The Pig Pen

Ellie and Winnie finally have their outdoor home!

I realize that if I am unsure about something, I procrastinate badly. That was the case with this outdoor pig pen and the electric fencing. I have never worked with electric fencing and was really insecure about it. So something that should have taken two weeks took two months. Finally last week, Zoe and Navy stepped in and forced me to figure it out! While I asked questions and got comfortable they started clearing the land.

After that things moved very quickly. We got the shelter built, the posts in, the wire run, the charger connected, the gate mounted and voila!

The last step was to test the fence. I bought a very inexpensive tester and we struggled to see it light up. We were very nervous that the fence was not working. Then our darling cat Phoenix decided it would be fun to jump through the wires. Who needs a tester when you have a cat yowling and jumping 5 feet in the air! Electric fence works!

The final step was to move the pigs in. We had such high hopes for this. We figured it would be no problem to lead them from the barn to the pen with food as the incentive. Ya...no. They are apparently a lot smarter than that!

It was time to prove how strong I am. After hearing them scream like we were murdering them (it shows how far away our neighbours are that they didn’t send the police!) I first hugged and then picked up Ellie and carried her to the pen. Then I went back for Winnie and carried him over (with some help because he is a solid young man!) Then we sat and watched them wonder why they were so afraid of coming to this fantastic paradise that their loving humans built for them❤️

Happy Easter

 Another holiday has come and gone in relative COVID quiet. By now we have found ways to adjust. My son gets his card and chocolate via mail, my parents call us, and my household enjoys a dinner. While it is not ideal, it is sadly becoming normal. 

That aside, I was laughed at by my adult household for insisting on having an easter egg hunt but we followed it with a lovely dinner. 

We celebrated on Friday because Zoe and Navy welcomed a friend from Ontario on Sunday so they had to head into isolation. They have rented an amazing cottage on a lake to pass the time.

 I truly enjoy having them here and the house feels very quiet with them gone, but I am sure I will find ways to pass the time until they return! Today I enjoyed turning on SiriusXM and listening (uninterrupted) to a Blue Jays game and I will enjoy the mushroom salad that I get to eat tonight (mushrooms are banned from our house while Zoe and Navy are here).

Our animals are keeping me on my toes this week. Our little girl Phoenix-our adorable, full of life, barn kitten - turned out to be a boy lol! Good mom I am that I couldn't figure that one out until I happened to watch him walk away from me one day and saw a healthy set of testicles....

The chick that I helped hatch has been having some difficulty. She had curly toe, so we bandaged her foot and a day later that seemed to be corrected. She also had splay leg, so we put our hobble contraption on her, however she seems to have developed a secondary issue. Her legs are still splayed apart, but her one leg has also started to turn so the foot is pointing to the side instead of to the front. I am still not sure how to handle this one and am researching how to help her.

One of our chicks from the first hatch cut her toe so badly we thought she cut off the tip. Luckily she had not. But she came inside as we are now out of hospital space in the barn and she spent the night in the cat carrier to allow time for it to scab.

Our amazing momma bunny Willow had a litter of babies on Monday night. She had a whopping 10 kits! One did not make it through the first day. Nothing traumatic, she was not injured, just died. One of the remaining kits was not getting fed. We decided to leave her in the barn with her mom and brothers and sisters but we bottle fed her three times a day for 3 days. Today, for the first time, she looked like she had been fed by Willow and when I gave her the bottle, she was able to latch on and suck! She is half the size of the other bunnies, but getting stronger!

Then, because Zoe decided all this was not enough for us to handle, she brought home 10 duck eggs which are now in the incubator. 

Once I finish the outdoor pig pen and build them a hut, I get to look up plans for a duck dock that will float in our pond and have nesting boxes for the ducks!

Some days I just shake my head at what I have gotten myself into! As tired as I am, I absolutely love every moment of every animal I have the pleasure of knowing!

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you were able to find some joy and enjoy some company whether it was in real life or virtual.