The Straight Poop on Pigs
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
When you have a world in which an estimated one-fourth of the children go to bed, or spend their night, hungry due to a lack of food; when a large portion of citizens of third-world countries have no shelter, or clothing, other then that donated to them, how do we justify a self-centered position that we will determine what our neighbors can do with their personal property for our own selfish interest?
When animals were raised in open fields, the seasonal component limited the success of the endeavor. When we move the animals into the house we can provide a climate control that allows the animal comfort throughout the whole year. When a farmer chooses to build a house to raise animals, it is a significant endeavor; including capital, the ability to feed, and sell animals for more than 10 years into the future. I would personally fear such a commitment in our current financial situation.
As a boy, many years ago, I witnessed hogs killing their offspring in the open field where they were raised. I observed sows crushing young pigs by stepping, and laying on them. I also on one occasion witnessed a sow that attempted to kill all the animals in the field with it, including the farmer.
The pigs and hogs, due to their body’s limitation, prefer a moist surface to lie on, and would create a wallow if in an open area. The hog and pig will root through each other’s excrement looking for things to eat. When put into large groups they will sometimes pile up and suffocate some. A hog, like a chicken, will deposit its feces in its food. These are some of the reasons farmers try to regulate the location and orientation of the animal. They can assure that the diet is what is good for the animal to consume, and that it does not add its waste to its diet, by positioning the location of its head and in turn its other end. This is also done by designing feeders with unique shapes that were not available years ago.
In an open field a chicken, or baby pig, will provide a tasty lunch for a hawk, fox or coyote; and cause more and more predators to help with the banquet.
What is learned from the Internet is not representative of the farm practices in our community.
A laying hen, and a broiler, are both chickens but have different purposes, and terrain. If you were responsible for collecting 30,000 eggs each day in an open field, and witnessed the loss of your layers daily, you would design laying cages in houses rapidly.
I believe the only solution to feeding the hungry is for my community, and all farmers, to provide as much quality food as we possibly can. Indiana state law currently assures this, and we don’t need an exception for Kosciusko County.
Craig Latham, farmer
Jackson Township, Kosciusko County
North Manchester, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
When you have a world in which an estimated one-fourth of the children go to bed, or spend their night, hungry due to a lack of food; when a large portion of citizens of third-world countries have no shelter, or clothing, other then that donated to them, how do we justify a self-centered position that we will determine what our neighbors can do with their personal property for our own selfish interest?
When animals were raised in open fields, the seasonal component limited the success of the endeavor. When we move the animals into the house we can provide a climate control that allows the animal comfort throughout the whole year. When a farmer chooses to build a house to raise animals, it is a significant endeavor; including capital, the ability to feed, and sell animals for more than 10 years into the future. I would personally fear such a commitment in our current financial situation.
As a boy, many years ago, I witnessed hogs killing their offspring in the open field where they were raised. I observed sows crushing young pigs by stepping, and laying on them. I also on one occasion witnessed a sow that attempted to kill all the animals in the field with it, including the farmer.
The pigs and hogs, due to their body’s limitation, prefer a moist surface to lie on, and would create a wallow if in an open area. The hog and pig will root through each other’s excrement looking for things to eat. When put into large groups they will sometimes pile up and suffocate some. A hog, like a chicken, will deposit its feces in its food. These are some of the reasons farmers try to regulate the location and orientation of the animal. They can assure that the diet is what is good for the animal to consume, and that it does not add its waste to its diet, by positioning the location of its head and in turn its other end. This is also done by designing feeders with unique shapes that were not available years ago.
In an open field a chicken, or baby pig, will provide a tasty lunch for a hawk, fox or coyote; and cause more and more predators to help with the banquet.
What is learned from the Internet is not representative of the farm practices in our community.
A laying hen, and a broiler, are both chickens but have different purposes, and terrain. If you were responsible for collecting 30,000 eggs each day in an open field, and witnessed the loss of your layers daily, you would design laying cages in houses rapidly.
I believe the only solution to feeding the hungry is for my community, and all farmers, to provide as much quality food as we possibly can. Indiana state law currently assures this, and we don’t need an exception for Kosciusko County.
Craig Latham, farmer
Jackson Township, Kosciusko County
North Manchester, via e-mail[[In-content Ad]]
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