Pork bellies

Ethelred, our baby boar, is growing in leaps and bounds. Being a boy and being so little, we have had to keep him separate from the larger girls. Therefore, he is very lonely and although he started out being kind of suspicious and standoffish, he now seeks attention and when I tickle his side, he rolls over and lets me scratch his belly. He lies there, with his eyes closed, in ecstasy. I think it is a good thing that he is so tame as one day in the not too distant future, he will be a great big creature, all tusks and fangs- so the fact that he will roll over and even let you examine his fangs is definitely good.

Chicks are hatching today. We put over 20 eggs from the Americaunas and the Buff orpingtons into the incubator 3 weeks ago and today is the big day. 4 so far and many more eggs pipped and starting to show signs of life. I love little chicks. Something about their combination energy and cuddliness. They love to snuggle under your hand- instinct, I know, but it is still sweet. I can hear one making lots of noise in the incubator now, but you are not meant to open it too often to remove them, so I may have to resist the tempation of taking it out.