This is the first time ever that I won’t be seeing what kind of pig we’re getting. I was always the one judging the animal and over the years I have developed a keen eye for the right traits and personality. Unfortunately my hubby has to go on his own today. We are expecting these crazy high temperatures again so I can’t be away from home for too long.
We have a list of several breeders that my husband is going to visit. All of them have different breeds so I have no clue if and what will come home today. This time the choice is not really what we want but what matches our Kune since he’s alone right now.
Normally when we buy pigs we consider the needs at that time, like areas that need ploughing or how much meat we need for the coming winter. And kinda base the breed and number of pigs on that. We always aim to buy in spring and butcher just before the severe cold. Then at the breeders we select a healthy and friendly (not too active) individual and his or her pals. I found anything too active to become dominant towards humans as well, too lazy and it’s not a good forager.
Most pigs won’t have health issues but things to watch out for are any respiratory problems, ear mites (lots of head shaking) or skin issues. Pigs do not seem to handle any respiratory issues and have a hard time recovering from those. That aside most other issues can be cured. Ear mites is something I see sometimes in young pigs but is easy to treat, same goes for skin issues (usually dry skin). I will select pigs that are completely healthy but if you are new to pigs these are the things you will encounter most often.
I’m playing the waiting game right now. It’ll be another five hours till he gets back and I wonder what might come home...
