Pigs at Work

We go out to the barn first thing in the morning and make sure the pigs have lots of feed and fresh water in their stall. We open the barn doors providing the pigs free access to both the pasture and the barn and…..we wait. They are pretty sleepy in the mornings and don’t really wake up until around 9am when they decide to venture outside to their pastured area.

Then the rooting begins.

The pigs find all kinds of vegetation and roots to eat as they push and turn over the soil. They consume less grain when they have access to the pasture. Throughout the day, they take breaks to nap inside their stall or wallow in the Mr. Turtle pool. They are very particular about the mud they create and spend time adding more soil or splashing water out of the pool to maintain the consistency they like.

The pigs are a joy to watch! Pigs are curious and playful and always looking for treats. They interacted with a group of eight of us humans on the weekend and showed no fear as they took treats out of extended hands. It is beautiful to witness others enjoying animals they don’t often have an opportunity to see.

Near the end of every day, the pigs put themselves back in their stall and rearrange the clean straw bedding the way they like it. We check their feeder and water supply and close up the barn to keep them safe for the night. They seem pretty content with the daily routine. Then again, they kind of told us what they needed and we do our best to accommodate the rooting and wallowing!