Friday 17 July 2009

And finally....

...Nine piglets, popped out like corks from a bottle of fizz.
On the 118th day, at 6pm she started to nest. I was expecting 115 days, but no, the Berkshire likes to take longer than other pigs, (something I'd never read about before). By 9.30pm there were contractions. By 11.30pm there were two piglets, by 12.30pm there were seven, and sometime between then and 4am whilst I wasn't looking, two more had appeared. So here they are, no more than nine hours old.
Mother and small ones are sleeping for England between bouts of frenzied feeding. Haven't had a chance to sex them yet.

10 comments:

Whispering Walls said...

Wow!!!! What are you going to call them, Mopsa?

Mopsa said...

Only give names to permanent livestock WW, not the ones destined for the plate. But if there is a good gilt among them she may become a future breeding sow and then a name will be in order.

Eurodog said...

Wonderful. So pretty!

Scriptor Senex said...

I just love that last photo. Being sentimental and forgetting they are farm animals for a minute they present the absolute picture of contentment.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

You haven't had a chance to "sex them"! That is frankly disgusting! I know that bestiality is alive and well in the Devonshire countryside but surely looking at tiny piglets in that way is gross perversion. As soon as I have found the number of your local RSPCA I will be contacting them.

Only kidding.

Around My Kitchen Table said...

Congratulations to the proud mum (the porcine one and the human one!). They look lovely.

My word verification was ,stayome,. I'm taking that as a warning and not going out today!

Whispering Walls said...

Mopsa - you are heartless! I hope they give you an enjoyable Sunday roast or 8.

Anonymous said...

lovely

Anonymous said...

Oooh look, oh look - all of them. Sooo glossy!

Mopsa said...

Locks Park - now they are less glossy, having got all muddy in the great outdoors. But happy. Happy, muddy piglets.