We collected our new piglets

We collected two new 12 week old weaners yesterday evening. 

They are a cross between a landrace and a Duroc pig, a little sow and boar. 

They were very shy today and I struggled to take a photo of them. They kept hiding in the house as soon as I came near.

I later tried using old apples to try and encourage them out for a quick photo.

They will settle down in a few weeks and hopefully begin to get friendly.

Hubby is so fond of them, that he has ideas for keeping the young sow to breed. They are a very nice type, much larger and longer than the previous saddlebacks.

This is the weaners mother. A very big docile sow. She has a large paddock and it was interesting to see how it was fenced with two strands of mains electric wire. Maybe something we will try next spring and summer. 

We hope to finish the adjoining over-wintering cow yard shortly, so we could open their gate and give them four times the space, when that area is unoccupied.

The cow we hope to purchase is a Kerry cow that will calf in February. We hope to  bring her home before/after Christmas so she is well settled in for calving to an Angus bull.

I am glad to have pigs back. Between having no cow and pigs, I felt the heart of the cottage was dimming. Every animal has a character and brings something to the everyday life of the cottage and the kitchen table. And we truly miss fresh milk everyday and the routine and discipline of milking twice daily.

The weather has been so warm and dry that neighbouring farmers cut and wrapped round bales over the weekend, although the nights have become frosty.