Piglets: Part 2

Off to Ellsworth this morning to fetch some piglets in the Volvo. Chloe and Nadya (friend and neighbor) came along for the ride. When I think of piglets, I imagine something on the smallish side. Something that might fit on your lap. Chloe wanted to hold one of them. Not till we get home, I told her. So I was more than a little surprised when the first pig was fetched, squealing bloody murder, out of the livestock truck. It was considerably larger than a sit-on-your-lap sized piglet. It was considerably larger than Chloe, certainly heavier. The three of them are in the 50-60 pound range, and while it wasn't a tight squeeze in the back of the Volvo, if they had decided to revolt on the ride home we could have had trouble. Chloe and Nadya, strapped into their car seats, would have been our first line of defense.

While Chloe and Nadya couldn't stop complaining about the stench of fresh pig excrement, there was not a peep out of the pigs. They were too busy defecating at their leisure all over back of the car. Fortunately, the Volvo's got a removable sheet of heavy gauge plastic in the back, and I can't help but think that those clever Swedes had just this purpose in mind. Unfortunately, the plastic did not extend up the sides of the car to a level at or above the rear end height of a large piglet. I backed the Volvo right up to the fence and didn't have too much trouble grabbing and lowering them into their new home. Pig's paradise. They have spent the last several hours roaming about the pen stopping every so often to root up a tasty treat. As I write, they're resting under the lean-to I made for them. So far so good. With a little daily fence inspection to see that they're not up to mischief, I think we'll get along just fine.