Faithful Homestead

Our kids don’t participate in summer sports such as softball and baseball, instead they are very active in 4-H.  One of the things they like to do in 4-H is exhibit livestock.  In May, Brock, Adisyn, Eli and Rebekah took some of their gilts (female pigs that have not yet had babies) to a jack-pot show (this is a small one day show that has a cash payout to the winners) that was held near us.  The jack-pot show was a great chance for the kids and the pigs to practice showing.  In July, the three oldest who are full fledged 4-H members will take the both their barrows (castrated males after this the barrows will be sold to Niman Ranch) and gilts to the county fair.  The shows are a lot of fun for the kids and it is a great chance for them to show off their pigs and their hard work.

You see, there is a lot of “behind the scenes” work that goes into preparing a pig for showing.  This involves taking care of feeding and watering the pigs.  The kids also practice walking their pigs around the barn lot to get them ready for exhibition in the show ring.  The best time to walk pigs is early of a morning or late in the evening when the temperatures are cooler.  Then about a week or so prior to each show the pigs get a thorough bath followed by a hair cut (they get other baths too.)

Continue reading →