Warburg, AB | RCD - 1/12/2013 00:11
I farrow about 30 sows here and do everything myself.....because I have to. There are many times during farrowing that you walk by and that runt pig is on its side and you know it's hours are numbered. Many might question "How do you really know? If given a chance it might make it." In a perfect world that is the warm and fuzzy optimistic view, but but in reality I am 99.9% sure when I know that runt isn't going to make it. Sometimes I don't feel like euthanizing the piglet in the manner you described (even though it is an approved method according to approved animal husbandry practices) and figure I will dispose of it in the morning. Often timed after I get in for the night I feel more guilty about not euthanizing it as I know it is unnecessarily suffering per my decision.
Just had a situation yesterday where a sow had stepped on a piglet less than 6 hours old, tore open its belly, and its insides were no longer inside. The pigs destiny was set and I had the option to humanely remove it from it's misery or let it die a slow and painful death. I chose the prior. Sometimes it seems hard to carry out an act that seems contradictory to our nurturing characteristics, but it's really not about us or our feelings, it's about doing what is best for the animal(s) we are responsible for.
I can agree with you 100% on the ethics and morals behind your statements - after some thought and reflection, I guess my biggest issue isn't the outright "how" - it's the "how" it's actually conducted - during my wife's interview, there were some Filipino women who had to swing a piglet several times in order to fully dispose of it - that aspect I don't agree with.
I can also agree with hogboy1 and Kooiker, it's something that has to be done at times. Maybe it's more of "I have to actually see the other options in place before I can make an actual opinion" - perhaps it's too dangerous or too difficult shooting a bunch of sick or runty pigs. I'm also willing to bet you guys also make it quick and clean, which is humane -whereas the barn my wife went to, sadly, didn't.
Something else that rowled me up a bit, is since the barn raised breeding stock, not just finishers, if one had a bit of a limp or got stuck in a grate, or was splay-legged, off it. Again, maybe I'm soft, but I see that a bit excessive. I'm assuming splay-leggers can still be raised for bacon in a normal manner? Don't know why they wouldn't have a seperate pen to round up the "oddballs" and sell 'em off, but it probably doesn't conform to the all-in-all-out mentality.
Thanks for the input guys.
Bruce |
Pig/Piglet "Bouncing"
