over that. |
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Post by Penny on Sept 9, 2009 5:47:41 GMT -5
Awwww, how cute.
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Post by bunkie on Sept 9, 2009 8:44:24 GMT -5
very cool johno!
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 9, 2009 8:50:42 GMT -5
I love pigs! I must say that baby pigs are cuter than baby people. Surprised to hear that a man such as yourself would be scared of anything. I lived briefly on a pig farm-my second stepfather was a pig farmer. I loved the farrowing house. It was so warm and cozy, but you have to be very careful when you are replacing a baby who has wondered out of its pen. Moms tend to assume you are trying to harm their babies instead of help.
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Post by johno on Sept 9, 2009 16:28:39 GMT -5
We had friends with pigs when I was a little boy. One of them fell in the pen one day, and a boar split her up one side literally from head to toe. Ghastly. All the stitches I've seen in my life since then don't amount to half the stitches she got from the attack. Put the fear in me... And I've watched hog hunting videos and heard the horror stories and seen the missing body parts that corroborate them. I've hunted them anyway.
But now, with pigs close by, I am getting used to being around them. I don't ever let my guard down. Brutus responds pretty well to a big stick, but after the bull put me in my place a few months ago, I no longer have any illusions that I can run away if need be. So I guess I've gone from fearing pigs to having a healthy respect...
Piglets are cute as hell.
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Post by Jim on Sept 9, 2009 18:45:06 GMT -5
and tasty  |
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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 9, 2009 18:50:43 GMT -5
Andre says you should name each of the piglets "Hoagie" ;D
The county in Virginia we lived in had a gruesome event a few years ago... a pig farmer had a heart attack while out slopping, and the pigs ate a lot of him prior to anyone finding him. Blech!
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Post by johno on Sept 9, 2009 20:59:03 GMT -5
Almost one day old bacon bits.  |
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Post by flowerpower on Sept 10, 2009 6:51:35 GMT -5
Aww, how cute. |
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 10, 2009 8:56:17 GMT -5
I see now why you had a fear of pigs. They sure can be aggressive, escpecially when they have little ones. I learned that lesson when I was maybe eight and a sow came over her pen to get me when I replaced one of her babies. My stepfather had to beat her in the head to get her away from me. Surprised the bastard even tried to save me....
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Post by ottawagardener on Sept 10, 2009 17:31:52 GMT -5
Them be sweet looking pigs. I have a slight apprehension of them toward them as well. Afterall their ancestors were those tusked wild boar things weren't they?
Karen, I see we could trade step-parent / farm stories... One day I'll tell you about catching roaster turkeys... suffice it to say that everyone chased them in a closed pen toward my eight year old self to catch under the wings... turkeys are not small and even their flight feather's can give you a good scratch.
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Post by sandbar on Sept 10, 2009 21:33:56 GMT -5
Hey Johno, congrats on the new piggies. Didn't know you were raising hogs ... guess I need to stop back by HGG more often ...
So, what are your plans for the new pigs? Raise for market?
See ya'
Steve.
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Post by johno on Sept 10, 2009 22:51:40 GMT -5
They belong to my in-laws, I was just helping. They have raised them for meat in the past, but now they are breeding them to sell.
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