I'm just putting feelers out there but we have raised show pigs for the past 8 years for our children to show. With several of them graduated now we are looking to slow down :) We currently have 15 sows and 2 boars with enclosed facility for breeding, gestation, nursery, and farrowing. I can provide...

The Iowa Elite pig sale is this Saturday in Washington. If the bidding is not for you or goes to high ;), dont leave town with an empty trailer! We live 7 miles north of the sale; Load and Go all pigs $300. Same genetics you will find at the sale. January born cross breeds. For video or photos pleas...

Hello, we farrow 10 sows each year for our 4 kids to show. We keep approximately 15 head and divide between the 4 kids and sell the rest. i struggle every year on picking them out. Any advice on picking the best 40 pounder. I have pictures and videos of a few of ours but can't seem to get them loade...

HocDoc or Dr Amy my children came home from school yesterday saying that a vaccine for PEDv is in the works showing good promise using antibodies from chicken egg yolks. Could this be true?
Perhaps we should start raising chickens!

We have 4 children in 4H and their 10 sows are going to farrow any day now. Our local vet today really painted a doom and gloom picture. He said it is everywhere and its not a matter of if you get it but when. This could be in relation to the county we live in. Boot baths and closing the barns down ...

<t>Dang hot weather. Looks like our gilt will be a few pds short come Monday for weigh in. approx 3 pds if she continues gaining the same. Any tricks or secrets right before they get on scale? Drink a lot of water, hold off morning feed until right before, ?? or hopeless. 220 is min and she is 210 r...

<t>She has had a very small amount of discharge since yesterday 6pm. not dripping or anything but enough to be smeared by her tail; then dry; then smear a little more. Would she have a lot before actual labor? She has also stopped eating since yesterday. However she gets up, moves around, still like...

<t>Ok we had a train wreck situation last weekend. Our gilt we just bought bred from local breeder died this past week after a C Section. She was due Friday the 12th; we gave her lut on Thursday the 11th to induce as she was so large. It didnt work; she went into labor on her own Sunday at 116 days....

<r>Thanks to those who replied <E>:)</E> . The weight is not an issue so sorry if this was confusing. They weighed the 260 at fair time which was when they were just 6 mths old. They avg a daily gain of 2.3 pds per day up to fair and then we quit weighing them. Even at only 1 pd per day for 1/2 of j...

<t>We brought 2 gilts home that made championship drives at our fair. Born Jan 14th. Was hoping to bred Mid Sept for next years fair. They would be 8 mths old then. They weighed 260 and 250 July 18th so estimate over 300 pds then. The recommendation we got from where we got past show stock was 11 mt...

<t>I found one website that put average gain at the 2 pds per day gain and another that said avg is 1.7. So you would recommend leaving them on self feeder until 150 pds then switch to hand feed? We did start adding fat to their grind and mix as they are eating 5.2 pds per day and 5% of body weight ...

<t>We have 14 show pigs born Jan 14th. They are on self feeders which are never empty. We are currently going thru 500 lbs grind mix for 60 pounders (kent for show pigs) every week. Our fairs weigh in date is July 18th. We weighted them this weekend which was 98 days out and 2 barrows are 90 lbs and...