As we approached the due date of our first son, Colt, I could think of nothing more appropriate than to bring home three wiener pigs two days before his birth! And that's exactly what Todd did! And, seriously, I think I always harbored a little resentment towards the pigs for that. I mean, there I was: 11 months pregnant (or, at least, that's what it felt like), the size of a house and angry at the world...and I'm supposed to welcome with open arms three more mouths to feed?
Well, as time went on I learned to like the pigs. They were quite friendly and I grew fond of the little black one. (We refuse to name animals we're going to eat, but we affectionately called this one "Boots.") They were playful, made amazing rototillers and found chunks of buried cement, bricks and wire we never knew were there! But, over the winter they got pretty big. And a little stinky. And I started to avoid going in their pen because I was a little worried they'd eat me.
They certainly had their moments. Like the time we tried to move them to the lower wooded area. Having never raised pigs before, we were not prepared for them to refuse to leave their enclosure because they knew up to the inch where the electric fence was. I think we both assumed they'd follow a bucket of grain anywhere. Wrong. Two hours later with the help from a very patient neighbor, we managed to get them moved.
But, when the time came they (sadly) loaded right up in to the trailer with know idea where they were going. And then followed Todd right out of the trailer at the butcher shop. They weighed between ~160 and ~195 each and we're patiently waiting for the meat to be finished! We're getting hams, bacon, chops, ribs, hocks, soup bones and sausage! We're both really excited to taste the finished product.
This was our first time raising pigs and I think a rather successful go at it.
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