That'll Do Pig

If you read the blog on June 27th or have been keeping up with the blog all summer, you’ve already heard all about our F.A.R.M. program (Food, Animals, Repurposing, and Manpower). However, just yesterday our program grew by two new friends! Yesterday afternoon, FARM Manager Zeb returned to camp with two American Guinea Hogs, Wilma and Marvin. These two pigs will be living at camp along with the 23 hens and 5 bee hives, and are ready to not only hang out with the campers but also eat some of our food waste. Wilma and Marvin are educational for our boys and can teach a lot about livestock care, but they are also extremely friendly, already proving to be a great addition to the camp community.

Ancestors of the American Guinea Hog were once the most popular breed of pig in the Southeast United States. Even Thomas Jefferson kept them! They are a rare breed in modern agriculture now, related to the extinct Improved Essex and Red Guinea hogs. Though we will be supplementing their diet with food waste from the dining hall, these pigs are great foragers and have been enjoying their pasture snacks. Both Wilma and Marvin have black coats, bristly hair, upright ears, and are about the size of a labrador dog, though stockier and with shorter legs.

This morning during activities, the boys were able to meet the two pigs for the first time. Ransom had been so busy on trip last week that he didn’t make it to any of his activities, but today was his first day at the FARM. When he heard they were meeting the pigs, he exclaimed, “Oh sweet! I chose the perfect day to come!” We walked over to the old orchard where the pigs are living to say hello to Wilma and Marvin. “They’re like puppies!” Yates B. said, as Wilma rolled around in the grass and grunted hello. Since these pigs are a heritage breed of smaller pig, they won’t get as big as the classic pink farm pigs that might first come to mind.

Zeb introducing the boys to Wilma and Martin, camp’s new pigs

As the pigs get more used to us, we’ll be able to pet them and give them head scratches or belly rubs like a dog. Today, we simply hung out in the pen with them, but didn’t attempt to pet them since they are just getting comfortable in their new homes and we don’t want to scare them or chase them. Will B. said that he had never actually seen a pig in real life before. “I kind of thought they would be bigger, and I didn’t know they would be hairy,” he replied when I asked if they were what he expected. Wilma got into her water bucket, splashing around and dumping the water on herself. Since it was a hot day, the boys got the hose and sprayed cool water into the air, raining down on Wilma like a sprinkler. She grunted in approval and enjoyed the refreshing bath. Meanwhile, Marvin was intent on digging a large hole, rolling in the cool dirt and munching on grass roots. “My dog does the same thing!” Yates noted, while spraying Marvin with some refreshing hose water too.

Because of Wilma and Marvin’s apparent affinity for water, the first thing we’ll do to improve their pen is add “kiddy pools” so they can splash around. The boys were also very interested in helping out with their shelter, and wanted to expand the pallet structure and add a sturdier roof. During Special Signups this Sunday, they can choose to help build improvements like that, as well as spending some more quality time with the pigs. Several of the boys couldn’t get enough. “Can we have a FARM Overnight and sleep here in the pen with the pigs?” some of the boys even asked. Though we won’t take them up on that suggestion, it’s exciting to see the enthusiasm the boys have for these creatures, and it will be fun to teach them how to care for Wilma and Marvin.

As we walked back, Owen remarked, “I want to turn my backyard into a pig pen at home!” We discussed what a great option that would be if you didn’t want to eat your broccoli at dinner, and you could just throw it out the window to the pig. However, we decided that his parents probably wouldn’t have the same enthusiasm for Owen’s idea. Though the pigs were the ones having the mud bath today, the boys are already looking forward to their own mud bath during the 4th of July celebrations on Thursday! Down at the Green River Flats, we’ll have our annual mud pit all ready to go, and boys are sure to be channeling their inner guinea hog as they play around and have some “good clean fun!”

-Annie Pharr

Saying hello to one of our new pigs, Wilma

More Highlights From This Tuesday

Another Green and Gold day! We kicked off the day with a minute-to-win-it challenge during Morning Assembly. Boys had to bounce a ping pong ball on the ground, then catch it in a bucket held on their heads! This time, Green was victorious.
Breakfast: Warm biscuits and gravy with eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and a yogurt bar
Lunch: Tuesday tacos! Ground beef, tortillas, corn and black bean salsa, tomato salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese, plus a full salad bar for taco salad options. Sliced watermelon, pears, and peaches were also on the table, and cherry cobbler was for dessert.
Dinner: Chicken over rice with egg rolls, mixed veggies, and popsicles for dessert.
Thomas H. earned Ranger in Lacrosse
Harry-O was presented with the “white tiger staff-of-the-week award” during lunch, noticed for his constant positivity all summer long!
Evening Program: More opportunities to earn Green and Gold points! Boys split into tribes with Cherokee on the turf field, Catawba at the swim docks, Tuscarora at the courts and Iroquois playing dodgeball in the “thunder dungeon.”

Hanging out with the horses at the barn