It's been a little over 5 weeks since our new berkshire gilt arrived on the farm. You can read more about it here. After a harrowing first few weeks of foot problems, pig fights, and uncertainty, the herd is finally just about integrated. The gilt's hooves are still cracked, but they don't look like they're causing her any pain and are not infected. My best guess is that it's similar to when you smash your finger and lose the fingernail (something that happens to me too frequently, sadly). When you lose the nail, the nail bed hurts like the dickens, but after a few days, the pain goes away. I imagined putting all my weight on such a hurt nail, and if that is how the pig felt, I can understand why she didn't want to move at all. Nonetheless, she's doing fine now.
The comments I received on the previous post suggested weeks to months of acclimation, and they were spot on. The oinking order is mostly settled now. The little pigs sleep next to the new pig without problem, but there is still an occasional squabble with the two sows. A few days ago seemed to be the big settlement day, as there was a lot of oinking as the sows figured things out. No injuries other than a few bite marks have occurred, and I'm happy things are now mostly settled.
I'll be putting the boar in with the older ladies in a few weeks, and I'll be interested to see how that affects the dynamic.
The comments I received on the previous post suggested weeks to months of acclimation, and they were spot on. The oinking order is mostly settled now. The little pigs sleep next to the new pig without problem, but there is still an occasional squabble with the two sows. A few days ago seemed to be the big settlement day, as there was a lot of oinking as the sows figured things out. No injuries other than a few bite marks have occurred, and I'm happy things are now mostly settled.
I'll be putting the boar in with the older ladies in a few weeks, and I'll be interested to see how that affects the dynamic.
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