Spring Pics

I've been a bit remiss on keeping the blog up to date ... so here is the recent news and some pics from around the barn!

• I lost Charlotte in April - not exactly sure what happened. I vaccinated all the pigs that am; at eve chores, she seemed a bit off, which I attributed to a bit of a vaccine rx - so I covered her up in blankets. In the am she was dead. Odd.




• Nicky (the pig formerly known as "slug", she was so fat!) is amazing and svelte ... she has great conformation - bec despite being So Fat, her eyes are now clearly visible, and despite haveing Very Long hooves, her pasterns remained upright and now that she's trimmed up, she looks great! Pics below.

Before:

Now:




• My waterfowl are reproducing at an alarming rate. I had about 7 ducks from the HS - last year one hen hatched a brood, but none survived past a few days (predation, I suspect). This year we have two brrods hatched, for a total of about 20 chicks - and the mothers are hanging together with the seeting mass of ducklings. Very Cute - but so much poop! I think I will remove any remaining nests etc - don't need more ducklets ... and I'd like to get them all herded down to the pond before we get too far into summer.





• We have a new dog - Gus - a pug. Not my usual preferred type of dog, but my daughter fell in love with a relative's pug, and the rest is history. We just love him - he's so great with the kids, and a snuggly cuddle-pug on the couch in the eves.

Charlotte & Noodle

Charlotte & Noodle are semi-permanent boarders - their owner is going through some complicated life changes that mean she can't keep them right now. They are funny girls. Noodle is Very Assertive ... and can be LOUD! Charlotte is much more reserved. They are small pigs - prob 50 lbs each. We are working on getting their feet back in shape since they arrived here last summer - esp Charlotte, whose feet were quite long. Every few weeks, I tackle them, flip them onto their backs on my lap, and whittle away. They are improving greatly.

They now live with Willie, tho I have to separate them at feeding time, as they are fast eaters on limited diets, whereas he is a slow eater who gets more food with lots of warm water to encourage him to drink (see prev post re: his urinary issues). They don't always appreciate having to dine al fresco (esp now that it is colder), but I scatter a little chicken feed in the yard to occupy them while they wait for Willie to finish mis meals.

Noodle is the short, round one, and Charlotte has the loooonnng snout.

It is cute to see them all buried together in the straw for the night, tho! Will try to get a pic of that sometime.

Charlotte:

Noodle: