Pigs teach life's lessons

'They're really sweet once you get to know them'

July 12, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU -- It may be summer vacation, but Lazy Mountain residents Auberin Strickland, 10, and his older brother, Dunedin Strickland, 13, are hard at work, slopping three burgeoning hogs.

Each morning and evening, the home-schooled brothers feed, water and exercise their swine, which go by the names, Ferdinand, Louis XIV and Stinko (the backup).

The brothers are part of roughly 500 4-H participants in the Mat-Su this year and while a growing number of kids are moving away from the traditional livestock projects, the ruddy, tanned-faced boys wanted the thrill of rearing real, live pigs.

Last week, the young farmers talked fondly of their summer projects, while watching the swine snort, grunt and feverishly inhale a trough of feed in their pigpen.

"They're really sweet once you get to know them," Auberin said, as he gently scratched Ferdinand's fleshy ear. "They sure eat a lot, though. I didn't realize they would grow that fast."

As the pigs grow, the duo keeps track of their feed intake, weight gain and exercise routines, which all help with the larger 4-H goal of developing life skills in the youngsters.

"Kids are learning skills that they can apply for the rest of their lives," said Lee Hecimovich, a 4-H youth development agent for the Mat-Su Copper River District. "They're learning citizenship and leadership skills."

Hecimovich said the program also encourages families to work together.

"We're very family-oriented," she said. "Instead of just dropping off the kids and running, we try to get parents and younger siblings involved. You need family involvement."

Auberin and Duniden's mother, Pam, said the pig project is definitely a family affair.

"They're a lot of fun," she said.

The pigs weighed about 60 pounds when the Stricklands first bought them from a neighbor this spring. Since then, they've tripled in size and now dwarf both boys. If all goes as planned, the animals will gain another 70 to 80 pounds (about two pounds a day) before the Alaska State Fair begins in late August. The boys' overall goal is to sell their pigs at the state fair's 4-H livestock auctions.

"It's really fun, but it's a lot of work," Dunedin said. "The hardest part is controlling them."

To keep the creatures in prime form, the boys walk their pigs every day. It's a chore loaded with unexpected challenges.

"When Ferdinand was little, he was just a squealy little pig and I never thought I'd be able to walk him," Auberin recalled. "Now I've walked him a mile. When they get bigger they're a lot less freaked. I think it's because I've just spent a lot more time with him."

During a walk last Thursday, however, Ferdinand proved he could still be a little pig-headed when the mood hit him.

The moment he left the pig-pen, Ferdinand sniffed and snorted through fireweeds and thick grass along the road where the boys excersice the animals. Auberin tapped a long stick near Ferdinand's cheek to keep him in line whenever he wavered too far from the road side.

For the most part the technique worked but Ferdinan did escape once through the brush.

"It's like walking a rhinoceros," Pam said. "Sheep and lambs are easy to handle but these guys are difficult. A grown man would have trouble."

Despite the animals stubborn nature, Pam said she's glad her boys are learning to raise pigs this summer.

She said the family has raised and eaten thier own animals since 1991 but for the last eight years they've lived in Europe for work and educational reasons.

Last year they returned to their Palmer home and decided to start raising animals again, including 75 chickens.

"I think it's really good for the kids," she said. "If you're going to be a meat eater, it's good to know where the meat comes from because then you have a better understanding of the process and you're less likely to feed the animals things you don't want to have to eat later on. It also teaches the boys responsibility."

Perhaps the toughest lesson is learning to let the pigs go after the auction. Auberin has grown attached to Ferdinand but said he still plans to follow through with the plan to sell him off at the end of the summer to be slaughtered and eaten.

"I spend about two hours with him every day, so it will be a little sad but it won't be that bad," he said, while adding matter of factly that, financially, it just wouldn't make sense. "You can keep your pig if you want but you really don't want to -- it's really expensive."

In all, each pig will cost about $500 by the time they head to the butcher.

Auberin said he's learned a lot about swine in his first year raising the animals, including one surprising detail -- they're not as stinky as people think.

"They just have one corner where they use the toilet," he said. "They're actually pretty good about that. They're not trained, they just do it. It was pretty surprising."

Pigs can't sweat, however, which is why they love the mud.

"They do like to be muddy," Auberin said. "When it rains, they dig a hole with their snouts and they just lay down in the mud."

Next year the family plans to raise animals again.

"I always wanted to raise animals," Pam said. "Years ago, we used to raise sheep goats, 35 rabbits, Turkeys and pheasants but we've been gone for eight years. We missed that when we left."

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.