Yesterday we picked up our new 4-H pigs! Every year I raise a pig for the 4-H auction, plus one for my family’s freezer. The pigs are about two month old right now and are housed in a special pen we built for them. In the picture I posted they are snuggling in a little hutch we made, equipped with a heat lamp, so that they will stay warm.  When the weather gets better we will set up their outside pen.

We are raising four pigs this year. The extra two in the picture belong to a friend who has to finish his pig pen before taking them home. The red pigs are a special breed called Spot Rocs (short for Spotted Durocs). My pig is one of the pink pigs (called a Yorkshire) and the black one is a Hampshire.

I have found many benefits to raising my own pig. Since I grow the pork my family eats I know that the meat came from a healthy animal. Local businesses benefit from the advertising they recieve when they purchase a pig at our 4-H auction. Also, the pigs I raise are kept comfortable and are humanely treated.