Pigging Out

A dirty weekend and its consequences.

So, our worst fears have been this week confirmed.

Imogen Poots, our comely saddleback sow, has given birth to four piglets to THE WRONG FATHER.

Once a year Poots goes down the road for a few weeks' romantic tryst with our neighbour's saddleback boar. She has had 20 little piggies, ten at a time, over the last two years to this handsome chap. Good breeding and all that.

Before she goes away, we keep her carefully separate from our resident Bad Boy, Kunikuni boar Angelica. (He is not to be confused with Angelica Huston, who is of course a sheep.) They are at least three paddocks distant and out of sight of one another for the time being.

Naughty Poots giving Big Bad Boy the eye.

However four months ago, we were all away for one night only, and when Mike returned he found that BOTH Poots and Angelica had broken out of their respective fields and had had a couple of days free range around the farm. Two days free love you might say. And this only a day or two before she was due to go to her usual stud.

Hoping for the best -- that perhaps Bad Boy hadn't had his way effectively with Bad Girl Poots -- we took her down the road for her annual Club Med holiday. On her return, she was clearly in the family way, and we crossed fingers that Stud Pig had won the day and prevailed.

Alas, it was not to be. Imogen gave birth to four only half-Saddleback/half-Kuniknui piglets this week.

This little piggy has distinctive indicators -- a gingery hue and wattles below his chin -- that mark him unmistakably as Angelica's offspring.

The Prop is ropeable and has given Angelica notice -- no more piglets buddy. That's it. Enough. You have been warned. BAD pig, etc.

One, at least, of these little fellahs has its admirers. The Prop is not one of them.