My herd is your herd
/by Derek Walter, Co-founder and Executive Director of HEEFS
After an unsuccessful attempt to merge our pig herd last fall, we took a break over the winter and tried again earlier this month. (Drum roll…) We are thrilled to announce…SUCCESS! With just a few scuffles and minor injuries two of our three pig herds are now one.
The process of integrating pig herds can be intense, but the result of having one large pig herd comes with too many benefits for us not to give it our best effort. These benefits can be far-reaching for the residents affecting both their physical health and mental well-being. A larger space to call home supports our pigs’ natural intelligence, their curiosity and their social skills, while also reducing overall stress and fighting.
The many benefits of herd integration
Along with the benefits noted above, there are many other reasons for integrating our pig herds. For example…
Pigs are highly sociable animals and expanding their herd provide opportunities for friendships amongst residents who might otherwise have never met.
More space equals more choice and greater autonomy when it comes to where a resident chooses to explore each day and sleep each night.
Living in highly defined hierarchies, having more space allows pigs who are at, or near, the bottom of the herd more freedom to avoid what can be stressful interaction with those closer to the top.
Having access to multiple spaces allows for enhanced enrichment and new experiences. Each of our pastures and shelters come with their own features such as forested areas, a variety of enclosure sizes and different rooting opportunities.
Where we were
Prior to this integration, HEEFS had three distinct pig herds – each with its own hierarchy, living in three different barns. You’ll notice that Bobbie and Oxana are not included in any of these herds. Both of these ladies are currently living in separate stalls in the main barn – Bobbie due to health and mobility concerns, and Oxana due to social issues which we are working to resolve.
Herd #1 – Living in the main barn, this was our largest herd, led by Captain Dan and including April, Hercules, Mercy, Brindle, Peggy, Tim, Fiona, Abigale, Tammy, Jolene and Alexandra-Pumpkin.
Herd #2 – This herd was made up of many of the residents who were brought to HEEFS from FarmX with Malcolm as top pig and including Phoenix, Ted, Ray, Braxton and Knoxleigh. This herd was living in our former goat and sheep barn.
Herd #3 – What we affectionately call The Piglet Herd, and led by Sammy, this herd includes Bradley, Zeke, Winnifred, Helen, Iona, Robert, Benjamin, Audrey and Penelope. This group has not yet been integrated into the larger single herd. They still call the former Big Head barn home.
Where we are now
This round of integration merged Herd #1 and Herd #2 giving them access to multiple pastures and shelters which can be configured in many ways thanks to the addition of more fencing and additional gates.
Where we hope to be soon
The goal is to have all three of our herds merged. We’re waiting until this first integration settles in before we introduce Sammy’s herd. Hooves crossed that this final integration goes as well as the one we just went through!
