To say we have all been excited about the imminent arrival of our rare breed Gloucestershire Old Spot piglets on Saturday is an understatement. Somehow, through a mix of various circumstances and extreme enthusiasm, we are now having 3 piglets, not just 2 as originally intended! Various books have been read cover to cover, forum members on River Cottage and Country Talk & Tips have been quizzed, and near interrogated. At the end of the day, you can't beat experience, and that's about to happen! We have been careful too not to lose sight of the aim of this venture ...
So we've spent hours pouring over animal husbandry and cookery books ....
I can't wait for Christmas so we can relish in our own home grown air and salt cured hams. To losely quote Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, 'one eats home reared ham with an intense sense of satisfaction, bordering on smugness'!
It would be helpful if the GOS piglets weren't so damn cute though.
And a mansion fit for a King has been built by Dan. He is a carpenter after all and can't suppress his aim for perfection whenever he works with wood, not even for a piggy residence!
Dan will make an ark for your pigs, made to order (and perfection). He'll be making one for our garden and painting it for the kids to play in (the kids and I decided that, we haven't told him yet!).
If you also need some rare breed piglets to live in your ark contact rare breed enthusiasts Diane and Atholl. They have more than just rare breed pigs there ...
All we have is a couple of dogs and a couple of hamsters, but in my minds eye we have some hens, a few pigs, a rescued donkey, several acres....ah well.. Enjoy your pigwigs!
Posted by: Jo | February 13, 2007 at 08:35 AM
All we have is a couple of dogs and a couple of hamsters, but in my minds eye we have some hens, a few pigs, a rescued donkey, several acres....ah well.. Enjoy your pigwigs!
Posted by: Jo | February 13, 2007 at 08:36 AM
Ye lucky sod! I'll never be allowed. I was just thinking this morning that baby pigs are actually cuter than puppies.
When piggies are all grown up you'll definitely need a copy of Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie (www.amazon.co.uk/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298/sr=8-1/qid=1171358575/ref=sr_1_1/026-3855223-5522824?ie=UTF8&s=books).
Posted by: Conor O'Neill | February 13, 2007 at 09:26 AM
Looks as if they will have a piggy palace to live in. I've heard tales about people who would keep a pig at the bottom of the garden, between the wars. I'm told that the gentleman of the house would spend a great deal of time putting the world to rights with his pig. The day the butcher came he would lock himself in the house and cry for 24hrs, only to enjoy his roast pork the next week and the arrival of another piglet!
Posted by: carolyn | February 13, 2007 at 10:15 AM
Carolyn, it was only yesterday I was deciding where to put a little wooden bench by the piggy paddock, so I can sit there sewing my felt and talking to the pigs when the kids are at school!!! Apparently these 3 are partial to having their tummies tickled! Do you sit and watch your chucks too? I used to watch mine for ages, very relaxing and therapeutic for some reason! I wonder if chasing escaped pigs across fields will be therapeutic?!
Posted by: Rebecca (eco felter in rural Ireland) | February 13, 2007 at 12:24 PM
You lead an enviable life Miss Rebecca.
Posted by: Vallen Queen | February 13, 2007 at 05:08 PM
Last spring we began our maiden voyage as pig farmers. It's really fun!! They grow amazingly fast and they are fun to watch play and do their thing. This winter we have enjoyed our efforts fo the warmer months...bacon and ham have never tasted sooooo good!! Have fun and good luck!! Cami
Posted by: cami | February 14, 2007 at 01:28 AM
Ach, you'll love the wee little piggies. Just be sure you get in there at every opportunity and scratch their backs, tickle their ears and make them as tame as possible. This will help for the inevitable day when they escape.
It's much easier to round them up if they come to "pigs, pigs" or something and the shake of some grain in a bucket. On the negative side it does make it harder to take to slaughter or do it yourself. . .So never loose sight of what those porkers are about--Food!
We like to name our pigs things like Bacon, Ham, Saussie but this round the six little piggies (who narrowly escaped being called after those in the Tale of Pigling Bland) all got proper names as the children all know what their final end is about. I just call them all Pigling. It can also help to tell them apart--if you have two different breeds--once they're butchered. As in "Opal sure tastes better than Sambo. . ."
Good luck and enjoy them while they're small. . .they grow so fast (sob. .sniff)
Posted by: Podchef | February 14, 2007 at 04:54 PM
No excuse needed to want more Cotton Rabbits but I really loved the Panda ..and that picture of a stack of heads .
Posted by: Holly Cox | February 15, 2007 at 09:23 PM