Moving day is at hand for Delilah and her litter of Berkshire piglets. They’re just over two weeks old now and have been eased off the heat lamp so they’re sturdy enough to go out into the wintry weather we’ve been experiencing.
This litter will be available for sale in about six to seven weeks. We have five gilts and seven boars (all birth-notified), with two prospective buyers wanting three gilts each. We also plan to keep a pair of boars ourselves. That means we’re looking for people interested in buying the remaining boars or to go on the waiting list for gilts (at least one prospective buyer fails to go through with their purchase on each litter we sell). Use the Contact form to get in touch if you’re interested. 
Delilah was also ready to move out of the farrowing byre as she was becoming bored within its confines. Once Delilah starts pacing about, trying to peer over the sides of the pen and generally being active, it’s time for her and the litter to move.
I carried the first four piglets out in pairs, placing them in the well-strawed hut and reassuring them that all was well. Then I picked up a fifth piglet, opened the gate to the pen and called Delilah out. She followed her piglet out and up the ramp, along the track (pausing to talk to Daisy on the way), around and up the hill, and finally along the last stretch of tack. Delilah knows the route and routine well by now, so the task is easy to accomplish.
Next came the largest piglet on his own, followed by the remainder of his siblings in pairs. The last one is always the hardest to catch as it’s the fastest and most agile, but the job of moving the entire litter was accomplished quite quickly for a change. Once they were in their new home, the piglets had a lovely time exploring its smells and tastes.
Delilah had to investigate every corner of the hut as well, much to the disgust of some of the piglets who wanted the milk bar to open sooner rather than later.
When I went out to feed Delilah just before 6pm, the piglets had all settled and made a nest in the back corner of the arc.
Delilah’s in good shape, although she is losing condition a little faster than I’d like. It’s not surprising as she is feeding a litter of 12 large piglets, but it means we’ve had to increase her ration to 6kg of feed a day. If the weather stays cold, snowy and windy, then I’ll have to increase Delilah’s ration still further as she’ll burn energy to keep warm.
What BEAUTIES they are! Let’s hope the weather improves a bit for Delilah and your feed bills! I know my hens are incredibly non-plussed with the snow. They refused to get up this morning.
It is amazing that they can go out in all weathers at such a tender age. I am toying with the idea of moving my quails out at 4 weeks - but we are due snow and a cold snap so I think I will keep them in for a little longer yet.
The arc is insulated, the entrance faces south to get the maximum sunlight, and, apart from a couple of ventilation slots, it’s draft free. As a result, with the sow and 12 piglets inside it gets very warm indeed. On the coldest days, dense clouds of condensation swirl out the doorway.
Our largest arc, which is also insulated, houses three full-grown pigs at the moment. It’s even warmer—in fact, it’s almost certainly warmer than our house which has the central heating set to 16C (that’s an early summer temperature up here).
Susie moved into maternity ward today ! We finally got a good spell of dry weather long enough to finish building it & just in the nick of time ! By my thinking, we should have piglets by mid week, she’s big, but not overly, if there are more than 4 I’ll be surprised. A full year of bonding and pampering has paid off & I have a fantastic girl who lets me do anything with her, lets just hope I have no need to be thankful for that !
Angie
Sows can and do surprise you. When Dolores was in pig she looked huge, but only farrowed two piglets. Doris, on the other hand, looks a moderate size and delivers 10-12 piglets. (Delilah always looks huge and delivers a lot of piglets.)