August 2, 2014

The Long Awaited Much Anticipated Mrs. Pig

May I introduce
Polly


Polly is a two month old registered American Guinea Hog and Waldo's bride-to-be. Polly and Waldo are our foundation breeding stock, destined, through their progeny, to provide us with bacon, sausage, pork, lard, and more pigs. An added bonus is that they are natural tillers of the soil.

She's shy and a bit skittish, but has been exploring her new home.

Gruffy: "Oh no, not another one"

I put Polly in the buck pasture with Gruffy to start. Waldo remains in the front pasture with Caleb and Splash. My original idea for separation was to let Polly and Waldo meet through the fence and get used to one another. Her breeder recommended not letting them together until Polly is 8 months old. She based that on personal experience, having had a young pig get bred at too an earlier age which in turn stunted her growth.

What does Waldo think?

Polly on this side of the fence, Waldo on the other. 

Meh. They sniff on occasion through the fence but then it's pig business at usual, which means rooting around, grazing, and otherwise finding things to eat. I imagine that will change as they both mature a bit.

23 comments:

Harry Flashman said...

Flee, Piggies! Flee to the Ferret Kingdom on Harry's mountain. The ferrets will grant you asylum, and you and your progeny can root acorns and eat dead chickens and such!

I really ought to be the world's first vegetarian survivalist. :-(

Dawn said...

How lovely to have found the perfect partner for Waldo, our little pork factories are due to arrive this week end.


















Frugal in Derbyshire said...

She looks almost as big as him already. Looking forward to hearing of their courtship.
Gill

Leigh said...

Harry, LOL. They'd love those acorns. Methinks you need your own pigs!

Dawn, that's always exciting!

Gill, yes she does, especially in that shot. I've been thinking that I'm glad she has a somewhat longer snout than Waldo, so I'll be able to tell them apart. From the front, I mean.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Mmmmmm Bacon sandwiches!

Farmer Barb said...

Ah, pig love. We humans have such trouble understanding what smells sexy because we have such puny little noses!

Mama Pea said...

Welcome, Polly! I'm kinda surprised Waldo isn't expressing more excitement about finding one of his own kind just the other side of the fence! I've never heard of pasturing goats and pigs together but it obviously works! Those are two very fortunate piggies. (Just look at all the space they have to roam in. And the wonderful care provided for them.) Here's hoping they have a productive, happy relationship and provide your homestead with tasty, humanely raised pork for a long time.

Mom at home said...

They make a cute couple:) Many piglets for you!

Renee Nefe said...

oh how fun. I know someone here who will be excited.

Anonymous said...

She's beautiful, and I'm sure she and Waldo will be very happy making lots of little bacon-makers for you.

Mark said...

Very cool! I'll be watching to see how things go. Growing up in the 60s and 70s here in NE Indiana we had a number of family pig farmers in the area, and I seem to remember mostly Berkshire, Hampshire, and Duroc hogs. All big, a bit rowdy, and often decidedly ill tempered. As much as I'd like some pork in the freezer, I don't ever see myself in a position to deal with one of those. It'll be great to see if your two Guinea Hog porcine progenitors are able to 'bring home the bacon'. Maybe you'll inspire me to raise some pigs, too. "Welcome Polly" and "Good luck" Leigh and Dan!

tpals said...

A pretty piggy as the matriarch of your pen. Any chance of naming a future lass Petunia?

Ed said...

We used to raise pigs and the male pigs definitely didn't exert any effort towards female pigs until it was their time of the month. Then they were leaping fences and raring to meet them. I suspect Waldo will be the same way.

Sitting here remembering the past I have to smile at how similar pigs are to us in ways. Their first times were full of nervousness, pig version of foreplay and a lot of flailing around trying to do things right. As the got older, it was more wham, bam, thank you maam and back to their food and mud holes.

Chris said...

Poly and Waldo...I'm sure they're destined to be star-crossed lovers once the chemistry kicks in. But for now they do what all little boys and girls do, ignore each other.

They're beautiful though and I hope they bring you as much contentment as your goats.

Tami said...

Aw...She's just young yet. I remember I couldn't care less about the boys when I was her age.

And then it hits. Pig Fever.

Enjoy these days of sanity. Piggy love can be sloppy (a play on words) @;)

Welcome to the Homestead Polly!

Kris said...

Sooo glad you've got your little man has got a gal. Hope she has winning personality to go along with that shnoz. Congrats to you guys and keep us posted on the pig progress please! :-D

Velva said...

Congratulations on your new member of the family-May they grow and be prosperous :-)

Velva

Garden Volunteers said...

I couldn't help but smile to see that you've gotten your second pig. Good for you! Hope you come to enjoy them as much as I'm doing with my two. Mine are housed together so they play like puppies. It's really cute to watch. But they're pretty competitive when it's mealtime. I have to use separate dishes, and the female still tries to steal the male's food.

Leigh said...

Woah, did I ever get behind on comments over the weekend.

Simplesuffolksmallholder, I second the motion!

Barb, LOL.

Mama Pea, I suppose the lack of interest is because food is more interesting at present, LOL. I'm not sure if other breeds can be pastured with goats and chickens, but the American Guinea Hog doesn't mind at all. It's the goats who mind, LOL

Mom at home, thank you!

Renee, :)

Sue, thank you!

Mark, I admit I was hesitant about getting pigs after reading others' horror stories. The docile, friendly temperament of this breed was a major selling point for me! That, and their small size is better for us and our small acreage.

tpals, I like that name! We will definitely have a Petunia some time in the future.

Ed, you know, we've really come to understand some of the slang terminology that's in use today. Things like, "eats like a pig", have taken on a new meaning.

Chris, it is all about chemistry. :)

Tami, LOL. Great analogy!

Kris, me too! She's beginning to warm up a bit. Food wins them over every time.

Velva, thanks!

Garden Volunteers, thanks! Your description of yours brought a smile to my face. I'm really loving having pigs.

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

Polly is a cutie!!! Now it's engagement time, each pig gets to smell and see each other through a fence. Don't let them fool you, they're waiting for the big day.....then you'll have your hands full, lol.....

Enjoy them, and congratulations on Polly :-)

Fiona from Arbordale Farm said...

They will produce many cute little piggies for you I hope. I hope Waldo likes his new friend.

MaryP said...

Just started following your blog - love it! Here is a great blog to follow with great info on raising pigs (and Walter is really good about responding to questions). http://sugarmtnfarm.com/

Leigh said...

Sandy, she's a character too. But I think that's true of all pigs. :)

Fiona, thank you!

MaryP, Hello and welcome! I wanted to return a blog visit but your profile doesn't list one, so please accept my heartfelt thanks for your comment. Thank you for mentioning Sugar Mtn Farm too. I've chatted with Walter via email and have to agree with you that he has great info on pigs. I have a link to one of his charts in my sidebar. :)