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dragonlady7via https://ift.tt/2GW8tPK
Hey we just collaboratively convinced an 800-pound boar to squeeze through a doorway 18 inches off the ground and barely larger than his head, which was quite an achievement. (Hogs are short, so that meant he had to jump, and he has terrible vision and isn’t very trainable, and if he didn’t want to go through that doorway there was no way in hell we were going to get him in there. We’re not sure how he’s getting out; a Sawzall might have to get involved. But in the meantime, he’ll be safe, and most importantly, separated from the sows, who are about to farrow; he has in the past been lovely to baby pigs, but we can’t risk him in a confined space with them.)
We were very impressed that he actually went through the door. He’s mostly an agreeable sort, for a hog, but. He’s 800 pounds. We had him kind of cornered with some cattle grates and B-I-L was like, look if he comes at you and really wants to get through the grate you’re holding, let him, because you can’t stop him and you’ll get hurt if you try.
The sows nearly rioted over the whole thing, though, because we’d withheld their food so that we could motivate him, and it was like. The end of the world. I really thought they were going to eat us.
They’re in their third trimester, though, so– three several-hundred-pound pregnant ladies whose breakfast is late are Not to be Trifled With.
But the boar is separated, and there was much rejoicing. I couldn’t believe he squeezed through that hole, he had to jump to do it. But we had the food on the other side of the door, and he was, well. Hogs are pretty food-motivated.
The only remaining huge hassle is going to be getting water to him. We had to poke a hose over the wall and aim it roughly toward the trough… and then he was interested, so he nosed the trough out of reach of the hose. Sigh.
(Your picture was not posted)
Hey we just collaboratively convinced an 800-pound boar to squeeze through a doorway 18 inches off the ground and barely larger than his head, which was quite an achievement. (Hogs are short, so that meant he had to jump, and he has terrible vision and isn’t very trainable, and if he didn’t want to go through that doorway there was no way in hell we were going to get him in there. We’re not sure how he’s getting out; a Sawzall might have to get involved. But in the meantime, he’ll be safe, and most importantly, separated from the sows, who are about to farrow; he has in the past been lovely to baby pigs, but we can’t risk him in a confined space with them.)
We were very impressed that he actually went through the door. He’s mostly an agreeable sort, for a hog, but. He’s 800 pounds. We had him kind of cornered with some cattle grates and B-I-L was like, look if he comes at you and really wants to get through the grate you’re holding, let him, because you can’t stop him and you’ll get hurt if you try.
The sows nearly rioted over the whole thing, though, because we’d withheld their food so that we could motivate him, and it was like. The end of the world. I really thought they were going to eat us.
They’re in their third trimester, though, so– three several-hundred-pound pregnant ladies whose breakfast is late are Not to be Trifled With.
But the boar is separated, and there was much rejoicing. I couldn’t believe he squeezed through that hole, he had to jump to do it. But we had the food on the other side of the door, and he was, well. Hogs are pretty food-motivated.
The only remaining huge hassle is going to be getting water to him. We had to poke a hose over the wall and aim it roughly toward the trough… and then he was interested, so he nosed the trough out of reach of the hose. Sigh.
(Your picture was not posted)
