At the end of 2014 prior to our Winter Break there was a pasture of a dozen or more pregnant sows. Today I peeked in to see if any of the Mama sows had given birth. Oh yes they did!!
These three are newly born, maybe a day old.
After an early breakfast this litter of twelve keep warm as they all huddle up next to each other. You can only see eleven piglets, number twelve has the best spot in the house. Smashed against his Mama and buried under it's siblings. This litter is dominantly wild. You can tell by the strips that run along the body. In pasture these stripped piglets stand out, however in the wild they wouldn't even be seen!
Here is a Mama sow which has wild european bore genes in her yet her babies have more chester genetics in them. You can tell by their soft pink coloring and those ears will only get bigger and more floppy. In fact so floppy they can fall down on to their face covering their eyes. Other characteristic of the chester breed is the broad shoulders and round broad hind legs. The little guy in front although just a few days old, you can see how he will grow into a big long muscular hog. Laying next to him, the piglet with strips, has no definition in his shoulders or hips.
This Mama is tired and cranky! Here she is grunting at me, as I have startled her babies. This pale brown piglet's genetics are dominantly duroc. This breed has a beautiful burnt red orange color and those adorable floppy ears.
