Arrivals has been our theme this week…and the week isn’t out yet!
It started with our first load of lovely hay… a nice full trailer on Sunday afternoon. Always a moment of joy and “Oh, unloading that is now on the to do list?!!”. Thanks Walt, it is lovely.
Lassie talking to her piglets on Day 1
Followed by the first of three gilts (first pregnancy pigs) farrowing, delivering in the early hours of Wednesday. All are doing well.
It seems Lassie just wanted to make sure she was ahead of the turkey poult arrival, which she achieved, just barely, as the post office called at 6:15 am to let us know they had 2 chirping boxes for us to pick up.
And these young arrivals were balanced later in the day but the arrival of some experienced wisdom, as Laura’s parents returned to the farm for their summer farmstay!
Two more sets of piglets to go….Toto & Tiggles are keeping us in a bit of suspense, but we are happy for a smidge of breathing room.
Here is the pre-arrival work.
Instinct is powerful. Our sows build a nest, Lassie started with grass and shrubs she was harvesting from the pasture, then we made her stay in the barn, so she worked with some of the gorgeous fresh hay that had just arrived. In addition to “harvesting” it for her nest, she was taking some breaks to snack on it as well.
This year’s theme is Ski Areas, so send in your favorites. Small or large, nordic or alpine, local or far flung, commercial or backcountry. For Grizabella’s litter born March 1st, we stuck with some Vermont ones, but we feel the west calling us…and Lassie doesn’t conjure up anything about nordic skiing or skiers (she is built more like a rugby player) but we are thinking Toto or Tiggles litters are possibilities. And for the turkeys, well they are Gobblers Knob, of course!
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And the new arrivals will be accepting visitors during our staffed Farm Stand hours this Thursday and next Thursday, 3:30-6:30 pm.