Sallygarden Smallholding - The Forum For Sustainable Living

Hi all,
Thought i would tell all of our newest arivals. Our first two Gloster Old Spot weaners. Two bundles of squeeling joy!!!!!
Must admit, nothing was much of a surprise(yes i brew my own!!). I think we must of read anything and every thing about pigs. So,for instance, when it says escape artist, it means it. They are! Apart from one minor incident, ok majour escape(we found them up the field asleep under the hedge) Things have gone pretty smooth(ish)The learning curve has been short and sharp. I now know how to shake the feed bucket in the correct manner. Brace my legs to act as a mobile scratching post. Be steered back to the pen from any where in the field. How to come when called for scratching duties etc. To much fun to get much work done though.
Regards
Diz

Hi Diz,

It sounds like the new arrivals are training you well. Have you read "The whole hog" by Lyall Watson, a good one for getting inside the mind of a pig and may help you keep one step ahead of the G.O.S's.
Good luck with the piggies.
Morag

Well done Diz, It's the start of a wonderful journey! What are you feeding yours? Pre prepped or your own concoction?

Regards,

Morgan

Hi Morgan.
I can see now how they can become adictive. They have certanly kept us entertained. The local farmers seem to have taken an interest too. Slow drive pass with craning necks seeking a peek. The neibours kids bring there friends over for a look as well. The pigs enjoy the new company, obliging with a role on there backs for a tummy rub.
At the moment i am feeding roled barly and oats with toasted soya. Also trying to recycle the veg cuttings with them. But there not that interested at the moment.(much to the relief of the chickens!) I am using the soya untill i can source a non gm alternative. They seem to be doing well on this mix so far. The breeder used roled barly and soya. His stock looked good, so why change something that works.
Diz

Peas are a good source of protein too, if you want to go gmo free. We feed ours barley, wheat, oats, maize and bread. We run all the fruit and veg we collect through a garden shredder (otherwise they can be a bit pickey). We then mix it up into a sort of porridge, they just love it!

If you need any advice, just drop a line.

Regards,

Morgan

Thank you Morgan,
We never grew any peas this year as i am the only one who eats them. Stella wants the pods to make wine!!! So i may benafit from a good headache and the pigs from protien.
Never thought of using a garden shredder. What a good idea. A usefull chrismas prezy Im sure.

Yep, it's kind of funny how the local farming community reacts. I've had a few visits myself. Everything around here is cattle and sheep at the moment, so the pigs seem to have stirred up memories of days of yore, I get to hear so many pig related childhood memories from the locals (i'm a blow in).

The the old stories are fantastic. A neighbour of ours told us of his sow who he once brought a few miles over the hill to a local boar when she was first in season. After that she would casually leave his farm and do the journey herself, disappearing for a few days to the farm over the hill, and returning on her own accord with the job done!

Once she didn't reappear so he went searching and found her down a hole, she'd been attached by dogs, one of her ears had been bitten off. He dug her out and she was fine, and still did her seasonal journeys to the boar, just minus one ear!

A neighbour of ours had a sow that did the same, went off for a bit of fun and then came home