Three Little Piggies - And Then There Were Two

When we decided to get pigs, we wanted two young sows to plow up our field and eventually feed us in the winter.

When Mr B suggested we keep a third one, just for him, we just couldn't say no. He's helped us immeasurably with our sheep, so we were happy to oblige!

Peppa in the front, Mr B's Hermione T in the back

Things didn't quite go to plan, though. When Mr B's pig stumbled out of the transport, we thought she was just a bit disoriented after the drive. She promptly went to lie down.

Given our scant experience with pigs - none - we couldn't really judge whether anything was wrong.

But on the second day, we noticed a distinct limp. And she just wasn't as lively as her sisters. Once she had eaten, she went to lay down again, whereas her sisters were chasing each other in the field and kept busy digging.

Sadly, she deteriorated quickly after that, so we had to ask her former owner to come collect her. As she was very poorly, the only option was to shoot her and take her body away.

The last traces of Mr B's sow

Our 3 pigs arrive

Last Christmas my parents kindly bought Cat and me pigs! It took 8 months for them to finally arrive on the farm, but the wait was well worth it.  They arrived today by horse box from a nearby organic farmer, who has decided to turn their focus towards their cows and horses more.

The arrival.

We have 3 cross-breed pigs, a mix between a Swedish Linderöd and an English Hampshire. The latter breed is especially hardy and known to be a good forager, perfect for beginners. We have put them to work on one of our fields that we are planning to grow vegetables and other food in next year. We really want to become as self-sufficient as possible and have realised that our raised vegetable beds in the kitchen garden are just not large enough to feed us all. The pigs will help turn the field over, fertilise the soil and make it full of goodness ready for the seedlings next spring….we hope!

Exploring their new home.

The 3 pigs, Peppa, George and Hermione-Therese, named by lil'T and our sheep mentor Mr. B and his friend, seem to have settled in well, exploring every inch of the field and finding spots to wallow in. We are supplementing their foraging with scrap food and some pig feed. This should keep them going as we head towards Autumn and then Winter.

Hmmmm mud!

They are a great addition to ever growing population on the farm and we are excited to get to know them better. Follow our updates through Instagram and Facebook on the #pppigupdate to see how the pigs do over the next few months.