2nd UPDATE: Pic of pig inside. So, who owns or has owned a pig?

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CPA

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
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Daughter joined FFA at school this year and has to raise an animal for auction next February. She chose a pig over lamb, chicken and cow.

She's supposed to get pigpen blueprints from her FFA instructor this week. I figured we should just keep it in our backyard rather than the school district's barn so we don't have to make trips to the barn every day to feed the stupid thing.

Anyway, only a select few get put up for auction, so we're going to try our hardest to make the cut. Give me some pro tips to make it happen ATOT.

EDIT: For those of you suggesting pot-belly pigs, this is for an FFA (Future Farmers of America) auction. Pot belly pigs need not apply.


UPDATE: Well, shelter is built and daughter brought home the pig last night. Ended up with a Hampshire. She was lucky enough to pick 19th out of about 200. Her Ag teacher said she got one that they believed would make the show, but it's all about how she raises him.

gFWs7hH.jpg
 
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ElFenix

ElFenix

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Mar 20, 2000
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you really are out there in the boonies way out west aren't you


get a mangalitsa
 
rudeguy

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
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My sister kept a couple as pets.

Ending up shooting them because they beyond destroyed her yard.


Throw the contest for your daughter so little piggy can live.
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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If we are talking moms, sure :)

if not Potty-bellies are very smart and can live indoors.

What kind of pig is she getting?
 
Broheim

Broheim

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Feb 17, 2011
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I kinda want one as a pet, they're ridiculously smart, even giving chimps a run for their money in some areas.

get a teacup pig and just keep it in the house :D
 
P

Pocatello

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 1999
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Dr.Pizza is the farm animal expert here at ATOT. He should be around to help with ideas.
 
CPA

CPA

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Nov 19, 2001
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alkemyst said:
If we are talking moms, sure :)

if not Potty-bellies are very smart and can live indoors.

What kind of pig is she getting?
Click to expand...

I haven't a clue yet. I just know they want $250 for it, plus $25 for insurance. :(
 
datalink7

datalink7

Lifer
Jan 23, 2001
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Get a pot bellied pig. I don't have any personal experience with them, but I've known a few people to have them. They're pretty intelligent and can be kept in the house. They can be house trained like a dog so they'll go to the bathroom outside, and have a funny personality.

This one I knew would go into a room and close the door when people started to annoy it :D
 
R

rifken2

Member
Feb 1, 2010
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Hopefully someone else will chime in with better advice...

I don't think he can go with a potbelly pig for this... it is FFA so they want to see a pig that would go to a slaughter auction not for a pet auction. This will more than likely be one of the larger farm pigs that weigh upwards of 250 pounds...

Just my two cents. Also I think they judge on things like size of pig, weight, presentation, breed, etc...
 
ElFenix

ElFenix

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Red Squirrel said:
What kind of temps can pigs normally live in? Probably would not leave it outside unless you can build a mini barn and heat it.
Click to expand...

cold isn't really an issue for porcine animals down here, as exemplified by our feral hog problem.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
It's hard to provide much advice. $250 seems exceptionally expensive for a piglet. The average price in this area is $60 lately. However, you probably don't have a clue how to select a great pig. I know that I don't. Well, I do, but I don't, because I don't have the experience. The key to that experience is knowing how an awesome pig should look at a particular age. That is, if I see 10 piglets the same age, I can point out all the important features and point out the best piglet in that group. However, I wouldn't know if that best piglet would be a good piglet for showing, or if you're destined to lose. Conformation is pretty important - how long the back is, spring of ribs (are the loins going to be big, or on the thin side), nice hindquarters (hams), etc. But also important is the potential for growth/rate of growth. For example, if you looked at all my goats, some are bigger than others, of course. But, there's one young buckling that I have - it's a few months old, and it has already just about caught up to goats that are a full year older than it - - and they're all eating the same food. If I didn't know their ages, I might give the nod to one of the slightly larger goats. But, knowing that, I'm pretty sure I have a future grand champion. At birth, I can judge them fairly well, but if I take the best 3, it's a crap shoot which will turn out to be the best. After a few months, if you have a champion on your hands, you know it. And, if they're coming from champion bloodlines, they're more likely to be that way. I presume the same is true of pigs, so while $250 is high, in order to give your daughter the best chance at win, it very well may be worth it.

It'll be important that your daughter handles the pig all the time. Walks it, etc. The pig needs to "behave" during the show, so she needs to be confident in walking it around, and it has to be used to being walked around.

Feed: a high quality feed is damn important for show pigs. At least 18% protein.

In the end, a little bit of it comes down to how much do you want to spend? Selling that pig sounds like sort of a risky proposition. But, I've noticed that at FFA shows, it's almost like charity - people pay far more than they'd pay for regular market pigs. (On a per pound basis.) So, there's the potential for a return on your investment. So, how much do you want to spend?? For example, with goats, I custom blend my own feed for the show goats (and goats I hope make it to that potential.) Regular goat feed is currently around $11-$12 per 50 pound bag, with hay (free choice) for me running around $2 per bale. I know people who don't give their goats any grain. But, instead of just feeding that, my custom blend includes Calf Manna - Currently $32.99 per 50 pound bag. (It rang up for $25 over the summer, I presume a sale. I went back into the store and bought all of the rest that they had in stock.) So, even on food, you can pay a hell of a lot more money. But, if the genetics of the pig aren't good, you'll be throwing that money away.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
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Phoenix86 said:
Medicine. :sneaky:
Click to expand...
If people have certain medicine questions, I merely wave my hand & my wife comes over and answers. :)

Oh, and I didn't answer the OP's main question: who had pigs.
I did. I raised one. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Friends were amazed at how good my pig did. She got good food. She was well fed. Vegetables (scraps from the garden - whole watermelons, squashes, pumpkins, etc.), and good grains. Occasionally bread. No other leftovers though. And, lots of grain. I was going to get her butchered. Then, friends said, "omg, that pig would be outstanding for breeding." So, I hesitated. Next thing you know, it's June, I'm thinking, "screw this." Cleaning her stall is starting to get to be a MASSIVE undertaking. The bigger they get, the more they eat. The more they eat, the more they shit. And, it stinks. Naturally, they're a pretty clean animal & prefer it that way, despite their reputation, so I did my best to keep that stall clean. I called around to various butchers. They closed for the summer months, & only did fair animals in late August. "Call back in September." So, a few more months passed. I called. Had an appointment for mid October. The weekend before the appointment, a leaf spring in my brother's livestock trailer broke. No way to get her to the butcher. At that point - "Hi, U-Haul? You have any trailers available?" Twice through the carwash and TWO cans of febreeze to get the odor out. Yielded 440 pounds of pork.

Another tip: if you get it butchered, no matter how much people tell you, "it's awesome smoked" - and they're right - resist the urge to get very much of it smoked. I had most of it smoked. Everything tasted like ham. Excellent ham. But, it got to the point where I'd grab a big roast, toss it in the oven, after it cooked, allow it to cool. Make pulled pork and give 100% of it to the dogs. I'm STILL sick of ham.
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
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this thread is a trainwreck.

OP keep it at the farm they recommended.


<$300 is cheap if your kid has an interest in this that will pay off for them.
 
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