- Off to look at another couple of breeding sows. AND, we may go look later at some older breed black pigs too. Yay for pigs!!!!!!
- We have two new sows! Stumpy and Ziggy are settling in. Though the pig farm they came from is better than most, these two girls have still never spent anytime outdoors and have only ever eaten processed food. They’ve had more human interaction that most intensively-farmed pigs, but they’re still not use to humans like us who want to pat them all the time.
One thing we did notice about the farmed …pigs was that they smell more and there are way more flies. They eat super-expensive, super-processed foods, and then live in their own filth. The result is pretty smelly. A diet of fresh grain and greens, plus living out-of-doors, means much less smell. That makes lots of sense, but today is the first time we got to compare the two side-by-side and work it out for ourselves. - I introduced Ziggy and Stumpy (the new sows) to Boris (the boar) this morning. In literally under 30 seconds Boris was getting a piggy back ride. They didn’t even introduce themselves!
And yes, I have pictures. - Just bought 3 new pigs.
I might have a problem. - Farm/pig lessons from the past week-and-a-bit:
1. Intensively reared pigs stink because of the processed food they eat and the fact that they live, quite literally, in their own filth. That may sound self-evident, but you need to live it to really understand the difference.
2. Intensively reared pigs have no idea about the following subjects:
* Open air.
* Sun, and by extension, sun burn.
* …Rain, and by extension puddles of water.
* That they have to get up and walk to get food and water. Seriously, they’ll lay there and look at you, fully expecting you to bring them what they need.
3. As clueless as intensively reared pigs are, they still instinctively know how to get their freak on when introduced to an eligible boar.
4. “Free Ranged” to some people means they run wild through a couple of acres of trash (e.g. car bodies, piles of bricks, sheds etc.)
5. In that context, those pigs have no idea how fences work, and will beat the living shit out of them.
6. Despite how noobish we feel, our pigs are better looked after than any we’ve met yet. - Linhda just told me she’s freezing, it must be less than 5 degrees, and we should light the fire. My weather stations says it’s 18 degrees, I had to take my jumper off, and I’m pretty sure somebody is a pyromaniac.
- Our house cow, Clarisse, hates dad, and lets him know by hitting him with her horns. Often. I know it must hurt. It sounds like it hurts. He acts like it *really* hurts. However, I can’t help but piss myself laughing every time. Seriously, she did it about a half-hour ago and I’m still giggling to myself.
That might be a character flaw. - I just used Pythagoras Theory to square up our new pig sty. I want to go back in time and hive-five Grade 5 Neil, and let him know that learning this stuff will be useful one day…
- Three-and-a-half days into our four day weekend and I have nothing else to do. My projects either need me to get stuff I can’t get today, or to wait for other stuff to happen. I’m not at all sure how to handle this situation, so I’m drinking beer.
In summary: Beer! -
Linhda got me a present!!!!!!!
The Atherton Farm Blog 