[mowhaugh]

Doreen spends quite a lot of time each day harvesting the long nettles in her orchard.  She folds them over about 3 inches from the ground and bites them off.  When she has done this with a metre or so of nettles, she uses her snout to push them into a neat pile.  She then picks up the whole pile, and carries them into her ark, spreading them out carefully over her straw bedding.  Is this normal???

[Ladygrey]

Thats what mine do/did when they are nesting and expecting piglets, I had a sow line her whole bed with bunches of daffodils she had picked!!

[shygirl]

mine did this too a week before farrowing. is she in-pig?

[HappyHippy]

Like Lady Grey, the only time I see mine do this is when they're nesting 
Maybe she's feeling the cold a bit and wants to top up her bedding ?
As long as you're sure she's not pregnant I wouldn't worry about it too much 

[Berkshire Boy]

If she is feeling the cold she needs company to cuddle up to.

[mowhaugh]

Thanks guys, she hasn't been near a boar, so I don't think it is piglets!  I will see what we can do to insulate her ark better in case she is cold, it is definitely not a lack of straw!  Berkshire Boy, you are right, she does need company, but as she had been kept alone for the past several years, I thought she might not take kindly to a companion she didn't know, and had planned to keep one of her first litter of piglets (desperately trying to find her a husband!) - do you think it would be better to find her some company ASAP, and if so, what age of pig would be best, and how do I introduce them?

[Berkshire Boy]

If it was me I would get a youngster in. Pigs have a heirachy and a smaller pig will know its place and let Doreen be boss so no threat to her. If you can keep them separate so they can meet with a fence in between that will be good. I must say that I tend to put new pigs in together straight away with plenty of room so they can run away if necessary, you get a bit of argy bargy but they soon settle down.

[mowhaugh]

That's grand, thanks for the advice.  Off to look in Marketplace...

[JulieWall]

one of our weaners kept carrying the water bucket into the pig arc and sticking it right in the back corner. we swapped it for a Belfast sink in the end as I couldn't keep crawling into the pig arc to retrieve it. It was funny though.
I was wondering if your pig was feeling broody? Could she be in season and wanting a mate?

[mowhaugh]

Quite possibly, Julie, I have spent all morning leaving phone messages trying to find her a husband, hopefully someone will come back to me.

[shygirl]

ai is easy and cheap.

[mowhaugh]

ai is easy and cheap.

I think I am just a bit scared of it because I am new to pigs! Starting with, how on earth do I tell if she is in season?

[HappyHippy]

Her vulva will be swollen (sounds strange, but start looking at it every day and you'll spot the change  ) She'll also stand rock steady when you press on her back end, sometimes they seem a bit more in need of attention and scratches, sometimes they take an immense dislike to someone (usually the OH of the person who's pig it is  ) and sometimes they break through every fence imaginable in the hunt to find a boar 
At the first sign of her standing to back pressure with a swollen vulva (always check back pressure without food because they'll stand to back pressure sometimes if they're eating when you try it) get on the phone to Robert at Deerpark (ideally, for same day postage/next day delivery you need to phone before 10.30am). Tell him you're a newbie to AI'ing and ask for the instructions, catheters for a sow and a dose of 'Malcolm' Large Black semen and you'll be all set 
Ditto the company - keep a porker to keep her warm through the winter and you can send it off when she farrows  We never have a problem mixing sows with much smaller pigs, the wee ones know better to challenge for 'top pig' spot and they're quick enough to get away from the sows in the case of a disagreement - as long as they have plenty of room to run. A couple of days at most is all it'll take for them to settle.
HTH
Karen x

[mowhaugh]

Perfect, I have a plan of action, thank you!