too much mud for pigs

Rain has turned pig pens into swamps

To be a pig is to lay in mud baths during the summer and go indoors immediately when it rains. They’re more like us than we might care to think.

When driving through the Suffolk countryside, especially the coastline around Woodbridge, Dunwich and Walberswick, you’ll enter the land of pigs. Pig huts akin to villages from Star Wars litter the landscape as happy pink pigs trot back and forth. When winter and, undoubtedly rain, arrives you’d be forgiven for thinking that pigs would continue to be as happy as, well, a pig in mud. But that isn’t really the case for the pigs I’ve known - the small herd I keep scurry directly for cover as soon as water from the heavens appears. And though they’ll wade through muddy swamps of icy water, a large and dry straw bed is what most crave.

With the amount of rain that Suffolk has endured this winter, I have had no option other than to bring my pigs into the barn. They have less space, and boredom is increased but on the whole, I think they’ve preferred it to the miseries of poking a snout from their sty on a wet day only to realise they need to trudge to their food dish because there’s no way I can provide a door to door service without losing a welly or two. First the young gilts came in. Then Margaret and Hyacinth. And finally I could no longer stand to see poor ol’ Richard up to his belly in sludge and so in he came as well.

Having animals is a funny balancing act. With dry land in sight (or concrete in the case of the barn) and with mounds of straw to nestle in, the pigs have been happier. And that happiness has spread, with my own depression of seeing the pigs in such a sorry state lifted. On the other hand, as afore mentioned, smaller spaces means bored pigs and they begin to jostle and get on each other’s nerves much like people. No longer can they rootle in the earth for grubs and roots, but rely solely on the food I provide. The food I have to go and buy. With a bill soaring to near-on £50 a week, it’s a cost I hadn’t foreseen. And bored pigs do frustrating things like tipping over their water bowls every time you fill them up, flooding their quarters and creating soppy beds. Beds made of straw that I also have to buy. A bale of straw at £2.50 might not seem much, but when I’m having to give them four or five bales a week, on top of the ever-increased feed bill, the bank balance begins to groan.

It’s been a long and very expensive winter of pig keeping. I took a risk today after four days of no rain to move the gilts back outside. It is, of course, currently raining heavily and has been for hours. I knew it would happen. But Rose, Daisy and Violet spent many happy hour this afternoon tearing at grass, turning over soil and then discovering a fresh straw bed in their outside ark. And it is with hope that they sleep soundly through the night. That’s another thing; bored, snappy, squabbling pigs within metres of your bedroom is a recipe for no sleep. Oh gods how they’ve shrieked for absolutely no reason at 3am. So far tonight all has been quiet.

Hyacinth takes joy in turning her water bowl into her bed

Margaret rests in straw

Piglet use Auntie Margaret as a climbing frame … and a bed

There remain some squeals, however, though these are quieter and more distinct - the cries of piglets. A week ago Hyacinth gave birth to seven lovely Large Black babies. Four girls and three boys now spend the day escaping their pen, trotting around the barn, sniffing dad, clambering over auntie Margaret and generally being adorably cute. I’m sure this novelty will wear thin when they’re six weeks old and causing chaos but it is with hope that spring arrives, the rain lessens, and they can move outside with mum. I have also already sold them all so at eight weeks, they will be off to new homes before they get too boisterous. Sadly Margaret was ill, lost her pregnancy and hasn’t quite rebounded back. She’s okay - she’s certainly not at death’s door - but she’s not quite right. She’s had antibiotics, apples and carrots by the bucket load and I’m watching to see whether she improves or if a vet visit (another expense) is needed though there’s only so much even a vet can do with a pig!

I shall be very glad to get all the pigs out of the barn and back onto the land both for their sakes and mine. Even here there are costs to think about. For the past few years I’ve been using VOSS energisers to power my electric fences. However, they have been TERRIBLE at failing with the company going as far as asking me whether they had gotten wet! Let me think about this - yes. They haven’t been laid in a puddle but they’re an outside product so of course they’ve been rained on! So before I can put all the pigs outside, I’m lokoing into other energiser options such as this Shockrite product on Amazon. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.

So, alas, there has been no money to be made in the winter pig journey of 2024 due to all the costs, but it’s to be hoped that both Margaret and Hyacinth will farrow again this year and then, even if I balance the books, I’ll be happy! In the meantime, with all this rain I expect I’ll be bedding everyone up again in the morning.