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| The late 60's, my father came back from a trip to Europe where they were housing hogs in old bomb shelters that resembled a grain bin cut in half. This gave him the idea to use the smaller feed bin halves to pasture farrow in instead of the lean-to type made of wood and metal. Initially the local grain bin dealer gave him a good deal on the sheets that were stamped wrong and also was excited that there was a market for the junk inventory. It wasn't long and the junk inventory became valuable as many farmers began to use this type of shelter for their sows on pasture. Our county at one time was littered with this type of shelter. Several farms farrowed 5-8 thousand sows per year using this method. Today there are only a couple of farms pasture farrowing in this county. Everyone has quit or gone confinement. As for myself, I sold the last of my shelters last year for scrap and went out of the pig business. On the beautiful bright cool sunny profitable days, I miss the enjoyment of raising livestock outside. However, weather such as we are experiencing this week only reminds me of the amount of effort me and my friends had to contributed to be a part of this dying breed. | |
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Outdoor Hogs
