B A B I E S. . .
Agnes is a sweet girl. But we may have a piggy that beats a
bit to her own rhythm. We knew by
talking to her previous farmer that she may be the type to be out foraging to
the last minute. She may be the type to wait until the end before building her
birthing nest. Well. We are getting to know her for sure! Our intuitions peaked
the last few days; we watched her with hawk eyes. She became a bit more moody
around her food. Gideon pestered her a bit more. She seemed a bit more
needy/lovey. But no swelling, no nesting, no signs of giving up the acorn
search.
Sunday we were exhausted from worrying into the night—we didn’t
quite have the heated box finished. We were setting the alarm for every few hours
to check her. Around noon on Sunday (the 27th ) she decided to leave
the yard to walk to the neighbors. (1/4 mile away down a long lonely road). We shook our heads at her as the girls coaxed
her home.
Sunday night about midnight the alarm sounded—I hadn’t slept
still for worry that we’d miss the alarm. Ugh.
Shawn roused to check her, quickly coming back to say that one was out
already and to hurry. I got into warm clothes, roused the girls, grabbed the
wiping cloths and headed out into the cold. Shawn got the heat on and the girls
came out to cuddle some life and warmth into the first born—Trouble.
Agnes then proceeded to begin to be agitated, started (!!!)
building her nest, and continued building it for Two. More. Hours. All the while little Trouble waited. We tried
to get him a chance to nurse as she would briefly settle, but he seemed a bit ‘troubled’
by it all.
At 2am the babies started coming again. Trouble, a boy, was
followed by Solita, then Luna, and then two more boys—Tiger and Leo (for
Leopard). Once they were all out, they
all had a chance to nurse while we waited for the placentas. The girls were
very helpful (Shawn was exhausted and disappeared around 1am). They kept the
babies warm and safe while Mama was up and down and all around working through
her labor. Ella hit the couch around 2,
but Maizey stayed until a bit after 3 to see the placentas come out. This part
was a bit confusing. The placentas should be attached to each piggy, but since
she was moving around so much they broke off. She instead delivered a large
mass at the end. It will be interesting to see how the next delivery (hopefully
in the early spring) will go. We are
still new to pigs and kune kunes, so we have a lot to learn. Learning through
doing seems to be how we go, so hold on. . .
