My landlady grew some pigs last year. Until they grew, they could escape from the pen. The sight of me chasing them 'off my lawn' like a gang of juvenile delinquents was probably amusing to those observing.
Piglets are very small, very quick, and very slippery. We have an interior ring of our pasture where the corral fence (relatively broad 'cattle grid') is layered over with chicken wire to keep piglets in. They are an adorable pain in the ass.
It's amazing how many areas of life involve shit. Or perhaps ought to.
Rolling on and crushing piglets is generally something that only happens with sows that are contained; there's nowhere for the piglets to go. Sows that are confined indoors usually use something called a farrowing crate which essentially gets the piglets on the opposite side of a dividing gate while still letting them nurse. Look it up; it is decidedly a cold and unfriendly arrangement.
The sow in the picture had open access to a clean stall with room in front and behind her. She went inside of her own volition to give birth and was able to dig out a small bed in the dirt and straw to give birth.
Her predecessor did the same thing before giving premature birth and eating them alive. She's in the freezer now.
If I were raising pigs in bulk, with volume being the only concern, they'd be in a "factory" situation where they'd be likely to roll onto piglets without intervention. We're raising a heritage breed in relatively small numbers for high-quality meat, and I'd never factory farm anyway.
Yeah, we don't have the facility/clearance to process our own meat so we go to a local butcher. We've been at this less than a year, mind, so the fact that we've already processed a couple pigs and sold some meat still blows my mind. We're very small scale at this point and this is not our sole source of income by any means.
It's absolutely possible for sows to crush a newborn under nearly any circumstances. It's very rare when they're free range, though- they typically have good judgment about where to nest themselves when they're ready to deliver. This one didn't lose any offspring and has been a great mom. They've been weaned for about a month.
My landlady grew some pigs last year. Until they grew, they could escape from the pen. The sight of me chasing them 'off my lawn' like a gang of juvenile delinquents was probably amusing to those observing.
Piglets are very small, very quick, and very slippery. We have an interior ring of our pasture where the corral fence (relatively broad 'cattle grid') is layered over with chicken wire to keep piglets in. They are an adorable pain in the ass.
It's amazing how many areas of life involve shit. Or perhaps ought to.
Rolling on and crushing piglets is generally something that only happens with sows that are contained; there's nowhere for the piglets to go. Sows that are confined indoors usually use something called a farrowing crate which essentially gets the piglets on the opposite side of a dividing gate while still letting them nurse. Look it up; it is decidedly a cold and unfriendly arrangement.
The sow in the picture had open access to a clean stall with room in front and behind her. She went inside of her own volition to give birth and was able to dig out a small bed in the dirt and straw to give birth.
Her predecessor did the same thing before giving premature birth and eating them alive. She's in the freezer now.
If I were raising pigs in bulk, with volume being the only concern, they'd be in a "factory" situation where they'd be likely to roll onto piglets without intervention. We're raising a heritage breed in relatively small numbers for high-quality meat, and I'd never factory farm anyway.
Yeah, we don't have the facility/clearance to process our own meat so we go to a local butcher. We've been at this less than a year, mind, so the fact that we've already processed a couple pigs and sold some meat still blows my mind. We're very small scale at this point and this is not our sole source of income by any means.
It's absolutely possible for sows to crush a newborn under nearly any circumstances. It's very rare when they're free range, though- they typically have good judgment about where to nest themselves when they're ready to deliver. This one didn't lose any offspring and has been a great mom. They've been weaned for about a month.