Happily, the piglets arrived this week! For weeks I have looked at the sows’ ever-expanding bellies thinking ‘it must be today’ and being disappointed at being wrong every day. But on Wednesday the first sow, Thelma, made a nest of straw outside, under the trees in dappled sunlight and gave birth to 12 adorable piglets. She managed 12 last year too and successfully got them all through to weaning. We managed to witness the majority of these being born and even caught several on camera. Slightly more surprising was the other sow, Pepper, who we thought would be a few more days before she farrowed, but she was found in the ark on Thursday morning with 10 piglets. Pepper presumably got a surge of oxytocin being around Thelma and didn’t want so much attention so farrowed over night in peace. So we now have 22 piglets, which feels like a lot. It’s not too bad at the moment as they are all quietly tucked up with their respective mothers, but give it a couple of weeks and they’ll be escaping all over the garden and causing no end of chaos! Piglets never stay where they are meant to!

It hasn’t been without drama. On day two, Pepper stood on one of her piglets and caused a large, deep gash in its back leg. So we have been bathing the dear little piglet’s leg twice a day in a homeopathic solution (hyper cal) which keeps wounds clean and helps them to heal quickly. It is already looking much better and I expect her to make a full recovery, albeit with a scar. Pepper is also being bathed in the same solution as she has a nasty tear in her vulva. Much harder to keep clean, that too is being washed and cleaned twice a day. I am hoping that recovers as well as the piglet’s leg but at the moment it looks pretty sore. We have also had to separate Barry the boar as he was already trying to mount Pepper when the piglets were 2 days old. We want to make sure the sows have a decent break to focus on the piglets and to recover their strength, so he is in his own pen, and not very happy about it.

Today I sat and watched the piglets for a good half an hour or more while Thelma ate her breakfast. It was the most peaceful thing I have done for quite some time and I was filled with both awe and joy watching and listening to the gentle grunts of 4 day old piglets. First of all they spent quite some time in a huddle on their straw bed, all rotating around every few seconds in order to keep warm, the whole time squeaking and grunting. The instinct for doing this to keep themselves warm is remarkable. Then they got up for a wander, sticking their noses into the soil and getting vital, healthy microbes into their gut. This is one of the reasons raising piglets outdoors is such a reliable way of producing healthy, weaned piglets. Their explorations also involved sticking their noses into my trousers and snuffling at my jacket, which I loved. They all had a wee, off their bed which I hadn’t realised they would do already. Then they had a play and rough tussle with each other. All swapping and changing who they were playing or fighting with. It reminded me of my own children; all bickering and changing allegiance for no apparent reason. The squeals the smallest ones produced were much the same too!

The irony of having roast pork for our lunch wasn’t lost on me either. During the quiet contemplation while watching them this morning, I thought deeply about this. Often an awkward topic and one I am asked about often: how can you eat the animals you raise and get so attached to? For me it is a question of honour and respect. The animals we raise would not be born if there was no market for their meat. In my opinion, they know and understand their position in the chain and don’t have a problem with it, as long as they have a good life and are respected while they are here. Before a meal, I always give thanks and I am filled with immense gratitude to the animals (or plants for that matter) and I sense that they too are filled with gratitude for having the life that is full of freedom, love and kindness. This is how it should be and is the reason I raise farm animals; I am sure that most others do not do the same. I understand though why some people are uncomfortable about it, but connecting to our food and where it comes from is a healthy and important thing to do.

Of course, the piglets aren’t even a week old so this is all a long way off so until then, I shall continue to enjoy the cute bundles of loveliness that they are whilst they grow and explore the woodland and then, later, my garden! By the time they are fully grown and really hard work, I will both bless and thank them for playing their part within the circle of life.