Baymule's Pigs 2017-2018

[Simpleterrier]

 

[Baymule]

I love the barrel feeder! I sure would have made one of those if I had seen your feeder before I went and bought a metal bin feeder at TSC. I will keep it in the back of my mind for when the metal one bites the dust.

I like your loading system. When we build our dedicated hog pen, a loading chute will be part of the plans. Great idea!

On the water barrel, is there a vent opening for air displacement as they drink the water or is the top on tight? Again, great idea.

Before we get pigs again, we will build a smart set up like you have. The first time we had pigs, we put them in the garden for the winter, just backed the trailer in and fed them in it before we took them to slaughter. The second time, we had them in a front one acre pasture and we shot them and slaughtered them ourselves. This time, they are in the same one acre pasture and loading them promises to be interesting. LOL We plan on building a quick cow panel holding pen at the gate, not feed them the day before and luring them aboard with some really yummy stinky soured corn. LOL LOL

Your sausage looks good. Next time you can sausage, you should take lots of pictures and post a how-to tutorial. I guess enough water and fat cooks out of it to seal it up along with the lid seal. Beats worrying about your meat when the freezer/electricity goes out.

Thanks for posting the pictures and sharing your ideas with us!

 

[Simpleterrier]

I am pretty sure that's how my great grandma canned meat. The water barrel has a hole in the top where there is a screw in cap I just leave it out. Good luck loading those pigs I would personally start a week ahead of time trying to get them loaded they can always spend their last days in the trailer.

 

[goatgurl]

simpleterrier's water barrel is like what we used for my granddaughters ffa pig a few years back. they work really well. something for you to keep in mind for the next feeder pigs you get bay.
I so totally agree with you about just buying piglets instead of raising them. I have seen people brought into the hospital that have been torn up by their own pigs or wild pigs and i'm just not give them the chance to do that to me. much less trouble to support your local heritage hog breeder. that's why I was so upset when that last sow that I bought turned out to be pregnant. not happy at all. be careful with them kiddo.

 

[Baymule]

Hogs are loaded. We built a small enclosure with one cow panel and a half one for a gate in the corner where the 12' gate is. Then we could block them out while we opened the 12' gate and DH backed the trailer up. Our neighbor Robert came over to help. DH dumped wood chip mulch and raked it up for a loading ramp.

I didn't feed them yesterday so they'd be hungry this morning. I saved a stinky soured bucket of corn and when they got a whiff of that, they were pretty easy to get loaded. We opened the half cow panel gate, let them into the enclosure, then shut and tied it off. After several false starts, they both climbed in and the end gate banged shut.

They are parked in the shade and I spray them down once an hour to make sure they stay cool. I fill their water tub, they blow bubbles then tump it over. We pull out 6:45 AM in the morning.

 

[goatgurl]

yea!!! piggies loaded and ready to go. greed gets mine every time, they hear and smell the food and climb right in. door slams and there they are. I think you were very wise not to keep that sow. if she is snappy now just think how bad she'll be if or when she has piglets. safe trip tomorrow.

 

[Mike CHS]

You are going to be glad you got rid of some more chores.

I think I'm more leery of ornery pigs than I am of ornery cows.

 

[Baymule]

Now my next chore is finding freezer room! A neighbor is going to put some of the meat in her freezer for me. I'll give her some meat in exchange for her help. This place doesn't cure hams or bacon. So we'll be making bacon!

 

[goatgurl]

you can always can some of it. chunks of pork canned sure makes tender pulled pork and remember you can always can sausage too. just a thought. I still have the former bacon bit who is now officially a full grown hog. he is going to freezer camp in December and i'm thinking that i'll can a lot of him because i'm running out of freezer room too. i'd love for him to go sooner but my butcher stops taking domestic animals about the 3rd week of oct until the middle of dec because they process hundreds if not thousands of deer during that 8 week period. so wait I shall, sighhhh

 

[Mike CHS]

We bought a 22 Cubic foot chest freezer to go along with the upright the same size thinking we would never fill them up. They are full but I don't have room for a third one.