Baby Pigs 2011
| March 12, 2011 | Posted by Issa under Homesteading |
Baby pigs once again live at The Wallow!
This year’s pigs are Duroc/Poland China crosses, which is different from last year’s Yorkshire/Hampshire crosses. It’s exciting to work with a different breed, and their red coats mean sunburn will be less of a concern this year. I also think they’re cuter this year, but that could just because I’m so unbelievably happy to have pigs around again!
We’ve got four pigs this year – one for us and three we’re raising for other people.
I already have a clear favorite, which is the little one looking straight into the camera in the two above pictures. I’ve named her Punkin. Here she is on her own:
There’s just something about her expression that I love, and she seems to be the least fearful of the group so far.
The three other pigs don’t have names just yet, because they belong to other people who get a chance to name their own pig if they like. In the meantime I think of the three of them (from left to right in the below picture) as Big, Spotted, and Small.
Big is slightly bigger in size and definitely weighs more than the other three. She’s a bit of a bully with the food and is always in back when they’re all hiding from something. In other words, she’s a survivor! If my experience with Hampie last year is any indication, this means Big will be the suspicious one on processing day. She also has the cutest, most expressive ears of the bunch. UPDATE: Big has been named Fatback:
Spotted is medium in size and shows the most spots. Her clearest identifying marking is the two black spots on her front left leg. UPDATE: Spotted has been named Speckles:
And then Small is the smallest of the group: UPDATE: Small has been renamed Vienna Sausage, although that usually just gets shortened to Sausage:
Another shot of Small, Spotted, and Big:
The pigs have already been busy rooting up their pasture and settling into their new home.
I am just thrilled. I’ve really missed having pigs at The Wallow!
You probably already know this, but I don’t really care about which one or naming them. I’m glad they’re happy, but it’s not my thing:)
Yep, I know. Since there are 7 other people involved in your pig, including 3 children, I figure one of them probably wants to pick out or name a pig. If not, I’m happy to do the picking and naming! :-)
Weird, I never got these comments? I have no idea if anyone else cares about naming. I figure they’ll speak up if they do.
Like Issa said: one or more of the kids might really enjoy or benefit from the experience of naming the pig, getting to meet or play with it, and then, of course, eat it, even if it’s not your particular “thing.”
Oh those pigs are so cute! Kieran would flip if we had a pig, mainly because he’s in love with Charlotte’s Web (although we have to fast forward through the beginning, where John Arable is about to axe Wilbur – it’s “not nice”). Have fun with your piggies!
Well, our not nice comes at the end, when our pigs get the metaphorical axe (a rifle and knife in this case), but the having them in the meantime is very nice, and the bacon is also very nice! :-)
Oh my goodness, those are some cute little piggies. I would love to have one for a pet like I had when I was little, but I don’t have the room.
Look up teacup or miniature pigs and you can find some very small pigs, suitable for being indoor pets.