3 January 2009
On the morning of 30 December things were a little odd in the girl’s pig paddock. Joy appeared to be trying to build a nest but would change location each time Phyllis decided she wanted to help. Arthur on the other hand was horny as hell and kept trying to mount Joy.
So much for leaving them all to just deal with it together.
Aaron was at work and I realised I would have to attempt a solution by myself. Quite frankly the only option was to try putting Phyllis and Arthur by the pond again. I rang Aaron and he wanted them roaming over the driveway so that we would have minimal use of electric wire. That meant scrubcutting the sides of the driveway so we could see where the pigs were.
After a couple of hours my scrubcutter blade was blunt. I had a think about Aaron’s idea and realised that would mean warning every visitor to be extremely vigilant about roaming pigs when they drove in. I wasn’t willing to risk the possibility that someone might either a) leave a gate open or b) hit a pig. So instead I set up the fencing in the same manner we had done just a few days before and then when Aaron got home we opened the gate to the paddock and Arthur and Phyllis quickly ran out when we waved dinner in front of their noses. Joy on the other hand stayed where she was, which was exactly what we wanted. With all troughs full of food we quickly finished putting up the fencing wire.
Phyllis wasn’t happy. She could see her shed and Joy but couldn’t get to either. She stood by the electric wire looking longingly across the drive. And so I took Phyllis on a circuit of the paddock, pointing out the stream, the pond and various other interesting features. She dutifully followed me around. We had almost done a circuit and I was showing her a good place to wallow when I looked up and saw Arthur coming out of their new home. I called him over but he was having trouble looking over the tall weeds to see where we were. I walked over to him and he grunted hello.
There was a sudden surprised grunt behind me. I turned around to look at Phyllis. She was clearly upset that I’d walked away from her. She bolted towards me and I assumed she’d stop. Wrong. She slammed in to me and nearly sent me flying. Being hit by 200kg of running pig is a little unnerving, however, she clearly wasn’t intending to hurt me, she was just making her feelings known. She stood next to me and I gave her a hug.
Her tail was still curly so although she wasn’t happy about the move at that point in time, it was just a temporary issue and she’d be happy Phyllis soon enough.
Aaron and I had dinner and then took the dogs for a walk. We looked for Joy in the shed but she was missing. Aaron discovered her up the top of the hill scraping out a nest area in the scrub. She was panting heavily and clearly in labour. Damn. I got a bucket of apples and took them up to her and got her to follow me slowly down the hill to the shed. I poured the apples onto the shed floor. She ate them and then unbelievably turned around and staggered very slowly and painfully back to the top of the hill.
Her nest area was tiny and to my untrained eye lacked any real nesting material. I used my hands to scrape a bigger area and took some hay up to her. Aaron decided at the very least we needed to erect a tarpaulin roof to keep the sun off her.
We took tree stakes, post rammer, tarp and staple gun to the top of the hill. We worked as quickly as possible while Joy ate dinner. With tarp erected we left, feeling much better.
The light was fading by then and although I wanted to sit with her while she had the babies I decided a night out in prickly scrub was impractical. So I left her to it.
2008 Closes
The next morning after feeding out I walked up the hill to see Joy. I was shocked to discover her nest empty and then I heard a grunt. She was at the back of the scrub on open ground. My heart sank a little as I realised my interference in helping to improve her nest had actually caused Joy to reject it. Left with little time to create a new nest she had literally wandered around to the back, hastily pulled out some weeds and flopped down onto the ground.
There was a cluster of 7 piglets snuggled up to her belly and then I noticed 2 stillborns on the ground behind her. I removed these along with the afterbirth and left Joy to enjoy breakfast and suckle the little pigglies.
During the day, as the temperature rose I visited Joy again. She’d decided to return to her old nest under the tarp, presumably to get out of the sun. The piglets were still around the corner. All I could see was a line of piglet bottoms. Their heads were buried in the weeds. I picked one up and it squealed fit to burst. I raced it around to Joy and she grunted madly. I assumed she was telling me off but amazingly she showed absolutely no aggression towards me.
I went and got another 2 piglets and both of them squealed as loudly as the first. Joy grunted continuously but then I realised it wasn’t aimed at me but at the piglets as she tried to calm them down. I don’t know if it was the squealing or the grunting but the other piglets suddenly wiggled their way through the scrub to mum and I left them to it.
Aaron was home for the day so we discussed what to do with the piglets. We weren’t happy having the piglets at the top of the hill, exposed to the elements and Joy so far away from water and wallowing. On the other hand, we’d interfered so much with Joy already that we were worried that any more and Joy might get pissed off and abandon the piglets.
I spent the morning painting the post and rail fence opposite the shed. The diesel oil paints on so nicely and I assumed I’d finish it in no time at all. However, as always, I’d under-estimated the time it would take. I wanted to be as quick as possible though as I needed the diesel to dry before the boys got out of bed.
It wasn’t to be though. At some stage Aaron came down the hill with the dogs and yelled out hello to Spotty. Spotty and Stanley came running across the paddock towards the shed and shoved their snouts through the fence rails. Their snouts and foreheads were instantly covered in diesel oil.
I had no choice but to stop my painting and walk away so that the boy’s would lose interest and wander off back into the paddock.
Aaron spent the morning building gates for the new duck and orchard paddocks. With only a couple of weeks before their arrival we need to make sure their entire area is properly fenced and gated.
Aaron came up with an excellent gate design using fence battens but although battens are fairly cheap each gate uses 11 battens and there’s about 9 gates in total to be made. I wasn’t relishing the spend but then Bev at Muriwai Valley Farm had a post and batten fence replaced and she let us take as much of the old fence away as we wanted. It meant hours of cutting away barbed wire from each batten but we won’t complain if something’s free.
Early afternoon the temperature was soaring and I went up to see if Joy still had water in her bucket. She’d tipped it over and was lying under the tarp clearly panting from the heat. Unable to leave her babies I went and fetched 2 more buckets of water and a towel. She drank heavily then lay down again. I spent the next 15 or so minutes continually wetting a towel and draping it over different parts of her body. Eventually she cooled down and stopped panting.
Mid afternoon Frank and Marge came over to see the piglets.
They dropped off fresh and smoked fish, stayed for a beer and then left. I went and gave Joy another towel bath.
Late afternoon the clouds started to roll in. Rain was predicted.
Aaron and I sat inside out of the heat eating smoked fish and drinking strawberry daiquiris.
As we started on our 2nd litre of daiquiris the heavens opened up and our block was battered with torrential rain. We stood on the deck discussing whether our tarp would stand up to it and what would happen if a tarp full of water collapsed on Joy and the piglets.
In my decidedly inebriated state I admitted I was having great trouble forming intelligent thoughts. Neither of us could come up with a plan for making a more stable roof that could be erected with ease within a couple of minutes so as not to upset Joy.
Did we dare try taking the piglets down to the shed and hope that Joy would follow? It seemed like a disaster in the making. Surely it would be taking our interference just a step too far?
As we discussed things the rain eased off and so we debated whether it would be better to leave things as they were. Aaron had checked the forecast and rain was predicted through the night.
And then the rain started again, just as torrential as before. I was pissed off at being so mentally challenged at that point. Aaron decided we had to move the piglets to the shed.
We headed down the drive in the pouring rain. I was feeling less than confident about my ability to get up and down such a steep hill in my condition. Undeterred Aaron picked up a large vegetable crate and a bucket of apples and we made our way to Joy’s nest. Aaron started feeding the apples to Joy and sent me in to get the piglets. The first step in to the nest and my feet went out from under me and I landed with a thud on my back. Although I managed to miss squishing the piglets it was less than an ideal start.
As soon as I picked up the piglets they squealed horrendously. I fully expected to be attacked by an angry Joy but instead she watched and grunted and when all the piglets were in the crate Aaron carried them down the hill and I walked Joy down with offers of apples.
When we were inside the shed I took each squealing piglet out of the basket and they ran rather clumsily to the back of the shed.
Joy meanwhile instantly started creating a hollow in the chip. She grunted continuously at the piglets and eventually she lay down. With some encouragement from me the piglets were soon snuggled up with mum.
I couldn’t believe the move had been so easy and without animosity from Joy.
As night arrived we knocked back more daiquiris. The 3rd litre proved to be too much for me and Aaron had to finish it. With only 10 minutes until the New Year I decided I needed to go to bed and lie down.
Aaron wasn’t far behind me.
2009 Begins...
Another year begins and our block is bursting with animal life.
We now have 6 piglets running around full of the joys of life, constantly docking in at the Joy station for a regular feed.
We lost 1 piglet at only 5 days old. We’re not sure how as it was outside the back of the shed. There were no marks on its small body so we have to assume that maybe it was crushed and that Joy then moved its body outside the shed.
It was a sad loss and having been the one to discover it, Aaron found it quite hard to deal with.
The next day Aaron was at home. Completely paranoid about losing another pig he spent much of the day checking and rechecking the piglets. And then he discovered another lifeless piglet beneath Joy’s back leg. He picked it up and tried to wake it but without success, and so, not knowing what else to do he massaged it’s little heart for what seemed like an eternity before the piglet eventually came back to life.
And now the wee piglets are 2 weeks old. Since they reached the 1 week milestone they have been ripping around the paddocks with mum. This is both a little scary and amusing to watch. The grass is quite long and the terrain hilly and rugged and yet despite the obstacles and possibility of getting lost they show little fear.
They stumble, trip and roll and zip around the paddocks in a style reminiscent of a younger Phyllis.
Spike and co are also currently sharing the paddock with Joy and piglets and so far it all seems very harmonious. I have seen the sheep watching the piglets racing around outside the shed and they seem bemused but unfazed.
At only 12 days old the piglets learnt how to wallow. This is scariest of all when they clamber into a big pool of mud with mum and slowly submerge themselves next to her. I do not know how they have not been rolled on or sucked under as she moves or stands up.
I have spent a lot of time with them on a daily basis and they are becoming quite used to human company. Even at 3 days old I had a couple of them sniffing my hand and scratching their ears on my gumboots. They still don’t like being picked up (I’m not sure any pig does) but occasionally I’ll get to rub a little tummy or scratch a back.
Overall Joy has been a reasonably good first time mum. She’s had to learn a few things very quickly and gets some stuff wrong but she seems to be coping well.
The thing I have been most impressed with though is her complete trust in both me and Aaron. I have read numerous things about the protective and aggressive nature of sows with babies but not once has she displayed any aggression at our involvement with her litter. Occasionally she’ll tell me off for outstaying my welcome but other than that she’s been good.
Phyllis is due in about 5 weeks time and she misses Joy terribly. Although they can see each other across the drive Joy has little time to spare for idle chit chat through the wires.
At the moment our plan is to reunite Joy and Phyllis in a couple of week’s time and then separate them again a few days before Phyllis is due.
As always we will be approaching this with some trepidation. We figure the piglets will be fast enough and strong enough to avoid mishaps with their aunt but I do worry there may be some unwanted aggression or jealousy aimed at the piglets.
Of course what I do find is that when I worry about something happening it doesn’t but when I don’t worry it does. Go figure…
The Flock Increases
Thyme our adult matriarch sheep blessed us with another little lamb last Wednesday. It was something of a shock. I’d realised 2 weeks prior that she was pregnant but had somehow calculated that she had a good 7 or 8 weeks to go. It was quite a shock to take the dogs for a walk after dinner and discover this cute little black and white spotted thing by its mother’s side.
Hazel and Tulip are also due and I am surprised it is now a week later and they have not yet given birth. We have fingers crossed for Hazel’s baby as the last one died after only 2 days. It had been so big we can only assume it was injured during birth. If it happens again Hazel will be sent to the butcher with the lambs we are sending off in March. I have high hopes that things will be okay though as her first lamb Treacle is now a very healthy and robust ewe.
A Box of Quackers
Last Friday afternoon Aaron arrived home with 2 boxes containing 11 young Indian Runner Ducks. We had ordered 15 but the breeder had lost a lot of eggs to rats.
Over the past few months we have fenced an L-shaped section of land in front of and to the side of the house. It contains our 2 orchards and an area planted in mainly native trees.
With our complete inability to raise chickens successfully we felt we needed another option for keeping our gardens free of insect pests. So we decided on ducks. So much nicer than chickens. What could possibly go wrong?
We’d spent hours digging out an area of the gully below the house and creating a dam so that the ducks could have a pond. Next we’d built a rather nice duck house next to the chicken coop and I’d painted it black with diesel oil. The dogs loved it, spending several hours in there while I scrubcut paths down the hill to the pond. Quite frankly, it was my idea of duck heaven.
I had assumed Aaron would place a bowl of feed next to the duck house and release the ducks into the house and then leave them too it. We hadn’t discussed it though and Aaron decided to take the boxes of ducks directly down to the pond.
He opened the boxes and out the ducks ran. Unfortunately they kept running, straight through the first post and batten fence and then through the deer fence and into Frank’s property, where upon they split up, ran in different directions and went into hiding.
My phone rang at work
“Hello”
“Well that was a waste of f***ing time wasn’t it?!”
“What??”
“The ducks! They’re all gone. They were ours for all of 30 seconds”
And so there it was, our latest animal disaster. Not to mention our latest financial disaster. I doubt I could have lost $200 that fast at a casino.
There was nothing to do but to leave work early. The boss was obliging but I was still an hour away from home.
An hour’s a long time for a duck on the run.
All the way home I begged the higher forces of nature, deceased relatives and friends, and even passing spirits to help out. This was one loss too many. I just couldn’t cope with another failure I needed help and I just couldn’t do it on my own.
Eventually I got home, raced inside, got changed and raced outside again. Aaron rang Frank and we climbed over the back fence into Frank’s deer paddock.
Frank appeared with a fishing net containing a duck. It was injured and pouring blood from a head wound. I clasped it to my chest and it seemed to take comfort from the gentle strokes down its back. We walked the fence line and I discovered 2 ducks hiding in the tall weeds between the 2 fences. Aaron captured one with the net and the other ran back into our property and hid in the gully. We had a look around for a bit longer but quite frankly the area to search was vast and the search seemed futile.
“What is it with you two and animals?” Frank was laughing. I have no doubt we are an endless source of amusement for our neighbours.
“Actually Frank, I’m thinking we should move back to the city and periodically burn $100 bills. We’d be less stressed and be achieving the same affect”.
The duck I was holding had stopped bleeding.
I looked at Aaron, “What do we do? Take it inside?”
“Nah. It’s better off with its mates. If it doesn’t make it it doesn’t make it.” Aaron took the 2 ducks and put them on our side of the fence. They ran towards the pond.
The duck in hiding appeared and then 2 more suddenly shot out of the grass. They all leapt into the pond.
We had 5. 5 wasn’t as good as 11 but it was definitely better than none.
We thanked Frank and called it quits.
We went back to the house and grabbed food, vegetable crates, hay, coffee sacks and roofing iron. Down at the pond we hastily erected a temporary house and placed the food next to it. The ducks were in hiding behind the dam so we left as quickly as possible.
Back up at the house we periodically peered down at the gully. The ducks were quacking noisily and spent much of the evening swimming and bathing. By late evening we had 8 ducks. I was feeling better about the situation. If they liked the pond maybe they’d stay and maybe they’d all return safely.
The next morning we tried to count the ducks by standing on a picnic table on the patio and peering through the trees and long grass but it turns out the ducks have excellent vision and as soon as I tried to look they would see me and quickly hide behind a tree. Eventually I went to take them food.
I did this by sneaking down the back fenceline and then calling out to warn them I was approaching. They heard, they saw and they ran. As they quickly disappeared over the back of the dam I swear I counted 10.
I put the food out and went back to the top of the hill. They returned about an hour later and as soon as I heard them splashing in the pond I stood back on the picnic table and peered down the hill again. I could only see partial bodies but I was sure there were 10.
I had assumed we would be getting the rather beautiful brown or fawn coloured runner ducks but again I had not communicated this to Aaron. He thought they only came in white. White is what we got. White with bright yellow beaks.
I realise now that this was a blessing as it would be impossible to see the ducks in the grass and trees if they weren’t white.
As for releasing them by the pond, well that was another fortunate incident as I am sure it is the pond that makes them stay.
Perhaps I should not talk to Aaron more often!
On Sunday I had less success with getting the ducks to see that I was a provider of food. One sight or sound from me and they were off running behind the pond and up into the overgrown native plantings. They disappeared for hours, letting out only an occasional quack.
I took a walk down the drive and into Spotty and Stanley’s paddock. I crossed the gully and walked to the top of the hill. From there I peered through the trees. There they were, not hiding as I expected but very comfortably seated in a group under a manuka tree on a grass patch they had nicely flattened out.
They looked very settled. This was a good sign.
They have continued to run off at the first sight or sound of me except for this evening. Finally they decided to hang around and watch what I was doing, quickly running to their food after I left.
I’m starting to feel good about this situation now.
