One of those mornings

The Other Half had gone out to feed the pigs and chickens this morning so I could cook us a fry-up for breakfast.

She had not been gone long when she came to tell me that Daisy, our new Berkshire sow, had an injury to her vulva and had “bits hanging out”.

When I went out to check, it was obvious that Dolores - the sow who Daisy was sharing a pen and hut with - had bitten her quite hard as there was a lot of swelling but little blood.

But worse was to come. While organising the vet and getting things ready to move Daisy out, Dolores took another bit out of her and opened up more serious wound.

The irony was that the two sows had actually been settling down together, shared the hut and were not fighting over the feed.

But Dolores just had to show she was boss.

With the vet on her way, the OH fed the boys while I continued disinfecting the pen in the byre, setting up the various gates that we use for races and then tried to get Daisy in from the field.

It was easier said than done as she was relucant to cross the line where the temporary electric fence had been, while Dolores - who had initially been keen to move Daisy out - not wanted Daisy kept in.

Eventually, I managed to corral Dolores into the pig hut where the OH, who had now joined me, held her in with a driving board.

The vet had arrived by now - and fortunately keeps pigs herself - she equipped herself with another board to drive Daisy forward, while I channeled her with a large gate.

Once Daisy had crossed the line, she was fine and happily trotted down the hill with me, round the corner and along to the ramp into the byre.

She had no hesitation in heading down the ramp and, hearing Doris grunting in the farrowing pen, was equally happy to trot into the sickbay pen.

As we don’t have a pig crush, I had to forced Daisy up against the wall with another gate, while the OH played nurse to the vet, getting to hold Daisy’s tail up, pass the equipment and generally get a very good view of the surgery.

Daisy was co-operative most of the time, helped by a large bucket of barley under her snout, but I had to keep considerable force on the gate and her to hold her still.

The vet had to insert quite a few stitches to repair Daisy’s vulva and an area around her urethra, but was fairly certain the sow should not have any problems farrowing her next litter.

Daisy then had a shot of penicillin before being allowed to go and make a nest in another corner of the pen.

She’ll be staying inside for a few days until the healing is well advanced and will then go back outside.

As for Dolores, she’s suddenly discovered she isn’t the boss after all as we also had to move Delilah away from her pigs which were due for weaning and she’s now in with Dolores

Delilah is most definitely the herd matriarch, so Dolores has slunk off into a back corner of the field - making annoyed grunts to herself.

And now I’m going to have my breakfast (lunch?) - of pork sausages, of course!