April 2010 Pig Update
| May 3, 2010 | Posted by Issa under Animals |
Joshua and I are keeping two pigs this year, Yorkie and Hampie. Some of our friends are buying the second pig from us at the end of the season. I recently sent them an email to update them on various thoughts about the pigs, which I thought I’d print here for y’all, too, as well as some recent pictures of the piggies:
Our main goal is to raise happy, healthy pigs who get to live like pigs, which is, for example, why we give them non-medicated feed and why we planted a pasture full of things pigs like to eat that they have access to all the time. Up to this point, they’ve had free-feed access to commercial pig feed. Recently, we expanded the fencing in the pasture so they have access to a much larger space. This week I’ve decided to reduce their access to the commercial feed (basically feeding once a day in the evening) to encourage more foraging on the pasture during the day. This gives them more variety and doesn’t encourage them being bored barn pigs, but still gives them regular access to the commercially “complete” food. Pastured pigs gain weight slower than full-feed pigs, but I think it makes for happier pigs.
Most hog farmers these days give medicated feed all the time. I decided not to do that, preferring to treat things as they come up. There’s much less chance of things coming up anyway, since the pigs are in a comfortable environment (not crowded in together on concrete, for example). Both Yorkie and Hampie have been scratching a lot, rubbing themselves up against the barn door (or anything else they can). This is generally normal, but if it’s “excessive”, it can mean that they have mites, which can occur on any animal that lives outside. We’ve been watching them carefully trying to determine if they have mites or not. It’s hard to tell because Hampie has dark skin which may not show the tell-tale redness and Yorkie has issues with sunburn, which could be hard to differentiate from mites. We researched the treatment options and have decided to treat them with Ivomec, which will be given as an injection. We looked at other medications that only have to be sprayed on, but they are a lot more scary-chemical and more risky to give. The Ivomec is a lot safer, treats a variety of possible things like worms and the mites, and is okay to give preventively, similar to how you might regularly treat a dog for heartworms. We’ll be giving the shots subcutaneously behind the ear. This has no ill effect on the meat. The shots are pretty inexpensive, too, at about $40.
So far, we’ve spent about $96 on feed, which is 8 bags. They’re on their 4th bag now, but that will go faster as they get bigger, of course.
They are big enough now to weigh using a measuring system. We measure their length from crown to rump, their girth around the heart, then multiply length x width x width divided by 400 to get their approximate weight. Last night (4-22-2010) Yorkie weighed in at 53 pounds and Hampie at 46. Hampie was smaller when we got them, so she’s keeping relative pace, not falling behind. In general, pigs gain about 1.5 pounds a day, although that could be less with them being on pasture. My goal is to have them finished before Alchemy. We’ll be gone for a week then, so it’d be nice to not have to arrange their care for a week. Also, it starts to get colder in October, and we’d have to feed them more so that they have the calories to keep warm as well as to grow, so October makes a good cut-off goal. At 1.5 pounds a day, they could be 275 by October, and we’re aiming for 225-250, so I think it’s doable.
Fun stuff: Yorkie loves to get belly scritches, falling right over so we can scratch her belly. Hampie doesn’t like to be touched as much, but is warming up to it a bit. They eat all kinds of things from the kitchen, going absolutely crazy with excitement when we come out with kitchen slop. They love milk, eggs, fruit, veggies, and can disappear a chicken carcass in no time. They don’t like onions or citrus peels. With the corn, they’ll nom the shit out of the outside of the cob, but don’t actually eat the cob.
Anything else you want to know about your pig? I’m happy to talk about them all day long. :-)
It’s so hard to get pictures of them where their noses aren’t buried in the dirt!
Tags: Ivomec, Mites, Pasture, Pigs
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Oh gosh they are so adorable! I would probably dream the day away watching them root around the pasture. Speaking of Ivomec, I took one of my pet rats to the vet the other day after I noticed some fur-less patches on her face, and the vet prescribed the same thing! Or at least it sounded very similar… Anyway as always I’m loving the secondhand country life I’m experiencing through your blog. And I can’t freakin wait for Alchemy!!!!
@Dalice – I do sometimes spend a lot of time out there watching them. It really does not get old. I have a hammock hung just outside of their pasture in a shady place, which is a great spot to spend all afternoon watching them and then napping to their rooting sounds.
Yeah, the stuff for your rats was probably the same thing. Ivomec treats a bunch of different problems, and they have different formations for different animals.
Re: Alchemy – I didn’t realize you were in the same social sphere as me. I thought you were just a random blog commenter. Oops! Do I actually in-person know you? I apologize if I do – it’s hard for me to keep people straight sometimes. I’m looking forward to Alchemy, too! I’m running a theme camp this year called Fucking Awesome, which is centered around positive sexuality, otherwise casually known as a “sex camp”. :-) Amongst all the other crazy projects I’ve got this summer, we’re building a 30 foot dome for the camp.
Also, if you’re interested in more of our homesteading stuff, you should check out Joshua’s blog at jackbootedliberal.com (if you haven’t already) – he writes about some different aspects of our homesteading than I do.
> My goal is to have them finished before Alchemy.
I think that “finished,” while standard livestock jargon, is a bit euphemistic in this context. Wouldn’t “slaughtered” (or perhaps “ready for slaughter”) be more direct and understandable to your general non-livestock-rearing readership?
@Troy – Yep, you’re right. I don’t usually think of them in the terms that other hog farmers use, and I probably meant something more like, “My goal is to be finished with them by Alchemy,” (as live animals, anyway), but I’m sure it’s reading that term from others raising pigs that snuck it in to that sentence.
Also, tagging back to our other conversation, we heard from a neighbor about a small, individually-owned local butcher shop who might be able to slaughter for us. It seems like a down-home kind of place, so I’m hopeful that we’ll at least be able to watch. Haven’t called them yet, but it looks like a good lead.
That’s great news about the local butcher shop! Hopefully that works out.
Hey! We haven’t ever actually met, I followed you from Holding the Empty which was linked on HoboStripper’s page. At first I was super intimidated by your fresh way of thinking and how incredibly articulate you are, so I never commented. Then it hit me that you encourage people to remove their social filters and to speak up, so I stopped lurking. So thank you so much for introducing me to the scene, where people with off the wall opinions like mine exist in real life. Okay I’ll stop sounding like a fangirl now.
Fucking Awesome sounds rad! Do we get to practice putting condoms on bananas?! Because I really feel like I missed out on that experience in health class since they only teach abstinence in Texas schools. I’ve never been to a burn event before and I am so ready for the breath of fresh air and to immerse myself in weirdness again. If I can help with the camp in any way while I’m there don’t hesitate to ask! This dome sounds very intriguing. And gigantic.
And I have checked out Joshua’s blog. If the “apocalypse” ever arrives (and I mean that in a shutdown of information networks kind of way, not in a religious sense), I’m going to set up camp near you guys and borrow a big gun.
I’ve rambled long enough, thanks for response and I’ll check ya later!
@Dalice – Yay for HoboStripper! I’m so glad I found her when I was van living. I’ve been meaning to pay up to read her new site Ecowhore. Glad you followed me around – hopefully this blog will stay where it is! And thanks for commenting. Sometimes it’s weird to blog when no one’s giving feedback. I love comments!
If you want to help out with Fucking Awesome in any way, from camping with the camp to just helping throw out planning ideas, you can join our online forums where we’re doing the planning work. If you’re interested, send me an email at erosissa@gmail.com and I’ll get you the info you need to register at the forum. I love the idea of a condom/banana event, in case anyone missed the fun the first time around. It can be a combo of educational and silly. We can show how to put them on the regular way and advanced moves like using your mouth or toes to put them on. There could be a contest for most creative while still “safe” way to get it done. Ooh, and then ice cream and toppings to help us eat all the bananas! I think this idea could work!
Let’s make friends at Alchemy. All our friends are invited to get their butts to our place if the civilized shit hits the fan. :-)
The pigs sound so fun! I have dreams of having chickens one day, but I can imagine that pigs would be even better. Alas, in my current home I have to settle for my cat.3
@Amber – Thanks for stopping by and commenting! We’re getting chickens pretty soon, too, but pigs are my favorite. This is my first year having them and it’s only been 2 months, but it’s already been very educational and rewarding.