McCoy and his pig (and his Mom)

The Constant Reader remembers that in July, the kids catch pigs at our local Little Snake River Fun Days.  Each year, we end up with a different number of pigs to keep, depending on the success of the grandchildren and the cousins.  This year we ended up with two young pigs.  We brought them home and fed them table scraps and pig food.  I always like taking the scraps, which means stuff that the dogs won’t eat (potato peals, banana peals, culled lettuce leaves, et al) out to the pigs.  They are so happy and I feel satisfied.  The ultimate goal, of course, is to transition these pigs into our freezer and make them part of our sustainance.  We tell this to the children from the beginning, and want them to appreciate where their food comes from.

We are having a run of really cold weather.  I was worried that the pigs, who have been in a barn with straw and extra feed, might nonetheless freeze to death before we could harvest them.  We called our local meat processor, who said that Friday was his pig-killing day, and to have them there by 8 a.m.

I asked Timeteo and Christian to help load the pigs into the back of the pickup.  We loaded the sow first.  She was trussed up with ropes so we could get a grip,

capturing a pig at Snake River Fun Days

The pigs with Siobhan and McCoy (with Bruiser helping clean up the scraps)

and we hoisted her into the truck.  The young boar was next.  With ropes, tugging, lifting and a lot of squealing,  we managed to load him too.

When I got to Snake River Processors, the pigs were shivering (it was 10 below) and the Weber crew came out to help.  Since most pigs arrive in a trailer, they were a little stymied as to how to unload them.  I explained that we had just hoisted them in and that I thought we could hoist them out.  Clint gave the boar a shove and he tumbled out.  He gave the young sow a push and she jumped.  She leapt out of the pickup bed graceful as a gazelle, and landed on her feet.

“Wow,” said Clint, “I didn’t know that pigs could jump like that!”

Sadly, I do not have a photo of that moment, but I sure wish I did.

Thank you pigs.

Farewell