Anyone work in at a farrowing house lately?

Question

I start working at one next week and was just wandering what where your likes and dislikes of the job?

Answer 1

AP, I've worked in a farrowing house, not lately, but years ago. It's not a bad job, but as you said that you know, the smell is really the bad part. You will never get used to it and it seems like you will not ever get rid of it. It's great working with the little pigs. I've never had to kill a runt. We were usually able able to give them to another sow, or I would take them home with me and raise them with a bottle. You will find some jobs that you won't like, but nothing you can't live with. Good luck with your job.

Answer 2

I guess that killing runts always bothered me.

I always found it a bit threatening to have to reach for a piglet where a sow could reach me. The sow can rip one in two if the piglet starts squealing.

I understood why we had to break off canine teeth to prevent having them rip each other to shreds later. It did cause a lot of pain, however.

Another pain problem was castration. We could claim it was to make them better citizens, but in reality it was because consumers do not like to eat boar.. they prefer pork to taste as though all pigs were young sows.

Answer 3

The noise is hellacious...

When I worked at a hog operation, we had to cut the needle teeth, clip the tails, and castrate the piglets that had just been born.  All was done without anesthesia, and I felt like I was hurting the pig.  I was not a fan of that.