butchering time is soon, what should I be feeding my hog?

[big brown horse]

Thanks you guys!!!

I am getting excited. Today he is getting a big plate of organic hardboiled duck eggs (thanks Drake!), a banana and a bowl of slop from last night. (I just LOVE to say SLOP!!)

Mr. Ben is also saving scraps for him. Since he was a free pig, anyone who contributes to helping me raise/feed him profits in the long run.

I wish I had a supply of raw milk to give him too, but I suppose store bought will have to do. Raw milk is too expensive to share with him.

This pig has been a happy pig from day one. He lived antibiotic free and happy. I am so glad he didn't have to live on a factory farm his whole life. He got back scratches, basketballs to play with, sunlight, fresh air and chicken, duck and dog friends to visit with every day. He even had free run of the backyard until he was almost about 100#s or so. I'm hoping to fix up a pen in the trees to move him too so he can have fun digging up more roots etc. before B-day.

 

[big brown horse]

Today at my little one-man-farmer's-market, I found big bags of old apples, tomatoes and strawberries for a dollar a bag.

I also got a big bag of old bananas that I put in the freezer. He is only allowed one per day b/c of the potassium. They will be nice and sweet.

He is a happy pig!

 

[big brown horse]

We gave Benson more time to fatten up. He is about 245 lbs now. I moved him into the "wee forest" as you can see. He has about 1/4 of an acre to move about and root around in the shade.

He is the sweetest piggy ever...all it took to move him from point a to point b was a hoe and a plate of hard boiled eggs.

Electric fencing is holding him in. Thank goodness for his wet nose!! One zap and he figured it out. (poor shang! ) He squealed like a little girl!

The Rouen ducks have always kept him company and followed him over to his new paddock. They can go under the electric fencing easily. That is Mrs. Duck standing under him!!

 

[rebecca100]

Uh oh, you named meat, and called it sweet. Bad sign. When my dh names meat then it means we are stuck with it. He is already trying to figure out how our pig is going to go with us when we move. We are backwards, I am all for the meat and he'd just as soon keep something for a pet. And HE is the one always bringing home strays. Btw that is a nice looking hog!

 

[bibliophile birds]

aww, glad he got to do the forest pig thing!

must. get. pigs....

 

[freemotion]

Hog? What hog? All I saw was....... BACON!!!!!

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks Rebecca! We named him and tried to give him the best life so we could eventually butcher him without guilt. We are all ok with it so far.

BBirds, it was because of you that Benson got to live out the rest of his life in the forest. (Or the edge of the forest.)

Here is another shot of him enjoying a nap next to a giant log.

He will be here until the end of the month...perhaps a bit longer, we'll see how it goes.

 

[big brown horse]

Hog? What hog? All I saw was....... BACON!!!!!

I know right??

 

[big brown horse]

Forgot to mention, today he ate apples from the farmer's market. A whole bag was in the dollar bin. He also got these mini avocados, a 1/2 gallon of milk, a $1 bag of carrots and 1/2 dozen hard boiled eggs. (As well as his pig kibble.)

 

[Bettacreek]

Hmm. We've backed out of getting a piggy. The BF's brother is going elk hunting and it's basically a canned hunt, which I think is silly, but he's guaranteed an elk, which means lots of meat. Plus, he said that we'd have a hard time smoking anything because of the warm weather. I really, really want a piggy to butcher.
Good luck with this guy, enjoy the bacon!