Bring Home the Bacon!



If you've been reading my articles each month, you might think I spend most of my time at our auction. Not so. The auction only runs on Monday afternoons. Well, except the small animal auction – that runs on the second and fourth Monday night of each month. And the horse auction, on the third Saturday of each month. Then there's the... never mind. The thing is, I really don't go to the auction that often – it's just not conducive to a low feed bill. That, and I want to stay married. So, I only go when it's necessary.
Yesterday, it became necessary. It was time for one of my rams to find a new home. As luck would have it, the ram was the very last to auction, right before the pigs. Before I could get out of the sale barn, the ring was swarming with baby pigs. Not just any pigs either – Hampshires, my favorites.
Also, as luck would have it, I just happened to have my bidding number right there, handy-dandy in my wallet. So, ten minutes later, I loaded my new, 30 pound gilt into the crate in the back of my Honda passport. Now, it's one thing to carry a sheep in a Honda Passport. They are relatively clean. It's a whole 'nother thing to haul a pig, even a small pig. They are not clean. A good heavy tarp under the crate protected the car. Nothing could protect the air quality inside.
We survived the trip, without incident. Once home, I put the pig, now dubbed Petunia, into our pig pen. She was pleased to see that the pen's amenities included a swimming pool, feed trough and a pig shed. All was well.
Growing up on a farm, my mother always insisted we would never have hogs. They smelled, she said. That is absolutely the truth. However, when our kids first joined 4H, the leader just happened to be a hog farmer. It was no coincidence that most of the kids in the group ended up raising hogs, including our own.
That's when we discovered the joys of raising pork. I mean, hogs. Sure, they do smell. And they are remarkable escape artists. They can, at a dead run, leave a 6 inch deep trench in your neighbor's garden. However, the upsides more than outweighs the down.
Pigs are fast weigh gainers. They can be fed nearly anything you or any of the other animals don't want – anything from soured milk to excess tomatoes from the garden. A pig won't turn down much, but, to avoid disease, don't feed them any meat.
From a financial standpoint, a pig gives you a lot of bang for your buck. I think they are cheaper per pound to raise than a chicken. Cheaper to slaughter, per pound, if you pay to have your animals slaughtered. They only require a small pen (unless you are pasture raising them). They are a great summer project too – get your pig in the spring, butcher him in the fall. No trudging through the snow with a bucket of feed!
And then, there's the pork. Hormone free, antibiotic free, tasty and lean. One inch thick chops, ribs and bacon. Mmmm, mmm. Are you ready to get your first pig?
Well, don't go whole hog yet. Before you get your very own Petunia, there's a few things you should know. First, you need a pig proof pen. Pigs are very destructive, both in and out of the pen. If you can keep them in the pen, you can minimize the destruction.
We've build a lot of pens and we've chased a lot of pigs. Our latest and greatest pen is the only pen that has proven escape proof. It was quick to build and, thanks to some shopping at farm auctions (yes, more auctions!), relatively inexpensive.
Here's what we did. We bought four 4 foot tall, 12 foot long pipe gates. They were old and not pretty, but still sturdy. Inside of the gates, we made another fence of used cattle panels. We also laid cattle panel on the “floor” to eliminate any tunneling out. We wired the corners together with baling wire. We also wired the floor to bottom of the gates. Nothing connects the pen to the ground but the pig can't lift the gates either, since it is standing on the floor panels. Ideally, the pig goes in when it gets to the farm and it goes out when it is leaving, so no access gate is needed. If I have to go in the pen, I simply climb the sides.
Pigs don't have sweat glands, so they do need shade. We used some scrap lumber to make a little shed, about 4 feet square and 4 feet tall. Remember, your pig is going to weigh about 250 pounds before you take it to freezer camp – so don't make the shed too small. And, if you ever (heaven forbid) have to wrestle the pig out of the house for some reason, you want enough room to get in and get back out.
Since pigs can't sweat, they want to lay in mud. That usually means their drinking water gets dumped, to make the mud. We got a durable child's sandbox from Freecycle and we keep that filled with water for our pig to lay in. That seems to cure the desire for mud, until the pig gets old enough to flip the sandbox.
How do you keep fresh drinking water for a pig? We've had good luck with a 55 gallon plastic barrel. Filled and wired to the gates, it's not easy to dump. The barrel rests on three cinder blocks, so the bottom of the barrel is at the pigs chest. My husband drilled a hole in the side of the barrel, close to the bottom. Then, he installed a water nipple. The pig can drink from the nipple, without dumping the barrel or making mud. So far, no pig has dumped the barrel or pulled out the nipple. Yet.
If I had the time and money to build something akin to the Great Wall, I would love to pasture my pigs and let them feed more naturally. If you can find a way to do it, I'm sure it is the way to go. I just don't have enough faith in my fencing abilities to gamble it.
If you too are concerned about chasing pigs and you pen them, you'll need to have a feeding plan and a pig proof trough. We keep feeding simple around here – all the scraps and leftovers, topped with the goat milk that's getting old. The pig's trough always has corn, too. They are free fed as much corn as they want. Then, we top it all off once a day with a pound of Calf Manna.
As for the trough, we have two. One is a big rubber pan, the other a metal pressure tank that someone cut in half lengthwise (another auction find). Both are relatively indestructible. However, they do fill with rain (and require dumping) and they can be moved by the pig. Dumping troughs and/or pulling them near the sides to feed requires climbing into the pen. Don't expect to come out of the pen clean. If the pen isn't muddy, the pig will be so excited to have guests, he won't be able to resist sliming you with something, from one end or the other. I've wired the tubs to the gates before but it was only a day or two until the pig managed to break them free.
Once you get out of the pen, you'll have a new challenge: Removing the hog smell. In my experience, only lemon juice and bleach kill the smell of pig. I keep a good stock of both.
If all goes well, follow that plan for about five months. When your pig reaches 240 to 260 pounds, he or she is ready to go. Keep him or her any longer and he'll start gaining fat faster than meat.
So, the big day has come. Your own little Petunia's appointment with the butcher. Hmm... but, what if Petunia doesn't want to load? It's not so easy pushing 250 pounds of rebellious pork into a truck or trailer. Everything on a pig is wedge shaped, with the smaller end pointed away from the pig, so there isn't a good way to tie something to it. You aren't going to drag it. Of course, if your pig has made any previous escapes, you've already learned this the hard way.
Here's a few tips to help you prepare. First, if a hog can't see something, they generally won't try to go toward it. Most hog farmers have “pig boards”. A pig board is nothing more than a flat board, often just plywood, that may be 30” tall and 3 or 4 feet long. Usually there are one or two holes cut out, close to the top, for handles. Put the board in front of the pig and they will almost always turn away from it. If you have two or more pig board operators, you can form a moving chute and guide the pig right into your waiting trailer.
My second tip is a little more unorthodox, but quite simple. As you are raising your pig, feed him peppermints. Yes, peppermints. The little red and white candies. We feed our pigs one or two a day, making sure we crackle the wrapper loudly each time. The pigs know the sound of the wrapper and even the most determined escaped pig will head for it. Our last pig ran me over as he raced into the waiting trailer so he could have a peppermint.
Once the pig is in the truck or trailer, CLOSE THE DOOR QUICKLY! A pig can change his mind in record time – and once he's on his way, you won't stop him. If you get in the way, you just might get to go for a ride, too.
The work is done. Take him to the butcher and in a week or two you'll be enjoying the delicious fruits of your labors.
In my opinion, raising hogs is the simplest way to produce meat on your homestead. We've had very few health problems and, other than castrations, routine worming and any vaccinations recommended by our vet, no other vet costs.
If you decide to try your hand at raising hogs, be sure you get a knowledgeable friend to help you find a good, healthy pig. Someone who knows the various breeds and traits they are known for can be invaluable. For instance, Hampshires aren't known for having the best hams, but they do have great pork chops. To me, ham is okay, but I love chops, so the Hamp is a great choice. Your preferences might be different.
Also, if you have an experienced friend, they'll be able to advise you the body conformation of your choices. It might not seem like it matters what your pig is shaped like, but when you find out that certain body types produce a higher ratio of lard to meat or you have puny hams, it matters.
One final word of advice? Be sure and pet your pig. Underneath the dirty, rough exterior, lies a great personality. Pigs can be loud and scary, if you don't understand them. Spend a little time with them and you'll find out that they are loud but rarely aggressive. In the 20 years that we've raised hogs, I've only had one bite me and I don't think it was on purpose.
A tame pig is an easy pig to handle, if you have to move it or vet it. Pigs are greedy, so a little snack goes a long way toward winning a pig's heart. So does scratching his back. Scratch your pig for a while and there's a good chance he'll flip onto his back so you can rub his belly too.
When you're done scratching his belly, head for the house to wash up. And don't forget to use some lemon juice!