The New Little piglets are still alive. They are drinking and wobbling about. They are not being given back to their mother. When Tahiti calmed down I went in and removed seven piglets bodies and parts of bodies. I tell you this so you know why I have decided to try to raise the surviving seven myself. Poor Old Tahiti. But I cannot breed from her again. I cannot trust her. I saw what she did. Pigs are not intelligent they are not cognitive but they are highly instinctual. And her instinct to trap and kill her piglets when she herself is frightened is not sustainable on my little farm.
Here is a nice story.
A local woman farmer read about my problem (FaceBook publishes my blog, so Social Media really is useful) and even before I called her to ask about sow replacer she had dug out her piglet feeder (it is very old – and has saved numerous broods of piglets for her), called our local feed store and asked if she had any milk replacer (the feed store owner is a woman farmer too who operates a small feed store from her farm and we all buy from her) then when I called she had everything in place and all I had to do was drive over and pick it all up. How is that for kind neighbours?. Women Farmers Rock.
So I trained the seven piglets to drink from their gentle and quiet Dalek mother. They are very busy piglets so that was a bit of a riot – piglets bite too, the little savages). The Dalek has a heater that keeps the milk warm and is screwed down to a heavy base so now I can allow the piglets to drink whenever they want to. I just have to keep fresh milk in there and pop in every few hours to make sure they are all eating. They are all set up in the turkey house with a heat lamp.
We are not out of the woods yet but we are way ahead of the last game. Whoever decides to live will still be alive in 24 hours.
Molly and her brood survived the experience without a problem. All good in that department yesterday.
The thing with an incident like this is that it threatens to take over your whole day – defining every decision. But the piglets will just have to slot in with the other farm jobs, I will do a few very late nights and very early mornings until I am satisfied that everyone is drinking well and I will deal with each of their crisis as they arise. But the milking still must be done, the big pigs fed, the mineral still has to go out to the cows and the broken window in the barn fixed, the chicks fed, the washing hung on the line and dinner made – not to mention all the straw in the house from last nights rescue mission needing sweeping. It is easy to neglect the rest and that would result in another catastrophe. I must stay aware!
It was hard for me not to sit with the piglets all day but there was plenty of other things to do and I got most of them done. And it is important that they drink when they want to not when I want them to – this is much more natural and easier on the digestion. As long as they all drink of course. I should put numbers on their backs to tell them apart. There are two that are still not vigorous – I have my eye on them
I hope you have a lovely day. We have another long one but a good one.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
56 responses to “A Dalek to the rescue”
Women farmers and Daleks rock! Sending good energies to you and the wee ones. 💕
I ♡ the power of social media, women farmers amd piglets.
After I saw your picture of the Dalek mother, I remember my father having one of those years ago on the farm. Kudos to the women famers who were able to help you out. Piglets bite indeed. We would lock the sow out of the shed and I got to catch piglets so my father could trim their teeth so they did not cut up the sow’s bag. Ditto when we neutered them. Much squealing and consternation on both sides of the door from Mama Pig and the babies!
Is Nanny Boo watching the babies?
Wishing you the very best of luck or as they say here in France “Bon courage” or good courage.
Yay for women farmers! And yay for amazing you. I’m going to remember your energy and use it to inspire me when I balk at sitting down to write (I’m actually procrastinating on that at this very moment). So sorry about Tahiti and the piglets, but glad the surviving ones seem to be doing okay.
Women in general rock, and MIss C – you are at the top of the list 🙂
Community….. that is what a community brings – help and resources when in need. Yes, we all have chores/tasks and we struggle to balance when an emergency arises. Poor Tahiti is true, but her nature is fight. It was the same with Charlotte I remember – ornery mean pig after her first birth. But look at all you have learned and changed since those days? I have loved watching the growth and learning – and hard knocks have to be included in the love – they give us all balance right?
I’m with Deb!
I’m with Deb too. I’m in awe of your energy and you are finding the best solutions for your little farmy. Much love, your Gayle
Now while there was an episode where Daleks turned people into pig servants I can’t see them being kind to anything. But this one is doing a find job! Women farmers rock! morning miss c…. t
Well done
Please hug your neighbor for me! Hug yourself too : )
So happy you have this sorted. Your instincts are your best guide. Absolutely. The Dalek is very sweet. In a rubbery, metallic kind of way.
Phew! What a relief to know you have such wonderful, generous and thoughtful neighbours! As Pat Rousseau said above here, it’s all about community and yours seems to be working the way a community is meant to. Yesterday I was thinking that, put in the same situation as you were, I would have been quite overwhelmed, so seeing that ‘contraption’ today I was able to heave a great sigh of relief… it does look ingenious.
I hope you have a lovely day too, Ms C, ~ Mame 🙂
What a clever contraption! How kind of your neighbor.