Sheila tried to take her barn door off its hinges yeterday. She has another door out into her field but decided that she wanted to get into the field – maybe to visit Tane?
She literally put her nose through the pales in the gate and lifted the old wooden gate off the hinges. I heard her grunting and went over and said: No Sheila. That is very naughty. Put the gate down.
So she did, and gave me this look.
Then she stuck her snout through and rattled at the gate until it came loose again. Then pushed the gate so it was just hanging on its chain like a row boat tethered to the top of the wharf at a very low tide.
Bad pig, I said, coming back to her. That is a very bad piggie. She left the gate and took a step back and looked at me with such fury then she opened her mouth growled then WHINED like a miserable dog. I have never heard her make this sound before. It was a high pitched frustrated sound. She cried out at me. Then she stormed outside and bit Tima, Tima screamed and then Sheila stormed back in.
Not me. I am not a BAD piggie, she cried.
I put the gate back on its hinges then took poor Tima to a new field with a nice warm house and locked her in there for her own safety (much to Tima’s relief). Then returned to Sheila. She had lost interest in the gate and was sleeping on her high pile of straw. Her back to me.
I have no idea what that was all about. But the barn is locked up tight in case she decides to break out again.
Here is Poppy – looking just the same as she did a week ago.
Tane the kunekune boar went so far out into the field yesterday that I had to ask Inaki to drive me down the road and drop me off so I could cut across the field and walk the pig home. It was very cold. The rain was blowing in little sharp shards of ice. And it took me and two dogs and one tired piggie a long time to trudge through the muddy field, our paws, trotters and boots fast becoming heavy muddy dinner plates, all the way back to the barn. Tane had a long drink then lay down and slept for the rest of the afternoon.
Of course the cows watched all the goings on with feigned interest. Mostly they were thinking about why they were not allowed out into the fields on that cold soggy day.
Alex is such a loner. Always a little apart. I will be watching her closely. Her udder is growing steadily. I still do not think she is due in June but we will see.
Not long now if all goes well we should be seeing some babies on the farm. The waiting is always the hardest especially with heifers. First time Mums and all that.
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
61 responses to “Growling Sheila”
Oh naughty Sheila. Maybe its a menapausal thing…and she is one big pig to confront
Wonderful shot of that pig….that’s a look:)
Maybe Sheila is bored. Needs some thing to push around. My dog gets like that when I thwart her efforts to get off lead if we aren’t in a safe area. They communicate very well.
Pauvre petite Sheila! And isn’t Alex gorgeous!
Love that Sheila looks you right in the eye. She so clearly wants to communicate to you her displeasure! Our Darby, donkey, will head out and nip another of the herd to show me she is unhappy with something I’ve done. She knows it makes me cross when she does that. I wonder what they’d write about us if they had blogs. Ha!
Might Tima be cycling? Hormones in the air can make everyone in the neighborhood testy.
Tima is due to cycle again in a week – i rather think it is Sheila who is coming into heat.. c
Hormones do terrible things to us.
I think Sheila is thinking she wants a boyfriend piggy…
I think you are right.. c
Naughty Sheila – is she a mad hormonal female at the moment?!
Yes she is THE mad hormonal pig at the moment..
I’m sorry to hear Sheila was so unhappy. Sorrier still she bit Tima. And sorry Alex is such a loner.
All better today. c
Oh dear . . . we all have our moments, I guess, so Sheila had hers. I was so miserable just getting out of the car at the grocers – I can only imagine trudging through a muddy field. I’ll be happy when this weather front passes. Snow, rain, sleet and sun – all in the same moments.
Sorry I have been missing so long, a little lack lustre and under he weather, even trying to read a blog post was tiring. I wish I had half Sheila’s energy… but it is slowly coming back. Poor Tima. Our weather is very mixed at the moment with some very sharp hail showers, I long for a little heat to warm my bones.
We have missed you! But not commenting is ok, when tired. Just take care you yourself as much as you can. OK? c
I am taking things very easy for the moment and it is helping.
Yes – let’s hope the sun comes out for you soon and you can sit in the sun with a cup of tea.
Snow is not uncommon for us in April, it tried hard to fall yesterday, but the ground was wet and the snow did not last. Sitting in the garden sipping tea/coffee seems a very long way off.
Sheila and Charlotte were sisters, were they not? Gorgeous picture of her for certain but just hope this is not the first of more showings of ‘hormonal imbalances’ she’s too big to be allowed her own way if so . . . keeping fingers crossed!
Perhaps it is this infernal damp, gray, chilly weather? The two mares, Sally & Ember have been constantly making ugly over the top of the hay feeder, they’ve been getting regular scoldings. Ember scraped the hide off Winston the donkey’s crest with her teeth, normally biting at that area is a form of play but it seems to have gone a little too far. Most everybody is kind of cranky, Fanny the goat is non stop bleating at me the whole time I’m out there. As if I can do anything about the weather! We have had snow showers almost daily and it really is just about enough now. I think everybody would be much happier and more pleasant with a little sun and warmth!
You may have covered this in an earlier post, but is there are reason you don’t put Sheila with Manu? It would be great to see Sheila with a bunch of little piglets! But maybe not practical for you?
Sheila, we are with you in your hour of trouble; lust doesn’t always pay.