Hi Paul
Please don’t feel bad about your holiday. You have your friend to look out for the hogs, so they should be ok. You could always ask your friend to put out a bit more food than usual, if you are worried – and the little ones who are around already have a much better chance than the ones who are born a bit later. Go and enjoy yourself and come back refreshed all ready to look out for the hogs again when you get back!
Funny, that you should be thinking of the enter stage left/right, etc. I always used to think my patio was a bit like that. It is a bit like a play sometimes!
Re. the spreading the food around different parts of the garden. It is really personal choice. I have heard some people suggesting that if the food is more spread out, the hogs may be less aggressive, but I have seen (from a cam down the garden) that hogs have altercations in areas right away from the food. I feed them in several smallish dishes, but comparatively close together. Normally, here, a hog who is biffed doesn’t suffer much worse than the indignity of finding himself rolled up in the water bowl!
