Another hard day’s graft

We had a lot of work to do today as it’s time for Delilah and her litter to move outside. First, I had to move the heavy, insulated sow and piglets arc to a new position—uphill and over boggy ground. Normal people use a tractor with a fore-end loader, hooking a sling over the arc’s lifting bars. I put a shoulder under the lifting bar, slide a hand through one of the front slots, and then heave! Alternatively, I stand inside, take the weight on both shoulders and then walk it into position. (Picture by the Wee ‘Un.)

The second pig arc was more challenging to move. It was in a different pen and had to be lifted over the 48in high stock fence. I carried it up to the fence, stood it on end, and lifted it over. It wasn’t quite as it easy as it sounds as this one is built on the steel frame of an old trailer and, while it does not have a roof or insulation, is reasonably substantial. Once over the fence, it was was turned upright and lugged into position.

Just as the boys and I finished strawing up the trailer arc, it started to hail. Four 14-week old Berkshire growers and two young boys all squealed as the hail stung them and promptly bolted inside the arc. I was left outside to work.

With the growers’ arc in position and strawed up, it was time to divide the pen in half so it could be shared with Delilah and her litter. At this point, the Other Half came out and discovered she had two very, very putrid children.

By the time the Other Half and I had strung two lines of wire in the pig pen, both boys were starting to feel cold so we brought them down to the house for a bath, a piece of cake and a glass of hot milk. But before they could come in, they had to have all the muck hosed off them. (And don’t worry, no children were harmed in the taking of this photo.)

With the worst of the mud jet washed off, I can remove the nozzle and give the boys a more gentle rinsing up close. Then it’s down to the backdoor to peel off their clothes and a dash inside to the waiting bath. Once they were warmed and settled with a DVD, the Other Half and I could continue scrubbing and disinfecting the sow and piglet arc, forking barrowloads of muck out of the pen, opening up drainage slots in the compacted ground, adding barrow loads of gravel to the paths, and more. We always enjoy our dinner after a day like today. (And those white flakes? That’s the start of the snow. We worked through snow squalls for about three hours while the boys were inside and there’s still snow lying as I write.)