Are you sure about that?? I would have thought so too until my son participated in his first 4-H show this past summer showing hogs. The vast majority of rest of the 4-H exhibitors bought their hogs from commercial hog farms when they were about 4-5 months or they picked one out and had the hog farmer raise it with the rest of the 4-H hogs (on cement). The kids really didn't know squat about their hogs or how they were raised and for the most part either treated them badly or couldn't handle them at all. These pigs looked like hogs on steroids because of all the high protein feed they were being given plus all the antibiotics, etc that were given to the rest of the hogs in the operation. I swear these hogs had hams on top of their hams!! I saw one exhibitor (the one that won showmanship) repeatedly coax his hogs out of their holding pens with food, then slam the metal bar door into their head, sometimes knocking them on their butts. I was very, VERY dismayed and disappointed!!! Maybe because my 10 yo son raised his pair of hogs on pasture since they were weanlings. He was the sole caretaker for 5 months. His hogs had a good lean to fat ratio but compared to most of the rest of the hogs, they looked very chubby.Citylivin said:Lot of money for this hog, but it helped a 4-H student out .... That price includes cut & wrap, ....I probably could have purchased it for less elsewhere, but I know this hog was raised humanely, with no hormones, in a clean pen..
I'm kind of sorry that I didn't do it myself. I wound up giving the guy half a pig out of the two. Next year I plan to get it more organized. I was a little overwhelmed, but now realize that I could have done it.stumpyacres said:do it yourself - $100.00 here kill, clean, cut, package - evn pick up
Longer than that I thinkstumpyacres said:Ive been harpin at Mike in Pa for year or so now - do it yourself - if you have ever done a deer, you can do it. Instead of pulliing the skin - you slice it off.