Pigs- give me your opinion, please

[nccatnip]

When buying my farm, I made myself a promise that I would have no animals that did not have jobs. So far, so good. The chickens work, the goats are gainfully employed eating overgrown pastures.
And now this!!!! https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=17036&p=1 I want a pig in the worse way.
What jobs can a pig do besides being raised for meat and making MayberrySaint rich?

 

[MayberrySaint]

Absolutely nothing...unless you want them to root up an area for your garden next year.
If you have an old barn or shed that you want to knock down or gut...just pen them inside for a little while. They are good demolition experts...

 

[greyfields]

I used the pigs this year to clean up a really overgrown corral area. They dug up a car frame, a sattelite dish, a bathtub and a metric buttload of old wood. I honestly didn't know any of that stuff was there, the grass being over 6' tall when we moved in here.

I keep mine on pasture and don't barn them or put them on concrete. The dirtier their snout, the happier they are. So, just as soon as the corn is out of the garden, they'll go in there to hog-down everything that's left. I'll then put them in the field where I'll be planting next Spring.

I also ran my goats in the same areas as them much of this Summer. The goats would pull down teh blackberries then the pigs would stomp the crap out of them.

Finally, you cannot possibly say pigs have no job. I can't imagine not having pigs now. I sometimes feel we grew half our garden just for the pigs, because they get so much of it that we can't eat or preserve. They do the most brutal job on the whole farm.... which is eating all that blasted zuccinni.

 

[MayberrySaint]

HaHa...I forgot about being the garbage disposal...

 

[Freebie]

They are very cute when little, if they stayed that small forever...I don't know what I would do.

They can definately tear up their yard pretty quickly. And love all sorts of garden vegetables.
as for a job. well, you could just see if you can train them. I think they are highly intelligent, if you have the time to spend with them. I have heard they are as easy to train as a dog. don't know for sure, but that Mama sure loves my husband.

 

[Hotwings]

Quote:
I just had to add this. Anybody that has watched the show Deadwood on HBO knows what they used their pigs for ha ha! It has been known that pigs have been used in the past to finish off the remains of dead bodies lol! So if ya want to knock off a pesky neighbor you have the perfect means to get rid of any evidence! Plus add alittle flavoring to your pork! Or ya could train them to be movie and tv stars-like Arnold from Green Acres!

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

It has been known that pigs have been used in the past to finish off the remains of dead bodies lol! So if ya want to knock off a pesky neighbor you have the perfect means to get rid of any evidence!

LOL... we have 4 pigs and that thought has crossed our minds LOL.... we have this neighbor we call the witch!!! She likes to let our horses out and then call animal control on us... not to mention over the summer she gave our horses Methamphetamines which cost us a fortune to have the stomach pumped. But since we did not see or video tape it, we can not prove it was her... but we know it was!!!

Anyways, Pigs are wonderful for rooting up a yard old trees stumps and clearing out land! And then yes they provide wonderful food... we are getting ready to butcher our first which is right now 400+ pounds... we should be set on meat for a long, long time!!!!​

 

[Country Gal]

Oh Mayberry - I only wish my pigs would have demo'd my barn this year! I have the most horrible barn and I want to rebuild in the worst way! My pigs never even rooted under the fencing!

NCcatnip - I highly recommend pigs. As much as I thought they were cute when they were little, but that they would get ugly when big, I was wrong - they are still adorable! And such personalities. I'm really going to miss them after the slaughter this Sunday.

Yes, you can use them for meat and income as well. I got 2 pigs this year, am planning on keeping a 1/2 pig for myself, I sold the other 1.5 pig, and covered all my costs. So DF and I are eating our pork for free! I may shoot to make a profit next year. Or you could always breed them and sell the feeder pigs - here in Michigan they generally go for $1 per pound.

Good luck!

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Garbage disposals!!!!!! when we had our pig the only thing that went in the garbage was paper and plastic. it's amazing how much food waste you have when you start keeping track of it.
if that doesnt convince you the home made pure organic bacon is OUT OF THIS WORLD! for that reason alone I'll be getting another pig next year.

 

[wegotchickens]

If you have a pond that isn't holding water like it should, the old-timers say to fence the hogs there. After rolling around in the pond bottom for a season they supposedly seal them up tight, and they hold water perfectly after the hog is gone.

Didn't work for Daddy, but then we found out the pond was on an old lumbermill site. The pigs favorite part of the pond area did hold water enough to keep the forest creatures happy, though. And the clay of the area that still seeped made it easy to identify the tracks of the various critters that passed though.

And that part of the pond held water every year, until this summer's drought. That's been 25 years or more!