These girls were born on 12th March last year, so they are nearly a year old. They were not sent off at seven months old with their sisters, when they would have weighed just about 50kg.
No, for these girls there was to be a different outcome. For they were destined to become what is known as baconers - our first attempt at curing meat, the art of turning pork into bacon and gammon.
So we have let them grow, until they reached quite some size.
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| Daisy and her daughters having a snooze. |
But tonight the livestock trailer came out. And that's probably not good news if you're a pig!
We had a very long day sourcing materials for the ongoing house renovation, so did not get home until just gone 5. Fortunately it's now still light, just, at that time so Sue rushed down to lock up the chickens while I got the trailer ready.
It took some effort to get the two young girls out of the stable and to keep Daisy in, but eventually they were in the small yard, within about 10 foot of where we wanted them to be.
But these pigs are now BIG and take no bossing. Time marched on, light faded, tempers frayed and the pigs steadfastly refused to go near the trailer ramp.
Efforts to hurry the process involved sections of metal fencing gradually closing down their space, but as the walls closed in they became clasustrophobic. One of them just lifted the fence, with me standing on it, with her snout and they muscled their way through.
To cut a long story short, off course we won in the end!
I would like to say that patience was the victor, but mine was a bit pushed this evening.
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| Guess who's inside! |
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| When a pig has an ear-ring, it's curtains! |
Doubtless there'll be a post on this alchemaic process in the near future.
Meanwhile, anyone like a seepstake bet on how much they weigh? I'm going for 86kg, but I could be way out!
