When Yasmin heard this, she was happy, although she knew it was irrational. At least she was saved for now. She now saw that the pen could be opened into different tunnels and the young man opened it for her into a smaller barn where already three sows waited. While over time two more filed in, the girls introduced themselves to each other. All had similar stories and were happy for their fate under the circumstances. They had seen in the film before that being a breeding sow was no great pleasure either, being confined to narrow stys and having to endure artificial insemiantion, followed by constant pregnancy, but at least better than immediate death.
Then the older farmer reappeared. With a pleased look he said: "Yep, you will make a good group, my girls. But before the pleasure of motherhood comes, we will have to fatten you up a bit." Indeed, looking at them, they were all rather large piglets really. No wonder goven their former weight of 50 to 60 kg.
What followed was the unpleasant routine ot tail docking, tooth clipping and ear marking. Then they were brought to a new barn, in a sty with many other sows. "Most of them are pregnant, some await their first turn just as you.", said the farmer with a sweeping movement over the other barns in the hall. He then shut the gate and the girls were alone. Their barn was rather narrow, a slitted floor from under which the intense foul smell of pig manure rose, a water pipe, and a large through, that was all there was to it.