Piggies are Halfway There

This posting is a week late but we had such a busy week that I'm just getting around to in now.  Last Sunday, November 6th, the pigs turned 3 months old.

Boy pig (l) & Girl pig (r)

We decided to go ahead and get their weight.  They are way to big to pick up now so we used a measuring tape.  You measure their length from the top of their head, behind the ears to the base of their tail. For the width which is actually the girth, you measure around their bodies right behind the front legs.

Since we have gotten the piggies we have petted them while they were distracted eating so they got used to us and our touch.  So we put down their food and while they were eating I measured the length which was easy.  Getting the girth measurement was a whole different story though.  The boy was pretty good and I finally got the measurement after about 5 minutes.  The girl took forever though.  She's very smart and thought that we were trying to tie her up I think.  I finally gave up after trying for 15 minutes and passed the measuring tape to Jamie and went off to milk Priscilla.  Well wouldn't you know it he got the measurement within the first couple of tries.  I was not happy that he got it so easy when it took me forever.

Funny story to go along with getting the piggies measurements, we wrote the measurements on a piece of paper and it got lost while doing chores.  All of us looked and looked for at least 20 minutes.  To make a long story short, Matilda our LGD (Livestock Guardian Dog) had stolen the paper and had brought it out into the middle of the pasture.  Thankfully she hadn't eaten the paper and Jamie spotted the color white in a pasture full of green.  I'm so glad we found it because I did not want to try to measure both pigs again.  Next time we will make sure to put the paper where Matilda can't steal it.

Back to us measuring.

When you have the figures for the length and girth you need to use the formula L(length) x G(girth) x G(girth).  Then take the total number and divide that by 400.  The total is the approximate weight in pounds.

The boy weighed in at 55lbs and the girls at 72lbs.

Boy pig rooting in the dirt

Girl pig standing up

Since the pigs turned 3 months we have now increased their food and try to give them extra treats in the evening with their food too.  Hopefully it will only take till February, when they are 6 months old to reach their goal weight of 230lbs to 250lbs.  Once they reach the goal weight they will be brought to the butcher.

We will be trying to get their weight measurements every time they turn another month old.  Hopefully it will get easier with each time.

Piggies waiting at the door to be fed.