The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: pigsatlesrues on January 31, 2008, 10:54:49 am
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John has just been out feeding the pigs and noticed that Miranda, one of our Tamworth sows wasn't moving. He got in there thinking the worse and then realised that she was litterally stuck.
With the terrible weather with have had and three of them walking in and out of the the barn they sleep in, the mud had built up at the entrance - she had decided to lie in that particular spot and it must have been the 'slurp' effect. She was glued in! He had to use a shovel to ease her out! Three feet further in she has a lovely straw bed - perhaps she didn't fancy three in a bed last night!
Now she is tucking into her food none the worse for her squelchy experience!
John is now out there clearing the problem - not on the agenda of course - you just cannot plan your day when animals are concerned can you!
Kate
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I've noticed that after the very wet weather, then a nice drier spell thet our mud has taken on a very sticky consistencey. harder to get your wellies out of and more of it stays on them. weather was quite nasty last night and my lot banked their bedding up against the opening in the ark, they looked really snug. we are expecting quite wintry weather over next few days so i will attempt to fit a flap for them( which they will no doubt rip down).
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Ours have puddled a marsh so sticky that my boots just can t cope.
Kate Miranda was lucky that you and John take the trouble to carefully check your stock. I have known of others lose animals under such circumstances.
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I dared to stand in the same spot for longer that 2 seconds the other evening.........went to walk forward....right hand boot stuck solid in the mud......swayed around for a couple of seconds - bucket of feed in hand/pouring with rain - and then promptly sat down in the mud..............with 3 hungry pigs jumping all over me, cos I'd still got their food bucket. Hubby thought it hilarious when i told him >:( >:(
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i just hope your pigs were polite about it.
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As if. :-[ ;D
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Kate.. take a look at my blog around the July posts. My daughter just couldn't resist trying out her new muck boots in the porcine pond. Typical kid...lol
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Woody that is a fantastic sight! Bless her!
I bet she had a deffinate tinge of 'odour de cochon' after that!
Just make sure when she is older those photographs don't come out for the boyfriend!
Kate
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I took them to show her boyfriend...Anyway she can't date till she is 30. :Pjavascript:void(0);
Tongue
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YEAH OK! - I have three daughters - two married, one aged 13. Having gone through it all twice before, I have to do it all again and this one is far more cunning!! (Or is it me just a bit slower?) All to look forward to - NOT!
Kate
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Do you think it will ever stop raining?? I know it's winter but the ground is just so wet and awful
Kate, that must have been quite a scare to see a pig stuck. Did she mind being prised out with a shovel?? and Blinkers did you get a video as £250-00 from You've Been Framed for pics such as this and just think what you could do with that amount of money!!
We have good old Mrs.D in at the moment although she is a mite bored but we know where she is!! and Bramley, our Peitrain X is outside in a small enclosure with a nice new pig arc that has a floor so thankfully no mud for us, hooray. (Hmm hope I havn't spoken too soon)
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£250 !!! wow ..... all that feed I could have bought :o :o Sadly, even the cctv on the farm was pointing in the other direction....so missed out yet again! :-[
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Farmer Giles, a pig arc which the pigs have left the floor in HEAVEN.....
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Miranda didn't mind at all - relieved was the expression on her face. After a good munch she legged it into the straw and that was her for the day!
I have to say please everyone be careful out there. We have had a terrible day today. Having had a near miss today with the dogs and a piglet, we have lost two in the mud. They had their breaky this lunch time, a little later today because we had visitors, and were fine - an hour after eating John was walking around checking everyone and noticed the two of them covered in mud laid down. The wind had got up anyway so I guess it was the chill factor, but one had already died and the other died a little later in front of the fire. We are devistated, it has been horrible. We are going to evacuate all the smaller pigs to the barn at our other property. The ones still with their mums are fine thank the lord with the mums attending to their bedding all of the time.
We have used so much straw in such a short space of time, it seems impossible to keep on top of it. No sooner do you put in fresh dry straw they get it all wet and muddy. It is a nightmare and particularly since the meteo is forcasting 1 degrees tonight so with the wind factor it will be colder than that.
Please everyone check your animals regularly - we are out there all of the time since the incident with Miranda and still got there too late. The big ones have weight and size on their side but the smaller ones are very vunerable in this terrible cold weather.
Kate
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Hello Kate,
very sorry to hear about the little piggies.....I know it is one of those things that you have to cope with when you keep livestock , but it is still horrible when it happens. It was really windy here ( Wales ) all day till an hour or so ago and then back came the rain . Constant heavy rain now , instant Somme , but at least the wind has gone and it has been quite warm today . I really hope the weather eases for you soon !!! Just keep telling yourselves spring will soon be here. I HATE MUD ......
Hope all the other little piggies make it through ok, and that your straw lasts too ....
cheers
Russ
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Kate,
Iam so sorry to hear of the happenings in Normandy today.What a worry and upset. Have you managed to move the others yet, if you need some help I am sure we can do something.
Thanks for posting the information, I know it must have been devastating for you.
Carole
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:'( :'( :'( Oh I'm so sorry to hear your news....how absolutely dreadful for you. Just don't know what to say and I can only imagine the sorrow you are going through. Yes, Spring is around the corner.......everything crossed that the worst of the wet and s*****g mud is nearly over. :-*
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:( Oh dear, so very sorry to hear Kate. Hope all is well with your other wee ones, as Carole says thanks for the info will ensure I keep a watchful eye. Please let us know how you get on.
Andy
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:'( Oh Kate,
So sorry to hear your sad news, When my arc & piggies arrive I will certainly take your advice & be keeping a close eye on them. I never realised how treacherous the mud could be to them.
Take Care
Donna
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On another site it was suggested that bark chippings could be used in huge quantities to alleviate the mud problem. We would require way too much bark for our lot, however if you are starting from new and have reasonably cheap access to bark chippings it could be a way forward.
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Have moved them all inside the big barn today. Given most of them a warm bath/wash and they are now cosy snug and most of all warm. We took nine in eventually. Just kept looking at any of them that could be vunerable, so now it's just the big ones outside who can better cope.
Thank you all for your kind words - I would hate for anyone to go through this experience so with more bad weather coming in tonight I believe, everyone keep a keen eye on your animals.
Kate
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how sad to learn from such a harsh lesson. I feel like dashing out and putting a rug over my pigs . nature has a way of biting your backside to let you know who's in charge.
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Well done Kate for acting so quickly, things are never easy in this harsh weather
Ben