If you have ever tried to capture pictures of piglets, especially with a cell phone, then you know how incredibly difficult it can be. Those suckers move FAST! But I managed to catch this blue-butt standing relatively still...I sure do love the colored pigs the most :)
I've seen some great end of the week/start of the week ideas for sharing pictures. Farm Fact/Farm Picture Fridays, Wordless Wednesdays, the list could be potentially endless.
I've spent quite a bit of time keeping Mom company. Which until recently has meant spending a lot of time parked in front of the TV. Not all of that time has been spent watching quality programming, but most of it has been entertaining if not educational. This may not be a politically correct post so I apologize if anyone is offended in advance, but this blog serves as an online journal for me. Here are some of the things I have been concerned about:
After feeling pretty combative today (the machine I need to run my samples is broken...which means all of my samples will NOT be run before I head home to take care of my family), I remembered a video I took a couple of months ago when I moved my recent piglets from the farrowing room into the nursery but never did anything with.
You see...there's a dark side to pigs. And I don't mean in that the farmer abuses them, being raised inside makes them mean and angry and unnatural and mutated way. The dark side is that pigs can be pretty darn aggressive. Not necessarily to humans...although I did have one massive Duroc boar that absolutely hated me for some reason. No, they can be very aggressive with each other.
Surprised? If you think about it, you shouldn't be!
All animal societies require pecking orders. Somebody has to be at the top which means somebody has to be on the bottom. If you have watched enough National Geographic or Animal Planet you can easily see that the animal kingdom likes to fight dominance out. And in case you forgot, humans are technically Primates. And we really aren't so different in fighting for dominance, it just doesn't always involve fist-fights these days.
So why do I say there is a dark side to pigs?
Well because that fight for dominance can end up in death for one or both (sometimes more than 2 are involved) of the pigs involved in the main fight. If two pigs just won't give up they can die from injuries sustained during the fight or simply die from exhaustion and stress.
When do pigs fight?
The main reason pig fights break out are when groups of pigs are trying to establish a pecking order. Somebody has to be the Boss, whether it's a Boss Sow or simply Boss of the Pen. This tends to happen when pigs are mixed.
Mixed? Here are some examples:
1. You have a pen of sows and you need to introduce some recently weaned sows into the pen as well.
Things to consider:
-Are the sows you are introducing a similar size and age of the sows already in the pen?
-Are any of the sows being introduced INTO the pen or already IN the pen particularly moody or combative?
-Do you have enough space to make sure there are areas for the loser sows to go hang out and stay away from the grumpy sows?
-Will there be enough feeding space to make sure the bottom of the pecking order gets enough to eat without the Boss Sow eating her share as well?
2. You recently weaned multiple litters of piglets and must move them into the nursery pens. Most often it is impossible to leave only litter mates with litter mates as pens are usually large enough to house several litters at once (remember the national average is about 10 pigs per litter). They must now establish a pecking order.
Things to consider:
-Size of pigs
-Size of pen
-Feed and Water access
3. When boars (uncastrated males) get together. Boars are probably the strangest creatures in the world. It's like testosterone poisoning ruins their brains (sounds familiar...it's not surprising that humans and pigs are so very similar). If they are raised together and kept together forever then there are usually few problems. But if you take a boar out of his home pen to go breed sows and forget to put him back for a couple of days then you might as well forget putting him back ever. Because as soon as you put him back, it will be WAR. Big Angry (sometimes Tusk Wearing) Boars fighting each other? Definitely not something you want to ever witness or have to break up. The one time I had to do it (boar got out of his pen, then lifted the hinges on another boar's pen to fight) I thought I was going to get killed, but I couldn't let them kill each other. Even though they were bound and determined to do it.
The most important thing to remember when mixing pigs? Never, ever, ever mix just 1 pig into a new pen (unless it's a 2 pig pen or there is absolutely no other choice). Mixing multiple new faces into a pen keeps the resident pigs from beating up on only one pig.
When I am asked questions about pig behavior, I tend to compare pigs to the guy who wants to fight everybody after he drinks a little too much whiskey. Most of the time they are pretty calm, OK relatively calm, friendly, inquisitive (yum your boots and calves taste yummy) creatures, but everybody has bad days right?
Wanting to fight is the reason why there are guys running around with boards in the middle of pig show rings, because if two pigs want to get together and fight, a quick board between them and pushing them in separate directions is the best way to redirect their attention.
I love pigs, I really do, but they are not always as cute and cuddly as people like to believe. Understanding they aren't as cute and cuddly as you believe can help you understand why pork producers handle pigs in the manners that they do. Because ultimately we want pigs and people to be as safe as possible.
NOW, the video I took is of the 2nd situation, when I had to wean pigs and ended up mixing pigs from a couple different litters together. Why didn't I make the fighting stop? I monitored the situation to make sure that it wasn't getting too out of hand (at which point I would have separated the combatants, i.e. moved EITHER the aggressor OR the aggressee into a different pen) but otherwise pigs have to develop a pecking order and too much interference from me would not do much good. By the next day, this pen was a little scratched up from the fighting but settled into months of happy cohabitation otherwise.
Keep in mind this post has not been an entirely comprehensive explanation of behavior in pigs, but has merely been designed to show you a pig behavior that is not witnessed much outside of pork production (since most people are 3+ generations removed from farming) and to give you an idea of how complex taking care of livestock can actually be. It can often be a series of tough choices. Which pigs can I mix? Where can I move them if the sow at the bottom of a pecking order in a pen is in danger of malnutrition or has injuries from the Boss Sow beating her up/eating all of her food? What is best for the health and happiness of the animals? Do I have enough space to separate problem pigs or do I need to remove them from the barn altogether? The list of questions and balancing acts is endless. But at the end of the day, their health and happiness is the most important thing of all.
If you have any questions/concerns, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss this further!
After a long week, this weekend was like a breath of fresh air... or should I just say semi-lazy air?
Here are some things that happened this past week:
As you can tell, they were a little crowded. Goodbye sweeties!
All of my pigs (all 97 of them) left this week...which was both a relief (means I can leave for home right after my one and only final) and kind of a depressing event. I've said this before, but it's bittersweet to see animals go, even when you want them to leave for selfish reasons. But I'm needed at home, so I guess it was time to say goodbye to the piggies.
I had a presentation to give for my Toxicology class and let me just say that if you really want to make Med students heads spin, start telling them about Mycotoxin Regulations in animal feed. I shouldn't still get a little thrill from that, but oh man Med students are sooo smug and sure of themselves...and being able to show them how much they don't know/never realized about Agriculture is exciting. OK I'm a little evil...admitting there's a problem is the first step though right?
The Animal & Food Science Grad Students had a Career Panel which involved 5 professionals from all walks of life/career choices coming and answering our questions. They were all fantastic and truly admirable people, from professors to private industry to state government, and the message I carried home with me was have faith that what will happen will happen, and you will know the right opportunity when it smacks you in the face. Not exactly news, but as I'm coming up on the end of my college career...this is a statement I have been trying to hang onto (and it was nice to hear the same thoughts from somebody other than myself).
Because I am leaving for home next week I have been frantically trying to get all my lab work done before I leave. If you wanna know why research and lab work takes so long it's because it is soooooo miserable that you have to stretch it out. Trust me, sprinting through it is not endearing it to me either. I'm not sure what is going to happen with my Mom so I want to make sure I can stay home as long as I am needed.
And last but not least, I pieced an entire quilt top together yesterday. I desperately want to post a picture but I can't...until after Christmas :) It was the most calming day ever. Which led to the laziest day I have had in months...aka laying on the couch watching Hallmark movies. And I mean simply laying on the couch watching Hallmark movies.
I've had a lot of time to think today and while I won't bore you with the many things that ran through my head here are a few of the most important ones:
1. How has Christmas become the time where we buy and buy and buy and buy? I've seen commercial after commercial tempting people into buying the absolute most number of presents they can for their family members. The more the better, and the more expensive, even better. Where has the spirit of giving gone? And I don't mean the giving of numerous expensive gifts...I mean gifts that are truly from the heart. Last year I told my family I wanted them to donate money to some charities in my name instead of giving me presents. I still ended up with some presents, but the true spirit of Christmas isn't in how much money we spend, but how much we help our fellow man and world.
2. This is my last semester of classes. Ever. Where will life take me from here? This is a daunting question and one I know will work out however it is supposed to...but it still makes my throat close up and my heart squeeze.
3. We have become a very selfish society. Wrapped up in what we have or don't have, how many likes we get on Facebook, how many people read our stories or don't read our stories. I thought long and hard this week about why I started blogging and why I made a second Facebook page for the blog. Heaven knows it hasn't been for the popularity. What I realized was it was mainly so I wouldn't overwhelm my Facebook friends with a bunch of posts all the time and so I had a place to stream my thoughts. Although why I felt the need to send them out into cyberspace still escapes me...but I can't be sorry I have started because it will give me a way to look back years from now and see how things have changed.
4. News people are way too dire. "Has the worst passed yet? Find out at 11." C'mon, we got a little freezing rain. Do not make it sound like the world is coming to a quick and frosty death after this pitiful "storm". There are places in far worse shape than here.
5. I have become far too domesticated. It's almost as scary as looking for a job.
As usual some of this did not come out as eloquently as it was written in my head. If only I could invent a technology that could capture thoughts and images and make them visible to others, then many of my problems would be solved, and my dreams would all become hit movies. As it is, I think I will just go prepare for my last week of class. Ever. Sorry I had to repeat that. It doesn't feel real yet.
As for the evil part? This can help for sure right?
It doesn’t matter if it’s to a pet, a friend or family
member, or livestock. Of course, I often feel as though the livestock are as
much friends and family as any human.
Bertha-this was one of the few times she was actually awake!
Today the 7 sows I was in charge of went to the sale barn. I
had only taken care of them for a month, but I still had to fight the urge to
cry last night as I gave them some final scratches and took some final photos.
I stood guard with these girls while they were having
piglets. I fed them Nilla wafers and spent plenty of time just hanging out with
them. Several of them had acquired names.
It really frustrates me when people on the outside look in
and say that obviously livestock producers do not care about their animals
because we raise them and then send them off to be butchered.
How do you not
care about something that you work with and care for everyday? Just because we
appreciate the cycle of life, it makes us unfeeling,
heartless monsters?
Goodbye Penelope love.
I’ve been asked before if I get attached to the pigs. My
response is that I don’t usually get attached to the piglets, mostly
because they just grow so fast and it seems like one day they are born and the
next day they are gone. But the sows and
boars are another story. They spend years
with you.
I’ve lost a few sows to unexplained and definitely
surprising deaths. I cried uncontrollably
each time.
I had a Hamp boar, the only truly fantastic son we ever got
out of my old Hamp boar. His name was Tuff
because he was the only survivor in his litter (it was a truly bizarre
sequence of events). He came when called and
was truly a Mama’s boy. As he got older he developed a habit of pen
jumping. You couldn’t blame him, he was only jumping into pens that had pretty
ladies in them and when he had satisfied his urges he would jump back to his
pen. I came back from a conference to find out that while I was gone he had
jumped a panel, gotten caught, and had broken his leg. Needless to say he had
to be put down.
The worst part about the losses of the 3 I adored the most? I
don’t have any pictures of them. I
foolishly thought I would have more time.
Saying goodbye is never easy. And just because we only show
our pain behind closed doors doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
If you want to read a real tear-jerker, read this post from
Just A Ranch Wife. It may better help show the depth of pain felt when
livestock producers lose animals.
To see the rest of my 30 Days of Randomness, check it out here.
Check out the other bloggers and their 30 Day posts here!
Everyone has a different purpose in life. Some people spend their whole lives searching for the things that fulfill them and make them whole. I've always known that I wanted to work with animals but it took me years to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with animals. Then again, I still don't know where life will take me.
When I was in high school I convinced my mom that we needed to foster dogs for a local rescue. Rescue and adoption is still near and dear to my heart but I wanted to see what else there was in the wide world that would help me fill the void I feel without animals. When I went to college I entered as a Wildlife Management major. Sounded like a good idea at the time but eventually it thumped me upside the head that the chance of getting up close and personal with the wildlife I would be "managing" was going to be slim to none. And that just wouldn't do. The next choice? Animal Science. Turned out to be the best choice in college I would ever make.
The sound of grunting pigs greets me every morning (I tried to upload a recording but it failed). It was that sound that greeted me every morning in the years I was in Wyoming (along with the bellows of cattle and blats of sheep). This sound is like a lullaby to me. I would find myself in the barn whenever life seemed grim or out of control. It's still the sound that gets me through the happy and the sad.
I've said it before: I like cattle, goats, horses, etc...but I cannot imagine my life without pigs.
Whenever I give presentations to kids that have little experience with livestock I always tell them that pigs are a lot like humans. They are vocal (barking, grunting, squealing, screaming, etc), stubborn, independent, aggressive, friendly, and so many more things rolled into one. Too bad I can't drag sows into schools with me :)
Yes, they have a certain smell about them. And yes, they can be tough to work with (ask me about the Duroc boar that hated me or the times I've been knocked over by groups of 600-800 pound sows). But when I am with them, I know my purpose.
My time in Kentucky has been an emotional roller coaster and one of the reasons is I have had no purpose, no reason to get up in the mornings. I dread coming into town and spending the day sitting in the office. The times when I have had pigs to care for (while taking classes, doing research, other projects, etc) have by far been the best and most successful times here.
I can only speak for myself but I didn't get involved with animal agriculture for the money. It's actually probably safer to say that agriculture chose me. Working with animals fulfills me. It quiets all those voices in my head that question why I am doing this or that, what I will be doing tomorrow or later or in the next 10 years.
I am currently getting made fun of for always smelling like pigs (I have 7 sows and 100 piglets in the basement of our Animal Science building right now). People ask why I want to be tired and smelly each and every day. My answer is that there would be a giant hole in my heart and life if I didn't get up each morning to greet the animals.
Some of the images that have stayed with me through the years are the images of farmers and ranchers after their animals and land have been taken away from them, whether it's due to weather, foreclosure, or old age. The utter devastation haunts me. There's a reason that farmers rarely retire-to do so would be to watch their entire life drift away with the evening tide, gone forever.
I don't do it for the money. I do it because the pigs give me a purpose. And nothing can be more important than that.
I may not know exactly what I want to do with my life. But as long as there are animals involved-pigs especially-whatever I do will be just fine with me.
**If you want to read some more stories from the amazing Ag bloggers out there, check out the very talented (and fearless leader of this 30 Day Blogging Challenge) Holly Spangler's My Generation page! I know I will be keeping up with the stories :) **
“Tens of thousands of cattle killed in Friday’s blizzard,
say ranchers. Murdered one way or another. If you’re a cow in the hands of
animal agriculture-You’re gonna die.”
I was looking for good Ag infographics on Pinterest the
other day and came across this comment on a pin. This isn’t the first comment
like this I have seen nor will it be the last, but it always feels like I have been punched in the gut. Why are people spending time attacking an industry that is doing everything it can to be responsible and humane in all its working? Shouldn't we be spending more time helping children without families? Or ending human-to-human violence? Personally I'd rather be put down by a vet than shot by a gang member!
I hate to tell you but everything DIES. I’m going to throw
some Temple Grandin quotes at you now. In case you don’t know who Temple Grandin
is, she is THE queen of livestock handling-read here
if you want to know more!
“We raise them for us; that means we owe them some respect.
Nature is cruel but we don’t have to be. I wouldn’t want to have my guts ripped
out by a lion. I'd much rather die in a slaughter house if it were done right.”
“Unfortunately, most people never observe the natural cycle
of birth and death. They do not realize that for one living thing to survive,
another living thing must die.”
“I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do,
but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and
we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect.”
To read that we “murder” our animals really upset me. Our
whole lives revolve around the health and productivity of our animals. Watching
them suffer is extremely painful. What makes it even worse is we have to guess
what exactly is wrong because they can’t speak to us. They can tell us with
body language, their eyes, and many other cues that we have to learn to look
for, but there is always the worry that maybe we missed something or diagnosed incorrectly.
Last Friday I lost a sow unexpectedly. She was fine one day,
gone the next. Sometimes animals die unexpectedly. It is a fact of life that
farmers and ranchers live with day in and day out.
Does it still hurt? For sure.
Do I want to know what happened to the poor old girl? Of
course. That’s why she is at the Vet Lab for a necropsy.
I looked at this person’s board and it became clear they
were vegan. Don’t get me wrong, if you want to be vegan, that is entirely your
choice. But true veganism doesn’t really exist in our current world. You may
choose not to eat animal products, but what about wearing them? Or using pretty
much any product we use in our daily lives? Chances are you aren’t looking for
every single product that contains animal by-products.
The vegan queen Carrie Underwood is largely despised by those in
agriculture. Mainly because she’s a big fat liar. She claims to be a down home
farm girl from Oklahoma but supports HSUS and PETA and is basically trying to
destroy Oklahoma’s major industry (agriculture). Read this post I found-it’s
pretty darn humorous.
But now to the educational portion of this post. Let’s see
if you know just how many things animal by-products are in that we use every day…
This is an older infographic summarizing cattle by-products.
I really like how this one is laid out so I added it as well!
Many important medicines, such as insulin, are derived from
pigs. Shampoo, adhesives, gum, toothpaste, vitamins, photo paper, leather
goods, woolen clothes, down pillows, some hairbrushes, paintbrushes…the list is
endless. The list would be even longer if I was including agricultural products
in general but I will stick with animals for today.
There are still many cultures that use internal organs as
bags and water containers. That may seem irrelevant to us here in the US but it just shows that those people appreciate the cycle of life and understand their place in nature. You can be against eating meat all you want to be, but would you really deny somebody a pig heart? Or insulin? Aren't we respecting animals more by not wasting the gifts they give us?
The cycle of life includes birth. And death. Farmers and
ranchers understand both. It doesn’t make us heartless. Or evil. It simply
makes us human. And truly connected to Nature.
If you truly question the emotion involved in animal agriculture, then read the following posts (this is only a small sample but I don't want to overwhelm you). And come join me the next time I, or any farmer or rancher, work with our animals. You might be surprised how attached to them we actually are.
I have quite a few blog posts I want to get done and sent
out into the world, everything from touching on the South Dakota tragedy, a
book review, information about pesticides from the perspective of a research
scientist, to soybean harvest pictures, but as usual, that’s not what today’s
post is about.
I’ve had an interesting couple of days. I won’t tell the
story in its entirety, just sort of skim over the facts.
To make a long story short, I am currently taking care of
sows and piglets. Once we wean the piglets they are going to go on a metabolism
and preference trial for 2012 corn that has been infected with mycotoxins to
see how well the pigs actually handle growth on feed such as this. Mycotoxins
in feed are a huge concern for livestock producers because the feed often makes
the animals sick, causes abortions, or simply slows their growth. Mycotoxins
are products of fungi and most commonly infect crops in times of stress
(drought, too much water, etc etc), as well as through storage practices that
increase moldy feed (it’s a topic that will require a whole other post, let’s
just leave it at this stuff can be a very serious issue!)This is one of several
similar studies that we have performed recently. Surprisingly a recent wean to
market trial showed the pigs adapting and growing well even when on the contaminated
feed, so we are trying to see if that appears again in these nursery pigs.
But anyway, back to my story! Let’s suffice it to say that
this little adventure so far has been full of downs. And the most recent down
involved me handling a situation in the way I thought best, but has since
turned out to be the exact opposite of what I was expected to do.
I wholeheartedly believe I handled the situation correctly…but
you know what they say, the correct decisions aren’t always the easiest.
And I think I will be paying for this one until I graduate.
Especially since I just found out my competency in caring
for pigs has been questioned. Not by people who have actually worked with me
while working with animals, but by someone else whom I thought would have more
faith in me. (Keep in mind Dave let me run UW's Pig Barn for years so I can't be too awful...!)
I have prided myself on common sense and initiative. Over
the years I have learned to get jobs done in unique ways…especially since, let’s
face it, I don’t have the physical mass to use brute strength most of the time.
This is an 850 pound boar...he's a sweetheart but brute strength doesn't exactly work!
But this common sense and initiative has recently put me
opposite where I am “supposed to be” or how I am “supposed to do things”.
The way I have learned many things was what a friend likes
to call taking the test first AND then learning the lesson. It’s a common
learning expectation when working with older farmers. They expect you to
perform a task and if it doesn’t work out the way it’s supposed to, then you find
out how it was supposed to work OR you try a different method.
In farming (and life) being able to think on your feet is a useful
skill to have. Knowing when to ask for help is another.
I know I have what it takes to survive this world.
Now I just have to survive until graduation.
I guess I will simply continue to be thankful that my
current life situation is a lot better than it could be. Now I just have to
keep my head down. And my chin up. Although that might be a little awkward ;)
Are you having a bad day? Do you need a pick-me-up?
Well I have just what you need!
Yep, you guessed it.
Piglets.
If you gave me a herd of cattle or horses (or both), I would be happy. But pigs (and dogs, of course) are my soul mates. So without them I think life would be incomplete. Pigs are the most human-like of all domestic livestock. They like to talk a lot (grunting, barking and squealing being the primary speech patterns), they will eat or even just chew on whatever you put in reach of their mouth, and they like to fight. Sounds like a lot of people you know when they drink, right? They really are just my favorites.
I spent most of Sunday waiting for 1 of my gilts (1st time mama) to farrow (have babies). I know what you are thinking...why on Earth were you sitting around waiting for her to have babies? Well, I'm a bit of a worry wart...which may be because I live 24 miles from where my sows and gilts are currently staying and I knew once I left she was going to be on her own. And for the most part pigs are really good at having babies on their own, but it doesn't stop me from worrying.
This is the girl who was having piglets. Ignore the slobber, she's really quite beautiful. She weighs in at about 550 pounds (light compared to the 700+ pound girls I got in today).
After deciding she wasn't going to have piglets til at least the middle of the night, I left and got up early this morning to check on her. When I came in this morning I found 7 newborns!
Don't worry, they were old enough to be dry and completely adorable. And I will spare you a picture of the placenta because don't get me wrong, placenta is amazing but WHEW it never fails to make me gag a little. I don't know if it's the smell or thought but OK, I will stop talking about it now.
If you can't handle an overload of cuteness then stop scrolling NOW!
Aren't they just ridiculously adorable?!
The following piglets are about 5 days old. You can see that they still have that silky soft smooth skin of young piglets but aren't as weak kneed as the newborns!
If you are wondering why I keep taking pictures of sleeping piglets, it's because even newborns are extremely mobile and wobble quickly (much quicker than my cell phone camera can capture)!
This is the same group from yesterday's piggy pile...as you can tell these 4 like to pile up next to mama.
I will end this picture montage with my week old piglets. It's amazing how fast piglets grow!
So if you had a case of the Monday blues, I hope this cured it :)
Now do like the piglets do and pile up! Sleep tight!
