Mad Mares Farm

06/16/2026

Tired farmer...but look at those faces!

06/15/2026

We have some tough news to share. First, the runt passed away last night. We're always realistic about the risks with the tiny ones, but it still stings when you lose them.

But looking at the positive side, the other four are doing fantastic. They are incredibly vocal, full of energy, and making a complete mess at every feeding. They received supplemental iron yesterday and all seem to be going strong!

I'll be updating ticket availability/ piglet petting dates later today.

06/14/2026

A quick update on the 5 piglets we're hand raising.

Four of them are doing great and seem to be getting fiestier with every feed.
​Unfortunately, the smallest one is struggling to keep up and isn't doing great right now. We're keeping her warm and trying to give her blood sugar a jump by rubbing maple syrup on her gums every 15 minutes.

06/13/2026

06/13/2026

Update on the tiny wobblers!

We spent a good deal of the night working on getting the piglets to associate a dish with food. Kunekune are extremely prone to aspiration due to their brachiocephalic faces, so bottle feeding isn't an option and syringe feeding can even lead to aspiration (you can even see in the video that she got a little *too* involved with the food at one point!). After lots of wading through formula, being wiped off and doing it all again - we finally have some active lapping going on!

Round-the-clock newborn care means we are going through our supplies incredibly fast. So many of you have kindly messaged and asked how you can help support them besides attending our upcoming events - So we've put together a Piglet Needs Amazon Wishlist. It's full of the things we're using most and some different things that will hopefully keep them warm and thriving. (Maybe we should add coffee to that list!!)

If you’d like to send a little love to these babies, you can check out our list here:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/10VKW0IELT4GJ?ref_=wl_share

Thanks so much for your support!

06/13/2026

Sometimes, nature throws you a curveball. Our newest mama farrowed today and ended up rejecting her piglets. I sat out there for hours doing my best to ensure they at least got a taste of vital colostrum during their first few hours of life.
As of right now, our front room has officially been converted into an around-the-clock piglet nursery!

To be completely transparent, these piglets
are still very fragile. Hand raising a rejected litter is a difficult, delicate, day-by-day (and right now, hour-to-hour) process. We are in a critical window and will be for the next two weeks or so. Anything can happen. We are hoping for the best, but we know that the worst is a real possibility. Every single successful feeding gives us a little more optimism.

Taking on a rejected litter requires a huge amount of extra resources and specialized care - not to mention feedings every 2 hours! Booking a spot at our upcoming piglet petting events is what directly allows us to afford this level of round-the-clock care for the tiniest, most vulnerable members of our herd.
Please keep rooting for these little ones. They are definitely scrappy fighters! Photos and nursery updates to come. See less

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06/11/2026

Just trying to keep up with the seasonal molt! 🤯

06/10/2026

New Piglets!

06/10/2026

** New Summer Piglet Petting Event Dates!**

We just posted 3 more chances for you to come bond with our newest Piglets! We've opened events on:
7/4 (11-12)
7/11(11-12)
7/12(3-4)

To reserve tickets, please visit our box office site below. (Every event has been sold out this season- so if you'd like to spend time with the piglets, the earlier you book - the better!)

Box Office Link:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/madmaresfarm

Buy tickets – Mad Mares Farm