Last Friday, Daniel and I loaded up the blue farm truck and made the treck to a neighboring town to pick out some precious fatties. Last year Willow blessed us with lots of little fatties but this year we had a piglet tragedy (https://mountainprairiefarm.com/2017/03/24/no-more-hiding/).

And so we needed to pick out a few piglets from another farm for the boys’ 4H project.

Hens lounging under the forsythia bush~ usually the first bush to flower in the spring! Yay!

We picked a mix of 2 males and 2 females. Their momma is a berkshire and their daddy is a tamworth~ both known for wonderful meat and good dispositions.

Last year all our pigs were in one home together with Willow. But as the months progressed, Willow became a much fatter and fatter pig by pushing the smaller pigs out of the food. No one went hungry, but the 4H pigs struggled to make weight by the end of the summer. Keeping the food situation in mind, we made a beautiful, temporary piglet hut for the new babies.

The hut had all the amenities a piglet could want: warm hay to snuggle into at night, endless supply of food and water, access to amazing Montana sunshine. Perfect!

But these are mischievous piglets and wanted to explore the world beyond their boundaries.

And they found ingenious ways of escape.

Over and over we “reinforced” the piglet hut.

And they still found ways to break out.

Now the hut looks like it should be on “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

AND then the new babies found Willow. 

And that was that.

Now we have to figure out a way to feed everyone separately so the big fat pig doesn’t get more of her share!

Paradise~ just north of nowhere.

PS: Just a quick word from our sponsor: We are still having horrible internet issues. It often takes more than 24 hours to load a few pictures onto “Mountain Prairie Farm”. I’m certain it’s because of our moisture problems. We still have standing water in our pastures. I’m confident that as our water recedes, so will our spotty connecitiveness. We just need to be patient and persevere.

And now we return to our regularly scheduled program.

Today’s count: 33 eggs

What’s for supper: BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes and salad.

Weather: Sunny, with a high near 71. (Do you see that! 71! 71! ) West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Tonight mostly clear, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph after midnight.