I'm a Pig Husband!
Written: Oct 15 '05 (Updated Oct 30 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Find out about pig husbandry and get to play with the piggies!
Cons: None for me
The Bottom Line: A great introduction into pig husbandry - a fascinating and very different experience.
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| cr01's Full Review: Barton Hill Animal Centre |
Wendy knelt down and lent over Ivy who was relaxing in the sun lit grass. Wendy gently pulled on one of Ivy’s nipples. We stood close by watching intently.
Wendy explained: "This is my foolproof test. If the milk is ready, Ivy will give birth to her piglets in the next 12 hours."
A shot of milk urgently burst out and landed on the sleeve of Wendy’s young daughter. Wendy looked up and smiled at the slight discomfort on her daughter’s face as she wiped the milk from the sleeve of her fleece.
"It looks like I have a long night ahead", she added*. Wendy then showed me how to gently squeeze Ivy's swollen stomach so I could feel the mass of squirming legs and heads inside. A wonderful feeling.
We were standing in the lovely walled garden of the old farmhouse at Barton Hill. I could see the stunning woodland views of the rural Golden Valley in Herefordshire, England behind Wendy and Ivy. I was at Barton Hill to learn more about pig keeping, and had arranged a day’s course to celebrate our recent wedding anniversary. As my partner has often described me as one, I decided it was time to get some formal training on being a pig husband.
In truth, my beloved has always had a thing about pigs, and we decided to find out more before we take the pig keeping plunge.
Wendy keeps and breeds the Kune Kune pig (pronounced Koon-ie Koon-ie). These are an ideal breed of pig for the amateur and smallholder, as they are friendly and manageable, as well as being fairly small and cute looking. Kune Kunes have coarse hair, and tend to be an attractive mottled ginger, white and black combination.
Mary also attended the course. While we were simply dipping our toe in the livestock pond, Mary had plenty of experience with both sheep and cattle, but wanted to discover if keeping pigs was for her.
My mother was born in this area, and she had asked her aged friend who still lives locally about Wendy. This very old fashioned farming lady described Wendy as "a bit of a hippy who saves animals!". I was certainly heartened at this description, as I was keen to learn more about the traditional style of free-range pig farming, rather than the cruel sausage factories that most pigs live in these days.
Wendy and her husband run an animal centre on their 20-acre farm. They have foxes, birds, a donkey and pony, as well as around 20 Kune Kunes. Some of their animals have been rescued from appalling conditions. They have now found happy refuge with Wendy and her family. Wendy used to run a small wildlife centre, but new regulations meant their business had to be designated as a zoo, with an associated expensive list of upgrades to remain open to the public. Today, the farm concentrates on providing specialised courses and pig breeding.
We undertook most of our course in the stone-flagged floored study of the farmhouse, although we also had an extensive tour of the farm, and much more important, the farm residents!
Wendy began by explaining the history of the Kune Kune, an ancient Polynesian breed, which by the early 1970’s had almost died out in its native New Zealand. Two intrepid English travellers heard about the breed from locals on the island, and managed to find and buy 18 pure bred Kune Kunes. There are now over 2,000 Kune Kunes in Britain; all originate from these original 18. Many breeders take care to ensure the bloodline of new stock is as mixed as possible from the 7 female and 4 male bloodlines available.
The Maori prized the Kune Kune for getting fat even on poor grazing, and keeping the pig at its correct rounded size is quite tricky. It’s easy to overfeed a Kune Kune, and Wendy had a couple of outsized examples on the farm. Wendy was slimming the pigs down over the winter for their over indulgent owners.
Wendy’s course covered all aspects of pig care, including information about government regulations, fencing & housing, feeding, breeding and selecting your pig. Wendy also provided a massive and hearty lunch; a beautiful leek and potato soup, followed by a jacket potato with a variety of fillings, and a stunning blackberry and apple crumble. It was all traditional farmhouse fare, and delicious.
Wendy also told us about some farming mishaps that she had experienced over the years. One of her sows escaped and had to take the morning after pill, after an inappropriate liaison! She also told us several amusing stories about the difficulty in keeping a variety of animals at the farm.
Towards the end of the course, equipped with our newfound knowledge, Wendy took us on a tour of the farm where we met all the pigs. I was surprised at how friendly and docile they were, including the breeding males. Angelina is just a year old, and a particularly sweet and friendly girl. She rushed up to us to have her tummy rubbed. We also met Mimi, a friendly and almost blind pig who had been mistreated and who now has the roam of the farm. Rambo meanwhile, had lovely curly fur on his huge ears, and grunted at us with gusto. We certainly enjoyed meeting these friendly pigs, and seeing something of their different personalities.
We found the course to be a perfect combination of fun and practical information about pig keeping. The course was logical in its structure and by use of real examples, not too dry. We found our day flew by and Wendy was very candid about the pleasures and pitfalls of pig keeping. At the end of the course, she offered to source us some well-bred pigs. We also received a booklet covering the information presented to us during the day.
I would recommend the course as an excellent introduction for anyone thinking about keeping pigs on a small scale, or for anyone simply piggy mad! It certainly makes for a very unusual and unique experience. By the way, I must mention that the farm doesn't smell of pigs at all. If the keeper regularly cleans the area the pigs use to deposit dung, then there's no hint of piggy smell.
Our 6-hour course cost £100 ($170) per person. We thought this was good value, given the detailed information we recevied together with the inclusive lunch.
To find out more information about the courses and the dates they are held then visit the Barton Hill web site at: http://www.bartonhill.co.uk/
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cr01 asserts his right to be associated as the author of this review -2005-
* Wendy contacted me after the course to say that Ivy had 7 healthy piglets, 3 girls & 4 boys. Mother and babies are doing well!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cr01
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Member: Chris
Location: Yorkshire, England
Reviews written: 413
Trusted by: 365 members
About Me:
Morris all grown up!
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