Meet Rocky…

This week we had an exciting new arrival here at the Farm!

We love new arrivals on the farm and Spring normally sees new arrivals in the form of babies, but this new arrival is much bigger!

Welcome Rocky!  He’s two year old Oxford Sandy and Black Boar. He, along with another sow, ‘Little T’ have joined Nibbly outside in their paddock at the top of the Farm.

Rocky will be staying with us for around 6 weeks with a very important job to do. Within that time we are hoping he will be able to make sure Little T and Nibbly are going to have their own litters of piglets! The Oxford Sandy and Black are a rare breed which have in fact twice been near extinction. With the help of Rocky and the girls we are hoping to play a part in the continued recovery of the breed.

So far, he has settled in really well and all three pigs are getting along perfectly which is really good news. They have been digging in the dirt and even making a space for their own wallow. To visit Rocky, head up pas sheep racing towards the deer paddock and you’ll find Rocky, Little T and Nibbly along the way.

 

 

Oxford Sandy and Black pigs are also known as the Plum Pudding pig because of the beautiful dark markings or “splodges”. Because of these markings and their golden colour they are far less susceptible to sunburn than pink pigs.

Pigs have a gestation period of three months, three weeks and three days. This means, depending on when Rocky works his magic, we might even have two little litters of piglets before the summer.

Make sure you pay them a visit before Rocky has to leave us to continue his important breeding work.