Last night was filled with romance here on the Smay Farm. Did The Bibbed Wonder plan a romantic interlude? The answer is a hard no. However, Boris, our Large Black boar, and Abu, our Billy goat, finally had a romance-filled evening with their lovely ladies. Both gentlemen have been quarantined from their female counterparts for months. We are making an effort to work smarter, not harder, and plan the delivery of babies when the weather begins to turn a bit warmer.
For the goats, there is a five-month gestation period. If all goes as planned, we will not have any deliveries until April. Although the weather can still be unpredictable in April, there should not be any sub-zero temperatures to deal with, making everyone’s life more difficult. Our first round of deliveries will be in a few weeks. It will be busy, but we hope the trend of mild temperatures continues for a few more weeks. Splitting the girls into small groups for delivery will ensure we have enough milk to see us throughout next year. Being a farmer requires a bit of time management and scheduling skills.
As for the pigs, their gestational period is three months, three weeks, three days. I find the order of their gestational period fascinating. Anyhow, if all goes well, Miss Charlotte will deliver at the end of March. Dorothy, one of the three little pigs, is also in heat. If she and Boris find love, we will have our first litter of registered Large Black Hogs in late March or early April. That is very exciting for one heritage pig-loving bib overall wearing wonder buns. I continue to admire the pigs from a distance with a robust electric fence as a barrier. However, little floppy-eared piglets are adorable from a distance.
Last night, the barn was filled with romance. Boris and Charlotte had their first date of the season, and Boris knocked it out of the park, wooing Miss Charlotte. He definitely brought his A-game by getting up and moving, making high-pitched squeals, and letting his tongue hang out. Usually, Boris is a complacent lump that allows the goats, cats, and chickens to walk and lay on him. He protests only when more than three goats stand on him or the kitties curl up on his face. Even then, he merely grunts and wiggles a bit to dislodge them. He is a lovely creature, for a pig.
Abu, our billy goat, thought he died and went to heaven. He just wasn’t sure which way to turn. At first, the girls wanted nothing to do with him. When he entered the barn, everyone ran outside. However, his hard to resist musk (insert gagging), his waggling tongue, and the sound that goes along with said waggling tongue were irresistible. Soon, the ladies were swarming around him like bees to honey.
After doing the morning milking, The Bibbed Wonder reported it was apparent a good time had been had by all. The two boys were sound asleep, almost unconscious from their night of romance. The ladies were all peacefully content and smelled of Abu’s “cologne.” (Insert more gagging). The families are back together, just in time to snuggle in when the temperature drops. All is right with the world, at least for our goats and pigs.
Come April; we will bombard you with baby pictures like proud parents. Until then, I will ensure Eric does not share the equivalent of barnyard porn with anyone on social media. Sigh. He is so much like a twelve-year-old boy sometimes. He has definite ideas of what would make a hilarious Christmas card. Again, this does not involve anything even remotely appropriate. Thankfully, he does not have the password to my Shutterfly account.
On this chilly November weekend, stay safe, be smart, don’t share inappropriate pictures of anything on social media, and keep washing your hands. (Especially if you’ve been hanging out with Abu, the billy goat. More gagging.)