Friday, March 15, 2013

Friday Farm Fun- Piggly Fun

Growing up we raised hogs. My family had about a dozen milk cows, and we sold the cream to the creamery. The skim milk leftover after separating the cream was dumped in barrels in the barn, and we fed "mash" to the hogs. This was grain soaked in the milk. It was smelly, but it made a great dipping tool for when we "fished" for hogs. 

My brothers, my cousin, and I would tie boards or any object a pig could bite to a rope. We'd stand up in the loft above the hog pen and toss the object or "hook" into the "mash" barrel then drag it through the pen and see if we could catch a pig. The person who could snag a pig that refused to let go even when we pulled them off their front feet won. Mind you these weren't full grown hogs, these were weaner pigs about 50 pounds up to 150 pound feeder hogs. 

I've always like pigs. As a young mother, I had several sows that had piglets. I sold the weaner pigs for extra money. As I told my kids when I'd head out to clean the pens and feed the sows, they(the pigs) were always happy to see me and didn't complain. 

Our kids raised hogs for 4-H and I eventually stopped raising them because the feed became more than what I could get for a pig. Now I have an even easier to take care of bunch of pigs. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Catherine Lee said...

I grew up about as far from pigs as is possible...in Jersey City, NJ. BUT, somehow, my brother started collecting all manner of pigs--stuffed, signs, knick-knacks, ceramic. It was the family joke for decades, almost.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

Paty Jager said...

Hi Catherine! Pigs are just fun animals whether they are alive or knick-knacks. You brother has good taste! LOL

bn100 said...

Didn't know pigs ate cream

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Paty Jager said...

Bn, pigs will eat anything!