I won’t go into this story in detail. – it is too sad. But I rescued these two tiny hours old piglets from the abattoir yesterday. 
Their mother was brought in for slaughter at full term. She was brought to the slaughter house yards after-hours and delivered two piglets in the night in an outside concrete pen.
The owner of the sow was called and he said he was not coming back for her and to proceed with her slaughter.
The babies had a number of hours with their mother but kept slipping under the gates and one was rescued by a worker as it wobbled into a pen of cows.
This one was particularly filthy with manure.
On a normal rescue newborns have a 50/50 chance of surviving being hand raised. These spent a cold wet night in a slaughter house yard, and are now horribly at risk of illness.
So here I have two wee piglets in the laundry next to the heater. Already they have diarrhea but surprisingly both have taken to the bottle and are drinking their goats milk really well.
They jump up when they hear me come in every two hours and twice were at the door yelling before I even got there. Which as you can imagine has Boo-Nanny rushing back and forth trying to hurry me up.
They fill up fast from their supermarket goats milk then snuggle back down to sleep. But the runny poo is very worrying. Expected though.
One is getting stronger I think and the other one definitely weaker.
I have medication for the diarrhea but they are so young they have not even had a chance to decide to live yet. We will see.
John told me I was ‘insane’ for taking them. ( I threw breakfast pumpkins to the animals yesterday then drove at speed, at 6 in the morning, the 45 mins to the locker to pick them up.) Then later he said, well at least they will die warm.
While I drove to collect them my mother in law drove in the opposite direction to buy the milk. I will buy more today after the vet. But everything must be paced in between the two hour feeds.
The abattoir staff were incredibly grateful for me taking them. They had tried to keep the piglets in with the sow. But the whole thing was a disaster. They were so relieved at the rescue and horrified to have these tiny wee life forces born in the slaughter house waiting room. But the owner of this sow is damned in my opinion. Damned straight to hell.
I am unapologetic in my fury. He knew she was vastly pregnant – it is pretty hard to miss that udder.
So in between two hourly feeds I brought in all the hay myself. All 86 heavy bales. Fury is best put to work. My arms ache from the weight of these bales and I have stacked them loosely so I can keep a watch for any heating up.
Also the tree men came yesterday so now the big dead tree outside my bedroom window is gone and I am not quite sure what to do with all this light.
My tired sad self does not feel like so much light.
Feeding went well in the night. But I fear John’s prediction may well come true.
I feed these babies again in one hour so I had better get busy with the other farm animals.
I am being very careful with hand washing too. And Boo is not to visit with the babies until they recover. I have no idea what bacteria these wee animals brought back after their birth into the slaughter house gutters. But they were covered in it. They are clean and dry now though and warm and well fed and burrow deep into my dressing gown after their feeds like normal little orphans.
Love celi
Weather fine and clear! Of course. It would be, now that all the hay is under cover and the orphans are inside. They had a wet night.
C
The Kitchen's Garden 
80 responses to “A SAD TALE”
Lovewins, even in this sad story lovewins….thank you Miss C … I love how well you love.
He is doomed to the coldest, darkest region of howling, bitter hell. Surely he can be reported to someone for such outrageous cruelty? I take a little comfort from the compassion of those meat workers; they knew who to call, didn’t they? I’m bracing myself for the worst news, but I have faith in your care. If anyone can pull them through it’s you, but sometimes the odds are stacked. It sounds as if they have a strong will to live. I hope it will make the difference.
Oh celi, you are an angel….I am sending all my heartfelt wishes, hugs, and prayers for them poor wee piglets to survive…so sad for the poor sow. That man is an evil person, just makes me wonder if he is as cruel to people, as he was to the sow and piglets. Sue xx
Bless you, Celi, for rescuing those poor little piglets. What that farmer did was absolutely unnecessary. I’m sure there was nothing that important that the sow be slaughtered so quickly. I realize the legalities involved, but there is also the possibility that the slaughterhouse could implement a policy against this kind of situation. I hope the little ones make it, they certainly didn’t have a good start in life. I know too about using the fury to good purpose, the last time I got that mad I scared my spouse by moving some heavy furniture he couldn’t move without help, yes, I was achy afterward but the job was done.
Hmmm – I don’t know the farmer’s circumstances nor do I have the right to judge, but it seems offering Mrs. Sow and her imminent offspring to the FFA would have been a happier solution than what he chose. I can only hope he doesn’t treat his wife and children with such care less ness! May he be treated with more dignity in his dying hours…….
Such cruelty! It makes me physically ill. I hope hope hope the vet will have some helpful ideas for saving these little piglets–such innocence. We all agree if they have any chance at all, it is with you, Cecilia.
Yesterday on Fresh Air, a NYTimes reporter was discussing how Trump is dismantling the Dept. of Agriculture, Commerce, and another I can’t remember. At the end of the program, Gross asked him what he thought of the government workers he interviewed. What he said surprised me. He said first, they aren’t paid well at all; second, they are tireless workers because they are on a mission. He said he admired them! I was reminded of them when you said the abattoir workers were the ones who called you! It makes me think that though they have a difficult job to do, they do it with as much kindness and gentleness as they can…that they are not heartless–far from it.
Fingers crossed
Oh such a sad story- if anyone can save these babies it is YOU! We all remember how you worked tirelessly for Wai.
and That wicked cruel man will have karma visit him in the dark of the night.
This was an unconscionable act and worthy of your (our) fury. However you’ll make yourself ill if you hold on to it, so go lean on a gate and give thanks that they’re now warm and dry and fed, and if they die, it will be while being held and loved. And breathe in the energy and essence of your living and thriving animals. Healing energy being sent.
On a lighter note, I thought you were going to say you threw pumpkins at John!! 🙂 And how good of his mum to race off to get milk for the babes. There’s so much goodness here, including the abattoir workers’ concern, that far outweighs the man’s cruelty.
Just the thought of throwing pumpkins at John made me feed better. I think he worries I will spend too much money on a lost cause but never mind – they are still ok. One better than the other still.
I can’t decide if I’m sorry the pumpkins were only thrown to the animals 😆 Fingers crossed for both, but tighter for poorly one.
I thought the same thing about the pumpkins… hilarious visual 😁
What a vile excuse for a human being that person is. And you are their guardian angel.
A Sad Tale indeed, poor babies. It’s the negligence of humans over wee animals whose lives depend on them that is so heartbreaking, something I really don’t think I could ever understand. Miss C, your handling and loving care of these little creatures will not go unnoticed by the Creator or Universe, however one regards reality. We’re all pulling for you and your charges… and hope you can find a little rest today. ~ Mame. 😘
That someone(s) cares made a difference, followed by caring action made just enough more difference to change the odds for the piglets for the better. Doing nothing was the alternative that wasn’t an option at all. So it is already better than it would have been. As for the sow’s owner he will probably do what he always does and get what he always gets, and that will take care of itself in the end.
Methinks everyone having a cuppa here today feels very much the same . . . just remember the last time you did those two-hourly feeds tho: somehow you have to look after yourself also . . . you also need some sleep . . . at least these little ones seem to want to live and hopefully you did get to them in time . . .
Thank you Celi, and thank those workers. In my mind there is a special place in hell for anyone who mistreats/neglects, babies, old people and animals.
I send Love and Light your way!! You take such great care of your animals and ones that have been abandoned!! Crossing fingers!!