Two Bad Days - another day with the piggies at the farm (longish)

Background
Back in March, a couple of us purchased and butchered a whole Large Black hog, doing all of the butchering in a kitchen on the farm where the hog was raised.  It all turned out great (see "Salado, bratwurst"), and a couple more folks decided to jump in for round two.  

@pigfisher brought some Mangalista awhile back (see "Salado, pork chops"), so we thought we would give one of those a try.  We bought a market Mangalitsa hog, and fun was had (previously discussed here - http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196804/tx-pigapallooza)

With an abundance of over-the-topness, we also bought four piglets, two more Mangas, and two Mangalitsa/Swabian Hall crosses, that are all being raised on same farm where we did the original butchering.

Movin' on Up
When this batch of piggies showed up, we ran a fresh water line to the pen the farm gave us, and did our best to mend the fence where it needed it.  However, the pen was smaller and dustier than we were hoping for, so during TX Pigapalooza, @pigfisher and I started laying out another pen, including a feeder for the piggies, more shade, grass, and way more room.  

Today, @pigfisher, @20stonespice and I played rancher again, and I confirmed the degree to which I am old and soft, and not cut out for real work.  Water lines run, fence posts pounded in, feeder carried, backhoe and tractor operated, hot fun all around.

(yes, that is an old trampoline strapped over an abandoned chicken tractor providing shade in the middle of the pen)

...Now the Hard Part
The delicate bit was that the piggies old pen is about 100 yards from the new pen, and we needed to get four no-longer-small across a farm with dogs, horses and donkeys to their new home.  Besides being tasty, pigs are also elusive when on the lam, so (most of us) were concerned.

One of us, however (*cough = @pigfisher = cough*) though we could pull the feeder out of the old pen, and he would lure the piggies Pied Piper style with chunks of watermelon to the new pen.  In his defense, he did pull a similar trick when they escaped the old pen.  Today, however, nuthin doin.  

Today, we opened the fence, luring with the watermelon while we tried to walk them to the new pen.  Epic fail.  @pigfisher did get one of the small ones by the leg, an hauled him to the new pen, and after a number of comically inept attempts to coax, prod and bribe the pigs to go, they responded like three 2 year olds, arms crossed and tantrums in full tilt.  Fortunately the other three eventually returned their old pen.

...Now the Harder Part
Now we asked for some help from "The Pig Whisperer", one of the farm owners.  She gave some surprising, crazy and effective advice.
1) Pen the pigs in a small section of the old pen
2) Grab one by a hind leg and lift it off the ground (as you expect, they aren't totally into this)
3) Put them in a big Rubbermaid Brute trashcan
4) Carry the trashcan 100 yards while fighting the hold the lid on, while 90 lbs of pig tries to get out
5) Step over the charged strands of fence with a wiggling trash can, and turn him loose in his new abode

We did have one get out of the can in transit.  Thankfully, I was able to unleash my rusty rugby skills, diving down for a proper form tackle, and carried him the rest of the way will 90 lbs of pig flopped like a fish in the bottom of a boat.

The Happy Ending
The piggies are now, thankfully, well tucked in inside their shocky wire (three for the pigs down low, one for the mules and horses up high).  Way more room, more grass, more shade.



I might also add, it was nearly 100 degrees today.  It was a real a$% whip.

As one of our number reminds us regularly, you can get pretty good belly at Central Market.  .... Just sayin'