****Update....here we go...
The bait
The arrangements for moving from home trailer to travel trailer.
Don't wanna
More bait
Done
Then, right across the driveway...
For some reason the pigs look small and cute in these pictures. Blame it on the camera, because really, they are much larger than they seem. Meaner too. They bite and try to knock you down if you are in charge of feeding...which we were when the boss was hurt. their tenure here has been fraught with pig induced peril to the point where they were the stars of two Farm Side columns when they got out and ran through the cows, down to the road....and just about everywhere else.
Today, two loaded quite well. The third...not so much. He wouldn't come out of the trailer for milk or corn or coaxing. The other two were barking and squealing up a storm in the front half of the travel trailer, which didn't calm him down either. We were under an unexpected deadline as the guys over at Nichols were only going to be there to take them in for an hour and we didn't know it until just before we started the loading process. I am very grateful for Martin Luther King Day, which, besides closing schools, afforded us tons of help, mostly used for gophering. (Gopher corn. Gopher string.)
Finally the boss tried the time honored method of moving a reluctant hog. (Gopher a bucket). He put a white pail over the pig's head and backed him out of one trailer and over to the other. Even that took a few interesting turns as the pig ran between his legs (big pig...almost a disaster), lay down in the pig feeder, and generally made his opposition known. Eventually we had them loaded though, along with more corn for getting them back off the trailer, the trusty white bucket in case they get stubborn and don't want to get off and some sand, since the driveway at Nichols is always icy. Now I am just hoping the trip goes well.
I've only loaded one pig in my life and based on that.....I'll be praying for you!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have loaded a few pigs in my life, but it was only a few. That was enough for me to learn that pigs are faster and smarter than I am.
ReplyDeleteThe good news for you is that it won't be muddy - 0F here in the city, so you must be colder. Brrrr. Good luck!
If I only had a video of the time when my husband was loading our two pigs. It was very muddy, the plan was to throw big bags over their heads, but as he was trying to do that he slipped. It was hilarious, would have made America's Funniest Videos I am sure.
ReplyDeleteAre these the little porkers that (one) had the run in with the cows a while back? Tough little guys.
ReplyDeleteWhew! good work!
ReplyDeleteWhew! good work!
ReplyDeleteNo piggyback rides? Then you did better than we did. Good job!
ReplyDeleteStacy, not a fun job...thanks for your good thoughts (I was praying too, believe me)
ReplyDeleteNW, not fun, but we sure got lucky today.
Mon@rch, actually that is exactly what I was afraid of. lol
WR, Your poor husband!
Liz wanted me to video the whole affair, but it was really cold and my batteries were reluctant to even take the still shots.
Jan, same ones! they have caused us no end of headaches.
Cubby, thanks, I was mostly there in a supervisory capacity (which worked real good for me)
Stacy, the boss almost had one...and you are putting some interesting pictures in my mind. lol
Sounds like great fun! Wish I could have been there to help. Uhh your blistering cold weather keeps me here where it is supposed to be warm. It was 19 degrees this morning!
ReplyDeleteTim, we wish you could have too. lol
ReplyDeleteSo far the cold isn't that bad. There is little wind so if you dress warmly you can be pretty comfortable.
Linda....I don't like them at all. They are the boss's project entirely, except when we get roped into a job like loading them.
Whaaaaa!!! I don't wanna go to class.....
ReplyDeletePiggin heck!
ReplyDeleteI never knew it was such hard work - I always thought pigs were placid until I read that - now I know different :)
Miladysa, thanks for visiting. They certainly aren't very cooperative critters. They are supposed to be smarter than dogs, but to me that just shows that brains aren't everything
ReplyDeleteUgh, it makes me nervous too. Loading pigs isn't something you practice too often is it? I find boiled eggs work nicely!
ReplyDeleteJoni, I keep that in mind for next year. We usually raise two or three each year and loading them is never fun. You just never know what they are going to do....
ReplyDelete