Ridgetop
Herd Master
This pig is for eating, not for a pet. Is it a boar or a barrow (castrated)? While your husband doesn't want to get hi too fat, it really doesn't mater in hogs since they do not marble like beef. Hogs lay on fat in layers and it will be trimmed off by the butcher. Actually, the older fatty breeds are the tastiest eating. They were fatty breeds since in the old days lard was a valuable commodity. Today USDA has guidelines for lean meat hogs and most of the commercial breeds are genetically bred for lean meat. Unfortunately, lean meat is often dry, tough meat. However, your DH is right to want to slaughter around 300 lbs. Keep him in the pen, he is not going to respond to playtime. He will probably enjoy you scratching him on the spine with a twig in his pen. He does not need to come out of his pen until the day you load him in the trailer to go to the butcher. Some hogs are nasty tempered, some are mild and sweet tempered. Sounds like you have one of the grouchy ones.
The easiest way to move hogs is with pig panels/pig boards. You can buy plastic boards in farm catalogs, but you can make them easily and cheaply. Use 1/2' plywood (any thinner and the pig will be able to crack and split the panel), cut it into 24" tall x 36" wide panels. Using a saber or jig saw cut 3" x 6" wide holes in the top corners of the board. These will be hand holds when using the boards. We wrapped the hand holds with duct tape to avoid splinters. Using these boards you can move pigs easily. This size will be usable by children as well as adults. If you are tall you can cut the panels 28" tall, and if you are big and strong, you can make them a few inches wider. However, don't overestimate your strength since you will be holding these panels in front of your knees as you are guiding the pig where you want it to go. If the hog is determined, brace the panel against your slightly bended knees. Don't let it take you unaware. Hogs are tricky and smart.
Hogs will go through any wire panel they can see through but they will not go through a solid panel. If they cannot see what is on the other side they will not try to go through it. Pigs are smart though and if they figure out that they can nose under the panel and flip it up they will try to do that.
Using pig panels 2 people can move a hog where you want it to go. One person can move it too, but it will depend on the surroundings, and you will need to be quick and hustle. There should be some sites on the internet that show people moving pigs with panels. We used to use pig boards to move all the hogs at our fair. 10 men and kids with boards moved 200 hogs from stalls to scale and back in about 3 hours. We used to keep several panels propped next to the pig pens in case hogs got out or we had to move them around.
The easiest way to move hogs is with pig panels/pig boards. You can buy plastic boards in farm catalogs, but you can make them easily and cheaply. Use 1/2' plywood (any thinner and the pig will be able to crack and split the panel), cut it into 24" tall x 36" wide panels. Using a saber or jig saw cut 3" x 6" wide holes in the top corners of the board. These will be hand holds when using the boards. We wrapped the hand holds with duct tape to avoid splinters. Using these boards you can move pigs easily. This size will be usable by children as well as adults. If you are tall you can cut the panels 28" tall, and if you are big and strong, you can make them a few inches wider. However, don't overestimate your strength since you will be holding these panels in front of your knees as you are guiding the pig where you want it to go. If the hog is determined, brace the panel against your slightly bended knees. Don't let it take you unaware. Hogs are tricky and smart.
Hogs will go through any wire panel they can see through but they will not go through a solid panel. If they cannot see what is on the other side they will not try to go through it. Pigs are smart though and if they figure out that they can nose under the panel and flip it up they will try to do that.
Using pig panels 2 people can move a hog where you want it to go. One person can move it too, but it will depend on the surroundings, and you will need to be quick and hustle. There should be some sites on the internet that show people moving pigs with panels. We used to use pig boards to move all the hogs at our fair. 10 men and kids with boards moved 200 hogs from stalls to scale and back in about 3 hours. We used to keep several panels propped next to the pig pens in case hogs got out or we had to move them around.
Surprises folks.
