The Livestock Rack is Done!

We had another day of working on the livestock rack, and we had another successful day!!!

I am very pleased with how it all turned out.  Dad and I wracked our brains on how to do the back of the rack.  I have literally zero experience with hogs, while Dad raised them 50 years ago.  While hogs really haven't changed, his memories of them have certainly faded a bit over the years!

So we made some phone calls to try to determine the size of a butcher hog.  This was no easy task!  The local hog association didn't have firm answers.  Searching the internet came up with nothing.  Everything is measured in pounds, not width or height.

But we decided to go a different direction than just a sliding door anyway.  Because hogs will be loaded via a chute into the back of my pick-up, we needed a way to keep them from going to the side of my tailgate when it's down.  Dad had this great idea thinking of how much the big hogs would be trying to avoid going into the truck.

The idea was to make swinging gates so that we could created a "V" and guide them in.  The chute or ramp would come up to the tailgate, and the "V" would keep them in.  Once inside the truck, the gates would be pushed shut, and the pigs would be in!

Simple but smart concept!

It was cold yet again today, and we had to work outside due to the size of my truck in Mom and Dad's garage, but we got the project complete!  Four inches of snow fell as we worked!

We had to work with the garage door open today!  BRR!!!  It snowed 4 inches during our build!

Our work surface.  Snow was falling on the open tailgate.

So for the cost of a saws-all blade and six used hinges from Habitat for Humanity, I now have a large, sturdy livestock rack ready for feeder pigs AND butcher hogs!  That's the best part!  Not only can I pick up the little guys, but I can haul them to market in six months, too!

The completed livestock rack!

Total cost?  About $6.

The Polley Farmstead is ready for bacon!!!

It was more work, but we added swinging doors in the back for an easier time loading (and containing) butcher hogs.

I am very pleased with how it turned out!  It's ready for pigs!

More than enough room inside for lots of bacon!

In other news, I am having significant bank loan issues right now, but I am not going to get into that...I want to focus on the positive!

We are waiting for you, piggies!!!  I also ordered automatic pig watering nipples last night, so I can have that project complete.

The closing company called today and said we are on for a March 14 closing date!  That's only 7 days away!!!  My, oh, my, it's happening!!!  That's why I want to be ready!  That's why I am getting these projects out of the way now!

Nice job, Pa!!!  Bring on the piggies!!!