This Little Piggy

So when we purchased our homestead we discussed what we would be raising and when. We had a timeline. In order of importance we had: egg chickens, garden, bees, goats, rabbits, and meat birds. Notice what is NOT on there. Yep. Pigs. I didn't want to raise pigs our first year...well really at all because I thought I would become attached, I thought it would be expensive, I thought they would smell...Well, only one of those is true. They smell.

Our friends from TNT Ranch, Tab and Ty, (Leigh works with Tab) bred their pig and ended up with 18 piglets. Somehow...I'm still not sure how...I agreed that we could raise not one, but two. Then Aunt Chrissy said she wanted one. So now we are raising three. And as much as I hate to admit it, its fun!

The first thing we had to do was build a pen that would be strong enough to keep three 270 lb pigs confined, and judging by my chicken coop, I was not the person for the job. Luckily Ty had the know-how and the equipment. Under his direction and with the help of his auger we sunk railroad ties and attached hog panels to them. The ground we have here is UNBELIEVABLE! So easy to see why you can build houses out of adobe. It was seriously like concrete!

We had to soak the ground and that made a horrible muddy mess-that the kids thought was FABULOUS!

People pay good money for mud baths. Noah got one for free!

We are an equal opportunity family!

Once the pen was constructed it was time for pigs! Leigh named them Red, White, and Blue. We got them over 4th of July weekend but one is red:

One is white, and the one with the black ears had 1 blue eye.

From left to right: White, Red, Blue:

They have lots of room for the time being. Come this fall we will have lots of very yummy pork. I am not that attached to them. Red bites and White and Blue avoid me like the plague, though Leigh can get them all to let him touch them.

Leigh had to take Blue to Chrissy to have him castrated (we are not ready to start having piglets...and they are siblings). Apparently he helped. Blue was pretty mad at us for a few days after. I got the chance to vaccinate Red and White, and we have to do all of them again in about a week and a half. Pig wrangling is kind of fun...when they don't bite you.

But alas, we do not have a single dairy goat or bees, but we do have 3 little piggies. I guess it's a fair trade off. I love bacon and sausage and I am happy to be able to give these pigs a happy and safe life until it is time for them to provide safe nourishment for my kids. But I don't think I'll ever be a full fledged pig farmer. 3 non-breeders are good for me!