Six Hogs and a Sow

The new hogs are here, the new hogs are here!  Quick, name that movie.  Not the exact same line but just picture me jumping up and down while saying it.
Yesterday we got our yearly hogs.  Last year we had two that I have been everly grateful to and for since the day we met.  This year we have seven.  Needless to say if you live close and want to save your scraps... DO!  Bring them over, dump them over the fence.  I have to say that I, along with Granny, had gotten so used to saving scraps from egg shells to chicken bones and leftovers that I felt guilty all winter long about having to throw them away.  I even thought about composting, which I cannot grasp how to do. 

Part of having a farm and animals is their proper care and when you are raising pigs for food there are certain things that you have to do.  I admit I don't fully understand why but the hogs have to be castrated and all tails snipped.  The castration to keep the meat from becoming too strong and too tough once they come in to their own (nicely put) and the tails because apparently it is a proven fact that it takes more to feed them with the tails on.  Something around eight bushels more per season per pig.  Regardless it is what is done here. 

So yesterday was the big day.  When Shaun and Nick arrived with the pigs the surgery had to begin before they went in to the pen.  (Not that it wouldn't have been amusing to see the pigs being chased around the farm for a while.)  I, like the country girl I signed up to be, got in the trailer with them, in my good Ann Taylor jeans like a D.A., grabbed the iodine and the syringe and jumped right in to help without a second thought.  (I am leery on how graphic to get)  I felt helpful and was helpful.  They could have gotten it done but castrating nine hogs, cutting twelve pigs tails and remembering to give the shots for de-worming and de-pesting is a lot for two people.
 


I did wind up getting blood on my jeans, wound up with not enough juice in the needle for all twelve pigs (luckily Nick had more... I  must have squeezed some out in all the fury,) and got hog bit.  Not real hard and I can't say I blame him.  But I do give my props to the 19.99 rain boots from TSC.  The pig did not bite through and if I hadn't had them on it would have hurt.  I also learned how to clean, (ready?!?!) and fry pig nuts.  So after an afternoon of doing what we had to do, we had turnip greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread and fried pig nuggets for supper.  Now how do you feel.  I feel pretty dang country.

P.S. the blood came out of my jeans with a little ivory soap, everyone is healing nicely, they are eating well, apparently are thrilled because they've never seen grass before (they came from a true hog farm which is what this one will look like with seven of them) and the movie is The Jerk, starring Steve Martin.  And if you are truly interested and want a more in depth "how to" on castrating, pouring iodine, cutting tails, or frying pig nuts I'm your gal!  Shoot me an email.