Yesterday we moved the pigs above my garden into a calf shed. Calf sheds are great, because they are on skids you can drag them around where they are needed and use them for just about anything. So I run through my list of what we need: Calf shack set up, check. Hose from the garden, check. Mud wallow, check. Hay bed, check. Food, check. Fencing... uh well, not so good, but Hubby says it's fine. Hubby grabs Ham-let & Pork Chop and moves them in, they seem to be enjoying their new home. We all stand around for a bit watching & feeding them, and see how they like things. Everything seems okay...
One by one we all head off. I'm gone about 5 minutes, standing near the pool and suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I see two pigs running across the field straight at me with four dogs in hot pursuit! Well so much for that fence! (Why oh why will Hubby not listen to me?) Pork Chop & Ham-let ears flying in the wind free for the first time in their lives, Teddy, Doolittle, Blue, and Jumbo wondering just what in the heck are these things? ... the first thing I think is "Why me Lord?"
About 20 minutes later, through a few corrals, over the ditch and back around, they are back in the calf shack. I can leave again and I think all is well...
The next thing I see is two pigs, two cows, and four dogs blazing across the field! Gee I didn't think cows and pigs would be that freaked out by each other? Apparently I was wrong.
I quickly go for the pigs (the dogs and cows can fend for themselves!) but did you know that pigs can cross a cattle guard? I didn't know, and I now have that tucked away in my head for future reference.
Did I happen to mention it's 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit)? Sweat is rolling in my eyes, stinging and burning... but does Hubby care? Nooooo, not in the slightest... "Let's get a couple of pigs?" he says to me one day. HA HA HA... him and his bright ideas... grumble.
The pigs end up down at the barn. I'm now sitting up at the house, I've just plain given up trying to herd them back to the calf shack. I honestly think we should catch them and throw them on a barbecue! Within an hour Teddy (our black lab) is seen herding the little bacon puffs back to their calf shack. I want to go out there and give Teddy a big ol' steak (preferably ham)! Even sitting here now I'm watching Teddy follow the pigs around the field (I long ago took the fence down). Update: Well now they are actually under my porch... I can hear them banging away but good old Teddy is hot on their heels! Another update: They are now sleeping nestled into their hay, tucked into the calf shed... most likely worn out from trotting all over this ranch!
I'm seriously thinking of renaming them, from Ham-let & Pork Chop to "Cut & Wrapped!"
Later on we had another chase, this time I just grabbed my camera and let the dogs and Sydney do all the work :)
Down at the corral, noses covered in mud. Sticking close is Teddy.
Teddy is getting plum worn out as he tracks them down.
Teddy gets a second wind as they come ripping down the long side of the corral.
Oh oh, Yeller comes to check them out. Sydney gets in on the action as Teddy cuts them off. We don't know what Yeller is going to do, this is his first time seeing them, from the looks of it he's confused.
Ham-let & Pork Chop decide against running into Yeller and swiftly detour through the fence. Oops, Sydney slips! Yeller heads for Grandma's and wants nothing to do with this.
After, not so gracefully, getting past all the pipes and parts on the other side of the fence, they take a quiet walk to the barn, Teddy is probably thinking "Why don't you guys go for a nap?"
Finally they're back up at the calf shack. (Notice the fence no longer attached to anything?)
Everyone takes five and Teddy has a well rested break.
Zonked.
Go to sleep Ham-let!
We've decided to forgo the fence and let the pigs roam free. They've been coming back to the shed, it's where they are fed and watered, so I don't think there's reason to worry about them. Teddy seems to be by their side most of the time and my garden is fenced :)
7 comments:
This has left me totally speechless.lol I do remember chasing pigs when I was a kid.
Kansas,
Never a dull moment at your houseLOL!!!!!!!!When I stop laughing I'll give you a call.....Pat
Ah, that is funny and I was laughing with you. I think they will be okay with Teddy on their tail and they will get big and nothing else will bother them either.
It could only happen to you Kans!!
Tracey (northernlass1)
reminds me when we lived at southview and grampa would show off his prize pigs to his friends. The pigs would get lose and grampa
would throw me out of bed to go and catch MY pigs that were down on the highway. Never did figure out why they were mine then. ab
Great fun (for us to read and the pigs to run). Teddy deserves a big pat on the back.
The only thing missing is a bucket of grease!
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