Here is an update on Project Piggy Wiggy. We have had the Duroc pig since the end of September and he is getting nice and big. He was about 35 pounds when we got him and is probably 120-130 pounds now based on our measurements. He is now gaining 2 pounds a day and with his slaughter date in about 30 days he should be at least 180-190 pounds. Ideal would be 200-225 pounds but we dont want to keep him too late into winter. He loves old store-clearence bread, apple cores, potatoes, carrots, acorns that the kids find, and crab apples from the woods. He loves playing in the mud and rooting around. When enclosed in the garden he did a wonderful job tilling it all up free of charge. We will update again before he goes to the butcher in a month. Definitely pretty easy maintenance and saves money especially when you use child labor. We would definitely do it again. Next time we would order all of the feed in bulk ($10-$12 per bag) instead of getting a few bags at a time for $15 each. We would also find a bakery or restaurants for more free bread and scraps to decrease the food bill. As is, we saved about a $100 instead of buying a whole hog from a farmer but there is definitely still more room to drive the savings up. The freezer should be well stocked for a while but maybe we will raise a couple more in the spring to take to the fair.
This picture was taken today. You can see a big Russet potato on the ground he was munching.
This picture is the end of September when we first got him.
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