Pig tidbits.....

A few people have asked questions regarding the piggies... so here is a quick Q&A for you!

Q* How much to you have to feed them per day?
A* About 3 to 4 pounds of feed each - and no table scraps - they get special Purina Show Pig food!

Q* Sunscreen??? Are you serious???
A* Yep! Since they shed alot of skin, and Big Al's job is to brush them and keep them "appealing to the eye", once the dead skin is off, the new skin is exposed to sun - hence sunburn! We use regular baby sunscreen, the spray on kind with 50spf!

Q* Are the pigs agressive or mean?
A* Not really, they do get agitated when they need to be forced into the weight scales, or the horse trailer for their baths! Big Al has only been bit once and stepped on a few times (his foot!). Overall - they are really kinda funny animals! They do have personality and are very curious!

Q* How about the smell??
A* Let's just say that when the wind blows in the usual direction - its not a problem! Pig poop is decidedly the stinkiest poop I have ever smelled!

Q* Do you HAVE TO have them butchered? They are so cute!
A* Big Al has to sell one this Friday at the Livestock sale during the fair. The other one we can do with whatever we want. Yes, we chose to have one for the freezer. It's a tough thing to do - but after you put over $400 into an animal like that - you need to understand that you are raising it to be consumed. It is also really tough to winter pigs over where we live, as the temperatures can be below freezing in the winter. I love animals, but I'm not willing to bring in a pig when it gets really cold to lay in front of the fireplace!

Q* How does Big Al walk them around?
A* Quite carefully! HEHE! He uses a cane and uses the cane to GENTLY tap the pig below the hock (back leg) to move around... he also has to sometimes give them a slap on the back to get them to move forward! After fair I will post a video of him showing them for your enjoyment!

If you have any other questions... just ask!
Amy