Countywide : Sow’s 10 Piglets Reap Fair Bit of Attention

Ever since Belinda, a 400-pound former prize-winning sow, gave birth to 10 piglets at the Orange County Fair about two weeks ago, the piglets have become quite an attraction.

“Pigs are a phenomenon of some kind,” said Jim Bailey, livestock supervisor at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa. “People love them, and I can’t explain it.”

Pigs are bred every year so that they give birth during the fair. Another sow is expected to give birth soon, said Bailey.

Pigs mature very rapidly, added Bailey, who said the piglets will reach full maturity within six months.

“They are doing fine,” he said. “But it’s amazing how quickly they grow.”

Belinda and her 10 piglets are owned by Centennial Farm, a year-round exhibit on the fairgrounds designed to show urban children what life on a farm is like. Bailey, 64, oversees the farm attraction.