Tracy in Ky Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 to the butcher. We didn't expect to get so attached to a pig :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 to the butcher. We didn't expect to get so attached to a pig :( :grouphug: :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 That would be a HAPPY day at my house. I have not managed to become attached to our pigs. I am however very attached to bacon ham and sausage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 a pig's goal is to be the best bacon & ham it can be. At least that's what we tell our kids when we butcher chickens. We raise them to be meat, oh so carefully we feed them right and take care of them. One of our kids will inevitably ask over roast chicken dinner, "Is this one we butchered? That's one happy chicken." I've never raised pork maybe it's harder because they're more personable than a chicken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 You're not alone. According to Barbara Kingsolver, "Hogs are intelligent enough to become unharvestable. Their eyes communicate an endearing sensibility that poultry eyes don't." Just keep thinking about the bacon . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 :grouphug: I know how it feels. When we were kids my dad brought home a pig that was meant for our freezer. He was just little when he came and grew up running with the dogs (when he inevitably climbed or jumped out of his ever-taller pen). You know you're a rural kid when you get calls from the neighbours a mile up the road to, "come git yer pig." :D And despite the fact that we all loved him he did end up in the freezer. I used to regret it a bit but then I realized that cute little pigs don't stay cute and little and can often not be very pleasant. However, that was the last meat pig my father brought home. I don't think he had the heart for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share Posted December 8, 2009 She was very cute when we brought her here. She was 5 weeks old. The problem is that she stayed cute, and kept acting like a happy, bouncy puppy. I've never seen anything like it. I tried to convince my dd9 that it is just like when we butcher chickens. But she insists that it isn't just like that, and she is right. Pigs are like dogs: smart, personable, cute, and very much a pet. Even the beef calf that we are raising won't be this hard to send to the butcher. What is it with pigs???? We are happy that we treated her very well. She had a very good life and was deliriously happy. :) I'm just glad we decided not to butcher her ourselves. No way could I have done that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Did you name the pig? I hear that can make it harder. I could never be a vegetarian, but boy, I don't want to know my meat in its former life, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share Posted December 8, 2009 We didn't mean to name her, but we called her piggy. Make that Piggy. She accidently got a name:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I am no vegetarian or PETA member, but I don't think I could do that. I would end up with a pet pig and no bacon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share Posted December 8, 2009 I am no vegetarian or PETA member, but I don't think I could do that. I would end up with a pet pig and no bacon!! I could have easily been talked into keeping her, but she eats so much!!:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Booker T. Washington said that a pig was probably the best companion a man could have (or something to that effect.) Intelligent, clean, friendly, polite. :) We have chickens, but we knew they would just be layers and NEVER eaten. They all had names within 5 minutes of entering the house as babies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 When I was about 13, we had four piglets dumped right beside our mailbox. One died, but the remaining three grew into hogs ripe for the eatin'. My sister, however, had gotten attached, named them, the whole works. Mind you, she didn't have to go out there and help our dad catch them, inoculate them, and darn near get run down trying to feed them. It might have changed her perspective a bit. After Dad sent them to the butcher, she refused to eat pork for years. It always amused me, though I MAY have been a bit of a nasty sister and MAY have teased her mercilessly as I chowed down on a BLT. To this day, I am surprised that she still speaks to me. I digress. Fresh bacon and sausage are so worth it. ((HUGS)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 When our very first heifer had her very first bull calf my DH and I, very new farmers indeed, were there to assist the birth. It was an exciting and emotional time for me. I love animals and helping a stressed cow give birth was so thrilling. After the little guy was finally up and nursing, I said to my DH, "Oh, honey, he's so precious!" With out blinking an eye, my clever DH says, "You can call him Tender, and you can call him Juicy, But you can't call him Precious!" Haha. We have raised 5 butcher hogs. Only one was hard to send off. This year our pig was just a goof ball and funny! He played with us, chased us around the barnyard, leaned in for scratches, laid down at our feet. We had a tough time with it. The others - not so much. It all depends on their personality. But...yes, he tastes great! BTW: We name ALL our butcher animals. How else do you talk to each other about caring for them? We have to have something to refer to them as. It hasn't been a problem for us or the kids. We even refer to the meat on our plate by the name of the animal it came from. Oh well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: We named our lambs and had no trouble eating them--but a lamb acting like a puppy is probably less endearing than a pig doing it. Lambs are HEAVY when they jump on you :lol: and they were kind of annoying. But very happy and VERY yummy.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veronica in VA Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 We have friends who named their cows T-Bone and Sirloin. I guess it helped when they were eating them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninmommy Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I feel for you Tracy. It can be hard. :grouphug: We are not quite there yet. We will have two that are ready in a month or so. The other two will become staples of the farm for breeding. My husband named the two that are going to the butcher "Ham" and "Bacon", the two that are saved are "Lucky" and "Petunia" :lol: We also have another batch of chickens that will be ready around the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 That would be a HAPPY day at my house. I have not managed to become attached to our pigs. I am however very attached to bacon ham and sausage! :iagree: Our kids rejoiced when they no longer had the pigs to feed and clean up after. Then we treasured the flavor. It's amazing how people react differently to the same thing. I do feel sad when a cat dies - or dog - or pony (even when it's their time) - but I've never felt that way with our meat animals or hunting. I wonder how the brain breaks it all down? (genuine physical 'how does the brain work' question) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 We didn't mean to name her, but we called her piggy. Make that Piggy. She accidently got a name:glare: We name all our animals. What really helps the most is to thank God for providing Piggy at your meals. You'll know you cared for Piggy and Piggy is fulfilling her destiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaS Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 :grouphug: In their first year of marriage, my parents raised and butchered a hog. Mr. Bunky. My mom (city girl) cried when my dad (farm boy) butchered that pig. She never named one again. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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