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Animal
Husbandry 101
4-H Swine Project 5/4/08
Mark Burchick
Animal
Husbandry
101
4-H
Swine
Project
Gina, Nick and
Tony D'Asto and
Mark and Jeb
Burchick are
showing and
selling swine
for the 2008
Howard County
Fair.
Jeb purchased a
Bouma Show Pig
at the 4/19/08
auction, which
was a 70-pound,
barrow Yorkshire
born on 1/25/08
(ear tag #890).
Mark's pig is a
Martin Show Pig
purchased at
auction on
4/25/08 and was
a 55-pound
Hampshire gilt
born on 2/16/08
(ear tag #94).
Dr. Megan,
our
livestock
veterinarian
is also a
former
Howard
County
4-H'er,
graduating
with a
6-year
degree in
2005 from
Virginia
Tech. It's
time for the
proactive
deworming
shots that
our swine
will receive
today and
again in
June at
the mandatory
4-H
weigh-in.
For our
sheep (or
horse), its
an oral
application
paste to the
mouth and
gum, for
cattle and
swine it's
an injection
behind the
ear.
As the pigs
grow,
compliance
can become
an issue, so
the trusty
pig catcher
(snout
noose) comes
in handy.
The second
the noose
comes off,
the
screaming
stops and
all is right
with the
world.
Jeb keeps
the pigs out
of the
wallows,
Mark does
the noosing,
and Tom help
wrestle the
pigs into
momentary
submission.
Our goal is
to have our
pigs grow
1.5 to
2.0-pounds
per day.
Our
expectation
is that our
swine should
be in the
240 to 270
market
weight range
by the
second week
of August.
The kids have
named their pigs
with such
esteemed titles
as the Baconator,
The Great
Hambino
and
Pork'O'licious.
Did we mention
how much we
appreciate that
the D'Asto's
allowed us to do
this
project at their
house? Much
appreciated and
thanks go out to
Tom and
Jennifer.
