Weighing the Pigs!
I am going to have to take a moment for a bit of a "farmer brag".
I did a "weaning weight" off all the pigs today. They are now just a little over 7 weeks of age. The 7 pigs averaged 49.5lbs, with a high of 61lbs and a low of 45 lbs (Pirate Pig, of course).
If the internet tables from the various extension services are held accountable, the average pig weight for this age is 31-36lbs! That puts this group at 33% above average!
I must say, I am rather proud that my first litter of pigs. They not only A. All survived until weaning (25% death rate is industry average) but B. Are well above average for overall growth and weight gain.
And they had everything against them--being born in January, experiencing horrible cold that was even worse than normal for SD and had a total novice stockwoman attending them.
And now we start the countdown to market weight (250lbs)...which might not be as far off as I was initially planning!
(and if you are wondering how I weighed all my pigs, alone, in the barn, well let's just say we might need a new bathroom scale and that my eardrums are still ringing from the screaming. Yep, I picked up and held every damn pig on that scale...which is a hell of a task, let me tell you. I might need to crowdfund a livestock scale...)
I did a "weaning weight" off all the pigs today. They are now just a little over 7 weeks of age. The 7 pigs averaged 49.5lbs, with a high of 61lbs and a low of 45 lbs (Pirate Pig, of course).
If the internet tables from the various extension services are held accountable, the average pig weight for this age is 31-36lbs! That puts this group at 33% above average!
I must say, I am rather proud that my first litter of pigs. They not only A. All survived until weaning (25% death rate is industry average) but B. Are well above average for overall growth and weight gain.
And they had everything against them--being born in January, experiencing horrible cold that was even worse than normal for SD and had a total novice stockwoman attending them.
And now we start the countdown to market weight (250lbs)...which might not be as far off as I was initially planning!
(and if you are wondering how I weighed all my pigs, alone, in the barn, well let's just say we might need a new bathroom scale and that my eardrums are still ringing from the screaming. Yep, I picked up and held every damn pig on that scale...which is a hell of a task, let me tell you. I might need to crowdfund a livestock scale...)
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