So Far, So Good...

After our unexpected additions to our animal farm yesterday, we kept a pretty close eye on the piglets today. We tried to build a crush rail to prevent the risk of Delilah squashing any of her babies, but the logistics of it didn't work. If we'd had some warning and time to build it earlier, it would have been fine. But as it is, we're pretty much stuck with things as they are, and we're going to have to hope and pray that she is extra-careful. So far, she has been. So, it's going to be more monitoring for the next little while, to see if the piggies can survive. We've got an extra heat lamp over them now, but it's not doing much more than cutting the edge off the cold.

Unfortunately, we found two more dead piglets this morning. Not from the six; all of them are still okay. But she gave birth to ten, not eight, so we lost four before we even knew they were there. These two are in a tough place to reach, but we'll have to get them out tomorrow to avoid any risk of disease. With the cold, the bodies are definitely frozen, and I'd rather not spend any more words or thoughts on that topic tonight.

We also had a fun little time when the Kitchen Goddess went to to the vet to pick up some iron supplements for them. We had to inject the piglets, and Delilah was not happy with us as the piglets squealed and screamed at the unfamiliar touch. Two of them had a rough reaction, and were struggling; we thought one of them was paralyzed because it couldn't stand up. When it looked like Delilah was going to write them off because they wouldn't follow her to the warm spot, my wife and I brought the two piglets into the house to see if they could calm down, get warm, and stop squealing. Eventually, they did, and we debated whether or not they would be welcomed back into Mama's loving embrace. Since these are pigs and not birds, we gave it a try. And it worked; the piglets are behaving normally, and Delilah is caring for them again. Crisis averted; we thought we might have to separate them permanently, which would have meant they would be pets, because my wife is constitutionally incapable of holding a small animal without instantly falling in love with it and wanting to keep it. We've gotten two dogs and countless chickens that way.

So, here's hoping and praying that they make it through the night, and tomorrow is a fresh start with more opportunities to help them get through the cold. It sucks, and the timing couldn't have been much worse, but it is what it is. God's got this, and we'll trust in Him.