It’s been our intention to raise pigs for our table since we had Sir Loin grow up at our neighbors farm down the road.  We watched as they grew him and his siblings up from little piglets to hogs.  And we were okay with their final demise and have enjoyed him as good, humanely raised pork.

That being said, it’s a little easier being detached when you’re not doing the day to day work, I’m very certain.  But some times you need to take baby steps towards life goals and that was a good learning lesson.  Now comes the slightly harder lesson!  Raising them ourselves.

Jr. and Julia are excellent teachers.  I know these folks well and consider them fine friends and good mentors.  I watched them worry over a sick pig, I have seen them drive all the way to TSC for medicines or special feed or milk powder.  They care for their animals, even those destine for the table.  And we feel the same way.

These little pigs were culls from a hog factory farm.  They were destined to be killed on Thursday.  The folks that work this farm, friends of friends, asked if we could take a few of the culls and raise them and he said yes.  So five piggies were saved from being put down for minor blemishes and imperfections.  Which part of me finds slightly ironic, really.  Our two little piggie girls have funny back toenails.  One looks like it might have been hurt and fell off awhile ago and the other has a nail that is gone and slightly infected.  They don’t want any pig that isn’t perfect to stuff into a holding feed lot pen and raise inside on concrete slats and in dreadful conditions.  So these two little girls will now have a second chance on life and will live out their young lives in a barn full of sweet hay, sunshine and a group of farmgirls that will enjoy and adore them.  They will sleep with a baby blanket in straw under a heat lamp.  They will snuggle in our laps for a bottle and then a back rub and a nap.  As soon as they are old enough, they will have a big huge yard to root around in and eat grass and lay in the sunshine and mud.  And they will get good food, and lovely treats and goodies from our garden.  All because of a funny back toenail.

Now, granted, we were not totally ready for our little charges and in fact, we got a text saying, we got some free pigs, how many do you want in an hour?  But we said sure thing…  and swung into action.  It was kind of funny, Maggie had just finished a day before digging a HUGE hole in the middle of the big barn floor so that we could set in a post to eventually build our pig pen in there.  And all we needed was a piece of hog panel and a half gate to have access to the pen.  So we were sort of prepared.

So Maggie and I moved the little rooster coop back into the barn for a temporary place for them and got ready!  We were not so sure what to expect, as feeder pigs are usually weaned and about 20 to 40 pounds.  But these two little girls are barely 10, and probably closer to 7 or 8 pounds!  They are tiny!  Later that evening, we did a lot of internet searching and determined that these piglets were probably around 2 to 3 weeks at the most and that they were probably just forcibly weaned when they were sorted and culled from the delivery.

They wouldn’t drink from a bowl, and they were crying and so pathetic.  Trying to escape and just squeeling sooooo loud, it was just heartbreaking.  J & J’s son’s girlfriend works at TSC, so they called her to bring back a bag of milk replacer since she was at work and coming over that evening.  So as soon as we could, we mixed up some and tried again, with bowls and nothing.  They wouldn’t eat.  Figuring that they were just exhausted and stressed, and since it was late in the evening, we decided that come morning, they would be hungry and eat.  When morning came and still no feed in our piggy bellies, and from what I had read online, we decided to try bottles for them, at least for a while to get them acclimated and keep from dehydrating or getting ill.

Sure enough, that was the answer.

Now, they didn’t exactly know what to do with the bottles at first either, but with a little trial and error and some fingers to suck and then milky fingers and then… bottles….  we had them nursing within a few minutes and my gosh, they were so hungry!  The took almost a whole 8 ounces each and then licked each other’s miky faces clean and laid down for full tummy naps on their blankie!  Well, except for Butterscotch…. she fell asleep in Maggie’s arms… one happy little content piglet.

They really  needed some TLC the second day, and in fact, really seem to like being held and scratched, and just basically babied.  I guess they needed a little reassurance that the world was not so bad and that they could get along without momma.  Butterscotch has totally adopted Maggie as her new mom.  Maggie doesn’t mind.

Today, our third day with them, we got a set of Pritchard nipples, which I will admit, are working a lot nicer for us then the human baby bottles.  Less messy.  We got them at TSC, and they are designed for animals, so I think that helps some.  I’m pretty sure they would work well for lambs and other babies.  A good investment for sure.

We got the post cemented in, and J & J got us a cattle panel when they bought themselves a few as well.  Maggie and I finished cleaning out the big barn and filling up my raised bed crates, and tomorrow we will move the nest box and install the panel to make our little piggies a HUGE pen!  Lots of room to run around in!  It’s one third of the barn, a nice big 18 foot by 12 foot pen.  Soon, we will finish the outside yard for them, but right now, they really don’t need to be outside yet, they really are pretty young.  Until Reeses toe heals good, she needs to be in clean bedding.  They will be fine in there for at least a month.  The big door opens wide and will let the breezes in and the sunshine for them.

We might be getting another pair on Monday.  They called and have another 10 that are to be culled.  We have 6 other families that want a share of pork and we will be happy to raise them for them, if they will pay for their feed and processing.  We’ll see how that goes.   But for right now?  We are so happy with our little pair of free piglets!  And excited to raise them. We’ve been reading and learning fast!  I was amazed to see that Butterscotch was trying to drink a little milk from a bowl, though Reeses could care less.  All she wanted was the bottle.

Tomorrow we are going to mix a little baby rice cereal with some milk replacer in the bowl and see if they will give it a try.  It’s amazing how fast they learn that you are the food goddess.  When I came back in the morning to feed them, they saw me and just raced over to the door, squealing and wiggling their little stumpy tails!   I almost couldn’t feed them both, they were climbing all over me and trying to grab the bottles like little piraña!  I got totally covered in the sweet milk dribbles from their little droolly chins.  But when they were all done and they clambered into my lap for scratches and sweet words, it was worth the sticky mess.  They really are adorable.

And no, that doesn’t mean I want to keep them forever or will go soft.  Because I’m pretty sure in a month or two, they will not be climbing into my lap anymore, nor will they be wanting bottles and soft words.  They will want food and water and maybe a donut or two as a treat, but they will be big and nibbly and on their way to becoming hogs.  So I want to enjoy their baby antics and adore their little silly antics while you should.  And help them to transition from factory baby to a sweet little hog gilt at a little homestead farm.

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