Our Little Sausage Roll

Jamie is a gentle giant of a breeding boar.
Katie rudely calls him "Sausage Roll" due to his tubular shape and also, ya know, he's made of sausage.
We think he and Halvah have another family of piglets on the way in July.

Thanksgiving

It's dreary and chilly on Thanksgiving Day, but all the animals are toasty in their straw beds.
Isn't this new heifer calf the cutest baby ever?

New Piglets Have Arrived!

Halvah delivered eleven healthy piglets all by herself early this morning!
I checked her late last night then proceeded to sleep in for the first time in a long time.
Becky woke me with a silky soft rooting little piglet on my pillow.

Introducing "Jamie" (with a cameo apperance by Gooseberry)

Tragically, after my last post in which we were still deciding between "Casanova" and "Jamie" for the new Gloucestershire Old Spot breeding hog's moniker, the local tv station called to ask questions about the pigs. Being on the spot to tell on live tv what the pig's name is, I blurted out "Jamie" and now he's named.
It was only later that I read Laura's (from Good Enough Farm) comment that she wanted "Casanova."
You can't please all of the people...
Why was the tv station asking me about our pigs, you may be wondering?
Last month, Garcia walked off of the farm and has never been seen again. The news had a story about him being missing and lots of people wanted to know if he'd ever been found. No, he hasn't, but Katie decided to keep breeding rare, heritage breed pigs. Hence the follow up story on Jamie and Halvah for closure on Garcia for the community.

I took this picture of Gooseberry on my way up the back stairs from getting a portrait of Jamie and I like it.

Brand New Piglet! or: Why I Should Try to be a Submissive Wife

There are two separate and distinct little piglets represented in these three photos.
When our new Gloucestershire Old Spot boar disembarked from the truck and ran to the center of Opal's ten piglets, Danny told me, "Be careful that you don't sell him by mistake this weekend."
I laughed and mocked him for a little while with the idea that I could never mix up the brand new purebred with my own, my precious, mixed breed piglets.
So, the top photo is one of the ten photos I snapped of one of Opal's piglets, thinking it was the new pig.
The bottom two are really and truly the new guy.
He's a "blue group" GOS. The breed is separated into four "color groups" to help keep inbreeding to a minimum.
FYI: it's hard to see well through a camera lens!

Good Morning, Farm

Here's Garcia, having his breakfast.
I'm glad that he loves us and is always kind and gentle.

Garcia

Katie proudly owns a purebred Gloucestershire Old Spot boar called Garcia.

Dan and I went with her to West Virginia to pick him up in April.
He and Opal got married immediately and are expecting piglets on August 18th, which also happens to be Garcia's second birthday.

He's a joy to have on the farm. He's a gentle as a kitten (don't worry, we realize that a boar can turn dangerous) and as friendly as a Labrador puppy.
Yesterday, when Katie's little piglets went into Garcia and Opal's pen, Garcia herded them into a muddy corner, settled down sleepily, and let them scamper all over him.
Katie said, "It's good that Opal and Garcia are babysitting the piglets since they're going to have their own soon. This is good practice for them."

Next on the Agenda

Katie reckons she's ready to step her pig business up a notch by making the move from raising a pig for the freezer to breeding heritage hogs.
Gloucestershire Old Spots are an endangered old breed who are supposed to be docile and well suited to being pastured.
Here's an 1834 painting of a "GOS" pig.
I think Katie's pigs will lend a rustic air to Providence Farm.