FarmX Pig integration…it’s a process!
/Pigs are very social animals and organize themselves into herds with a strict hierarchy. Any changes to the herd, for example…integrating new members into the group, upsets this balance and means that each of the herd members has to jockey, once again, for position within the new herd. This can be stressful for the pigs, and often takes several attempts as they sort it all out.
Integration attempt #1
Back in December, when the weather was milder, a first integration attempt was made. As expected, there was a lot of scrapping between the Farm X pigs, led by Malcolm, and our main herd, led by Captain Dan. This process was overseen by caregivers along with Derek and Kevin who used pig boards to break up fights that went on for too long or looked like they were escalating. None of the pigs were hurt during this integration attempt, however, after about an hour it was becoming clear that the integration was not going to happen and that the residents were tiring.
This was our first try at integrating so many pigs into one herd. Ideally, there would be multiple, back-to-back integration attempts over several days but due to a change in the weather, that had to be put off. Back-to-back attempts allow the residents to slowly acclimate to each other and sort out their hierarchy. It took almost two month of integration efforts before Alexandra-Pumpkin was accepted into group of Jolene, Fiona, Tammy and Abigale!
Unfortunately, winter, in general, is not ideal for integrations due to the ground being particularly hard and potentially icy. We will try again when we have milder weather – most likely in the spring. It is important that we succeed with this integration as it will allow us to open up multiple pastures giving all the pigs access to a large space which includes the main barn, the forest and the pig huts – not to mention all of the opportunities for friendships to form amongst the pig residents.
The current pig herds
Right now, we have five pig groupings – two of which are single pigs. There are the two main herds which include six of the eight Farm X pigs and Dan’s herd. As mentioned above, Alexandra-Pumpkin, originally from Farm X is now part of Dan’s herd. Oxana, while from Farm X, is currently on her own. She has had some difficulty integrating into the Farm X herd. It is our goal to integrate Oxana into the Farm X herd as soon as we can so she can have other pigs to interact and snuggle with.
The only singleton is Bobbie. Bobbie is not likely to be integrated into any of the herds because her advanced age and disability (missing her back right toe) would leave her vulnerable and unable to properly defend herself in a herd. But don’t worry about Bobbie – she gets more than her fair share of snuggles, love and treats from all the volunteers and caregivers at HEEFS! And the last herd is Sammy and the piglets. Our long-term goal is to have one big, happy herd that can share all the pastures, barns and shelters, while ensuring that Bobbie has a safe space, outside of the herd, that she can call her own.
Stay tuned for updates on the integration of the Farm X pigs on our social media channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happilyeveresther
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HEEFS_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happilyeveresther/
