Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Waitin' for the Gub'nor to call

Another fine group of hogs recently met their (sausage) maker. Thought you'd like to hear about the decision process, being as its extremely scientific and all.

The night before they are scheduled to arrive at the locker plant, we coerce several hogs from their big playing field into the livestock trailer with milk soaked grain. It's easy to load them as when they see Keith they see food. He is one of their favorite people.



I'm not sure why I am getting this look from farmer Keith, but I am sure that I deserve it.

Down below he is waiting patiently for me outside, to arrive from inside the warm farmhouse, to help him choose which hogs go to market and which ones need more time at the feed trough.





So once a good sized group is loaded we then look them over inside the trailer and pick those that seem to be similar in size, including a couple of Red Wattle Hogs which were specific customer requests. To help you identify the Red Wattle hog...look for the wattle.


The remaining selection process goes like this:

"What do you think?"
"I think they all look good"
"Do you think that one (points at hog with smaller ham size) should wait?"
"Yeah, I think so"

And a reprieve is granted.


Happy that their time has not yet come, the released captives return to the herd to eat, dig, root, play in mud yet another day. The goat ? Yeah, Miss Sugar there found her way into the pig pen a few months ago. Her little (then she was little) goatling followed her and now the two of them roam free with the hogs.

I should have such a tough life.


As darkness of evening falls on South Pork Ranch, the two releasees, now reunited with their pasture mates,  contemplate how they might curb their appetites and stay small enough to avoid the locker the next time their number is called.


Instead, they decide to start their diets...tomorrow.

9 comments:

  1. Do you have a smoker (smoke room)? Smoked bacon is so good. Enough to turn a Rabbi to sin.

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  2. Hey Cro, you are fast and on the draw this am. Or is it midnight where you live?

    No we don't have a smoker but looking into one. ONE DAY when we have our totally self sufficient farm and only producing for us I can see a combo bedroom/ root celler/smoker/library.

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  3. Look at those happy parolees.

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  4. Bedroom / smoker / root cellar / library?!

    That. would. be. AWESOME!!!

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  5. If only they knew from what their lighter weight had spared them!

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  6. I'm at my keyboard at 5.30 am each morning. Too much to do; so little time.

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  7. Nice looking porkers. I take it they all come back in packages?

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  8. Those pigs look so lovely. Someday I would like to have a few, but I fear that the kids (and I) will get too attached to them. Thanks for sharing what happens, I always find it interesting!

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  9. Nessa, we do get attached sometimes to the pigs who have special personalities but we only name the ones we plan to keep such as our breeding stock. It helps our grandkids separate the two. We once had a sow who buried an entire litter ALIVE so she went to the locker. Explaining to the GK's why poor mommies cannot stay on the farm went very well. They ate that sausage with no problem!!

    Wish you lived closer, would love to give you some meat to try in your recipes.

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