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Home » Farm Animals » Little Piggies

Published: Apr 23, 2015 · Modified: Oct 11, 2020 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Little Piggies

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Spring is the time of year for baby animals.  First,  baby chickens and now we also have little piggies!  I must say, baby pigs are so darn cute!  We got four pigs this year.  Each of our kids picked one out for themselves for 4H and and we have one extra for ourselves.

Little Piggies in fresh straw.
Little Piggies

The pigs were six weeks old (above picture)  when we brought them home.  We built a temporary pen with a heat lamp in our shop for the first month.  We still had freezing temperatures and these little piggies just couldn't handle those cold, wet temperatures.  When we moved them outside (pictures below)  they were in pig heaven!  So much space....and dirt, and mud!  Actually pigs really only wallow in the mud when it's hot.  They use it to help cool themselves and to keep themselves cool.  The mud keeps the sun off their skin.  Pigs can get sunburned, so I guess the mud is like a sunscreen; SPF 50!

Four pigs inside a fenced area.

Pigs love to dig.  They are often looking for roots or in some areas of the world, truffles!  These large rocks are placed to help keep them from rooting in low lying areas.

Pigs playing in a pig pen.

Our kids have done 4H market swine since they were 8 years old.  Their pigs have to be a minimum of 230 pounds in order to sell at the fair.  If they don't make weight, they don't sell.  Luckily our pigs have always made weight.  The kids put their pig sale money into their college accounts.  Our largest pig was 310 pounds!  He was a monster, but very gentle and he wasn't a fatty pig, just very big.

 At the fair the kids have to "show" their pigs.  They are judged on the quality of their pig and the quality of their showmanship skills.  During the summer, the kids work with their pigs almost every day.  They take their pigs  for walks around our property.  Every once in a while, the pig will take off and then it's a wild goose chase....I mean a wild pig chase!  Luckily we have always been able to get them back home.  Usually a bucket of gain is enticement for the pigs.  If not, when they get tired enough, they tend to return to the pen. The pictures below show pigs from last year being walked.  The kids teach them to go in any direction by using their canes.  The canes just gently press against the side of their necks to turn, or against their back legs to get them to go.

Kids out walking their pigs in a green grassy area.

Walking Pigs through the forest.

A pig being sprayed with a hose in a muddy area.

The fair is the culmination of about 5 months of work.  During fair week, the kids are there all day long.  They have to wash their pigs every morning. They get scrubbed and brushed...remember Charlotte's Web and Wilbur?  The pigs are made pretty for all the spectators and for show!  The kids also have to clean their stalls every morning.  This all has to be completed by 9 am.  Before 9:00 the pig barn is a busy place.  The kids have to do all their own work.  The older kids help the younger ones, and everyone works to have the place ready for show time!  The kids love it!

These two pictures are the first year the boys had pigs.  They were 8.  Those pigs look so big in comparison.

We really enjoy raising our own animals and having the kids be a big part of the day-to-day chores has been great! You can read more about our pigs Our Little Farm. 

Showing a red pig at the county fair.

Two boys sitting inside a pig barn at the county fair.

Check out all my homesteading posts. 

 

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Comments

  1. Geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen says

    April 27, 2015 at 7:04 am

    Love this post, Kathy. What a great experience for your kids! I think washing my dog is hard - can't imagine scrubbing a pig .

    Reply
  2. Rachelle says

    April 23, 2015 at 7:46 am

    I just love these farm and animal posts! Your pigs are adorable. Isn't it hard for the kids to sell them after raising them and training them like pets? I don't think I could let them go and would end up with a yardfull of giant pigs!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      April 24, 2015 at 6:04 pm

      There are some kids at the fair that can't let their animals go. Luckily my kids have been okay with selling their animals. We were worried the first year. They knew from the beginning what they would be doing so I think that helped.

      Reply

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I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

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The author holding a chicken.

I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

More about me →

Popular Recipes

  • A single muffin topped with a crumbly topping on a plate.
    Oatmeal Banana Muffins
  • Stacks of crispy golden fish on a white plate with a blue rim.
    Beer Battered Fish
  • Crispy fish fillets topped with lemon wedges.
    Pan Fried Walleye
  • A plate with baked pasta with cheese and tomatoes.
    Chicken Pasta Bake

Chicken Dinners

  • Strips of chicken, peppers and onions in a baked casserole.
    Chicken Fajita Casserole
  • Crispy chicken thighs on a white plate.
    Cast Iron Chicken Thighs
  • A chicken thigh with a sauce on a plate with rice and peas.
    Apricot Chicken
  • A plate filled with chicken legs covered in barbecue sauce.
    Baked BBQ Chicken Legs
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  • A golden chicken thigh on a white plate with roasted potatoes and green beans.
    Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Featured In...

Beyond the Chicken Coop recipes have been featured in many different sites.

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