Anyway, the main task, our goal, was to separate the 8 American Landrace piglets in the above picture from their parents and the other adult pigs and move them to a new pen, which is used for housing and raising the youngsters. Oh, almost forgot to mention, they needed to be castrated first; well 7 of the 8 needed to be the other was a female.
To set the stage these piglets weigh approximately 40 to 60 pounds and are surprisingly strong at this age. They have good size teeth and can bite - their bite is like a dogs, so when they grab hold it's almost impossible to get there jaws opened unless they want to. However, the biggest danger is their parents and the other adults. Once the piglets start screaming, whether due to being grabbed and moved or cut, the adults get riled up and rush to their aid, which is why we move them to a safe location away from the adults.
I won't go into details on the process other than to tell you it takes 2 people and a razor blade; one (me) to grab the piglet by the hind legs, flip him on his back and sit on his belly while maintaining a firm hold of his hind, piston-like, legs. The other person (Tim) is, well, performs the emasculation.
Tim's an old-timer who was raised and taught in the old school ways. 'Fixing' the pigs makes them less aggressive, fattens them up faster and the meat isn't as tough as a boars.
This is a picture of "JackO". He is the big daddy and protector of Tim's pig menagerie.
- Young female hogs who have borne less than two litters are known gilts
- Female hogs who have borne more than two litters are known as sows
- Intact males are known as boars
- Castrated males are known as barrows
- Young hogs of both sexes are known as pigs or piglets
Click here for a List of domestic pig breeds
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