Our Family's Living Piggy Bank: Our Journey in Raising Pigs

Have a Blessed Day to all my fellow Hivers and everyone around the world!
Today, I want to share another part of our simple farm life our small piggery. Before anything else, I just want to say that this blog is only for awareness and to share our experience as a farming family. I also respect our Muslim friends and others whose beliefs do not allow them to raise or eat pork. This is simply a glimpse of our everyday life.

For our family, our pigs are our living bank. Whenever we need extra money for our family's needs, our farm, or unexpected expenses, our pigs become one of our biggest sources of income. That's why we always take good care of them because they are one of our family's investments.

But these days, many hog raisers, including us, are worried because of the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). Every time I hear news about ASF reaching another place, I can't help but pray that our pigs will remain healthy. I know how painful it is for farmers to lose animals that they have spent months raising.

Because of that, we have become even more careful in taking care of them.
We always make sure that their pens are clean. We bathe them regularly, feed them the right amount, and keep their surroundings as comfortable as possible. Every afternoon, we make smoke around the piggery to help drive away mosquitoes and other insects. Even though our piggery already has ceiling fans, we still do our best to protect them because we believe that cleanliness and proper care are very important.

My husband is the one who takes care of our pigs every single day. He feeds them, checks on them, and makes sure everything is fine. One thing that always makes me laugh is how worried he gets whenever the feeds are almost empty. Once he notices that only a few sacks are left, he immediately starts thinking about buying more. Sometimes I tease him because he gets so stressed about it, but I know it's because he truly cares about our pigs.

Whenever he has important errands or is away from home, I become the one in charge. I feed the pigs, clean their area, and make sure everything is okay until he comes back. Raising pigs has become a shared responsibility in our family.

One of the best times for us is during harvest season in our rice farm. That is usually when we buy feeds in bulk because we already have income from our harvest. Honestly, there are times when I tell myself, "Maybe we shouldn't buy too many sacks of feeds so we can use the money for other things." But then I remember that feeding the pigs is also an investment. If they grow healthy, they will also give us a good return in the future.
Even our daughter joins us in her own little way. She loves helping us mix the feeds with ground corn. Of course, for her it's just playtime, but seeing her enjoy simple farm life makes me happy. It's nice to see her growing up surrounded by farming because these simple experiences also teach responsibility.

Through the years, I've learned that raising pigs is not just about feeding them every day. It takes patience, consistency, and dedication. There are days when we're tired, days when feeds become expensive, and now we also have to worry about ASF. But despite all these challenges, we continue because this small piggery has helped our family many times.

For us, our pigs are more than just livestock. They represent our hard work, our sacrifices, and our dreams for our family. They may not stay with us forever because one day they will be sold, but every pig we raise brings us one step closer to achieving our goals.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our family's simple journey. To all my fellow farmers and livestock raisers, I pray that God will continue to bless our farms, protect our animals from diseases like ASF, and reward all the hard work we put into providing for our families.

Have a nice day! 💛