Pig Update:

I’m sure you are sitting on the edge of your seat wondering how George and the rest of the pigs are doing.  Here’s the latest news direct from Pig-Wonderland.

1st:  LOVE & AFFECTION

My pigs are beginning to give me a little too much love.  By that, I mean we are getting to the point where they no longer fear me.  They are falling in love with me.  This is not true affection, it is more food affection.  I deliver yummy food, scraps, and hay to them twice daily.  They feel the need to show their love whenever I step into Pig-Wonderland.  The nudging, bumping and tasting has begun.  If you think it sounds sweet, you should walk into my pig-pasture where 8 friendly pigs will be barking and bombarding you with kisses and nudges from their filthy snouts.  It’s kind of cute,  but they are getting a little too big to be cute.  And I need a bath whenever I leave Pig-Wonderland.

2nd:  NAMES

Aside from their growing PDA,  I still  love George and the Pigs.  By the way, my oldest child says that “George and The Pigs” sounds like the name of a band.

And it just so happens that my 2 teenagers have just started a band with some of their friends.  They have only had 2 practices and are currently unnamed.  Guess what I’m calling their band?

“George and The Pigs” of course!

NONE, I mean NONE, of the kids want the band to be called, “George and the Pigs.”  Any time I refer to them as “George and the Pigs” they all yell, “No!” Perfectly, timed, together, in unison.  Which just makes it more fun.   If any of you live in Kentucky and are looking for some live music, remember “George and The Pigs.”  They can play 2 songs for your party over and over and over and over all evening.  If you really like ‘Wagon Wheel’ and ‘It’s Time’ you’ll love George and The Pigs.

So, for now, George and the Pigs is not really the name of a band.  It’s what I call my pigs.

“I am going out to feed George and the pigs.”

“Do George and the pigs need water?”

 “Did you see how cute George and the pigs are in their new wallow?”

“Let’s go visit George and the pigs!”

There’s just too dang many of them to keep all their names straight.  Like every thing else that happens to be present on our homestead for 2 minutes, they got named.  Remembering what their names are and telling them apart is another story entirely.

Here’s the Roll Call:

• George
• Polly
• Porker
• Zorro
• Snacks
• Pig
• Porkus
• Basset Pig
• Cow

If you can count you will notice that we have 9 names.  This is a problem since we only have 8 pigs. Having an extra name does not help me keep the names straight.  Keep in mind that they are all pink, black, or pink and black spotted.  You try to remember who’s who.

Exactly.  So, they are “George & the Pigs” forevermore,  Amen.

3rd:  FENCING & ESCAPING

Lately they’ve been digging their way to China and consequently throwing dirt all over the electric fence which is containing them.  If you don’t know about electric fences, dirt doesn’t help them conduct electricity.  It pretty much turns off the electric fence.  So for 3 days my pigs were being contained by nothing.  This is how long it took us to un-bury the electric wires and get everything up and shocking again.

Luckily, only one pig got out.  Don’t ask me his name because I have no idea.  Since Pig Wonderland is the Bee’s Knees, my little porky friend went right back in after rooting up some grass.  The good thing about pigs is they don’t want out.  They like their home.  They like being with their little pig family.  They are pretty easy to contain.  Even when your electric fence goes down for 3 days.

4th:  DIET – YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT EATS

The pigs are now eating hay along with grass, roots, briers, garden scraps, kitchen scraps (no meat of course) and some locally made hog-feed.

They are doing a wonderful job clearing the land, fertilizing and preparing my new garden spot.  Since they have eaten a lot of the grass, weeds and briers I am feeding them hay.

They love the hay.  They love it more for the fun, playful and soft bedding aspects right now, but they are eating it and will begin to eat more and more of it as they get bigger.

You are what you eat eats, so we want to be sure what our pigs eat is good.  We want their diet to be made up of lots of grass, hay, roots and other natural stuff.  We don’t want our pigs consuming a diet of GMO corn & soybeans.  Bleh.

While we are on the subject, I find it interesting that pigs and sheep (or lambs) that are raised on pasture will produce meat that is (not only healthier) but more tender and flavorful.  I’m not making it up.  It is mentioned in several books like ‘Pasture Perfect.’   I have also had the unique opportunity to live it.  This is our 3rd year raising pigs and it is remarkable how much more tender and tasty our pork is.  Before you go thinking, of course you think your pork is the best, you raised it, you’re going to be biased.  It’s not just me.  We raise pigs for other folks (No, we can’t eat 6 pigs in a year)  and they are crazy about it.  Guests also marvel when we serve ribs, pork steaks, or chops.  It’s just not like anything they’ve eaten before.  It’s not tough.  It’s not dry.  It’s not white.  It’s real pork, raised on pasture, in the sun, eating good food.

It’s interesting, because I also raise and eat pastured beef.  It is difficult to get pastured beef to taste as succulent, juicy, marbled, and tender as feed-lot beef.  I’m not saying I’m supporting feed-lot beef.  Never.  Ever.  It’s horrible.  I’m saying that (in my experience) pastured beef is usually inferior in taste (not quality).

Lamb and Pork are the opposite.  Put them on pasture & it will blow the socks off of any factory-farm raised similar product.  It’s just the way it is.  If you’ve only eaten pork from a grocery store that never saw grass you don’t even know what pork tastes like.  It’s like a store bought egg v/s a pastured egg.  No comparison.

They also take naps in the hay.  I thought this guy was dead (don’t ask me his name, again, because I don’t know).  He wasn’t.  He was just enjoying a little siesta in the soft hay.

4th:  WATER, HOT TUBS & SWIMMING POOLS

They are still swimming in their water.  Ugh.  Pigs are a piece of cake to raise.  If I had to pick the hardest part it would be the water.  There is nothing really “hard” about it.  It’s just that their water is constantly empty.  And the pigs want me to constantly fill it.  Which is just a royal pain.

George and the Pigs think their drinking bowls are swimming pools.  Two minutes after I fill their water it is empty again.  Not because they drank it.  No one is drinking it.  It’s because someone bathed in it.  They always need water.  I have decided they get full water drinkers twice a day (3 times if it’s especially hot).  If they are thirsty, they’ll drink it.  I am not filling water 8 times a day so they have something to swim in.  I have other things to do.

Don’t get too worried about their water situation, they are building a swimming pool and it is coming along nicely.  It is pretty much a constant source of water for them even when the drinkers are being used as hot tubs.

5th:  MORE WATER

Did you know that pigs love hoses?

When Pig-Mommy (that’s me) comes out twice a day to refresh their hot-tubs they all come running and barking so they can sit in the spraying water.  Happy, happy, happy.

Want more on pigs?  Here ya’ go:

• Keeping Pigs in Winter
• How to Move Pigs
• Raising Pigs – The Real Story
• Potbelly PIGS!!!!!!
• The Problem with Potbelly Piglets
• Can You Eat a Potbelly Pig?
• How do you Keep Coyotes Away?
• Get some Feeder Piglets Now & Have Fresh Ham for Easter
• Potbelly Piglets!!!!! The first 4 Days….2015/09/29
• Potbelly Piglets – Waking the Dead
• Fall on the Farm – Animals & Baby Animals

If you’ll excuse me, I need to go give the pigs water.

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XO,

Candi