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West Salem, Illinois | My Dad and Grandpa raised dirt hogs. Grandpa set up a farrowing house in a lean to off the side of the grainery and had 12 crates, sows got turned out twice a day to water and feed and in that time all of the crates had to be cleaned and any pigs processed and taken care of. From the farrowing house they went to another shed where they got up to about 80-100 pounds than they went to a dirt lot to be fattened, he sold a 24' stock trailer every other tuesday sometimes two if Grandma would get done figuring books and discover that expenses out wieghed income. At his biggest he ran 140 sows. Dad on the other hand, he had went to a seminar at Dixon Springs, IL he came home and we started stretching woven wire, I got were I hatted that stuff. He would put 1/2 a 210 tank in sometimes two and arrange 5x6 straw bales around, one for each sow. The sows would than be turned in, as they got ready to pig they would pick a bale and burrow in and pig. Every night when Dad got home from work we would fire up the Ferguseon 40 with the carry-all on back he would sometimes "try" to avoid the big craters, and cruise out to the "bale hut" that had the new pigs and I would jump out and scramble to throw all the pigs in the carry-all. Dad would most of the time half to end up helping divert the sow so she didn't eat me! We would process the pigs and head to the next hut. When it was time to wean we drug a raised deck with a 60 bushel feeder into the pen with a catch pen, we would gather the sows and take them back to the woods, to dry off and get breed. The pigs would stay in the same pen until they were all fattened off and hauled off, yes we missed processing several and you would catch them up on the deck at the feeder and have to cut them, suckers would be anywhere from 80 to 100 lbs when Dad would decide to cut them! Dad had a set of stock racks on the pickup and hauled three loads of fats every week, 11 head was the most we ever got on the 89 chevy 1/2 ton!!! Dad ran 180 sows at his biggest. I swore when we loaded the last hog that another would never set foot on my place well for the past four years I've had hogs! Even though it is lots of work I still enjoy them. Dad always commented on the neighbors who had built hog house and such that were than empty, and say what a waste. When he got out of the hogs we spent weeks rolling woven wire and pulling posts. When we got all done we plowed worked it down and sowed rye and hairy vetch. That winter Dad said "better than having a bunch of buildings that we would still be paying on sitting empty". You know for all the cussin I did under my breath to Dad, he was right I bought the farm site off my Grandpa and know have an old Hog house that hasn't been used in years that I threaten to tear down all the time just so I could have the concrete that's under it!! | |
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Outdoor Hogs
