In the mornings when it is sunny (and not too muddy yet) I let the kunekune’s Tima and Tane out for a walk. Tane goes straight out to the South field. Tima heads the other way – down the drive right to the end and picks through the field in the East. There was corn in there you see, last summer. There just might be a kernel of two left behind. And Tima works the corners she has some kind of system to cover all the areas where the big machines turned and possibly dropped little piles of corn.
As you know Tane will not be called back in, he comes when he is ready, usually by lunchtime I see him heading back to the barn then he lays about in the sun and out of the wind and waits for Tima to come in from her hunting and gathering.
The trick is to keep him in, if he wanders back out again and walks too much more his poor old dodgy hip begins to hurt and he is a limping old man when he gets up the next day and we won’t hear the end of it.
Tima will come when she is called but NEVER comes in by herself. She fiddles about out in her corner until the dogs and I walk all the way down to the letterbox about lunchtime, apples or carrots in pockets. She turns and watches us walk all the way down there to the letterbox collect the scant offerings of useless paper and once we are half way back down the track on our return journey, calling to her, ” Tima! Come Home! ” she will start to trot along in lazy pursuit.
She always stops at the puddles to stomp through the ice with big wacks with one hoof like splitting kindling, to have a drink of ice cold rain water, then continues on to the barn. With her escort of course.
Once we reach the barn Tane heaves himself up and leads us all into their apartment. Each little pig gets more apples and carrots and within minutes they are curled up asleep. Exhausted from their busy morning. They top and tail – almost always, curving into each other like worn slightly fuzzy-edged pieces of an ancient toddlers jigsaw puzzle.
Even though it has not been too cold for too long that bad night a while ago resulted in two cases of frostbite. Chickens with big fleshy combs like this are not well suited to a cold environment. The tips of the comb will dry up and fall off. War wounds in the world of chooks. They are still laying, and recovered well.
How do you think Mr Flowers knows exactly how long his tail is. He always lays down with his tail perfectly laid along a surface behind him. Like a girl on her yoga mat.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
87 responses to “Tima! Come Home!”
I love that picture of Tane peeping round the door. And as for bearleader TonTon trotting happily beside the homing pig – fav-u-lous. A really enjoyable post today.
love,
ViV x
Yes i have put the header into my little farm book file – the kids will love that one.. c
Great pictures. Tima and Tane what a double act! I thought your observation of how Sheila perceives you was so funny. Two different life forms or a baby that brings food! Priceless 😃
Though I am still unsure how she perceives me.. sweetly I know that.. c
I just can’t get enough of Tima and Tane! Love seeing their daily routine.
They are the nicest of animals.. c
I want to repeat what Veronica said above. This is exactly how I feel too.
Can’t help wondering, “What is Ton thinking as he escorts TIma home?” you have to ad it now wonderful it is the various ani Al’s all get along, especially the cats, birds, dogs, chickens.
Do the chickens’ combs hurt? Or are the combs something like our fingernails. And isn’t it amazing Mr. Flowers has such a sense of himself and where he is in relation to what is around him. I think there’s a medical term to describe this sense but I don’t know what it is.
Spatial awareness? The combs – yes I think that initially they do hurt. This girl was walking backwards every now and then and shaking her head ever so slightly for a few hours. Luckily I found her and moved her in the night to a sheltered warm spot. But she never stopped laying or eating and never went fluffy so I guess it was a rough headache. c
You have to add how wonderful it is the animals
I too, am enjoying being part of the morning routine. I think you are a very good observer and recorder of your animal family group. I imagine having your tail feathers kinked wouldn’t be very comfortable, so Mr. Flowers arranges himself just so.
Yes, and he never kinks them he has always made an allowance for their length but they grow so fast, so that allowance must grow too – maybe they are like cats whiskers.. c
Pigs are as full of personality as dogs. I adore pigs. (and sheep, and cows, and goats, and horses, and cats and dogs…and well… I think you get the picture. 🙂 )
Linda
Yes!! I bet you are enjoying watching your cow visitors now. c
I am!
That photo of Tima and Ton Ton – classic!
I have filed it into the good file!
Your writing today is extraordinary.
Thank you Audrey. c
I miss our pet pigs! We had one, she grew to be about 700+ lbs – Penny- and just as spoiled as yours. We didn’t (purposely) let her roam about – too close to the road & highway, however; several times I came home from work and she would not be in her pen. Think she liked her games of hide-and-seek with me – grrr – LOL. Last year we tried our very first teacup pig – Maggie. Loved her too, unfortunately they need a calmer household than ours is right now. Some day we would love to have them again – not till my grandson gets a lot older. Thank you for sharing, brought back some fun memories!
700 pounds! Goodness. I have no idea how much Sheila weighs. Is a teacup pig really the size of a teacup? c
I love those pigs of yours! I’m seriously considering getting a couple of piggies (American Guinea Hogs) in the next few years (but this spring I get to have Baby Girl #2, so that’s enough for 2016, I think). We’re vegetarians, so they’ll be pets who earn their keep by tilling fields and keeping the weeds down. But we don’t have a barn for livestock — I’d have to build them some sort of smaller shelter, maybe something like your pigs’ semi-circle shelters, but better insulated and protected from drafts for the winters. I’ve heard that AGH are cold hardy, but what do you think, given how your pigs like their barn when it’s cold out?
My barn is similar to living in a colander – no colder inside than outside but dry and out of the wind, so if they have a shelter that keeps them out of the rain and wind and there are two of them – they will be fine. Lots and lots of straw and ventilation – seems to work. I would sleep Sheila out in hers but she has the twins to teach and no point me traipsing all the way out there to feed her.. c
I always heard that kunekunes made great companions, but never realised how much until now!
They really are the perfect pet, if you have a big back yard! She also is a snuggler like a big cat. c
I second that, Percy and I have a chat every day. After he has his say he tilts his head to the side to look at me as if to say ‘you know what I mean?”. He’s very disgruntled if he doesn’t get his daily dose of attention but gets very cranky if I try to give it to him at meal time! Even when he’s totally buried in his bed he gives his little hello grunt when he hears me out and about.
A girl on a yoga mat .. Love this! Squabbling amongst my birds has seen the odd damaged comb. Never a pretty sight. Love those kunes …
Fabulous! I would love to take a shot like this!
C. I’m so sorry to have missed this but I didn’t realize Tima lost more than one baby. Was it 2 in the same pregnancy? The images of those two trotting home today then snuggling together are so endearing. Those Kunes! Who wouldn’t love them?