Pigs, WP Migration

Now I know why I've never heard of pigherds

Posted on by Farmer
Today we introduced the pigs to their summer home and by evening they were definitely enjoying their shelter. We covered the entire floor of the shelter with a think layer of straw and added their old hay bedding from the barn stall just to provide them with a little familiarity.
It was a very interesting experience getting the pigs up to their summer shelter. We first tried to use hay baling string around their neck which slid off because it freaked them out since they have never been collared. I don’t believe that God designed pigs to be collared because anything we put around their necks slid off. (At this time we wish we had a harness on the farm!)
The 3 Little Pigs exploring their "Summer Home" a few hours after we herded them from the livestock barn up to their pasture! They will be like AT Thru-Hikers living in a tent the entire summer.
The 3 Little Pigs exploring their "Summer Home" a few hours after we herded them from the livestock barn up to their pasture! They will be like AT Thru-Hikers living in a tent the entire summer.
After chasing them around the barn for a bit trying to get a halter on them, and them wondering what is up with us humans, we finally were able to halter one pig, and then after getting the gate opened wider, we were able to herd the other two out of the barn and up to the pasture. Sounds easy. NOT. Sheep may be easy to herd but not pigs!
You see our barn needs a good mucking out because old hay/goat manure prevents our gate from opening all of the way, and had our gate opened all the way, it would have been much easier to herd the pigs out of the barn.  Not to mention, since coming to the farm, the pigs never went out the front gate of the barn but out the back gate to the paddock and goat/horse pasture.  Most animals like routine and it makes them nervous to change their routine. So we made them nervous changing their routine!
Prior to introducing them to their summer pasture we installed a woven mesh fence as a physical barrier and then in front of the woven wire we have an electric fence as a psychological barrier. The plan is that the pigs won’t escape their fence and root up our vegetable crops. After all, the pigs have plenty of fescue to root up, so I would think they will be rather happy in their summer home. 
In this short time of raising pigs I have come to love their personality. They are very social creatures who enjoy a good belly rub now and then and they don’t seem nearly as stubborn as goats.
The 3 little pigs checking out the layer of straw in their summer tent!
The 3 little pigs checking out the layer of straw in their summer tent!
The 3 Little Pigs snuggling in straw. We covered their entire tent with a layer of straw and some bedding from the stall in the barn where they used to spend the night just to give them their familiar smell. We think they forgave us for stressing them out while trying to herd them up to their summer pasture.
The 3 Little Pigs snuggling in straw. We covered their entire tent with a layer of straw and some bedding from the stall in the barn where they used to spend the night just to give them their familiar smell. We think they forgave us for stressing them out while trying to herd them up to their summer pasture.
Farmer

1 thoughts on “Now I know why I've never heard of pigherds”

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