Post by Christine on Jun 8, 2008 18:42:10 GMT -5
Finally, after six months of messing about, we finally finished the pig house / pen, which meant that we could move the pigs from the garage to the new digs. This was welcomed news for a number of reasons. First, the pigs had been confined to a six foot by twelve foot pen since wintertime. They had lots of sunshine, fresh air (with the garage door open during the day) and great food, but it was kind of small for their tastes. Second, six month-old pigs produce a lot of waste, and it seemed as though I was shoveling out very smelly urine-wetted shavings at least every other day. This was getting very expensive, and very smelly.
Despite the heat (it was in the mid 90s today), my step dad and I headed out, and finished putting up the cow panels along with an inner strand of electric fence wire. I figured that the hard part was over. I'd open the pig kennel, and lead them into the new digs with a bucket of slops.
Well, it didn't work out quite so well. In fact, it was the nastiest, smelliest, hottest, most aggravating activity that I've ever experienced. Managing cows, chickens, horses, dogs and cats is a dream job compared to this.
We opened the pig kennel door, and as usual, the pigs trotted out to explore the driveway. I poured a big pan of grain, and attempted to lead them to the new pen. Well, I tend to feed my pigs very well, so they took one look at the grain, and another at the fact that I expected them to move to an area that they had never explored and told me to forget about it.
I then headed over to my neighbor across the street, and with her help and two of her hog panels (these plastic sheets that are used to herd pigs), we tried to direct them out of the driveway to the new pen. This didn't work, either. The pigs refused to move in the desired direction, and began looking for any opening where they could squeeze their bodies back toward the garage. It was like herding linebackers for the New England Patriots. Those pigs hit hard when they start pushing.
At this point, the pigs started getting scared. What do scared pigs do? They poop and pee everywhere. Soon both the pigs, my neighbor and I were completely covered in pig poop and pee. The pigs also were getting overheated. The driveway was very hot, and there was no shade to be had anywhere. Realizing that this was a problem, I hosed down the pigs to cool them off. This made them even more stinky, wet, slimy and tough to control.
To make a long story short, the neighbor's husband came up, and after trying to direct them using an extension ladder as a chute, grabbed ahold of Hallie, and carried her to the pen. She must weigh 150 pounds, and remember, she was covered in mud, pig poop, pee and other slimy stuff. Oh yes, and she was squealing at deafening volumes. I don't know how he pulled it off. Figuring that Winston would follow as soon as Hallie was re-situated, we instead found that Winston wedged himself behind the trash barrel, and refused to move. We ended up carrying his 200 pound weight into a garden cart. My neighbor's husband put Winston into a head hold inside the bottom of the cart, and we wheeled both guys into the pen in the cart. Winston did escape once, and did the Linus / Snoopy / Security blanket thing, 25 yards through my muddy backyard. It was amazing how a 200 pound pig could pull a 6 foot 4 inch guy on his chest at top speed until the guy let go.
To make a long story short, we got both pigs into the new digs, and promptly hosed both pigs down with cool water. They were in heaven. They stood under the water stream for five minutes, and then created a foot deep wallow that they then burrowed into with about ten seconds of digging. It's amazing how good they are at excavation. Further, they ate, explored the new pig house, and started learning about the electric fence after getting too near the strand at the bottom of the cow panels. I've been heading out on an hourly basis to hose them down to keep them cool.
I hope that I never, ever have to do this again. I can't bear to think what things would have been like with 900 pound pigs.
Kip
Despite the heat (it was in the mid 90s today), my step dad and I headed out, and finished putting up the cow panels along with an inner strand of electric fence wire. I figured that the hard part was over. I'd open the pig kennel, and lead them into the new digs with a bucket of slops.
Well, it didn't work out quite so well. In fact, it was the nastiest, smelliest, hottest, most aggravating activity that I've ever experienced. Managing cows, chickens, horses, dogs and cats is a dream job compared to this.
We opened the pig kennel door, and as usual, the pigs trotted out to explore the driveway. I poured a big pan of grain, and attempted to lead them to the new pen. Well, I tend to feed my pigs very well, so they took one look at the grain, and another at the fact that I expected them to move to an area that they had never explored and told me to forget about it.
I then headed over to my neighbor across the street, and with her help and two of her hog panels (these plastic sheets that are used to herd pigs), we tried to direct them out of the driveway to the new pen. This didn't work, either. The pigs refused to move in the desired direction, and began looking for any opening where they could squeeze their bodies back toward the garage. It was like herding linebackers for the New England Patriots. Those pigs hit hard when they start pushing.
At this point, the pigs started getting scared. What do scared pigs do? They poop and pee everywhere. Soon both the pigs, my neighbor and I were completely covered in pig poop and pee. The pigs also were getting overheated. The driveway was very hot, and there was no shade to be had anywhere. Realizing that this was a problem, I hosed down the pigs to cool them off. This made them even more stinky, wet, slimy and tough to control.
To make a long story short, the neighbor's husband came up, and after trying to direct them using an extension ladder as a chute, grabbed ahold of Hallie, and carried her to the pen. She must weigh 150 pounds, and remember, she was covered in mud, pig poop, pee and other slimy stuff. Oh yes, and she was squealing at deafening volumes. I don't know how he pulled it off. Figuring that Winston would follow as soon as Hallie was re-situated, we instead found that Winston wedged himself behind the trash barrel, and refused to move. We ended up carrying his 200 pound weight into a garden cart. My neighbor's husband put Winston into a head hold inside the bottom of the cart, and we wheeled both guys into the pen in the cart. Winston did escape once, and did the Linus / Snoopy / Security blanket thing, 25 yards through my muddy backyard. It was amazing how a 200 pound pig could pull a 6 foot 4 inch guy on his chest at top speed until the guy let go.
To make a long story short, we got both pigs into the new digs, and promptly hosed both pigs down with cool water. They were in heaven. They stood under the water stream for five minutes, and then created a foot deep wallow that they then burrowed into with about ten seconds of digging. It's amazing how good they are at excavation. Further, they ate, explored the new pig house, and started learning about the electric fence after getting too near the strand at the bottom of the cow panels. I've been heading out on an hourly basis to hose them down to keep them cool.
I hope that I never, ever have to do this again. I can't bear to think what things would have been like with 900 pound pigs.
Kip
Ask me how I know.
) And pig poop smells exactly like human poop because it's basically the same thing. I have never known a permanent pig pen that didn't stink, except concrete, which is both expensive and no fun for the pigs. However the nice dirt ones soon become a wallow of mud and excrement mixed. I used to muck the school's pig house daily and the big pen every two weeks. A helper once backed the Gator a little too close ("I'm a Vermont girl! I'm used to mud!") and it sank up to its axles in odiferous yuck. We had to tow it out. And then hose it down.
