Pig Poem - The Pig by Roald Dahl

In England once there lived a big
And wonderfully clever pig.
To everybody it was plain
That Piggy had a massive brain.
He worked out sums inside his head,
There was no book he hadn't read.
He knew what made an airplane fly,
He knew how engines worked and why.
He knew all this, but in the end
One question drove him round the bend:
He simply couldn't puzzle out
What LIFE was really all about.
What was the reason for his birth?
Why was he placed upon this earth?
His giant brain went round and round.
Alas, no answer could be found.
Till suddenly one wondrous night.
All in a flash he saw the light.
He jumped up like a ballet dancer
And yelled, "By gum, I've got the answer!"
"They want my bacon slice by slice
"To sell at a tremendous price!
"They want my tender juicy chops
"To put in all the butcher's shops!
"They want my pork to make a roast
"And that's the part'll cost the most!
"They want my sausages in strings!
"They even want my chitterlings!
"The butcher's shop! The carving knife!
"That is the reason for my life!"
Such thoughts as these are not designed
To give a pig great piece of mind.
Next morning, in comes Farmer Bland,
A pail of pigswill in his hand,
And piggy with a mighty roar,
Bashes the farmer to the floor…
Now comes the rather grizzly bit
So let's not make too much of it,
Except that you must understand
That Piggy did eat Farmer Bland,
He ate him up from head to toe,
Chewing the pieces nice and slow.
It took an hour to reach the feet,
Because there was so much to eat,
And when he finished, Pig, of course,
Felt absolutely no remorse.
Slowly he scratched his brainy head
And with a little smile he said,
"I had a fairly powerful hunch
"That he might have me for his lunch.
"And so, because I feared the worst,
"I thought I'd better eat him first."

Roald Dahl

 

(Of course this would never happen with a pet pig!)

New Portrait of Bertie Pig

Good Morning Bertie!

Mowing Pig Bone China Mug by Jo Ham

This mowing pig bone china mug is made in England in one of the few potteries left in Stoke on Trent it was desingned by London-based designer Jo. A farmer’s daughter, Jo grew up in the shires with her pet pig Primrose before training as a fine artist . Available to purchase from HAM

Toy Teacup Pigs

Tomy have come up with a Teacup Pig that will never grow bigger - it's an interactive toy - cute interactive piggies talk and laugh and oink - choose from Goldie, Copper, Pretty Lilly, Snowflake, Roxy or Shimmy - each with her own unique personality, birth certificate, bottle and matching teacup. Each piggie says over 25 different phrases Lay them on their side and they go to sleep and gently snore Feed them with their bottle and hear them drinking Contents: 1 x Teacup Piggie 1 x Black Teacup 1 x Feeding Bottle 1 x Birth Certificate.

The 2011 Micro Piglets Video

If you follow our Little Pet Pigs blog you'll know that our little micro pig Lucy is in pig for 2012, she had 6 lovely heathy piglets last year, here's the video of them.
Aren't they adorable? We are so looking forward to Lucy's next litter.

Delightful Little Pet Pig

If there's one thing you can say about owning micro pigs,


keeping them as pets,

it's that the micro pig is an almost constant source of entertainment,


you won't go many days without a bit of a giggle.

Frosty Pig

Bertie always the first to greet us in the mornings

was terribly excited to see us this morning,

very keen for his breakfast and completely oblivious to his frosty beard

and who can blame him with weather like this.
That's a hoar frost on the trees.

Feeding pigs beet to avoid dehydration

What with the pig's water being all iced up or even covered in snow most mornings I can't say as I blame them for not being very keen on drinking really, really cold water. Unfortunately due to the fact that they live in a derelict orchard far from an electric supply I'm unable to supply them with warm water, they do of course have fresh water everyday but it is cold, very cold from the oudoor tap. So to make sure that the pigs don't dehydrate (admittedly more of a problem in the summer than winter, but just to be on the safe side), I've taken to giving them a breakfast of well soaked beet.
We feed this to the horses as well and it soaks up lots and lots of water so I can be reasonably confident that everyone is fairly hydrated. This particular type contains molasses and as we all know pigs, like humans, have a sweet tooth so they are enjoying it.

What is a CPH number? Why do I need a CPH number and how do I get a CPH number?

You're looking through advertisements for pigs for sale and keep seeing the words "CPH required" sometimes the ads even say don't reply if you haven't got a CPH, but what is a CPH number?

CPH stands for COUNTY PARISH HOLDING and is a number issued by DEFRA that enables them to trace the movement of livestock, pigs, cows, sheep, goats, throughout the country. It is to help prevent the spread of disease and is required by law.

How do I get a CPH number?

To Obtain a CPH Number you must ring the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Customer Service Centre on 0845 603 7777.

Is it difficult to get a CPH number?

No it's very easy anyone can get one, just phone the Rural Payments Agency, all they want to know is your name, address and the address where the pig (or other livestock) is going to be kept. Give them the details and the number will be sent through the post to you.

Will they want to inspect my home to see if it's suitable for a pig?

No the Rural Payments Agency just issue the numbers noone inspects your premises to see if it is suitable for livestock.

How much does a CPH number cost?

Nothing, it's free.

Snowy view from the pig's house

Snow fell Saturday night and the orchard has remained under it's snowy blanket ever since. Hugo and Florence the Kune Kune's seem unconcerned and carry on their days as usual. Lucy and Bertie the micro pigs do not like the snow and are currently only venturing out of their houses for food.