how i got my start

Hey everyone it’s me again, I’m here to tell you about what people think about pigs and what there opinions on them are. I am also going to give you an idea on some of the different types of meat you can get from pigs and some different breeds of pigs. I hope you enjoy and please leave comments and tell me what you think of these cute little animals. Also you can give me some ideas on what else I can write about them. Thank so much for reading.

                “No man should be allowed to be president who does not understand hogs.” – President Harry Truman.

I also asked an English teacher at Tri county Career Center what her opinion on pigs were and she has said “My family loves the pig we eat the bacon, sausage, pork chops and the ham. We love eating the pig but I’m not sure if we would be able to raise one because we might get attached to it but we do love the pig and we are all about eating them.” – Mrs. Kelly Owens.

"...when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another Heaven and another Earth must pass before such a one can be again."
-William Beebe

          I would also like to tell everyone why I chose to talk about pigs in my blogs. I chose to talk about pigs in my blogs because I just love them they are so cute and cuddly and they are so smart. When I was about 8 years old I was so happy because I could start showing animals at the fair, so I chose to show pigs. Ever since then I have shown pigs at the Hocking County Fair and I love doing it, its fun and interesting at the same time. Showing pigs are interesting because you learn new stuff about how to show them and what to do with them every year. Also once I graduate high school I would love to go to OSU ATI for swine farming or to become an agriculture education teacher because I love being outdoors and just being around animals.

                For all of the people that read my blogs I would love for you to comment and give me other ideas to talk about and give me your opinions about pigs and how they are raised and maybe even your opinion on the pork industry. Once again thanks so much for reading my blogs.

useful facts

Hey guys it’s me again, I’m here to tell you some more about these cute little animals. PIGGIES…

Common names for pigs are; hogs and swine. There are 15 different species of pigs. A pigs natural habitat is throughout the world, pigs are omnivorous, they eat both meant and greens. Most pigs live to be 9-15 years old. It takes a female pig 8-18 months to mature and 8-10 months for a male pig to mature.

            The largest pig in the world that is still alive to this day is a Poland china named “big bill”, he weighs 2,552lbs and is 5ft tall and 9ft long. The largest litter of pigs that have been born was 37 piglets, 36 of them were born alive but only 33 survived. A full grown pig can drink up to 14 gallons of water a day, sometimes more depending on how hot it is outside.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pigs&hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsu&tbnid=Yax8mTjzg1mnnM:&imgrefurl=http://symonsez.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/desotos-pigs-may-be-monster-pig-ancestor-coca-colas-original-formula/&docid=HwZR81SYy27QAM&w=450&h=350&ei=gb6BTqeNG4m2twe_ycT5AQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=681&vpy=380&dur=10281&hovh=198&hovw=255&tx=97&ty=151&page=2&tbnh=152&tbnw=200&start=28&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:28&biw=1680&bih=858

            The first pig was brought to the new world in 1539 by a Spanish explorer names Hernando DeSoto. Pigs were one of the first of all animals to be domesticated about 6 thousand years ago. Piglets are very aggressive and greedy when they want food from their mothers. Piglets are usually weaned at 2-4 weeks old. Piglets after being weaned are called “nursery pigs” until they weigh about 50 lbs, pigs that weigh 50lbs to 240lbs are called “growing/finishing pigs.” After pigs reach about 250lbs they are called “hogs.” People usually butcher hogs themselves or take them to the market when they weigh around 250-300lbs.

            Back in the day’ pigs were fed table scraps and ate almost anything, because of this when the pigs were butchered the meat was very high in fat. The pigs would eat stuff like corn, clover, grass, and the table scraps that would have just become garbage. In some areas pigs turned out to go find their own food, they could roam freely, eating anything they could find. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pigs+roaming+freely&hl=en&safe=active&tbm=isch&tbnid=fjGkldoE0JXRNM:&imgrefurl=http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/mfPTKiK/Tamworth%2Bpigs&docid=U3oWaqzEGhzyyM&w=300&h=200&ei=zcGBTtz3EsOUtwe9mLDdAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=405&vpy=173&dur=1513&hovh=160&hovw=240&tx=125&ty=89&page=1&tbnh=152&tbnw=183&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&biw=1680&bih=858

Typic Information About Pigs

 Pigs originated from the Eurasian wild boar
Pigs have a really good sense of smell. They have a strong but sensitive snout. Pigs also have really good vision, because their eyes are on the sides of their heads. Pigs have four toes on each hoof, but only walk on two toes per foot. A mature pig has 44 teeth. A pig can run a 7 minute mile.

A pig that can is pregnant or has giving birth is called the sow.  A pig that has never been pregnant nor given birth is call a gilt. A pig that has had their gonads removed is called a barrow. A pig that has produced semen is called a boar.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pig+pictures&hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=llYGDJBwU1pScM:&imgrefurl=http://theveganvoice.org/easter-ham-and-the-ancient-world/tamworth-pig-and-piglet/&docid=uFikpY4ye3_osM&w=800&h=721&ei=wGZnTvKQJ8LVgQfV0M22DA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1086&vpy=370&dur=4087&hovh=213&hovw=237&tx=138&ty=144&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=40&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:0&biw=1680&bih=858 A sow can give birth to 7-12 piglets up to twice a year. Sows are pregnant for 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days or 114 days. A piglet a birth should not weigh more than 2 to 3 lbs when born but they will double their weight in just about a week. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=piglets&hl=en&safe=active&tbm=isch&tbnid=sRGdJ65s8jRxbM:&imgrefurl=http://www.varkensenzo.nl/EN/index.php%3Ffolder_id%3D5&docid=ooM8K8VkBuRcKM&w=500&h=421&ei=rGdnTsbVGMSBgAeH3YDrDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=192&vpy=531&dur=2512&hovh=206&hovw=245&tx=195&ty=125&page=7&tbnh=160&tbnw=192&start=182&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:182&biw=1680&bih=858

 Pigs are very intelligent and learn quickly. They pick up tricks faster than dogs. Pig’s rank #4 in animal intelligence behind chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants. Piglets learn their names by two to three weeks of age and respond when called. Pigs are very social animals. They form close bonds with each other and other animals. Pigs enjoy close contact and will lie close together when resting. Pigs use their grunts to communicate with each other.

In some countries pigs are being used like police dogs because they have such a better sense of smell than dogs do. The pigs are being used to sniff out drugs, bombs and other things. Domestic pigs are rarely aggressive. The only exceptions are sows with a young litter and boars if provoked.

Pigs would rather be cold than hot because they have no sweat glands. So they roll around in the mud because it cools them off. The layer of dried mud protects their skin from the sun. If available, pigs, who are great swimmers, prefer water to mud. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pig+pictures&hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=qeJtpfLCB6kwLM:&imgrefurl=http://forums.egullet.org/index.php%3F/topic/98437-kurobuta-pork-what-defines-it/&docid=eospBRJr4oyiaM&w=800&h=577&ei=wGZnTvKQJ8LVgQfV0M22DA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1167&vpy=503&dur=296&hovh=191&hovw=264&tx=134&ty=109&page=8&tbnh=154&tbnw=225&start=216&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:27,s:216&biw=1680&bih=858

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pig+pictures&hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=vDMEVZtwU-dx8M:&imgrefurl=http://oldstersview.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/the-st-valentines-day-pig/&docid=DbjGzJNxb7E2tM&w=468&h=294&ei=wGZnTvKQJ8LVgQfV0M22DA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=417&vpy=370&dur=5101&hovh=178&hovw=283&tx=184&ty=101&page=4&tbnh=138&tbnw=219&start=98&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:98&biw=1680&bih=858

Piglets love to play around with each other and have fun. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=piglets&hl=en&safe=active&tbm=isch&tbnid=g8n9EZyYHKn_6M:&imgrefurl=http://www.roflzoo.com/tag/in%2520motion/&docid=Spud1ATi0jcAmM&w=530&h=370&ei=rGdnTsbVGMSBgAeH3YDrDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=397&vpy=551&dur=250&hovh=187&hovw=269&tx=183&ty=134&page=3&tbnh=158&tbnw=188&start=69&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:69&biw=1680&bih=858