This year I am raising pigs because we know many people that have done or are doing them. They recommended swine for my first year.
Before we got the pigs, we started building their pen. My dad and I started by mapping out what we were going to build on a piece of paper. There were four main parts that had to be built; a shelter, a place for the feeder, a place for the waterer, and a mud pit. We gather panels and poles and …show more content…
The scales frightened the pigs greatly. After hours of trying to coax the pigs into the scale, I became frustrated and flustered. I had to remember to remain calm because pigs respond better to a relaxed environment.
Next year, I will try to choose black or darker skinned pigs so I don’t have to worry about them getting sunburned. I had to buy oil-free sunscreen (because oil can clog a pig’s pores) which is more expensive. The lighter the pig, the more maintenance is required.
One thing I learned about myself through 4-H is that I am a very caring person. I put others (including my pigs) before myself. I constantly used my time to check my pigs when I could have been doing other stuff but I knew that my pigs needed care.
I can use very many useful skills that I have learned this year in 4-H in other areas of my life. One example of this is that I can speak fluently and easily in front of adults and peers because of my demonstration. Another example of life skills I have learned is patience. You need to have a lot of patience with pigs as you do with people. Overall, the experience I have had being a member of 4-H, has benefited me greatly agriculturally. I have had a great year and cannot wait to start again next