Pigs, Pigs and more Pigs!!!

[shortdawg]

Someone in my family has shown pigs since the early 80's. I've always loved feeding out one; they really respond to a good feeding program. We've mostly shown York/Hamp crosses.

 

[linnettejane]

i showed pigs in 4-h for 10 years....loved it!!! 

 

[daydreamingacres]

Sometimes we buy them for like $50-$75 we went to look at a boar once that he wanted like $200 for and I said no way ( beacuse we call the auction house to get relative prices before we buy so we know what our "return" is gonna be) and i bought the same pig two weeks later at teh sale barn for I think $55. I have a girl around here that know how to do AI but dont you have to store it at a certain temp? I really didnt pay that much attention in class when they were talking about it.....I had waaaaaay more fun playing with the pigs! We have a guy in NH that had some SUPER nice pigs for around here last year and he wanted $100 for this really nice boar at that time I had sold all my guilts because I didnt have a boar so a new boar really wouldnt have done much good. We dont show them (yet) but we find that pork for us is a better product them beef beacuse I buy them for $75 at about 60lbs then keep them for 4 months and they are all sold for higher then what i get for beef. I do have my loyal beef customers but i think all next years bull claves are gonna be sold sooo.....I am gonna have to kill heifers ( and I HATE to kill heifers no matter what they are.) Sorry to get off topic i tend to do that alot

 

[kanshow]

Pigs are extremely reactive to feeding.  You can make a change in the ration and see a dramatic difference the next day.  However the pig has to have the genetics to make the change in the right direction.  You can take  a decent pig and make him a better pig with feeding, but then you can also take a great pig and ruin him with feeding. 

I also think the pig project will be the one hurt the most by the higher prices.  Most cattle folks are in it for the long haul so you don't see people jumping in and out.  Sheep and goats are fairly inexpensive to feed.    Pigs take a lot of feed and it is expensive feed to begin with. 

 

[CAB]

  We used to show pigs all over the place. They are easy to train. They'll do almost anything for an oreo cookie. I have trained quite a few boars to jump the dummie and collected semen from boars to be able to pay more for a good one and be able to spread him over more sows. Show heifer had a question about equine semen I think yesterday, and I know that over 99% of boar semen is used fresh and have shipped some around the country that way. You can freeze it, but you will not have as good of conception rates with frozen semen. The boars that are frozen will have to be and are very good boars.
    Justme, there is actually is a Hereford purebreed of hogs.

 

[the_resa86]

I was actually born and raised on a pig farm and spent 10 years showing pigs, just in 4-H but rewarding none the less.  The thing I have always loved about pigs is that management plays such a large role in how a pig turns out.  Don't get me wrong management is important with cattle too but a good fit job on a steer or heifer can really change their appearance.  With pigs it is more of what you see is what you get.

 

[BCCC]

Yes swine semen needs to stay at a constant temperature, and rotated 2 times a day. AIing pigs is VERY easy

 

[doubled]

Its a cross between a cow and a pig ;D ;D

where did  you get that??? hehe

 

[BCCC]

there was a link on the clip art post that I went to and I found it

 

[doubled]

there was a link on the clip art post that I went to and I found it

its awesome