When we got our pigs (all males) we got a ‘good’ price on them, because they were ‘intact’ (complete, entire, non-castrated). ‘Why’, you say, is this a problem? Very simply…intact (complete, entire, non-castrated) pigs do not taste good. The meat has a strong flavor…so they needed to ‘be done’.
Manny, Moe and Jack were getting bigger by the day and starting to resemble beer kegs with legs.
It is a good idea when castrating anything, to do it while it is still small. However, we ran into a few glitches. Near the ending of Spring, not a single farm store, grocery store or pharmacy had any disposable scalpels left. It seems it was a busy castrating season in the valley. By the time we finally ordered some off of the internet, it was haying season. The Surgeon (Our Friend the Farmer) was very, very busy…so the pigs got bigger.
Every once in a while we’d say…
“Do you think we can still ‘do them’?”
‘Oh, yes, we’ll just need a few of my strong Grandsons to help’
The timing was finally right, although Manny, Moe and Jack may not exactly agree. Our Friend the Farmer had time, he’d rounded up 4 Grandsons with the enticement of fresh crab bait (yes, pig ‘parts’) for the Fishermen of the group. We had scalpels for the ‘job’ and I had brownies for the Pig Posse. Our Friend the Farmer is the knowledgeable one and suggested that the brownies be eaten first, while the Posse was still clean.
Next came the round-up…
Those pigs can move pretty fast and the squealing gets top marks for ‘high drama’! The pigs were taken into our barn for the procedure. They’d also be recuperating in the barn for a few days, out of the dirt. They were given a good scrubbing and I couldn’t help but think about the only other ball washer I’d ever seen
(Source)
Each member of the Pig Posse had their job…. One to sit on the pig, one each on a hind leg and one to hold the front legs… By pig #3, they worked like a well oiled machine.
The boys had a great attitude about the whole ‘adventure’ and I could not help but think that some day these brothers/cousins would be sitting around as old men and saying to one another…
‘Remember that time we had to go help Grandpa castrate the neighbors pigs…’
Memories, yep, we are a memory making place… Note to self, when buying pigs… buy them without balls.
I’m still laughing…. tears streaming down my face…. with the description of a procedure that I have never, and don’t ever want to see.
Once will probably do it for me!