Finally...piglets

It seemed we would never have more piglets on this farm after last winter. As always we watched and recorded all breedings, yes we are voyeurs in that sense. We have to be since none of them will keep handwritten logs of their romantic activities and we’re too small for hidden candid camera stuff.

So, sure we saw our girls being courted in Jan. and Feb. and thus we fully expected piglets the usual 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 3 dog nights later, which would’ve been in May and June. But the belly growth was slow.

Our first “spring” litter was born, quite independently I might add, on July 4th. Dot, our last crossbred sow  was bred to Mad Max in January or so we thought. But May came and went and so did June. Apparently Max froze up during the coupling, not enough heat to keep things moving in other words. Or maybe they were never mating at all, just hugging for warmth.

But the dry spell was broken with Dot’s beautiful litter of 10 half breeds. (It’s OK to use that term in this situation as pigs are not at all politically correct…ever)

Since she is one mixed up pig, our last confinement piglet purchase 6 years ago and was bred to a full Red Wattle, that would make her piglets…super cute! Some have dots like their mama, some have wattles like their daddy and one has stripes like the postman pig who visited the farm 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and 3 dog nights ago.

I apologize. Should’ve just done the 3 dog night joke just once but come on…it’s funny!

The low temps affected Max’s other wife, Clarissa as well. We thought she would farrow in June and here we are July 9 and still no stork.

No piglets either.

Our other boar apparently could not take the chilly bedroom activities any better that Mad Max. Wally had been left with 4 Red Wattle sows this past winter and 2, Mrs. Dalloway and Sklar, had expected farrowing dates also in May and June.

They are now wearing their biggest stretch pants and will most definately be mothers soon but they obviously missed their projected farrowing dates too. We should see babies from them in a couple weeks. The other two gal pals of Wally, Marie and Lydia, were due in July and August but the August girl Lydia, did not take at all and was rebred just last month. Now her litter won’t come to fruition until OCTOBER!

So what does that all mean? Well customers who reserved carcass hogs, breeding stock and feeder pig stock are now having to get them later then they had planned. Which means their customers will get their bacon later than they had planned. Which means our expected income for this summer will also be delayed. We encouraged our customers to call other Red Wattle breeders to see if piglets were available sooner and a couple did but seems there is indeed a great shortage of all kinds of hogs here in the Midwest. So all these customers (as well as these two farmers) are waiting patiently for their piglets and their future bone-in pork chops to arrive.