PIGS IN WALES

Funny old world

2012-01-04T02:28:00.000-08:00

I know it's considered very un-PC these days to laugh at other people's cultures, but I just couldn't help myself when I read about what had happened to Zimbabwe's Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr Tsvangirai has been fined after falling foul of the law back in 2011. It seems he started marriage proceedings in November - a holy month in Shona culture, and a time traditionally reserved for planting crops. It was alleged that his disrespectful actions subsequently delayed the seasonal rainfall.

So how severe was the fine imposed on him? Two cows, two sheep, and 10 metres of white fabric. His fiancée was also fined two cows, two sheep, and a goat for accepting the offer.

Perhaps next time I'm caught by a speed camera, I should offer to pay in weaners, sausages, and free-range eggs.....

Wet, wet, wet!

2011-12-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

Well, didn't 2011 whizz by? Already we're planning the next smallholding year and wondering – probably more than anything – what the weather will bring us.

Smallholders' lives are dominated by the climate and what it might surprise us with next. People say the British are unhealthily preoccupied with the weather - but, in the case of smallholders, make that an obsession of manic proportions. Forget having a social life; fine weather means working outside on the holding - and that inevitably means keeping a close eye on the ever-cheerful presenters from the Met Office on the BBC TV weather forecasts.

Before each nightly broadcast, I can always be found doing a one-woman 'Please - no rain' dance. One of the problems of living 800ft up a hill in wet, wet Wales, and on very heavy clay, is that one bout of serious rain can turn what was once a perfectly good paddock into a quagmire. What's more, the barn that is dedicated to farrowing has a major fault. It leaks. And I mean it really leaks. There are numerous benefits to buying storage sheds second hand, and price is obviously a massive consideration.

Our smart-looking, galvanised barn was a snip, saving about £5,000 on the price of a new one – even after taking into consideration the transportation and erection costs. Having bought a smallholding with no outbuildings, it came as a Godsend.

However, it was bought purely for storing equipment. A couple of years later, when we ventured into pig breeding, we quickly realised its shortcomings. First and foremost, it isn't at all waterproof. Unfortunately, the builders we employed didn't have the foresight to re-use the existing screw holes when putting on the roofing sheets, so when it rains, there is a steady 'drip, drip, drip' in far too many parts of the building. The result is that, every day in constantly wet weather, the bedding in each pen has to be replaced – even if it hasn't been soiled – because it quickly becomes sodden with rainwater. Positioning infra-red lamps to keep newly-born piglets warm is understandably a bit of precarious occupation, and visitors will witness lots of my Blue Peter-style handiwork throughout the barn, all with the intention of protecting the delicate electrics from drops of rain.

The water also permeates the various feed sacks, of course, with the result that these precious commodities need to be strategically-positioned out of harm's way. Another problem is that the concrete plinth that the barn sits on doesn't slope towards the drain, so water just kind of hangs around in various locations. In fairness, the barn wasn't designed for housing livestock, so things like torrential rain and sows which can wee for Wales were never a consideration at the crucial planning stage.

Re-designing the space with farrowing in mind is one of the top priorities for 2012. At the moment, I have two permanent farrowing pens and, when any additional ones are required, they are constructed using heavyweight fibreglass panels from an old industrial water tank and sheep hurdles as gates. These normally do the job admirably, but if I have a sow or gilt hell-bent on getting out (as many do, when the pain of contractions drives them to distraction), something stronger is required. Therefore, a local brickie has been asked to design four indestructible pens out of concrete blocks - and to re-skim the shape of the floor to allow better drainage, too.

However, all modifications will have to wait until the next two pigs have farrowed. Chunky (not a very flattering name, I know, but very descriptive) will be having her first litter on December 29, and Lulu (daughter of my lovely champion Thisbe, who died earlier this year) will follow suit on January 1. Fingers crossed for two easy first-time farrowings!

We did it!

2011-10-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

Audrey came up trumps! I wasn't holding out any great hopes for the Tamworth Champion of Champions competition this year, after losing my best sow, and having my second best one out of action because she gave birth, but luck was on my side.

With nothing else worth taking, I decided to enter one of my older sows - the one who won the Traditional Breeds Championship at last year's Royal Welsh.
She's a very elegant Tamworth, always walks well, and, with a deep golden coat, always looks good in the ring. At four years old, she's no youngster, but she caught the judge's eye and took the highest accolade the Tamworth Breeders' Club can offer - the Champion of Champions shield. I can't tell you how thrilled I was after a year of so many ups and downs. To win the title two years on the trot with two different pigs is something special. All I've got to do now is try and score a hat-trick in 2012. No pressure, then!

Almost there!

2011-09-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

Well, there's not much of the show season left now. The final big one of the year for me will be the Royal County of Berkshire Show in Newbury on September 17/18, then my social life all but grinds to a halt until next spring.
I'll only be taking two pigs to that show, firstly because I sold Dirty Dennis the young boar, and secondly because my lovely Pricey has just had a litter of seven. She's a bit grumpy and protective, but the little ones are all doing really well, so that's all that matters.

Pricey and her seven lovely piglets.

It was pretty much a textbook farrowing, as she delivered the lot without a hitch. The only slight problem was that, the night before she gave birth, she decided to rip a hole in the wall of the galvanised barn and go walkabout.

Suckling contentedly!

It often happens; when they get close to farrowing, the hormones start raging and, of course, the painful contractions start. In the past, I've had sows lifting 12ft galvanised gates off their hinges, tossing them across the barn, and rampaging around, eating everything in sight. Eventually they calm down and get on with the business of delivering the litter.

Thankfully, it wasn't any trouble getting Pricey back into the barn and, once back in her pen (with the wall repaired), she re-made her nest and had a good sleep until the first one arrived. If only all farrowings were that straightforward!

Success at the Royal Welsh Show!

2011-07-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, they say that lightening never strikes twice in the same place, but my pigs proved that wrong.
I'm back from the Royal Welsh Show with my show team, a handful of lovely rosettes - and Pricey the sow excelled herself, winning the traditional breeds championship.

Pricey is the champion!

I'm so, so pleased - not least because one of my other sows, Audrey, won the same prize last year and I never thought I'd do it again. Pricey is still a young pig - not yet two years old - so to win that prestigious title is something very special. It's doubly pleasing because I really didn't think I would have another pig to match my beloved Thisbe, who died of a heart attack in March. Still, Pricey is her sister and is shaping up nicely, so fingers crossed.

Dirty Dennis bringing up the rear!

Dirty Dennis the young boar did well, too, winning his class and going on to take the title of reserve male champion. Not bad for a seven-month-old chap. Unfortunately, he's only got one more show left this year, because I've agreed to sell him as a breeding boar to a couple in Kent. He's Thisbe's son, and it's quite nice knowing that her genes will live on in him and his offspring.

Next on the show calendar is the Hatfield House Country Show in Hertfordshire in August, and the final event will be the Royal County of Berkshire Show in Newbury in September. That show hosts the Tamworth Champion of Champions competition - which I won last year with Thisbe. Whether or not I'll be able to do it again remains to be seen.

By then, Pricey will have farrowed, so there is the option of taking both her and her litter to the show - but that won't leave much room left for any other pigs in the trailer. I might just have to take Audrey instead. It's about time she got back into the show ring, and she's a lovely, lovely sow. Ah well, there's plenty of time to decide.

Show season

2011-06-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy time here. The show season has started, kicking off with the Royal Welsh Smallholder & Garden Festival, and followed just two weeks later by the Royal Bath & West.

1st prize (Bath & West 1st prize
rosettes are blue, 2nd is red!)

The pigs got me first prizes and a few seconds at both, so quite happy with that, considering I haven't got as good a show team as last year.
However, I had forgotton just how exhausting showing was. First there's the nightmare of loading reluctant pigs into the trailer - which always ends up in a big domestic between myself and Gerry. Once they and all their paraphernalia - sacks of food, water bowls, washing kit, buckets, hosepipe, etc, etc - are on board, it's time to pack the camper van with my survival kit for the days ahead. Usually this includes copious amounts of alcohol for the after-show parties and a whole wardrobe of clothes, because you never know what the weather is going to do.
The journey itself is usually okay - I've done most trips a few times now, and I always have my trusty sat nav to set the route for me. Arriving at the show there are usually a few other pig exhibitors willing to help you unload the pigs in their pens, and once they are all settled comfortably in deep straw, there's all the kit pen stuff to get out, too - deckchairs, display boards, kit box full of all the essential bits and pieces, boards and sticks, and not forgetting the white exhibitors' coats.
Next stop is the camp site, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I finally find my pitch, lift up the roof, and set out my tiny little living area.
But there's never too much time for relaxing. I seldom get the chance to shampoo my pigs before a show, because I haven't got the washing facilities, so it has to be done soon after arrival. Some of the shows have proper, permanent wash pens set up, but others are just make-shift jobs created from a few sheep hurdles. Either way, it's always a gamble letting Tamworths out of their show pens and trying to aim them in the general direction of the pens. Sometimes it works, but other times, they just kick their heels in the air, let out a loud, joyful, "Whoop, whoop!", and race off into the sunset.
At the end of the day, when I'm tired, hungry, and soaking wet after wrestling with reluctant pigs in the wash pens, I wonder why I put myself through it all. And then the morning comes and it's show time - and I suddenly remember why I find it all so addictive.

Dirty Dennis gets the cold shoulder

2011-05-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Dennis thought it was his birthday when I put him and his sister in with three very smart August-born gilts.
I wouldn't have expected a boar aged just over three months to react so strongly to a group of older ladies, but Dirty Dennis is certainly precocious. A few minutes of sniffing and he was chasing them round, trying (and failing) to mount the three long-legged beauties.
All eventually settled down as they decided to collectively put him in his place (lots of squeals and scratches, followed by peace and quiet). But, at the weekend, all three came into season and the commotion started again, so Dennis and his sister Lulu were exiled to another pen. He's not happy about it, but his time will come - when he's a bit taller.

Getting my weaners out!

2011-04-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Lulu (left) and Dennis

There comes a time when all piglets need to leave the farrowing barn and explore the great outdoors.
This is normally about eight weeks old - occasionally earlier if the mother gets fed up with feeding them and they are already eating plenty of solid food. The two I kept back from Thisbe's litter as show pigs - Dennis and Lulu - were taken out at the weekend. It wasn't an easy job getting them in the trailer to be taken down to their field, though. In fact, it was a bloody difficult task, taking almost an hour of coaxing and swearing.

Loading pigs is never much fun. The show pigs who have done it a few times are normally okay, but even they won't climb the ramp without some encouragement. The key is blocking off all possible escape routes and giving them no choice but to go forward. Eventually, they either resign themselves to it and trot up of their own accord, or you end up putting it off until another day when both they and you are a lot less stressed.

Fortunately, the weather has been unusually mild recently, so Dennis and Lulu had no trouble getting used to their new surroundings. They are having a wonderful time exploring and eating as much grass as they like at the moment. What they don't know is that they will soon have some company. I'm going to be moving three of my August-born gilts in with them. Mixing pigs is never easy, and there is bound to be a lot of squealing and running around, but I need to get them together and used to one another so that they can travel together in the trailer to the summer shows. Wish me luck!

The Haynes Pig Manual has arrived!

2011-03-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Cute little Oxford sandy & black on the cover

Today I got a box of advanced copies of my new book, the Haynes Pig Manual!
It was a really strange feeling, opening the box and finally seeing something all neatly packaged that I had only previously seen in emailed pdf proofs. Naturally, there are some things I now feel I could have done better, but it's published now and on its way to online retailers or a bookshop near you!
I'm going to be doing various media interviews to publicise it, but the first big event at which the book will be on sale will be the Royal Welsh Spring Fair (formerly the RW Smallholder & Garden Festival), held in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, Powys, on the weekend of May 21/22. I'll be giving a talk ("Starting with pigs") in the South Glamorgan Hall at 12 noon on the Saturday, and signing books straight afterwards, but I'll also be doing periodic signings throughout the weekend in the pig building (where else?), at the Wales & Border Counties Pig Breeders' Association stand.
It's the first show of the year for me and my pigs and I'm really looking forward to it.
In the meantime, it's back to routine stuff. One of my gilts, Pricey, has just gone into labour, so I'm expecting a litter in the next couple of hours. Lucky I've got two bottles of wine in the house (for me, not for her!). Cheers x

Whodunnit is solved

2011-02-18T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I know know the answer to the big question - "Who's the daddy?"
It's Harry, a big ginger beast from Yorkshire. Pricey, one of my mothers-to-be, has had me guessing over the past couple of weeks. Her two sisters delivered litters around a month ago and, although I knew Pricey was in pig, I just wasn't sure when.
The problem was, she and her sisters enjoyed liaisons with two different boars - Winston and Harry. Pigs are pretty spot-on when it comes to delivery dates, so as long as you know when they were served, you can use a clever little chart to determine the farrowing date.
The two sisters' litters were definitely by Winston, a lovely young boar that I hadn't been sure was up to the job, but clearly was! Pricey, however, came into season after I sold Winston, so I was almost sure that it would be Harry that got her in pig. Almost sure, that is. Why? Because pigs have what we call "false heats" quite frequently. The second sister to farrow did just that - and almost caught her new owner on the hop. Luckily, I had warned him that she might farrow early, so at least he was able to get her indoors and keep an eye on her.
As soon as she farrowed (a litter of nine - great for two first-time parents) I got Pricey indoors, just in case. And waited. Two weeks later, and I now know that she's definitely in pig to the older boar. I know that for sure because I wrote down the date I sold the young boar and the date the older boar arrived here.
It's a shame, because a February litter would have been great. Now it looks like March 19/20, so if anyone is looking to buy weaners in May, come and see me at the Royal Welsh Spring Fair (formerly the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival) at Builth Wells, Powys, on May 21/22.

The Haynes Pig Manual is coming!

2011-02-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Well, all the final tweaks and amendments have been made and I've finally said goodbye to the Haynes Pig Manual as I know it.

The next time I see it, it will be beautifully bound and on sale. In the meantime, here is a sneak preview of the cover - the main cover pic shot by the amazingly patient and skilful photographer James Davies (see earlier blog re. the chaotic photoshoot), and the side pix by me.

I'm really pleased with it. I couldn't really have a Tamworth as the main picture because I would have been caused biased, but I think the Oxford sandy & black piglet looks fantastic, and it's great to be supporting another rare breed by raising awareness in this way.

The publishers, Haynes, will be sponsoring the Tamworth classes at the forthcoming Royal Welsh Smallholder & Garden Festival (May 20/21), so there will be a huge banner with a picture of the cover on the inside of the pig ring.

I will also be doing a talk on starting with pigs in the Speakers' Corner, along with my long-suffering husband, Gerry Toms. The show is always a really enjoyable one: I love the competitions, but I also love meeting people who read the features I write and talking to newcomers to pig-keeping in search of advice. If you can get to the showground in Builth Wells, you won't be disappointed. It's a terrific show.

Phew! Glad that one is over!

2011-01-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

What a rollercoaster couple of weeks it's been.

The snow and ice before Christmas caused chaos here on the smallholding. For six weeks, the water pipes taking water into the house froze solid, which meant no hot water and no flushing toilet. The one slight benefit was that the washing machine was rendered unusable, so the pile of ironing stopped growing for a while.

Temperatures plunged to – 18C here in Wales. I'm just glad (touching wood now) to see the end of the latest Big Freeze. It's been a nightmare. With frozen pipes outside, the big automatic drinkers were redundant, and the pigs, out of pure frustration, rooted them out of the ground and tossed them away.

Thankfully, my husband Gerry is extremely resourceful. The pigs' water supply comes along a network of piping from a large pond fed by underground springs, and he managed to locate the one point along the route where it wasn't frozen and rigged up a temporary standpipe so that I could fill containers and carry them down to the pigs. Prior to that, I was dipping a watering can in the pond and carefully filling each container.

In the barn, an in-pig Tamworth gilt I bought at the British Pig Association sale in October is looking after four healthy piglets. It should have been eight, but four died from hypothermia when she farrowed two days before her due date.

Normally, I stay up through the night with my pigs when they are due to farrow, in order to minimise loss, but this one caught me on the hop. I carried out post-mortem examinations and they were definitely not stillborn.

Judging by where they were lying – a good distance away, in the far corner opposite the farrowing nest – I think the gilt was one of those which freaked when she had them and maybe tossed them away. Or they may have got flung out whilst she was rearranging her nest. Either way, they were lying on cold concrete, as their mother had scraped away every last bit of straw and they had no chance in our Siberian temperatures. It doesn't matter how many farrowings you experience, losing piglets when you know you could have helped save them is extremely frustrating.

With this experience in mind, I was extra-cautious when the next pig drew close to farrowing. The expected litter was a special one: the result of my first stab at artificial insemination. Just to make sure all was well, I kept watch on her like a hawk. I spent two sleepless nights checking on her every hour, just in case she farrowed early, but she ran a day over her due date and had a litter in the early hours of January 11.

But it wasn't an easy farrowing. About 12 hours before the first one arrived, the sow went bonkers. Pigs are incredibly powerful creatures and she hoisted a 12ft galvanised gate off her pen in the barn and escaped. The barn looked like dozens of teenagers had enjoyed a rave in there. Judging by the trail of devastation, first stop was the corner where all the feed bags were kept. She ripped them apart and wolfed down a bellyful from each, before emptying sacks of grit (our salvation during the icy spell), carrying the empty bags over to the area next to the sink and kitchen units, tearing open a full bale of straw, and making a nest - straw, bags, and anything else she could find.

My son had a hell of a shock when he went over there: "Mam - is there supposed to be a pig sleeping under the sink?" Me: "Aaaarrgghh!"

So, two nights of sleeping rough later, Her Majesty decided to farrow. Trouble was, she freaked out at the sight of her offspring. It's an unnerving experience, watching a mother attempting to savage her piglets. She really was terrified at the sight of them. As they squealed for milk and drew nearer, she ran away from them. It was the sort of thing you could have filmed, speeded up, and set to Benny Hill-style music. If it hadn't been so tragic.

Fortunately, I was able keep them out of harm's way (400kg of sow stepping on you - or worse, biting you - is a bit of a threat to a six-inch-long piglet). Some sows kill every piglet in sight. One theory is that they associate the pain of the uterine contractions with the sudden appearance of a piglet nearby and automatically lash out.

Eventually - with the help of a couple of jabs of a powerful sedative (Stresnil, recommended for aggressive pigs) - she settled down, fell asleep, and allowed the piglets to suckle while she snored like an old man. And then I slept, too. like I had never slept before. Let's hope the next farrowing in March is a bit easier.

Farewell to Spotty - D-Day is around the corner

2010-12-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

It's the end of the road for Spotty 1, my last remaining Oxford sandy & black piglet.

Towards the beginning of the year, I thought I might have a dabble with another breed, just to see how the meat compared with that of my Tamworths. I bought a good pedigree sow which was in pig and she produced a lovely litter of eight back in May.

I held onto two, partly because they were definitely good enough to register as pedigree and breed from, but I ended up selling one - and her mother - and just keeping one back for Christmas pork and bacon.

I really didn't like the mother (who became known as Slayer). She was an excellent sow, but she hated all Tamworths, so I couldn't mix her with my herd. She threw two eight-month-old gilts up in the air and one couldn't walk for a week. So I moved her into solitary. But she broke through the fence and attacked two much bigger Tamworths - and there wasn't a scratch on her.

Once she got into pre-farrowing mode in the barn, it emerged that she also hated me, and attacked at any opportunity. She lifted a 12ft galvanised gate off the farrowing pen in the barn, threw it across the room, and proceeded to eat everything in sight - pig food, chicken food, corn, oats.

Then she gathered up all the empty feed bags and took them to her nest - where, not surprisingly, she was later sick.

The barn looked like 500 teenagers had had a rave there. After that, I didn't dare go in with her as she was farrowing, and my husband Gerry had to clean her out for the next eight weeks. She didn't seem to mind him. Maybe she's a man's pig.

I part-exchanged her for a brand new pig ark and she is now living happily in Cornwall with some other OSBs. Spotty 1 and Spotty 2 were nice piglets with potential, but I eventually decided they had to go. Spotty 2 went to an OSB breeder in west Wales who didn't want both, so Spotty 1's fate was sealed. She goes off to the abattoir next Tuesday and I've resolved never to dabble with another breed again. Well, at least that's the plan for now.

Micro pig,/mini pig - a BIG mistake as a Christmas gift

2010-12-08T03:55:00.001-08:00

I've been having another rant in my weekly column in the Western Mail, the national newspaper of Wales.

No change there. I'm turning into a bit of a Victor Meldrew in my old age, and if something annoys me, I just can't keep quiet. And why should I?

The latest target for my ramblings is that must-have fashion accessory, the so-called micro pig, mini pig, or even teacup pig (the latter name is used because newborn piglets are often photographed in over-sized teacups to emphasis their diminutive size).

Well, I've had enough of people asking me where they can get one (yes - always ONE - don't these morons know that pigs are herd animals?), so have a look at this link:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/countryside-farming-news/country-farming-columnists/2010/12/07/turn-your-snout-up-at-a-mini-pig-it-s-big-trouble-91466-27778087/

The sooner this nonsensical and often cruel craze is over, the better. What next? Micro cows and mini sheep that are small enough to keep in the kitchen? Now there's an idea - no more buying milk. Just call your micro cow over to the breakfast table and squirt straight into the cup.

It shouldn't happen to a snapper!

2010-11-09T14:40:00.001-08:00

As some of you know, I'm writing the Haynes Pig Manual, which is out in the spring.

I had to get some pictures shot for the cover, so the publishers commissioned James Davies (http://jamesdavies.photoshelter.com/) to do the job.

James is an experienced photographer and as an ex-Western Mail staffer, has had many tough tasks thrown his way in the past, but he could never have guessed what was in store for him when he said "yes".

We went to a farm in Raglan, Monmouthshire, where my friend Rachel Nicholas has a herd of prize-winning British lops (the rarest native breed, with just 200 registered sows in the UK) and Oxford sandy & blacks.

James turned up with thousands of pounds' worth of camera gear, studio lighting, and a whole host of photographic paraphernalia and set about turning a dimly-lit barn into a studio set.

Within seconds, the inquisitive little Oxford piglets were chewing wires, trying to topple tripods, and ripping apart his white backdrop.

There was a lot of shooing and enticing with bits of food and, within the hour, James emerged triumphant, with most of his gear intact, and a choice of cover pictures in the bag.

Mind you, he did smell a bit of pigs by the end! All in a day's work for a self-employed snapper - and something slightly more unusual to add to the CV, no doubt.

Cup? What cup?

2010-10-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to have a nose at other people's pigs and, at the weekend, I had the chance to have a butchers at some which have been on TV.

The Tamworth Breeders' Club held its AGM at Cotswold Farm Park, the home of BBC Countryfile's Adam Henson. There are a few Tamworths among the residents, as well as Springwatch/Autumnwatch presenter Kate Humble's Kunekune sows and their litters.

Far more interesting was a lovely Iron Age sow and her piglets. Iron Age pigs are Tamworth crossed with wild boar, and, judging by the Tamworth-looking piglets, it looked like this one had been put back to a Tamworth boar. Nice sow, but shame about the rings in her nose to stop her exhibiting normal behaviour - digging.

While I was at the AGM, I was presented with the coveted Points Cup - the prize for accumulating the greatest number of points during the showing season.

Well, I say "presented", but it was more of a virtual presentation - because no-one had remembered to bring the cup!

A round of applause is all very well, but you can't put it on the mantlepiece.

We are the champions!

2010-09-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

My lovely Thisbe did it! She was awarded the coveted title of Tamworth Champion of Champions at the Royal County of Berkshire Show.

The Tamworth Breeders' Club holds its championship final at the show in Newbury each September and the best pigs from each of the major shows in the UK are eligible to attend. I was absolutely over the moon when judge Viki Mills presented two-year-old Thisbe with the prize because she is my favourite pig - not least because she was the first pig I ever registered as pedigree.

The triumph made up for two disappointments: my nicest gilt going lame on the morning we were setting off for the show; and losing my car keys when I was offloading at the showground. My van and trailer were stuck in a really awkward position, blocking the way of other exhibitors' vehicles for several hours.

I eventually found the keys in Thisbe's water bowl - they had fallen into the watering can I used to top it up. But that wasn't the end of it, because there was no sign of the immobiliser fob. I still don't know whether she swallowed it.

I had to call the AA and explain the "pig ate my immobiliser" story. The very nice man spent hours trying to disconnect the immobiliser, so the least I could do was find him a couple of free tickets to the show.

The final curtain

2010-09-15T04:47:00.001-07:00

Well, it's almost the end of the showing season.
This Friday I'm off to the Royal County of Berkshire Show in Newbury. It's a lovely show, with lots to see and do, but the best thing is getting together with all my piggy friends and having a great time!
Pig people LOVE socialising, and we're always sad when it comes to the end of the season. We're all spread out right across the UK and shows are the only time a lot of us get together in any numbers.
I've made some fantastic friends via the show circuit. Gerry (husband = Gerry Toms) doesn't get it at all. He can't understand how I enjoy spending two or three days at a time doing nothing else but spending time with pigs and pig breeders and talking about pigs non-stop. Understandably, he doesn't come to many shows with me - only the ones held at the Royal Welsh showground, and occasionally Bath & West. I don't mind - in fact, I prefer it, because he gets impatient and stressed out when the classes don't run to time. He HATES hanging around, so that makes him grumpy and has a knock-on effect for me. Life is a lot simpler flying solo!

Show stuff

2010-08-31T01:53:00.000-07:00

I've got a bit of catching up to do! It's been pretty busy over the past few weeks, so apologies for not updating sooner.

The great news is that Phoenix and Pricey (pictured left) - the two gilts with leg problems which ruled them out of the summer shows - are back on top form!

On August 7, I took them to the St Mellons Show in Newport and they got 1st (Pricey) and 2nd (Phoenix) in their class. I wouldn't have minded if they'd not got anything - it was just brilliant to see them walking properly again and being back in show condition.

Thisbe, my two-year-old sow, won the Champion Tamworth rosette, leaving Pricey with reserve champion.

Even better was the Hatfield Show in Hertfordshire. It was a new one for me, but so many people had raved about it that I had to go and see for myself. So, on August 19, me, the pigs, and the camper van trundled off to the show set in the grounds of Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury.

It was a bit daunting at first, seeing so many Tamworths there - and particularly some from two very good breeders - but luck was on my side. In the July '09 gilts class, Pricey came 1st and Phoenix 2nd. But the icing on the cake was when Thisbe won the very big sow class and again scooped the Champion Tamworth title! I was so thrilled that I just had to give judge Phil Fowlie (below) a big kiss!

Unfortunately, in the interbreed championship the next day, she had a bit of a mood on her and just wouldn't behave. Tamworths always have a tough time when they come up against other traditional breeds, as so many of the others, like the British saddlebacks, look so smart in the showring. Add to this a bad-tempered sow who doesn't want to play, and you have no chance!

Still, it was enough just to win the Tamworth championship. After all, this is only my third year of breeding, so it's not bad to be able to beat some breeders who have been at it for 20 or 30 years!

The new music genre - rural!

2010-08-18T03:19:00.000-07:00

Forget "urban" - the music genre of the future is "rural"!

The Irish rock/folk band, the Corrigan Brothers, got in touch with me to tell me about their latest YouTube video - Part Time Farmer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZxFOznySh8

It's an entertaining song with a very funny video about a chap who has a full-time job but also runs a farm, so has a massive juggling job on his hands. Sounds familiar!

Do have a look when you get a minute - made me laugh after a very long day, mostly spent with a hand up a pig's back end. I think it should become the official anthem for all smallholders.

The Corrigan Brothers became internationally-known when their song, There's No-one As Irish as Barack O'Bama got 5 million hits within weeks of being posted on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplZ_taHXLM&feature=related. Word reached the White House and they were invited to perform live at the presidential inauguration.

What next? With the latest venture into agricultural humour, should The Wurzels be worried? I think so.

We did it!

2010-07-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the highlight of my year - the Royal Welsh Show - has been and gone. It's all downhill from here, as far as my social life is concerned!

It was an amazing show - best I've been to for a long time - and the icing on the cake is that one of my sows got the traditional breeds championship! Audrey, one of two sows I bought in to increase the number of bloodlines in my herd, was looking at her best and really turned heads.

She was just three weeks from farrowing, so at the "blooming" stage, and she had also kept her fabulous deep red coat - unlike a lot of the other Tamworths.

In all, we got first and second in the sow class (second was Thisbe), female traditional champion, traditional champion, and champion Tamworth. Not bad for two pigs!

I also did seven TV and radio interviews - in English and Welsh - including BBC network news (the 1 o'clock and the digital BBC News Channel).

Understandably, being so close to giving birth - and maybe expecting around a dozen like last time - Audrey was feeling a bit hormonal and temperamental, particularly when temperatures started to soar. She behaved impeccably in the ring, but did snap at my leg a couple of times when I ventured into her pen. She had already started building a nest, you see, and no porcine mum-to-be likes the idea of someone with big wellies trampling all over their birthing area.

By the time it came to take her in the ring again, for the supreme championship (when the traditional champ and reserve go head-to-head with the winners of the modern class), she just didn't want to know. It was a bit of an effort getting her to keep walking around the ring whilst the judge took a huge amount of time making up his mind.

She didn't perform as well as she did the day before (and neither did I, I expect), and the top award went to my friends Chris and Bleddyn Beck (see Bledd, left) and their Large White sow. It was a well-deserved win, and it was really good to see two mates carrying off the supreme. Maybe next year it'll be me....

Bye, bye piglets

2010-07-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today, the first of my Oxford Sandy & Black litter went off to their new owners.

After having Tamworths for so long, it's been a real experience getting to know another breed, and when I bought Slayer (more of this name later), who was already in pig, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. In fairness to her, she has been a wonderful, gentle, and considerate mother to her eight lovely piglets. She can't be faulted on that score. However, she has a slight problem when it come to all other pigs. She hates them.

Lop-eared breeds are meant to be more docile and easy to manage, but not Slayer. Within weeks of arriving, she had tossed two of my seven-month-old gilts up into the air - leaving one unable to walk for a week.

Forced into solitary confinement, she broke out of her paddock, ripping through a barbed wire fence to attack two HUGE Tamworths. They were easily a third bigger than her - a good head and shoulders taller, and bigger all round - but she gave them a good old beating, leaving them with scratches and bite marks all over their backsides and necks. There wasn't a scratch on her. And that's how she earned her name.

I'm not sure what's bothering her. She was in a group of about eight sows and gilts when I went to buy her, so I assumed she would eventually settle with my own pigs.

Wrong. She seems to have an aversion to anything with ginger hair and I can't risk her coming into contact with any of my herd again.

So what should I do? Should I keep her, along with two of her piglets and have another go at getting her into pig? Should I sell her to someone who already has a herd of Oxfords? Or should she become sausages? Answers on a post card....

Fingers crossed!

2010-06-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

Good news! The gilt I thought the vet would have to put down has made a miraculous recovery and is now walking about. She still has a badly swollen foot, from an infection, but her leg seems fine.
Saying that, I'm pretty annoyed that when I asked two vets whether she should be given an antibiotic, they both said there was no point. Now I have a gilt which was once show quality but will now be left with what's called a "bush foot" - which rules her out of showing in future. If only I had insisted on her having an antibiotic as a precaution! Kicking myself.
I'm also really annoyed that her sister - the one I found lying in the mud - has mycoplasma arthritis. She's been reluctant to get up without assistance for over two weeks now and hasn't shown any real signs of improvement. MA is a painful condition caused by a tiny organism and can be spread from pig to pig - normally when new pigs are introduced into a herd. This gilt had just come back from the Royal Welsh Smallholder Festival, so I'm guessing she caught it there. Most common symptoms are a stiffness in the back legs and a reluctance to get up - pigs often only get as far as sitting up.
Three of my pig breeder friends suspected it, but the vet insisted the gilt had a muscular injury, so she's been on anti-inflammatory jabs for two weeks. One friend - a very experienced breeder of more than 20 years' standing - came round and said it was definitely MA. He gave her a jab (she's fed up of me sticking needles in her now) of a long-acting antibiotic and she started to respond a little in a day or so, managing to run away from me and my syringe! Back on the phone to the vet, he said any old antibiotic would help if it was MA. But the pig breeders said no - lyncomycin was what I needed. Back to the vet and he said, "Well, that IS one of the drugs of choice...." So why the hell had he advised me to give something not so effective? Suffice to say, he has now ordered the stuff, and it should be with me today. All I need to do now is find a way of jabbing my poor pin cushion of a pig yet again......

What next, God?

2010-05-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

This year has been a series of disasters.
January started with Thisbe, a first-time mother, freaking out and trying to savage her babies. I had to sit with her, calming her down, whilst quietly trying to make sure the poor, cold, wet little things latched onto her teats.
Then came Barbara's prolapsed cervix. Not a pretty sight. I had to push it back in and hold it there whilst she gave birth. Then, eight weeks later - once all her piglets were weaned - I had to drive her to the abattoir and bid her farewell. She was my favourite sow and one of my first, so it was hard seeing her go.
I bought in two new sows to expand the number of bloodlines. All was well until one developed a limp and three abscesses as big as tennis balls - just before a show.
The three January litters resulted in nothing worth keeping - well, that is, there was one boar, but he developed capped hock - a swelling on the joints caused by rubbing on the concrete of the pen - so that ruled him out of showing. The weaners that I kept on for meat have been nothing but trouble, escaping all the time and causing chaos. Just a few days ago, Gerry and I hunted high and low after a neighbour told us he had spotted them running in the lane. We found them having a whale of a time in a muddy culvert.
They may have wreaked havoc whilst on their rampage, but worse was yet to come. The following day, I discovered my prize gilt, a lovely 10-month-old Tamworth who had won 1st prize at the Royal Welsh showground just a few weeks before, lying helpless in the mud. The vet wasn't able to come up with a proper diagnosis, but, next day, Gerry spotted precocious three-month-old boar trying his best to mate with her as she lay there in agony. It seemed likely she had injured herself the previous day trying to shake off his amorous advances.
Gerry quickly evacuated the area to give the poor, injured gilt some peace to recouperate - and she did begin to do just that.
However, the next day, lightening struck again. Gerry was doing some work in an adjoining paddock and spotted something ginger between the lines of double fencing. Gilt no.2 was lying motionless. Gerry suspected a broken leg, and I rang the vet to warn him to bring something with which to put her down. Gerry got bolt cutters and cut through the fence and the vet got in and examined her. Nothing broken, he concluded. With his help, we got both her and her injured sister into the trailer and up to the barn for some rest and recouperation, aided by copious amounts of painkiller/anti-inflammatory. The two sisters are now a lot more comfortable, but far from recovery. Only time will tell when they will be properly back on their feet again. What's certain is that they won't be making an appearance at the Royal Bath & West Show this week. But, as long as they recover, I don't care about missing a few rosettes.

It's showtime!

2010-05-25T05:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a really busy time lately, but I'm delighted that the agricultural show season is finally under way. At last I have a social life again!

First event of the year was the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival at Builth Wells, Powys, in May. It's a lovely two-day show which is growing in size and reputation every year and there were well over 200 pigs entered this time. I only took four pigs - two sows and two nine-month-old gilts, but I came away with two firsts, a second, a third, and Champion Tamworth. The championship rosette was won by my lovely Thisbe, a young sow who had her first litter in January and is now in pig again. She's entered for quite a few shows over the summer, but will have to take a break early in August because she's due to farrow again.

Right now, I'm preparing for the Royal Bath & West Show (June 2-5 in Shepton Mallet). Only three pigs will be going - Thisbe plus the two gilts. I'm expecting fun and games because the gilts will be coming into season about then, and it always sends them bonkers! Will have to calm them down with cider before going into the ring (for medicinal reasons). I think I might have to join them!

What every girl wants: a belly rub from Jimmy Docherty

2009-10-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

My little gilt Noggin got a surprise visitor at the British Pig Association Show and Sale at Ross on Wye. Jimmy Docherty, of Jimmy's Farm, was filming for a new series about farm animals, and couldn't resist stopping to make a fuss of her.

He got on really well with her, and she was so well-behaved that he decided to do his opening piece to camera with her. According to the production crew, she'll be in the opening shot for the programme, due to tx in spring 2010.

Noggin was sold at auction because I want to get a different Tamworth bloodline in my herd. Jimmy told me afterwards that he had wanted to bid for her, but a friend of his also took a shine to her, so he agreed not to bid against him. Shame. Would have been nice to have sold her to him. Ah, well. Now the hunt is on for her replacement, so if anyone has a really nice pedigree Tamworth gilt or young sow, please let me know!

Show is over

2009-09-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

We've reached the end of the show season and I'm feeling a bit sad and deflated. It's a bit like getting to Boxing Day and realising there's nothing much to look forward to for months ahead.

The final event was the Royal County of Berkshire Show in Newbury over the weekend. Weather was fantastic, so that helped a lot. Show itself was great, too. I'd never been before, but was really impressed with the variety of attractions and the layout of the place.

The Berkshire is quite an important event for pig breeders, and there were over 100 entries. About half a dozen of the various breed societies hold their annual "Champion of Champions" final at the show - including the Tamworth Breeders' Club. Bill Howes from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, took the top prize in our breed section - a well-deserved win, as he has some of the best breeding stock in the UK. He's also a lovely, lovely man.

My young boar, Hamlet, got a respectable 2nd, as did his elder sister, Thisbe. Thisbe behaved herself for once (usually she goes mad at shows, running around and showing me up), but Hamlet was in a bit of a bad mood. Think it's his hormones - all those smells of other pigs around set him off and I think he got a bit frustrated. He desperately wants to start "work", but his would-be buyer pulled out a couple of days before the show, so he's now up for sale again. I can't keep him here because he's related to all my females, but he's going to make a lovely boar for some other breeder.

Pictures:

TOP: Shirley Howes, Bleddyn Beck, and Liz Shankland
RIGHT: Bill Howes (left of frame) with his champion Tamworth and Tamworth Breeders' Club chairman Nick Hunkin.

Nice weather - but not for pigs!

2009-09-15T01:48:00.000-07:00

All my show pigs have been getting the Factor 30 suncream treatment for the past couple of days to stop them burning up in this lovely September sun.
Hamlet, my little star - the January '09 boar who has won two firsts plus lots of seconds this year - looks nothing at all like a show pig at the moment. He's had liberal applications of suncream, plus has made the most of his mud wallow and coated himself in Factor 100 - mud. Hopefully, I'm going to find time to get down to the field with a bucket and sponge today and start washing off some of the gunge - and then slapping on the suncream again!
I need to see what his skin looks like underneath before we set off for our last show of the season on Friday. It's the Royal County of Berkshire Show in Newbury. Long journey, but an easy drive compared to some of the shows I've been to this year.
So far, in my first proper year of showing, I've done the Royal Welsh Smallholder Festival, the Bath & West, Three Counties, the Royal (the final one), and the Royal Welsh Show. Each of the pigs has won a 1st in one of the shows, so not bad for an initial stab at this showing lark. Whereas more experienced breeders on the circuit have lots of pigs to choose from when it comes to selecting their "show team", I had to take what I had: Hamlet, the young boar, Noggin, his sister, and Thisbe, the only gilt I registered from my first litter last year.
Hopefully next year I'll have more to choose from. Only time will tell!

New babies

2009-09-02T05:03:00.000-07:00

My two new litters of piglets are all doing well. They are just over a week old now and they're already showing an interest in their mums' sow rolls at feeding time as well as discovering the joys of over-ripe fruits like strawberries, bananas, and plums.

The two girls, Barbara and Bramble (half-sisters, just over two years' old) are taking it all in their stride.

This is Babs' third litter - she had 12 this time, but one got stuck and was born dead. Bramble is on her second litter and only managed five this time, but I sneakily took three of Babs' piglets and swapped them onto her a few hours after they had both finished giving birth, and neither mum spotted the switch!
Although the big litter wasn't having any problems feeding, I was thinking ahead to when they got bigger and were all fighting for a teat. This way, with eight piglets per sow, everyone has the chance of a good feed.