Getting Hogs ready for a 4-H show

[walnuthollow]

Ok, I'm going out on a limb here because it appears that everyone on this forum own PBP. I have full-sized Duroc/Hampshire crosses that my kids are taking to the county 4-H show.

We've never shown hogs before instead just raising them for butchering, so there are several nuances of the practice that I am very unfamiliar with. The three hogs we've selected for the show are barrows weighing ~ 80# each. We've worked them in the lot with presenting clockwise and counter clockwise which is going fine. I've heard that we need to use a standard set of hair clippers and begin trimming their hair skin tight. In addition, we're apparantly supposed to oil or lotion them down regularly to keep their skin supple and not let them wallow as this dries out their skin severely. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? This just all sounds so weird to a family that's only raised bacon not beauty pageant contenders.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[jhm47]

In our state, the 4-H shows are for market ready pigs, so I'm not sure what should be done for feeder pigs. However, our children just washed the pigs very well, and used a tiny bit of oil on them to make their bristles shine. Our son had grand champion market hog 3 years in a row, and did very well at the state fair. If I were you, I'd contact the local extension agent and get as much info as possible there.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I showed a gilt and barrow for the first time this year in 4-H and I learned soooo much, so I'll try and give you my 2 cents.

First, when is your show and what are the weight limits for your show? I forget the exact numbers, but our weight limits (in order to be in the run for Grand Champion), were somewhere between 215 and 260 lbs. Anything above or below that would be put in the light/heavy weight class and could not run for Champion. My hogs were born in February and the show was in August. The gilt ended up weighing about 180 lbs. and the barrow 206 lbs., so both ended up being in lightweight classes.

Definitely keep walking them and working with them. Supposedly the more you walk them, the more they poop and exercise thus they eat more and gain more weight (not sure how much of this is true but it makes sense to me). When directing them, only use the cane/stick from the neck up. Don't hit the ham or any other part or else you will bruise the meat. If you have to, use your knees and nudge their rear to get them moving.

We didn't use hair clippers at all. I was told we should not do it because it makes the butchering process harder when they skin the animal. We did however use some oil before going into the show ring to make them look more sleek and shiny. That was only right before the show. Personally, I wouldn't restrict a pig from wallowing since that is their cooling mechanism and cannot sweat.

 

[walnuthollow]

Our county show is December 15th with the regional and state shows the second and third week of January, respectively. We've got four butcher hogs going to slaughter next Sunday. When they're gone, the three barrows will move into the big lot and that's when we'll really start working they for endurance and tone. The things we've learned so far are going to be very beneficial to our regular hog operation, especially some of the tactics to improve muscling. For instance, placing a couple of cinder blocks or a 8x8 block in front of the water trough will develop shoulder muscles whenever the hog steps up to drink or eat.

I appreciate the information.

 

[sevenmile]

Sounds like you are on the right track. lots of walking/working to build some muscle tone and endurance. If you work your pigs 10 minutes at a time, and the judge takes 20 minutes to place the class... yours will be standing with it's nose at the gate at the end, out of view and out of contention. Especially important in showmanship classes.
Get hooked up with your local extension like someone already said. Know the rules. our county allows no "substances" that would give an artificial shine. ( we used lot's of cheap shampoo/conditioner with a soft scrub brush to keep our pigs' skin/ hair looking good.) Shaving does make the muscling "pop", but I wish we would outlaw it (ask a processor) We just lightly trimmed up ears and tails and any "wild" hairs. Or shave close a month or two prior to the show to let it grow out a bit and yet still look fresh.

The best show ring advice you can get will come from the judge in his pre-show talk, and from watching him place the classes prior to yours....

Have fun!