Hogcienda

First a Little Debbie update. There is still time to enter the Litter Lottery (see my blog on Feb. 13). To date I have 8 guesses. Remember, her due date is around Feb . 24. Just email your guess on time, date, and number of piggies to opies99@gmail.com. THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE a beautiful silk scarf , white with green shamrocks, purchased on my last trip to Ireland. Just in time for Saint Patricks day ! I will announce the winning guess as soon as Debbie delivers the goods. And if by some stroke of luck, a man wins, I'm sure I've got some Guinness lying around here somewhere if he is not a silk and shamrocks kind of guy. In fact, regardless of your gender and whether you win or not , just drop by , I'll definitely  be sipping on some Guinness this March 17.

 Here is Debbie as of this am. She asks you to please ignore her long nails, its just not as easy to bend over as it was a few weeks ago.

 

Now, about that Hogcienda. The large hog castle Keith and friends built a few weeks ago is plenty big for several mama's and their litters , but because Debbie is on the bottom of the hog hierarchy totem pole (thus the reason we have nicknamed her "Sausage Patty"), we decided she might do better with a smaller hut. So Keith hit the World Wide Web, traveling all the way to Iowa, and found plans for the E-Hut. Farmers Dan and Colin Wilson shared their plans on the following site:
http://www.practicalfarmers.org/resources/niche-pork-resources/dan-and-colin-wilson-e-hut

Keith and Kyle got busy and made this really cool labor and delivery hideaway. It is a great place to quietly give birth away from the madding crowds or just to curl up with a good book. (Which lasted about 30 minutes until Keith came looking for me. Alone time people, I just need a little alone time ) The front of the hogcienda has a smaller door which can be locked if you need to keep mama pig in or out, or if she's just not in the mood for Big Anna to come by with more unsolicited liter raising advice.

The sides are sturdy and wide enough for our new logo. Soon to be announced. Hey ,I just noticed something ! If you look at the wood swirls sideways with your right eye half closed  it looks just like my favorite roller coaster at Riverview Park in Chicago. Sorta. Kinda.

The top lid can be lifted up for more viewing or just improved air movement when the weather is hot. Keith demonstrates the OPEN position.

The back has a slide away section that can be locked in place allowing little pigs to be lifted up and out for castrating or other care. The whole hut is slanted in the back so that little babies can get into the back section but mama can't, so less chance of her accidently crushing them.

Once again my mind flits back to those troublesome teen years . "Really officer, I had no idea he (or she) was sleeping there. I guess I just "accidently" crushed them." Oh please...like you never had those thoughts. We, unlike mama pig, just didn't act on them.

Keith and Kyle  placed the new hogcienda in the pig pasture a few days ago about 100 feet from the main hog house.  There are pig tracks in the snow so we know the girls are checking it out, or else its the wild Chatsworth Rhino we've been hearing about , but still no pictures on the wall or curtains hug yet. "Build it and they will come." We'll see.