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Pigs, Before and After

Now that spring is here, let’s take a tour of Henry and Rocco’s bedroom where they spent the winter. But first, here’s some before and after pics of the boys to see how they’ve GROWN! Please excuse the blurriness of the phone pics.

BEFORE: Henry when he first arrived, August 2011, at 8 weeks.

AFTER: Henry at 15 months of age, November 2012.

BEFORE: May 2012.

AFTER: This past weekend. The boys are now too big to share one chair.

Here is Henry’s weight documented:

  • 6 months – 20 pounds
  • 12 months – 48 pounds
  • 18 months – 80 pounds
  • 22 months – weight 85 lbs+ (tbd), height 17.5″, length 33″

From what I’ve learned, pigs will continue to fill out after a year, not reaching full size and maturity until 3 years. He is not the 35-40 lb pig I was expecting, but we still love him. All I can say is research your breeder thoroughly, visit with the parents, and 2-3 generations back if you can. Do not believe what you read on websites claiming smaller sizes unless you meet in person. If you are shown a small pig, chances are it’s a young one that is not fully matured.

BEFORE: October, 2012.

Both Henry and Rocco use to sleep in the house, but they prefer to sleep outside in their “room”. They have a little tent of their own, in the back of the garage where they spent the winter. It could be -15 outside, but with a heavy faux mink blanket (from the second hand store) covering their bed, it was toasty warm. A sleeping bag and other blankets (also purchased from the Salvation Army) were added. They do get to come in when it gets REALLY cold at night, but they still prefer their stinky ole bed and the freedom to walk around the backyard, looking for things to “borrow”.

AFTER: Winter boredom spurred the pigs to redecorate their bedroom.

Funny enough, while the lawn cushions and sleeping bag were totally shredded, the Hannah Montana blanket stayed intact. Pigs love to shred, they are clean animals, but their housekeeping is horrendous! Look at their room, what a pigstye!

The boys prefer to pull out the cushions, and instead, add their own decorative touches. Inside I found a running shoe, flip flops, ALL my bubble wrap, leaf bags, pilons, kneepads, a hula hoop, shredded sleeping bag…

“Henry, you took my holly bush?” –– “oink”

“or was it Rocco who dragged it into bed?” –– “oink oink”

“AND my umbrella too?” –– “oink”

“Lucky we love you.” — OINK!

  • Living With a Pig » FreestyleFarm - […] Update: Here he is just under 2 years old…“Pigs, Before and After” […]ReplyCancel

  • France Simard - omg, that is hilarious! Love it!ReplyCancel

  • Jaime Neeb - Wow Jill! These are VERY well fed piggies! They make their mom and dad look like dwarfs. Interesting what treasures they chose for their bed! That is hilarious. lolReplyCancel

  • Victoria - Wow! Thanks for the update! Henry’s changed so much! Even his coat colour looks different!ReplyCancel

  • Mary - Great to see new pictures of Henry and Rocco. They did indeed grow, but are still adorable. Their bedroom looks like a hoarder’s paradise! Good thing you can replenish bedding from the Salvation Army and Good Will.ReplyCancel

  • Maggie - It’s nice to see someone posting about the reality of adult mini pigs… sweet animals, but definitely high maintenance and challenging! My pig destroyed our laptop and imac keyboard, a novel I was half way through, an entire season of DVD’s, a pair of shoes, my glass cabinet door, his crate bedding… shall I go on…? LOL… and trust me we have always been diligent in trying to put things out of reach and keep him stimulated with other things… He’s also an escape artist, he can get out of his pen and his crate, and into drawers and doors with ease. It’s honestly shocking how many nights I’ve come home and it looks like my place has been ransacked by a burglar, but there’s the little porker laying in the middle of it all! It’s been quite the experience! Pigs can be wonderful but they are definitely outdoor pets…ReplyCancel

  • Natalie-Ann Landry - I love all your posts about your boys. All the funny things they do make me smile. Chester is the same way. HE loves finding things to nest with and make his little nook the comfiest possible. Nothing makes him happier then freshly washed blankets warm out of the dryer.

    It also gives me peace of mind to see the size of them. They have the same body as Chessey too. HE got weighed in a few months ago and was pushing 120 lbs. He eats very well ( and not in excess) , but I am so worried to see how big he will actually grow when he reaches his 3 yr old mark. I mean I love him just the same, but managing him at this size is a huge challenge. For surely not the tiny “Micro piggy” I was expecting, when I first started this adventure of being a piggy owner.

    I wish so much that we lived close enough that Chess could have play dates with his brother and half brother 🙂 So So cute!ReplyCancel

  • Shoot Rocco! » FreestyleFarm - […] few days away from Rocco while his ears healed. Normally they both slepted in the garage, in their stinky bed/tent (which they like very […]ReplyCancel

  • Sam Chell - One of the most honest and complete narratives of living with a micro, before and after (Henry appears to still be under a hundred pounds, which is a plus). I like pigs because they’re such great conversationalists (esp. when it’s a means to an end–i.e. food–or to avoid being placed in a vulnerable, prey-like position, like being lifted off the floor). Our recently adopted big black cat entertains us every night by jumping into bed to say “good night,”never simply “lying” on his side, or “positioning” himself in that posture. He does the “pig flop”–simply letting gravity take its course, letting his body go in any ungraceful or inconvenient place after he’s performed the “dead drop flop.” After a lifetime of cats, he’s the first unfailing flopper of the bunch.ReplyCancel

  • Samuel L. Chell - The addition of a companion for Henry probably alleviated some of the responsibility of attending to him at every moment. But the behavior of the two in their bedroom– gathering all sorts of additional items, etc.–resembles a pregnant sow’s “nesting activities” before giving birth. Pigs’ instincts are so family-based that I wonder if Henry and Rocco aren’t in some way acting out the expected behavior of the absent mother. On the rescue sites, mother pigs continue to gather nesting materials and build bedding for the remainder of their own or their piglets’ lives! Henry and Rocco are simply constructing a satisfying, substitute family structure.ReplyCancel

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