Farewell Pigs :( .... For Now....

Our piggies were transported to a slaughter and processing facility last week.  The farmer (Rick) we bought the pigs from transported them along with his own animals.  He was really impressed with how well the pigs did and commented on it several times.  The pigs were on pasture and some food scraps but had pellet feed offered to them daily.  Pigs are not ruminants but rather are omnivores.  Pigs are limited in their ability to break down grass so they need more in their diet.  When they were young we gave our pigs feed with 16-18% protein mixed in, but when they reach about 100lbs we decreased that to 12-14%.  We bought pre-mixed feed at the local feed store but prices were up this year some due to the drought in the mid-west.  It is possible to reduce the amount of feed needed by planting crops (such as legumes) in your pasture for them to eat.  Whey (a bi-product of the cheese making process) is also a good protein source to give pigs.  Soooo, if we had milk goats...... :)
With all said, their nutrition is important.  Between the two of them they ate about 50lbs (1 bag) of feed every 3 days during their last month of life (along with pasture and foraging).  I attached photos just to show again how fast these boogers grow.
8 weeks old-

20 weeks later or 28 weeks old-

The goal weight was at least 225 lbs which is typical market weight but they exceeded that at 'final weigh in'.  Jonathan had been measuring their girth and length which gives you a decent estimate..... but we were anxious to hear how close our measurements were.  Rick called the next day after he dropped them off and told me their actual weight.  The male weighed in at a massive 283 lbs and the female 252 lbs.  Our measurements and projections were not far off estimating the male was at 288 lbs and the female at 276 lbs.  This is our progress chart we kept-

The meat will be ready to pick up in about 3-4 weeks, the long lead time is due to a back up at the smoke house since the holidays are close.
Were we sad to see them go?  We did not name them which was a huge help, that way we didn't humanize them.  Jonathan said he wasn't sad.  I was for just a bit but was comforted to know they had a good happy life here and the processing facility is known for humane handling procedures.  The facility is part of an organic family farm and is a few hours away in Canaan, NY.  So it seems to be a good place if Rick thinks it's worth the trip.  I didn't know what little man M would say, he did watch them get loaded up-

Once they drove off he said he wanted them to come back.... but I explained they were going bye bye and he wasn't upset and hasn't asked about them since.
Was it hard to raise the pigs?  No, not really.  I think the chickens and the pigs are easier than having an indoor dog.  You don't have to walk them or let them out to do their potty thing.  Only nuisance was ensuring they were being checked on when we were traveling.  Are we going to do it again next year?  Yes, and maybe going to get more than two.  We are keeping one pig's meat for ourselves but the other we offered to friends for sale and most all of the meat was asked for.
So we hope to be all set for the winter for our pork needs.  Now we just have to up our game in the garden to have enough vegetables that will keep into the winter also.
(Our sweet potato crop was a little better this year, but apparently the retrieval process was somewhat more involved)-