One Day Old Piglets
Molly is a nervous mother but holding her own. Very new and totally shocked at the sheer number of miniature pigs running around her feet. But if a piglet squeals she freezes and waits for the little ones to regroup before continuing. She is eating and drinking well and, as you can see, so are her eleven piglets. Number eleven is lying right on the far left – partially obscured by her mothers back leg. She is red. There are a few that are a bright red.
Molly is still on lock down in the back pen with the lights on all night so she can see where her piglets are but the big doors are shut. But she is pretty annoyed about not being able to go outside to use the toilet. I will open it up on Day Three. For the moment we are just consolidating and learning how to stay safe.
Molly’s feed bowl is permanently full now – she is on All you can Eat – firstly because this stops her jumping up hungrily when I approach but mostly because she is feeding ELEVEN very hungry babies. Her diet is very diverse now, heaps of dairy, sunflower seeds, molasses, sweetcorn, oats and greens. She gets to the best of all the table scraps now too.
The light was so low and I was giving Molly heaps of quiet to work things out – but I think this shot (above and way below ) says it all! I will get more today.
Next is Tahiti probably in another week or so.
The pigs are in the same barn as my milking room. So I am having to reroute the cows milking route so I can set up another private back pen for Tahiti.
I have to tweak my plan as I cannot have cows traipsing through next to her farrowing pen twice a day so hopefully I have time to train the cows to another door.
We did alright yesterday though Lady went and sulked in the chook house afterwards.
During milking time I turn my music up loud (I put my phone in a pot as I have not fancy speakers, it works) – Molly is used to this – this way Molly does not get frights from the milking noises.
Here is that shot again. Wonderful aren’t they. So far so good. Now I will go out and see how they fared in the night.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
47 Comments on “One Day Old Piglets”
Leave a Reply
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER:
DO A LITTLE SHOPPING:
Thank You So Much For Your Kind Help with Maintaining This Blog
thekitchensgarden 
They are precious. Do they take turns on the teats? Just curious, as there are 11 of them and 6 teats per side (or so it seems) and they don’t seem big enough to reach the top row? Dear Molly…she may be nervous, but she looks like she’s doing her job brilliantly.
How amazing! I bet that lot will be a handful but very entertaining at the same time 🙂
Never seen quite as many like piggies and all the different colours too. Quite amazing!
Never seen quite as many little piggies and all the different colours too. Quite amazing!
Do table little piglets!
Adorable. Dang autocorrect!
Precious little poppets.
Have a lovely day C.
🙂 Mandy xo
So fabulous! Looks like Molly is going to be a wonderful mama!
That picture of Lady A sulking in the chook house is priceless and so funny – calendar worthy 🙂 11 for a first timer must be daunting, they all look so cute, looking forward to their adventures. Laura
I love the Milk Bar scene with eleven tiny piglets all in a row. I hope that Tahiti’s birthing goes as smoothly and that you have the extra towels ready and waiting.
Babies! *sigh*
11 piggies….. i’m still amazed and that photo is just amazing.
Wonderful photos – Well done Molly!
Had a good laugh at Sulky Lady 😀
An all night milk bar
That’s a wonderful collection of photos but then, you always have wonderful photos that make me so envious of the rich lifestyle you have. Funny, I would long for your lifestyle over someone living in a big fancy house and driving big fancy cars. Yours is rich in so many ways I can’t even count. Except for ZZZZ’s. You don’t have enough of those most of the time. 🙂 I do NOT envy the amount of work you have to put in to this extraordinary life of yours. Thank you so much for sharing all of this.
And I second those thanks for your sharing your days with us! I have learned so much, thanks to you. Much love, Your Gayle
Great pictures, and a timely reminder of why I love pigs. 😉
Amazing – looks like a vast seashell. The other pics are excellent, too
Ahhh, all those little piggies look so sweet all lined up like that. It won’t take long before they’re up and bouncing all over the place…. so many of them this time with two mamas’ litters. It will be so much fun, if it doesn’t drive you crazy… haha Must be an extra bit of fun and excitement for your visitors. That’s hilarious about Lady A going off to the chook house and she didn’t just go to sulk! She is lying down as if she’s in full residence there. What a diva!
Yes, as “insearchofitall” has suggested, with all this activity I also hope you can get enough sleep. In the meantime, I hope you have a lovely day too. ~ Mame 🙂
Piglets!! It’s so hard to believe that once upon a time, I was that small too. They are adorable – each and every one. And I bet they all have their own little personalities. I know I did! Snorts and oinks sweet friend. XOXO – Bacon
Aww. Yay, Molly! Feeding babies is hard work.
With the added work on your plate, I can well imagine life in the sweltering humidity after so much rain, and the high temperatures this week. Take care of yourself, my friend. And bravo to Molly… so resilient!
Ditto everyone above and especially insearchofitall. Lady in the chook house truly is calendar perfect. Just hilarious! Such high drama on the farm. No wonder most farmers don’t travel much. They have all the world, all the drama, all that life can possibly offer right at their feet.
Poor Molly must be a tired girl, first from making all those babies, and now having to feed them. She truly deserves a rich and varied diet. Roll on the day when you can show us tiny piggy faces and hooves and adorable little snouts…
What a lot of piglets! WOW!
It looks like things are going well, that always helps. I think Molly is doing a marvelous job so far. Of course, you’re doing everything to help her succeed. Lady A, a cow with her nose out of joint, very funny. Go sulk with the chooks, right now Molly and babies have center stage.
My theory for the milk bar: when the six drinking are sated, Molly grunts once and all piglets shift to the right and the last one gets up and moves to the front of the line. Sated piggies nap, hungry piggies drink, everybody stays warm and cozy. That’s my theory and I am stickin’ to it.
The piglets are so lovely!
Lady Astor sulking in the chicken house is so funny and adorable, I had to set it as my desktop background. Love it! She’s definitely a Lady Diva, huh??!!! big smile
I have read that when piglets are born they choose a teat and that is their spot for the duration. Some teats get much better milk than others, which is why some runts (who get the last choice on the teat) never grow as well as their siblings. I don’t know that this is really true, just what I have read! Maybe you can comment on that, Celie! I know that my twin baby goats have an udder side that is chosen and adhered to throughout the lactation.
Hmm – I have not even thought about it – I will observe further.. c
You know, I read that too. But I watched 4 week old piggies vie and push and shove brothers out of the way for a go at every nipple close at hand (or mouth). So that might be a myth. Or maybe our little fatties just didn’t read the same pig research we read. 🙂
Oh the little piggies are so cute! That cow looks slightly perterbed that you’ve alter the milking route, what a face!
Was so happy to get your post. Molly is doing a great job and the little piglets are just adorable. Kisses to all the farm animals. Hope you’re getting some sleep!
Welcome to all that cuties! And all my best wishes for you, my dear Celi! ❤
Ha! And the father is – Manu! Isn't it? Well done, good guy!
Yes the father is Manu – a good boar!
and we all hope everyone on the Farmy has a lovely day!
Don’t blame Molly for being ‘nervous’ at all: ‘Where did ALL these come from? Why are they tugging at me? Now, what on earth am I supposed to do?? Help, please let me out . . . Tahiti, sugar, I do hope this is not going to happen to you!!’ Can any of you imagine having eleven babies all at once? Hope she has not an inkling Manu is responsible – otherwise he will have no chance of getting within a country mile of her in the future . . .
On a second ‘read’ and looking at your i-Phone in flowerpot scenario – well, I always have my favourite ABC classical on [what was the equal-to BBC called in NZ?] when gardening . . . that would work wonderfully with a radio also . . . and not disturb neighbours with different ‘tastes’ . . . thanks heaps!!
Our Viv would have been so happy to see these eleven healthy piglets, don’t you think?
Oh Joss – she would have loved them – she was always so up to date on the farmy. In fact if I forgot something she would remind me!
yes! you and the farmy brought so much delight to her life.
I have a question: if Tahiti has, say 4 babies, will some of the excess pigs migrate over to a less populated milk bar, or do they stick to the familiar? Much love, Your Gayle
I don’t think so, they are well bonded to their mother now.. c
Cute photos of all those piglets! Good job, Molly! (And Miss C).
Congratulations and best of luck with your pig brooding. Ironic that Lady went to sulk with the other farm biddies. They’ll be signing petitions next.
Wonderful indeed Celi 😄