PIGS!

Rooter and Scooter are barnyard variety pigs appoxmatly five weeks old. Had been getting fed goat milk and 16%. I got them on 18%. Going to try to get them off gmo corn and switch them to soaked Milo soon as I can. Going to clean a 55 gallon barrel out and then soak it in five gallon buckets. They seem to be pretty happy in their 350sq ft enclosure. I am super excited. Got a local butcher that said he would teach me how to slaughter during deer season. Going to see if the bar will put scraps in a bucket for me. I shouldn't have named them when I feed them they look up at me like" You know what you're pretty cool guy". They are funny when I walk up to the fence. They scatter do a circle then face up to me like "wtf is matter with you sneaking up on us like that".
I can see how we got to confinement farming I was laying the bath tub thinking to my self. Now if I get six more pens that be x amount of pigs. Dang that will take up almost an entire acre what if we pack more pigs in there. Would be easy to get greedy.

I think I'm just going to try to raise these farrows as cheaply as possible and be thankfull they are so happy and healthy.

Hi Zack; Welcome to permies!
 Nice looking piggys you got yourself.  I raise 3 wieners myself every summer.  I found that for me 3 was the correct number. When I tried having 4 they were not as sociable with me,  seemed they hung out with each other.  With 3 at least one was always wanting to know what I was doing (and did I have any treats ???)  I always name my pigs and treat them as  large pets.  No matter if later in the fall they are headed to  freezer camp.  I figure they were destined to be food one way or another the least I can do is to give them a great place to live, lots of treats, cold fresh water, all the scraps from the garden... and they love forehead scratches ! (I use a small rock).I find myself wandering down to the piggys house just to watch them, great entertainment!  You will find that they are smarter than dogs. They watch you and if they like you they will try to do what you want.   Long term, consider used metal roofing as your fencing. Ultimately they will eat your pallets . metal roofing buried apx. a foot if you can, than a low field fencing behind it . Be sure to put your posts on the outside or they will push rite thru it. Amazing how strong a 400# piggy is . Low to the ground they are a little bulldozer!  Slaughtering your piggys will be no different than a deer,  skinning and proper cutting are the harder parts.  Take notes and lots of photos when the butcher teaches you how to cut. I always load mine up and give them a truck ride to meet the butcher, then they get to ride home in the back of the subaru when they are done with freezer camp

thomas rubino wrote:Slaughtering your piggys will be no different than a deer,  skinning and proper cutting are the harder parts.  

But pork is best with the skin (to many of us.)

Very true Kyrt,  Many people prefer their pork un-skinned.  Especially true if you are salting and hanging to cure at home.  I prefer mine without.

Well they are getting large enough that they are starting to destroy things. Like their water rubber water container. So I got them a hog nipple which I think is too small for them. Had the wofe go get a bigger one. The one pig figured it out right away the other one is having trouble.
         I have them eating soaked Milo three times a day and I love them commercial 18% whenever they look hungry.

I cut a hole in an old military engine crate and painted it white. I put it on some pallets with a sheet of plywood.
They curious porkers and they like there scraps. Every time I'm mowing or tractoring around they gotta see what's going on.