further adventures in farming

Five pink piglets arrived at out little farm on Friday.  Yes, we are raising pigs again.  Two more than last year!  No, I'm not totally sure we are sane.  Truth be told, it all got instantly insane when two of those little pink piglets made a bee line for the crack at the back of the pen, nosed their way out, and hauled little pink butt out into our 50 acres of pasture and up over the hill. 

See, here they are (two piglets still to be unloaded) already plotting their escape.  And see those "holes" in the shelter?  O.K., I'll admit I was the brilliant farmer who suggested, after we got home with the pigs who seemed awfully small compared to those now large-looking holes, "Let's just put them in and let them snoot around, and we'll board up the holes while they hang out in the pen".  So, unload them we did.  All five.  As soon as the fifth one joined its siblings in the shelter, the two little smarty-pants busted out.  Some shouting ensued, and some general confusion and some screaming by the girls.  Finally Andy and I realized we couldn't just stand there and shout, we (read: he) had to run after them, pin them down, and hog wrestle them back to the shelter.  And right now they were already heading up the hill behind our house.  Free as two little pigs can be in the wide-open pasture with not a hog panel in sight.

I took the important job of keeping the three still penned piglets in the pen.  Which only entailed poking their little noses back from the hole(s), while trying to soothe the girls who had shut themselves into the safety of the car (piglet screaming and escape was a little too much drama for them).  Andy, meanwhile, was running here and there, over the hill and back, chasing piglets.  In circles.  Seriously.  Sometimes one would appear within sight on our side if the hill and shortly after Andy would come huffing along after it, then the piglet would turn and disappear back over the hill, as would Andy.  I was laughing hysterically (you would have too, I assure you) but was also trying to remember I had an important job and Andy would NOT be happy if I laughed so hard my eyes teared up and I let another pig escape.  Plus, the girls did not think this was funny.  A bit more chasing went on up there on the hill.  One pig lead Andy up into the woods a bit, and back down into the pasture where it met up with the three horses who also started chasing it around.  At this point I was just so thankful the dogs and chickens and sheep were all shut up without possibility of joining the fun.  And I was pretty damn sure I was going to pee my pants if I didn't stop laughing.  In the end, we got lucky.  Andy was able to head the piglets back down our side of the pasture toward the house and barn.  One ended up in the little creek ditch and couldn't scramble out before Andy tackled it, grabbed its back legs and would have hog-tied it like a real cowboy (if he had had a rope).  The last one ran itself headlong into the sheep fence and Andy was there pig pile it.

Here is Andy and the last escapee, both a bit out of breath.  (I wish I had photos of all the chasing shenanigans but I had a serious job to do while he was out there playing with those pigs in the field!)

And all five, safely snuggled in to together (and still plotting escape!).  Andy and I had some good laughs over our adventures as novice pig farmers.  We were thankful these guys only weigh about 25 pounds each.  Let's hope they don't bust out later this summer when they are pushing 250!  That is an adventure for which I would definitely need the video camera!

And just in case pig farming doesn't keep up busy enough, Andy has his eyes on another little hobby.  Thanks Dad for bringing down the box of amazing old books (and for fueling his fire... I think).

Here's to sturdy fences and first lessons in farming.