Sled riding and NEW PIGGIES!!!

Everyone had a great Christmas!  The kids got a Wii from santa.  They are having a blast.  I got a special present from my wife's parents in japan....PINK SPRINKLES!!!!   This is partially dehydrated salmon roe with seasonings.  It is awesome with buttered rice!

 A little present we had for the kids was a pool day down in West Virginia.  We took them down and stayed in a hotel overnight with a pool so they could play and swim.  We ate dinner at Mountaineer race track before checking in and then just spent the night relaxing.  We had a snow storm over night while we were asleep.

We got around 6" of snow.  This was the first snow fall that I have not had to plow in ten years.   It was so nice to get to experience it with the kids.  I have never been home with the kids when it is snowing. 

While I was in West Virginia Steven packed the sledding hill to pack the snow while it was in perfect packing condition.  As soon as I got home with the family he and his brothers came over to build a launch ramp at the top of the hill.   The ramp allows you to launch yourself quickly down the hill without needing pushed.  It is only about ten feet tall right now but as we get more snow over the winter we will continue to build it up to about 15-20 feet tall. 

Here is a picture looking down the hill from the top of the ramp.  It is hard to tell but the bottom is about 450-500 yards away.  There are two steep sections in the middle and top middle that speed you up as you go down the hill.   We have a pile of wood at the top of the hill for a fire.  We usually have a pretty large fire, big enough for about 15-20 people to stand around to warm up.  It is also a beacon for anyone looking for where we are at.   Also, anyone who has been following my posts for a while will also know that we use a trailer towed by the tractors for return trips up the hill.  As the night goes on and the temps drop the hill gets faster and faster till you actually go clear to the woods and curve back around to the road!  We have clocked sledding speed up to almost 40 mph before with a gps one of the kids had on their phone. 

 After we finish sledding last night at 1:30 am I headed in to check on Lady A who was getting more and more restless all day.  Shortly after walking into the barn I noticed she was in labor and was very close.  A few seconds later the first piglet was born.  So all the guests that were left from sledding piled into the barn to watch one be born. 

Tamworth x Berkshire piglets.

Steven's cousin video taped the birth.  I am posting because I think it is good to see natural birth whenever possible.  If you do not want to see just pass it up.  The one they saw, as well as many of it's litter mates, came breach (butt first), which is not the best way but as long as the feet come first is not a problem.  

As you can see they are quite active upon birth and will start eating within minutes.  The action of the piglets eating releases hormones causing the mother to relax and stay laying down till the rest are born.  

One of the new babies hiding in the straw!

 After a little while I realized I was missing a key part to the birthing process....DAISY!!!  She loves to play midwife and quickly cleans up all the babies and gets them dry and active and happy.

Daisy, our piggy midwife, waiting to jump in and help out!

 Today I took the wife and kids down to see all the babies.  Momma was laying down and feeding when we got there which worked out great.

 A closer picture of everyone cuddling close to momma.

All the piglets are a red color with black spots.  Some only have one or two black spots while others have a lot.  The first piglet born is one that I call a squealer.  It constantly is squealing like it is being stepped on or laid on.  This causes the mother to frequently think one of her babies is in danger.  She will try to wiggle a little to make sure she is not on one but if the squealer squeals loud enough she will jump up to protect her babies.  Sadly, she did that this afternoon and stepped on one of the biggest and most spotted ones.  It did not make it as a 550lb momma vs. a 1.5lb baby is no contest.

Everyone else is doing good though and the squealer is doing less and less squealing now so she is calming down some.  She should do much better on her next litter.  Her first litter she had one stillborn and eight live piglets.  After the one we lost we have seven left.  They are all quite large so that makes up for the low numbers.  Hopefully she will have more next time!!!

Goodnight everyone.  Tomorrow night I will do my annual new years post....provided I am not working!  : /

Kenny