Barb Miller, Report for The Patriot-News
Like an agricultural version of a Saks Fifth Avenue window, Peaches the pig and her brood of 13 are the attraction in the agriculture wing of Cumberland Valley High School.
In addition to the pig pen in the ag hallway window, a live-streaming “pig-cam” and daily blog has attracted more than 5,600 views since Peaches gave birth Feb. 21 in the school. Students throughout the school joined in the spirit, hosting a piglet shower and celebration of National Pig Day March 1.
Junior Tyler Brown, who lives on a cattle farm, was surprised at how quickly the piglets were born. “And I never knew they have so many – I thought it would be like six or eight.”
“I just think it’s really cool, the whole process,” said sophomore Sean Bower, who’s in FFA and takes an ag class this year.
Peaches, a 450-pound Berkshire sow, came to the school Jan. 19 through the efforts of Michael Woods, agricultural science teacher and FFA adviser. Students share the workload in caring for Peaches and her brood, and a lucky 13 will get to purchase one of the piglets to raise for auction at the Shippensburg Fair in late July.
Woods did a similar thing last year with a different sow, but this was the first year for the blog and videostreaming. The blog includes everything you might want to know about pigs, ranging from the medical advancements they’ve provided humans to veterinary care. He plans to maintain the blog until the pigs are sold at the fair.
“In high school, you don’t get to see this every day,” said junior Ali Emig, an ag and FFA student who’s hoping to adopt one of the piglets.
The antics of the 13 piglets romping in and around the straw, jumping out and surprising each other, and play-fighting, could be a YouTube hit. The piglets are becoming more curious, slipping in and out of the pen and exploring the rest of the ag room before scampering back to mom.
Like other students in the program, junior Jessica Karns likes to comes to the ag department during her free period to visit Peaches and her brood, and help with chores like cleaning out the water pail, or just to play with the piglets.
“It’s been such an important teaching tool,” Woods said, not only for his ag students, but the school and community. Some of the elementary teachers were even streaming it in their classrooms, but the live-streaming is now being done only after school and on weekends.
In his fourth year of teaching, Woods said the night Peaches gave birth was “one of the coolest, most special moments” he’s experienced.
Peaches gave birth on her due date with no problems, with about 75 people watching in person, and another 300 via a video feed. It took about two hours for the 14 piglets to be born, and they were up and nursing within about half an hour of birth, Woods said. They were 4-5 pounds at birth, and after a little more than a week, were up to 9-10 pounds, and will be gaining almost two pounds a day. This week they should start nibbling food, and they’ll be weaned around six to eight weeks.
Even though Peaches is “a good mom,” they kept a close watch for the first three days, since this is the time when some piglets might perish due to malnutrition or injury. Unfortunately, they did lose one male piglet two days after birth, which Woods said may have resulted from being stepped on by Peaches. Once the piglets are a few days older, they’re better able to squirm out of mom’s way.
On farms, sows and their piglets are often kept in a much smaller farrowing pen that has a fence dividing mom and offspring. Woods said he didn’t use one because the practice is controversial do the pen’s size.
The web cam is a tool to keep an eye on Peaches and the piglets after hours as well. If anything is awry, the first signal would be the piglets’ ear-splitting squeals.
The students have also assisted in veterinary care required for the piglets, such as innoculations, docking their tails and clipping off the piglets’ sharp “needle” teeth. Tail-docking is needed because the tails become a target for biting, infection and worse injury, Woods said. A few days after birth, an inch-and-a-half is clipped off, and the tails will not grow further and will form the familiar curly-cue shape.
If left intact, the eight needle teeth will grow into tusks that can cause injury to mom and other pigs and animals. Woods said the nerve endings aren’t mature in the teeth, so the procedure is painless and bloodless, although the piglets still squeal loudly from being held. The students also cared for the umbilical cords, gave iron supplements. Next will come castration of the males.
Emig already has picked out the piglet she’s hoping to take home, although they’re hard to tell apart, other than the runt, which is a girl. Junior Laura Shatto has a name already picked out for her pig - Peary, since they were hoping to come up with fruit names that start with the letter P.
Brown is also hoping to get a pig to raise for market. “It shows you how you can raise something yourself and sell it and make a profit,” he said, adding he’s learned not to get too attached to the animals. At auction they are sold for breeding or butchering.
After a month, Woods said they’ll enlarge the pen, and then move the pigs outside. By fair time, the piglets should be up to about 260-270 pounds and should bring $650-$700, Woods said, allowing their young owners to more than double their investment.
Woods said he foots the $900 cost to purchase Peaches, and the $30-40 per week for feed. He recoups that in selling the pigs to the students at cost.
The students who buy a piglet can either take it home or have it stay in the ag program’s barn. This spring Woods said he hopes to add a small barn to house some market goats or lambs. The school already has some chickens and alpacas that keep the grass “mowed” around the school’s solar panels.
Photos Courtesy of Christine Baker, photographer for The Patriot-News
There is a chance you're qualified for a new solar energy rebate program.
ReplyDeleteFind out if you are qualified now!