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From Piglet to Grand Champion

For over 100 years, 4-H has offered youth opportunities in communications, leadership and career development, livestock, home improvement, and computer technology. Programs are found in rural and urban areas throughout the world. The goal of the 4-H market hog project is to encourage integrity, sportsmanship, cooperation and an ability to communicate.

Many, like Charley and Lane Bennett (moss9002), show their hogs at the local county fairs. They begin training their pigs several weeks before the show. Working with the pig ahead of time will help it to know what to expect when the actual judging takes place.

Charley and Lane started with Hampshire piglets. The first 2 or 3 weeks are critical in maintaining the pigs health. Strong appetites, body temperatures of 102.5° F, sleek haircoats, and tightly curled tails are all signs of a healthy pig. Healthy pigs are active and alert with bright looks in their eyes.

Charley and Lane provided their pigs with a clean and dry area to live. If pigs are crowded, they will be stressed, resulting in decreased growth rates. Pigs, like people, have an ideal temperature at which they are most comfortable. This is called the thermoneutral zone. The ideal temperature for a growing pig is around 70° F.

Pigs seem to consider 60 to 70 degrees to be ideal and your area had a really hot summer. What did you have to do to help keep them cooler?

Clean, cold water to drink. When the temperature outside is 100 or hotter, slowly spray the pigs with cool water from the feet first up towards the stomach then the back last. If you spray a pig when it is hot or stressed right on the back they could just drop dead from the shock of the cold water. They do not sweat so they have a hard time cooling their bodies down. They need to be sprayed every hour like this and then they will get up and drink. Then they will eat! When it is hot they will not eat. But if they will get up to drink they will always eat. Water misters are a must along with a good industrial type fan to keep the air moving and mist on them to keep them cool. Average temperture to turn on the fan and misters is 85 degrees. Anything under they are fine with just clean water to drink.

To grow rapidly and efficiently, swine need a high energy, concentrated grain diet. Farm grains are the most common and best source of energy feeds for swine. Corn is an excellent energy feed, and is ideal for finishing feed because it is high in digestible carbohydrates, low in fiber, and is very tasty! Other good sources of feed are barley, oats, and wheat. Water is the most important part of a pig's diet. One-half to two-thirds of a pig's body is made up of water. Pigs should be supplied with as much clean, fresh water as they will drink. Pigs can live longer without feed than without water.

Your pigs were really good growers and in danger of going over weight for the fair. How did you handle this problem?

Keeping track of your pigs weight is critical. We push ours to about 240 lbs about two weeks before the fair. Then we slow them down. They will lose muscle mass if they are pulled back really hard and just stop feeding them. Adding raw eggs, apples and bannanas are great for them at this point. This will keep them full, without gaining weight. This will get them to the fair at a heavy, but controled weight.

To show their pigs at the fair, Charley and Lane had to train them to move easily at a walk. To move their pigs they used a cane, guiding the animals with the curved end. Before the show they had to groom their pig. Grooming consisted of washing and clipping the hair from the tail and ears (especially the inside of the ears) and making sure that the feet were clean, and that there was no sawdust on its back or legs.

How much work is involved in getting them ready for the fair?

If you can keep the animal healthy and the weight managed the entire time it goes pretty smooth. Clipping the pig can be a challenge. Clip when they are hungry so they will stand still to eat.

Charley's hog Oscar won top honors at the county fair. The award-winning swine took home Top Place Barrow, Grand Champion Market Hog, and Grand Supreme honors.

After the fair there is an auction. The award winning hogs go for highter prices making all the work even more worthwhile.

What is the best part of raising a 4-H pig?

The part that we like the best is that it is a family project. We all are involved in it and enjoy it. The whole family is out in the evening walking the pigs, we are all out there together just talking and playing together. It really teaches responsiblity, hard work, and the value of family being together.

What is the hardest part of raising one?

The most trouble usually is managing the weight issue. You really have to plan what you are going to feed and how much. Formulating the feed amount times its weight gain and getting a handle of the time frame in which it has to gain. Some kids have a hard time putting the weight on their pig, others are scrambling at the last minute trying everything possible to make it lose weight. And, this year, raising one in extreme heat was very, very hard and time consuming.

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