Friday, May 4, 2012

This little piggie went to market.

This little piggie stayed home. Photo by me.
Everyone knows the rhyme (and if you don't, I feel sorry for you).

This little piggie went to market
This little piggie stayed home
This little piggie had roast beef
This little piggie had none
This little piggie went we we we all the way home

So.....Pigs!

Swine were one of the first animals to be domesticated, and the Chinese were the first to raise wild pigs for food. The Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto was the first person to introduce pigs to the Americas.

Male pigs are called boars and female pigs are called sows. Sows have litters of piglets twice a year, and the litters have about eight to twelve babies. Piglets are weaned when they are two to four weeks old. They are called "nursery pigs" until they reach 50 pounds, "growing/finishing" pigs from then 'till 240 pounds, and after that they are called "hogs".

Pigs have the reputation of being dirty, but they're actually one of the cleanest farm animals. They can't sweat, so they roll around in mud to cool off.

Pigs come in a multitude of colors, from pink to white to black to black and white. They have small eyes and poor eyesight, but pigs are pretty fast--they can run a seven minute mile. Wild hogs are strong and fierce and live in jungles and forests all around the world.

Source: http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/aitc/lessons/extras/facts/swine.html