PIG!!

[Showinggoats]

My pig is 175 lbs and his ham looks full from a side profile, but when you look at him from behind his butt isn't very full. It is saggy looking. i don’t know who to fix this… supplements,exercise,etc.
*My fair is in 40 days*

 

[Alaskan]

My pig is 175 lbs and his ham looks full from a side profile, but when you look at him from behind his butt isn't very full. It is saggy looking. i don’t know who to fix this… supplements,exercise,etc.
*My fair is in 40 days*

Saggy to me sounds like exercise is what is needed.

 

[Baymule]

You can raise his feed trough so that he has to put his front feet on it to eat.

 

[Show Sebright]

If you trained him on a harness you can make them pull stuff. They did that with the pig 2 years ago. Get him to run. Maybe give him a bit of champion drive.

 

[Ridgetop]

All those suggestions are good although these days exercise is less necessary than it used to be. Now genetics have given us hogs with less fat and more muscle. At 170 lbs. your market hog is not finished. He needs another 50-60 lbs. to reach the ideal slaughter weight of 225-230 lbs. Depending on whether he has a large or small frame, maybe more or less. Those 50 lbs. he will still gain should fill out his hams. Another important thing to look for is the crease that should run down the spine showing heavy muscling in the loin on either side of the spine.

Do you have access to a scale? Have you been weighing him? By now you should have an idea of how much he is gaining on a monthly/weekly/daily rate. Figure out his daily weight gain and feed accordingly. You substitute oats for part of the pig ration to cut weight gain if he is too heavy. You add corn to increase weight gain. Make sure to do this early enough in your feeding program. The hog that has been on a diet or short feed for the last couple weeks before show does not look his best. Better to have an overweight hog than one that has obviously been "held".

Weight loss with oats must be done over a longer time period since putting your hog on a diet at the last couple weeks is easily identified by the judge. Pushing your hog to gain is easier. You want any market animal to be constantly gaining weight up to the moment it steps into the show ring for a nicely filled out and finished look.

As to exercise, you can run the hog, but with record temps all over the country and the fact that pigs can't sweat, I don't recommend it. Instead, exercise him with your show stick (and work on showmanship at the same time) early in the morning and later in the afternoon when temps are lower. If you have shade, you can also work him a short time during the day since he needs to be used to handling during the heat. (You don't know what time of day the judging will take place.) Don't work him too long in the heat and hose him off afterwards to cool him down. A well-handled hog will get the judge's attention because you can keep him always in front of the judge in the ring. A terrific hog that is running wild all over the ring or pushing into a corner can't be seen by the judge and will not always place where it should.

Remember to use sunscreen on your hog if you shave him since their skin is very tender.