Ducky, Iggy, Archie and Otis squealed and paced with excitement when the cakes came out at Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park.
The four treats were placed atop boxes in an adjoining pen – each spaced generously to minimize any competition over the food. The boxes had been painted to spell out, “Happy First Birthday Boys”!
As soon as the gate was opened, the four Ossabaw Island hogs raced over and began to gobble the frozen, homemade blend of mashed bananas, oats, peanut butter and coconut oil topped with scrambled eggs.
One year ago today, the pigs were part of a surprise litter born to Gertrude, an adult female who was the farm’s newest addition.
They quickly also became a harrowing project because Gertie was unable to produce milk to feed them. As a result, Meadow Farm’s animal care staff worked round the clock through the holidays and winter to nurture the animals through their fragile early months. Now, they’re mature and thriving, each weighing more than 200 pounds.
“I’m incredibly proud of the staff that came together,” Jim Weinpress, manager of zoology for Henrico County Recreation & Parks, said today. “We were a very new staff, including myself, that were really getting to know our own jobs and were suddenly tasked with hand-raising these piglets. So, the fact that they’re doing so well today is a testament to how dedicated the staff is.”
As she watched the pigs eat, wallow and root around their enclosure, senior animal care specialist Emilee Orndorff said she’s looking forward to a Thanksgiving that’s far more peaceful than last year’s.
“It should be,” she said. “Nothing on this farm should be pregnant.”
This playlist gives the full story of the Ossabaw Island hogs of Meadow Farm.
