We’ve been pushing our way through this cold, slow spring– peas, roots, onions, and brassicas are green in the field; the chicks are growing by leaps and bounds; and little sprouts are poking up in the pig forage plot. But until yesterday, something was missing. It somehow just didn’t feel like a farm yet. After weeks of anticipation (and some preparation), our eight Mulefoot piglets finally arrived. They came from two litters– both around two months old– on a farm about half an hour south of here. The pigs arrived in a cat carriers in the back of a truck, and though we had a non-electric backup fence set up to receive them into, they didn’t flinch when we unloaded them. They set right to grazing the second we let them out.

While most pigs would race for the pan of grain, these kids spent the whole afternoon munching happily on the fresh green grass in their pen, or napping in a pile under the hay in their house. Each pig took a turn sitting in the water tub, as it was a warm afternoon, and only occasionally they would nose through the grain in their trough. 

When we let them out into the big electric fenced yard, the piglets took turns testing the fence (ouch!), then went back to grazing enthusiastically. They seem like wonderfully good-natured little pigs, and their excitement for the green pasture gives us hope that our planned forage will work well with this breed.

With the pigs in the pasture, it really feels more like a farm around here. We’re excited to see what the season will bring with these new pigs– for now we’re just glad to have them around.