Jessi Patti

That's an interesting and different perspective. Though I don't think they're scarred at at all from the electric fence. The female is often giving it little tests with the tip of her nose to see if its on (she even tested it right after I turned it off to step over, which was kinda freaky) and they have 2500 square feet to themselves so they can choose to be pretty far from it. Even when I went in yesterday and they had a full dish of grain they were still following me and invading my personal space. I guess looking for a treat. I will be bringing the shovel in next time to swing in their direction to show them some manners. I think my 5 year old could manage to whack them but not my 2 year old. I certainly understand dominance from training dogs, but none of this is written in the pig books I've read. It makes sense though. I am still considering roasting them up early and looking for more suitable pigs. These are not eating our lovely pasture, just digging holes in the mowed part around the inside of the fence. They even turn their nose up at the crunchy but very sweet pears that are falling off the trees into their paddock. And now that I think about it, I agree with CJ that they were not socialized with people very well before we got them and possibly were underfed. I will be a much better buyer next time.

Ha ha, I get it now....but carrying a gun around my kids every time I go outside?? This is all new to me. Going to look into some family protection dogs though.

CJ I got them at 10 weeks and the man we bought them from went out of his way to show us how tame the moms are. The pigs were never really scared of us, but maybe if they were more used to the kids at a younger age they wouldn't view them as food? Anyone noticed more aggression when their pigs were run kinda hungry? I'm hoping if I feed them close to all they'll eat they'll be more docile.

I certainly wish I had been more aware, but got a very real wake up call and feel very grateful that none of us were harmed. It was probably the scariest moment of my life and I have never fought like that before. In the couple books and numerous blogs and websites I've read about raising pigs this was never mentioned. I wish I had old time farming knowledge. I am definitely trying to figure out how I can keep us safe in the future as my husband is at work all day and I am home with the kids and also responsible for nearly all the animal care.

What is the Instant Culling Device and where do I get it? My husband was looking into buying me a tool belt with a hunting knife and pepper spray. Any other suggestions?

If they were to get out of the electronet do any of you think they'd come and pursue my children? Today we are moving them out of the barn and further from the house.

I am a first time pig raiser, and have 2 hamp/york/old spot crosses, 3 months old. They have been quite amiable for most of the 2 weeks we've had them (even enjoying scratching), but I had a very odd and frightening experience yesterday. I went into their enclosure with my two young sons (2 and 5) and the pigs started chasing and jabbing at them in a way that I did not see as playful but felt very aggresive. Luckily there happened to be 2 empty feed pans which I used to smack the pigs in the nose several times (over and over). They seemed to have a strategy, the female was headed straight for me, the male kept trying to sneak past me to get to my children behind me. I just kept wacking them and yelling at them (it felt like forever, it was at least a couple minutes) until they suddenly stopped and went outside. Factors, I think I was underfeeding them a bit (though they do have constant access to lush pasture. Questions--Do you think the pigs were trying to eat my children? Is this normal pig behavior or should we consider harvesting them early? Obviously the kids are not allowed into the pig enclosure any more (they are behind electronetting.) I am feeding them more now.

Adam, you mentioned upthread being willing to help people get off to the right start by choosing the right cow. I am in North Florida , and have been shopping around. It's hot here, and Jersery's are supposed to do pretty good with the heat. We just moved to our 10 acre farm that's all set up in horse pasture with a barn and a 4 mostly wooden fenced pastures. We have no experience with cows or milking, but are eager to learn and definitely need animals to help with all this mowing. I found this listing on craigslist:Jersey milk cow What do you think of the price and the cow in general? Is she too old to be worth it? We would have to figure out how to move her a couple hours north. Thanks for any input.