IS A RACCOON CAUSING ALL THIS MESS IN MY BARN?!

One way to tell if a pig is close to giving birth is when she displays a milk line or milk tents. This is swelling of the tissue around her nipples. It can look like little tents! I have to make the new pasture area piglet escape proof. I think I'll use chicken wire over woven wire fence so the piglets can't get out. The turkeys are maturing because one of them is make a jungle type of sound I've never heard before. Something is making a big mess in the storage area of the stalls. I suspect it is a raccoon. And I was right!! I set a trap and caught one within 24 hours. They can be very destructive. I had my doubts about the effectiveness of barn cats, but I have come around. Both our cats have done a wonderful job keeping rodents out of the barn. I highly recommend them. They even kill moles!
Every day my family and I are learning what it means to run a hobby farm. We started with chickens then added myotonic, or fainting, goats, and eventually kunekune (kune kune) pigs. Throw in some Guinea fowl and turkeys and cats and dogs with a creek and tons of wildlife and you start to get an idea of what our hobby farm is like. Hobby farming is time consuming and hard, but rewarding and fulfilling. There are daily chores that never stop. The animals need to be fed and watered. Pastures and pens need to be fenced and built. Goats and pigs need to be rotated in their pastures to give them fresh food and to rejuvenate the land. Food is planted and grown for the animals. Medicines are given orally and injected to prevent and cure sickness and combat parasites. Hooves need to be trimmed. Babies need to be raised. At any given time we have gilts, sows, boars, piglets, bucks, does, kids, chicks, chickens, keets, guineas, etc. that need our attention, love and care. Follow along and we’ll learn and grow on this adventure together!

[@williamblake7386]

You farm is living its full life, now a raccoon joined the party.