Handling a Hampshire

[Duckfarmerpa1]

So...we got this adorable Hampshire pig, Slim Jim, about a three weeks ago. He was 12 wks then. We made him a pen in the barn, far away from our other pigs, who are in another barn. In that pen, I was able to reach over and pet him and feed him and he grew to be very lovable. But he also grew very big. Yesterday we built him a new pen outside of this barn, still far from the other pigs. When we let Slim out of his original pen to move him he literally went hog wild in my barn...knocking things over...wrecking my new hay...and, we had a devil of a time catching him. We built his new pen fence much higher. When I went in to feed him yesterday he made a break for the door. Jim is no longer Slim. He is quite sturdy and I would not be able to stop him..and I have no idea how we would cat him is he was loose on our huge farm! So, now..I’m feeding him, and giving him water through the fence. I hate it. I can’t pet him, can’t give him the love he deserves. Not to mention..hoe am I going to get in there to muck it out? Any/all advice would be great!!

 

[Simpleterrier]

Oh the fun of pigs. A short legged tank. Wait till they get 300lbs and run at u. Best bet keep him in a good pen until he is big enough then make a good loading shoot and take him to the butcher. Oh how do u love on a pig u give them another bucket of corn. Some pigs liked to be pet some pigs don't just like dogs.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Oh the fun of pigs. A short legged tank. Wait till they get 300lbs and run at u. Best bet keep him in a good pen until he is big enough then make a good loading shoot and take him to the butcher. Oh how do u love on a pig u give them another bucket of corn. Some pigs liked to be pet some pigs don't just like dogs.

I just feel so bad because he was...like a pet...and now he’s being neglected....to no fault of his own....

 

[Xerocles]

I just feel so bad because he was...like a pet...and now he’s being neglected....to no fault of his own....

Sounds like at least a little fault of his own. Intended or otherwise.

 

[Baymule]

This is not a pet. I know you love your animals and give them the best care possible. This is a pig headed to slaughter. This does not mean that you can't love and care for him. But this is reality knocking. Please don't take this as criticism, that is not how this is intended. Bottom line-pigs can be dangerous. He is already out of your control. He doesn't want petting, he wants OUT to run amuck and do what pigs do.

Feral hogs are so bad, so dangerous, that practically NO predator kills and eats them. Domestic hogs that get loose are about a week away from being wild.

I am no pig expert, by any means. We have raised feeder pigs only, no breeders, no sows, no boars, no birthing piglets--and I don't want to. I've had pigs stalk me in their pens, talk about creepy! I've had them rush me when trying to put out feed-not mean-but if they knocked me down, that could have turned out bad.

I got tired of fending off pigs determined to take a bite to see if I was good to eat, tired of pigs that immediately turned their feed tub over, wallowing in it and wasting it, watching the crows fly in to feast on MY money! I got tired of pigs immediately tumping their water over and still being thirsty. So I built a Pig Palace. My inspiration came from @Simpleterrier because he posted pictures of his pig pen. Best ideas ever!

Baymule’s Pigs 2018 HEREFORDS!

I found 2 Hereford boars 4 1/2 months old on Craigslist. We went and got them today. I have long admired Hereford Hogs and am delighted to find these! As usual, I have no hog pen ready and won’t be putting them in the pasture we sprigged with Bermuda and Bahia. So I guess we better get busy...

www.backyardherds.com

This is a link to my Pig Palace build out. I am sure that your husband could build a better, prettier pig barn than mine, but it works for me. Keep in mind a place to back up truck and trailer to the gate or build a loading chute.

Cleaning up the lot? Make it big enough and the pig will use a corner for poop. I used a 200' roll of wire, plus a 12' gate, plus the width of the Pig Palace, which gives pigs plenty of room to dig a wallow (squirt water from the OTHER side of the fence) and a potty corner. I hate seeing a pig in a small pen where it cannot get away from it's own poop. Yes, they will root and eat it. It is their natural behavior to root and eat dirt. If they can't get away from their own poop, their need to root overcomes their aversion for their own waste. No, I don't go in the pen to clean it out. They have their potty corner and that suits them and me just fine.

I can now feed and water from outside the pen where it is much safer for ME.

Wilbur was a tame, sweet boar. But he got so BIG that when he wanted to affectionately rub on his human momma, it became dangerous. He had 4" long tushes, one bite if he got riled up and it would have been over. She went out of town and asked her friend to sell him. Friend took one of her older kids with her when she went to feed Wilbur. Kid was armed with a 45 pistol to shoot Wilbur if things got out of hand. No matter how tame he was, his size trumped tame. We bought him, loaded him and put him in the Pig Palace to feed him out before taking him to slaughter. He was a sweetheart, but I still didn't go in the pen with him.

Baymule's 500 Pound Boar!

I found a deal on a huge boar. His name is Wilbur and he is a Red Wattle. He got too big to breed their sows, so he went up for sale. The lady who owned him couldn’t put him in the freezer, he was her first pig and a pet. He is very calm and gentle. But she became afraid of Wilbur because he...

www.backyardherds.com

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

This is not a pet. I know you love your animals and give them the best care possible. This is a pig headed to slaughter. This does not mean that you can't love and care for him. But this is reality knocking. Please don't take this as criticism, that is not how this is intended. Bottom line-pigs can be dangerous. He is already out of your control. He doesn't want petting, he wants OUT to run amuck and do what pigs do.

Feral hogs are so bad, so dangerous, that practically NO predator kills and eats them. Domestic hogs that get loose are about a week away from being wild.

I am no pig expert, by any means. We have raised feeder pigs only, no breeders, no sows, no boars, no birthing piglets--and I don't want to. I've had pigs stalk me in their pens, talk about creepy! I've had them rush me when trying to put out feed-not mean-but if they knocked me down, that could have turned out bad.

I got tired of fending off pigs determined to take a bite to see if I was good to eat, tired of pigs that immediately turned their feed tub over, wallowing in it and wasting it, watching the crows fly in to feast on MY money! I got tired of pigs immediately tumping their water over and still being thirsty. So I built a Pig Palace. My inspiration came from @Simpleterrier because he posted pictures of his pig pen. Best ideas ever!

Baymule’s Pigs 2018 HEREFORDS!

I found 2 Hereford boars 4 1/2 months old on Craigslist. We went and got them today. I have long admired Hereford Hogs and am delighted to find these! As usual, I have no hog pen ready and won’t be putting them in the pasture we sprigged with Bermuda and Bahia. So I guess we better get busy...

www.backyardherds.com

This is a link to my Pig Palace build out. I am sure that your husband could build a better, prettier pig barn than mine, but it works for me. Keep in mind a place to back up truck and trailer to the gate or build a loading chute.

Cleaning up the lot? Make it big enough and the pig will use a corner for poop. I used a 200' roll of wire, plus a 12' gate, plus the width of the Pig Palace, which gives pigs plenty of room to dig a wallow (squirt water from the OTHER side of the fence) and a potty corner. I hate seeing a pig in a small pen where it cannot get away from it's own poop. Yes, they will root and eat it. It is their natural behavior to root and eat dirt. If they can't get away from their own poop, their need to root overcomes their aversion for their own waste. No, I don't go in the pen to clean it out. They have their potty corner and that suits them and me just fine.

I can now feed and water from outside the pen where it is much safer for ME.

Wilbur was a tame, sweet boar. But he got so BIG that when he wanted to affectionately rub on his human momma, it became dangerous. He had 4" long tushes, one bite if he got riled up and it would have been over. She went out of town and asked her friend to sell him. Friend took one of her older kids with her when she went to feed Wilbur. Kid was armed with a 45 pistol to shoot Wilbur if things got out of hand. No matter how tame he was, his size trumped tame. We bought him, loaded him and put him in the Pig Palace to feed him out before taking him to slaughter. He was a sweetheart, but I still didn't go in the pen with him.

Baymule's 500 Pound Boar!

I found a deal on a huge boar. His name is Wilbur and he is a Red Wattle. He got too big to breed their sows, so he went up for sale. The lady who owned him couldn’t put him in the freezer, he was her first pig and a pet. He is very calm and gentle. But she became afraid of Wilbur because he...

www.backyardherds.com

Was he mostly fat? My husband doesn’t want to raise them over 300. Worries they’ll be all fat, not ham. You are right, he has come to the point where he is no longer that cute little piggy. The worst part is...this was Chris’ pig! I do all the farm work..that’s fine..but at least thought he’d deal with Slim! Chris did build him boxes for around his bowls and screwed those right into the pen...no tipping. But they are hard to ge5 out to clean the water..so now I just refill it. Today I went in with him. Maybe a mistake. If he would have went for the gate... I couldn’t have done any. Our pot belly pigs are sooo different. I know you say they are one week away...but, perhaps because they are old? They are allowed to free ran much of the day...they wander around the fields..,Portly goes to visit our dogs..Jumbo loves to eat the compost in the garden...they are fun. And they are very clean pigs. Small poop. . thanks for the pep talk...and I’m going to inspect your pictures!

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Was he mostly fat? My husband doesn’t want to raise them over 300. Worries they’ll be all fat, not ham. You are right, he has come to the point where he is no longer that cute little piggy. The worst part is...this was Chris’ pig! I do all the farm work..that’s fine..but at least thought he’d deal with Slim! Chris did build him boxes for around his bowls and screwed those right into the pen...no tipping. But they are hard to ge5 out to clean the water..so now I just refill it. Today I went in with him. Maybe a mistake. If he would have went for the gate... I couldn’t have done any. Our pot belly pigs are sooo different. I know you say they are one week away...but, perhaps because they are old? They are allowed to free ran much of the day...they wander around the fields..,Portly goes to visit our dogs..Jumbo loves to eat the compost in the garden...they are fun. And they are very clean pigs. Small poop. . thanks for the pep talk...and I’m going to inspect your pictures!

Just saw all the pictures...you did a darned good job...looks they lived the high life! Chris wouldn’t want to part with the blue barrels...lol..I’ll show him this and see what he thinks...bad time of year to be doing this...we should’ve thought of that first, huh? That’s kind of our thing...road trips of excitement! Going to an auction We’d...supposed to just sell some drake ducks and bantams chickens....lol

 

[JHP Homestead]

I’ve had good success with pig pens that didn’t have a gate. We just put in a section (or the whole fence) that was only 3.5’ or so tall and stepped over it when going in and out.

 

[Baymule]

Was he mostly fat? My husband doesn’t want to raise them over 300. Worries they’ll be all fat, not ham. You are right, he has come to the point where he is no longer that cute little piggy. The worst part is...this was Chris’ pig! I do all the farm work..that’s fine..but at least thought he’d deal with Slim! Chris did build him boxes for around his bowls and screwed those right into the pen...no tipping. But they are hard to ge5 out to clean the water..so now I just refill it. Today I went in with him. Maybe a mistake. If he would have went for the gate... I couldn’t have done any. Our pot belly pigs are sooo different. I know you say they are one week away...but, perhaps because they are old? They are allowed to free ran much of the day...they wander around the fields..,Portly goes to visit our dogs..Jumbo loves to eat the compost in the garden...they are fun. And they are very clean pigs. Small poop. . thanks for the pep talk...and I’m going to inspect your pictures!

Wilbur was a WHOLE LOT OF MEAT! If you read the thread, we drove him across a truck scale before taking him to slaughter, then drove back over it after dropping him off. He weighed 820 pounds. He dressed out at 506 pounds.

When you take Slim to slaughter, ask for the fat and ask for them to grind it. then render it for lard. It is great for stir fry, makes the best pie crust ever and is good to cook with. I melt it slow in a big pot, strain out the cracklins, reheat it SLOW and LOW, then pour into heated quart jars and seal. As the lard cools, it will pop a seal on the jar.

Breeds like pot bellies, American Guinea Hog, Kune Kune and probably several others are known for their sweet temperament--BUT they are still pigs! Enjoy your pets, be wary of your feeder pig.

 

[Beekissed]

Pigs are smart and can be sweet, but just like any other animal, they need boundaries. If you get them while young, you can set the boundaries easily and there's no rushing you or the gate when you are done establishing boundaries. If a kid can raise a 4-H pig, feed it, clean out pens, teach it to go where they want by tapping it with a stick, etc., you can too if you want to put in the wrench time.

We never had any problems with pigs rushing us or trying to bust out of the pens while I was growing up. My favorite pig was Jessica, who liked to lay across my lap and have her belly scratched....all 300 lbs of her. Sweet, sweet girl....cried when we had to butcher her. Didn't get so attached to the pigs after that, but still had a good relationship with them all.

Like Bay said, most folks raising hogs for eating don't bother with making them into pets, so they just establish pens where you can dump feed and water over the fence, toss in fresh bedding, climb in and out as needed over the fence, etc.