Operation Bacon

     As planned this past Saturday, the day was started early. We all rolled out of the house a little after 0700 and finished setting up for our contingency plan. We also needed to wait for the sun to come up some more to give us better light. Once complete setting up, we began with first up, Katharine. JUGM started to tap the slop bucket and she came right over to the fence and I took aim with the Henry and one shot was placed about 1 inch above the eyes, center-lined and  she dropped straight down.

    So as she was on the ground flailing around, the other two went to her to see what was going on and nudging her. As her reflexes were ending, I had the perfect shot of Lisa and took it, she dropped straight down and started her flailing. Now by this time, the last remaining sow, Joanie had figured out what is going on and she knew she was next. As I tried to take the shot outside the pen like I did with the first two, she was not cooperating and here I go into the pen. Once in there, she would try to keep ahead of me while leading her head out of the way. After a few minutes of back and forth in the pen, she showed the shot. As soon as I took aim, pulled the hammer back, put finger on the trigger, she moved her head as I shot and let out a hellish squeal that had all the dogs in the area barking. I hit her about an inch below her left eye. So now I have a pissed off pig running around and what can you do but just let her calm down. So I wait a few more mins and she is standing in the back corner and trying to hug the fence to walk past me,  I lifted the Henry with hammer already cocked, pulled the trigger and she dropped down next to the fence. With all down, we commenced to remove the fence panels to pull them out to wash them off. Once they were washed off, we rolled them into the bucket on the tractor and I loaded them into the trailer.  

L to R, Katharine, Lisa, and Joanie

    Got them all wrapped up like a piggy in a blanket with the tarp and set off to the processor.

Lisa on the scale

Joanie on the scale, Katharine on rack

    Here are the numbers for them:

Katherine: 262 lbs

Lisa: 236 lbs

Joanie: 228 lbs

Grand total: 726 lbs

(I'm sure "APINC" doesn't care for the names, but who cares.)

     Tuesday morning we got the call that they were ready so I took Wednesday off to make the trip down to get them while the kids were in school. Once home, we went to work putting them away.

No bacon, want to experiment with some recipes for pork belly

Ribs

   

Pork Chops (3/4" thick)

   The processor complimented us several times on the girls, and how great they looked. The accolades continued when we picked them up,  he was very impressed with the overall color and consistency of the meat. I will say, those were some outstanding pork chops and they were very good. I am very proud of JUGM as she did the majority of the work raising these sows for our nourishment and she did an awesome job.

Current plan is to take a break and redesign the pig pen into a concrete pad with a metal roof and a waste removal system that can be washed either into a drilled hole 4 foot in the ground or maybe a small septic tank and drain field, who knows which route we will go.




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