Flower Has Her Piglets

Hauling buckets of hot water

On January 6, 2015

Flower, our pig, surprised us and had her litter last night. We weren't expecting them for two weeks. Of course it had to be the coldest night of the winter! She had five, but we only have two living. She laid on one and crushed it, one crawled away from her and froze, and one was a runt and had breathing issues. We brought it in and tried to help it, but it didn't make it. So far the other two are doing well and we've put two heat lamps over them and Flower. They help a bit, but it is so very, very cold. I'm happy I threw a giant pile of hay in the stall yesterday and Flower was able to build herself and her babies a nice nest.  We're crossing our fingers. So far the piglets are thriving. I just went out to check them and they're nursing away. Its 10-degrees and feels like - 2 degrees. I'll keep you updated.

January 8, 2015

10:00 a.m.  The temperature is 3-degrees with a windchill of -13 degrees.  The barn is buttoned up as tight as we can make it with hay stuffed under every doorway.  The piglets are doing well.  I tried to take pictures, but the heat lamps make them "weird".  I found one more piglet buried in the hay.  I think it may have been laid upon and suffocated.  So Flower had a total of six piglets.  She won't be bred again until next November so that next time she farrows her piglets in March when it is hopefully warmer.  I'm really happy we put tarpaper around the beehives out back on Sunday when the temperature was in the 50s.  I can see the horses are wearing their blankets.  Tex must have put them on late last night.  The chickens and goats are tucked up and safe indoors today.