pig castration

No, I won't regale you with pictures of our poor, little piggies getting their nuts chopped off today, but I will show you the sweet treat we brought them as a consolation dessert (leftover rice, garden greens, and the sauce from tonight's chicken dinner, an old bell pepper, and a shriveled clementine from the kitchen fruit basket).

Jay is a hillbilly through and through, but even he wasn't prepared for and a little disturbed by the procedure that took place today. Essentially, they make two cuts to remove each gonad, which pop out once freed from their protective enclosure. Ewwww!

I wasn't there to help because I had to work, but I was filled in on all the gory details once I returned home. The reason for the castration is to prevent boar taint in their meat. We were a little on the fence about doing this, but since we're rookies, we're trying to take in as much information as possible from the locals about how to raise meat animals. There are some locally accepted things that I just won't do (such as boxing a pig in and depriving it of light, fresh air and green pasture in an effort to fatten it up as much as possible before slaughter), but pig castration is something I'm willing to try because it is a relatively common procedure, and I felt that the animals wouldn't be adversely affected (we castrate our male dogs, after all).

The pigs are a bit worn out, and I'm worried sick about infection, but I'm pretty sure that they will be fine tomorrow, especially if I bring them more delicious leftover goodies to ensure we get back in their good graces.