Sheila lives in the Corridor Paddock and sleeps in the Sun Room of the barn. But when she lays down she makes sure that her snout is poking through the gate that leads to the corridor in the barn. Like a short stout periscope. Her nose is always sure to get a wee scratch as I move to and fro. It is as though she watches and tastes life through her nose.
Charlotte flatly refuses to come down to the barn (I tricked her in once when it rained and she proceeded to bash her way back out) and remains in the Rat House Paddock. She will let me in to clean her bowls but gets upset if I let the dogs follow me in. So we just leave her be down there until it is time for her to leave. As long as it is quiet she is quiet and the fights through the fence are not as frequent but still daily.
It looks like this little piglet has his eyes closed smelling the flowers.
Daisy – No milking yet Daisy, still seven months to go.
I am developing a whole new set of muscles dragging the Chicken Ark across the fields. I shift them three times a day and they are voracious when they eat their grass, they pick out the alfalfa and clover first and even manage a few dust baths . We spent a lot of time watching them yesterday, they have a shady cool run and every single one is healthy and active.
The clean up crew is out!!
Good morning! I slept in until 6.15 this morning (horrors) so I am off out to see to my animals before they start to call out to me. A short post. Today has dawned clear, so I hope it stays this way and the hay dries. Though the powers that be at the weather station have taken out the threat of rain today, thunderstorms are still forecast for tomorrow. We hope to bale tomorrow. So lets hope the storms avoid us for the day. They would if there was no hay laid out to dry.
Have a lovely day. I had better hit the ground running. I will be feeding everyone in my nightie this morning!
Love, your friend on the farm, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
56 responses to “Periscope Pig”
I just love the piggie stopping to smell the flowers. ❤
Have a lovely day!
Couldn’t resist the piggy periscope. 😀 Lovely pics
Lovely pics as always. Piggie periscope is adorable!
i slept in this morning too. i never do this as i am usually up before 4:30. i think the heat and humidity are getting to me. i hope your rain holds off!
Layabouts the pair of us!! NOT!!! c
That is not a little piglet, goodness they have grown so quickly. Good luck with the hay tomorrow, i hope the weather is good to you and your alfalfa.
They LOVE to be out in the field too, if they seen me opening their gate they rush over barking and squealing madly. All but one stays within the electric fence. One goes under it , then comes back the same way. I guess he does not mind the shock! c
Did you have to teach your pups to not chase the animals? Or do herding breeds just not do that? My cockers, even my 15 yo, would never be that calm around chickens. They both would try to chase horses and cows even. Granted, they are flushing/retrieving dogs.
Both the dogs are trained to stay on the command Down while I am working with the birds. If one gets out, Ton will try to herd it back and Boo will want to leap up and actually retrieve it. So they both are given the command to go Down and Stay. Otherwise they don’t bother with them at all. I can send Ton out to check them in the day by calling Ton, See Chicks, he will run out to the Ark, check the perimeter, then lie down and watch. If I see him doing that then I know nothing is amiss. Boo seldom goes anywhere without me. If i am working with the larger animals Boos command is to Get Behind, (me) and Ton will work on walking the animals forward or whatever. They are never in the fields with me unless they are obeying some kind of command. They are certainly not allowed to run free in there, the fields are too small for a stampede!!. For a while Boo was tied to the fence, if I thought he might chase something and I needed him out of the way. My grandfather had cocker spaniels. Lovely dogs.. c
We raised a batch of Freedom Rangers in a chicken tractor earlier this spring. They were the meatiest, tastiest birds we’ve ever raised, and really grew fast.
They are growing fast, soon I will have to slow them down, glad yours were tasty, I think this may be an annual event. Everyone wants chicken!! c
Well, periscopes are used to gaim information, aren’t they? Perhaps using her proboscis in the same way is just one of Sheila’s ‘coping mechanisms’ at the moment ? And your chooks surely show as much intelligence in picking out the alfalfa [Mmm, I like it too 🙂 !] and the clover first . . . oops – 6:15 am, how terrible . . . . I’ll be having my morning coffee in bed about an hour later tomorrow morning methinks !!!!!!
Proboscis.. an excellent word. One day I will write the text for the farmy pages with my eyes actually open and my brain in gear!! Then I might come up with words like that too!! morning eha, off to bed now! c
Yes, but, Miss C – I have had 16 hours of work behind me and now it IS time to say ni-ni! [And a piggie’s snout is called that, isn’t it Miss C 😉 !]
Oh, yes, how I remember the rain on the freshly-mown alfalfa…
I want to know where Charlotte is going..I keep asking but not yet seen a reply……pork chops
or rehome
A fighting pig cannot be rehomed, her moods change very fast and she is dangerous, so she is going to the abattoir with the steer. Her life will not be wasted, and this is the way of a farm especially a small sustainably managed farm like this one. My truck driver neighbour is still away on vacation so for the moment she is in the back paddock. Sorry you missed that post. It is always good to have these things clear. Thank you for asking. c
i understand completely..thank you for taking the time to explain
I hope you caught up with the day! I’ve had a few lately where I’m snapping at the heels of all the work there is to do… (Doesn’t help that the sun is coming up later and later, if you ask me.)
The snout is a calendar shot if ever I saw one! What a peaceful bunch of photos today. It looks like life on the farmy is good right now. Fingers crossed the hay baling is dry.
I never ceases to amaze me how soft a piggy snout looks and yet it can dig through rocks and ne’er a scratch! A lovely thing to be sure!
christine
very good point! You would think they would be as hard AS a rock! c
I love how animals have their own personalities. Makes it all very interesting!
Just to say tha nk you for the personalised update – it cheered me up no end. Can’t type any longer – it hurts to sit up! Keep happy. Love, ViV
Viv!! There you are,wonderful that you can sit up for a while! I am so glad you are on the mend! c