Homestead Homeschool: Our Livestock Show!!!

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I promised that I’d share the results of the livestock show with you! The children had so much fun and learned so much. This was an all day event as we were there before 9 am and did not leave until almost 9 pm. I think we were all exhausted when it was over but it was a day well spent.

Elizabeth took her goat out in the ring a total of four times, once as a helper in the special needs show, once to be judged on showmanship, once to have the animal judged in the market class, and then for the final ‘auction’. She was awarded Reserve Champion (2nd place) for showmanship and 6th place for market class!

Matthew had three opportunities to take his pig in the ring, showmanship, market, and auction. He received 4th place in showmanship and 3rd place in market class. He did a great job and showed a tremendous improvement in control of his animal from last year. We were so proud of both of them.

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I hope you enjoy these pictures from the show. If you want to know more about their animals make sure you check out, Homestead Homeschool: Our 4-H Goat and Homesteading Homeschool: Our 4H Pig where I interviewed the children about their animals. Their next step will be to complete a project record book detailing their experiences and what they learned in the process. This is a great way for them to practice writing skills, typing skills, and financial math concepts. I love that they get a chance to use the things we are learning in a practical setting. It really helps them understand why they need the skills I am teaching them. Anyone else enjoy 4H projects?

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Homestead Homeschool: Our 4-H Goat

It is time for our monthly Homestead Homeschool post and this time I’ve interviewed my 10 year old daughter, Elizabeth. She is sharing today about the goat that she is raising for our 4-H livestock show next month. She is learning so much about responsibility, animal care, business, and public speaking. She will show her goat in the same show that my son shows his pig which we talked about last month in, Homesteading Homeschool: Our 4H Pig. If this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to contact your local 4-H agent. Even if you don’t have the land or space to raise an animal at your home there are often ways to keep the animal at a local farm and the child go there to care for the animal.

Tell me about your 4-H Goat Project.

“I am raising a goat to show in the 4H livestock show. I will have the goat for about two months. I am training the goat to be able to walk with me on a harness around the ring. ”

Tell me about your goat.

“My goat’s name is Cream because it looks like ice cream with a chocolate head and a vanilla body. It has floppy ears and a short tail. She is really cute and soft. I enjoy playing with her.”

What do you have to do with your goat each day?

“I have to feed it twice each day. I take it out on a harness and walk it each day to practice for the show. I provide it with clean water each day as well as hay. I spend time playing with it and rubbing it each day. ”

What does showing your goat look like?

“I will get it cleaned up and ready for the show. Then I will have it in a choker collar and it will walk with me around the show ring. I will need to keep it between me and the judge. I will do this twice. The first time is for showmanship where they judge how well I work with the goat. The second time they will look for the meat and characteristics of the goat for the market class. ”

What do you hope to learn and accomplish this year?

“I want to learn more about goats and how to show a goat. I hope to get grand champion at the show. ”

What do you think other people should know about showing goats?

“It is fun and easier than some other animals. ”

This is her first year showing an animal and I’m looking forward to watching her grow and learn through this process. She is planning to sell her goat after the show for breeding. While goats can go to to market and slaughter they are not required to and she preferred not to go that route. Goats can be shown on a circuit at several shows, but we are just participating in the one local show at this time. The show is in April and I’ll post some pictures and results afterwards. If you have any questions about 4-H you can contact your local cooperative extension office or check out our post, But I don’t do animals…or using 4-H in our homeschool.

If you participate in 4-H, tell us your favorite part in the comments. Also, please feel free to ask questions about the goat or the show in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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Homesteading Homeschool: Our 4H Pig

I mentioned last month that I planned to share a different part of our ‘homesteading’ adventures each month and how we use it to supplement our homeschooling. This month I am sharing about the pig that my son is raising for a 4H livestock show. I interviewed my son so that he could share in his own words about his experience with this project. This is his second time raising a pig and we can already see him applying the lessons he learned last year to this new animal. He is really looking forward to this year’s show (and filling up our freezer again.)

As a parent, I love that this experience helps him with responsibility. He has to take care of his animal several times a day, and train him each day. In addition he is learning about animal husbandry, nutrition, business (he has to raise money and keep records of what he spends) and gaining a better understanding of where food comes from. By North Carolina law the pig must be processed with-in two weeks of the show. We could send it to auction or have it processed for our personal consumption. So this is also a great way to fill our freezer with meat that we raised. We use a local processing facility to process the pig after the show. Last year he also used the experience to do an oral presentation for 4H to improve his public speaking skills.

We are fortunate enough to have the space to raise the pig here in our backyard which makes it easier for my son to care for and train his animal. However, if a child is interested in raising an animal and does not have the space of ability at their home there are often options for having them at local farms or facilities. Check with your local 4H agent or cooperative extension for more information on livestock opportunities in your area.

Tell me about your 4H Pig Project.

“I have to raise the pig for several months until the day of the show, take it to the show and then by North Carolina law it must go to slaughter with-in two weeks of the show.”

Why?

“To keep from spreading hog diseases.”

Tell me about your pig.

“I have a black 130 lb Duroc cross pig that is about 2 feet high at his head and 4 feet long altogether. His name is Pork Chop. He will hopefully be over 200 lbs by the time of the show. ”

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What do you have to do with your pig each day?

“I have to feed him 5 pounds each morning and 5 pounds each afternoon and then I fill its water bucket every morning. If the pig dumps the bucket I have to fill it again around mid-day. I also have to train it for the show ring so that it will be easier to show. Each day I go out to the pen and practice walking it around with the pig stick. If the pig does well it gets a marshmallow or pop tart as a treat.”

What does showing your pig look like?

“I will take it on the day of the show. First we will do showmanship competition where we see who can best handle the animal. I use a pig stick/whip and tap it on the shoulder or hock to get it to go left/right or forward and guide it around the ring. The judge may ask questions about how long I’ve had the pig, the breed, the feed I use, etc. Then we go into market class, which judges the animal’s meat and build. Finally we go into the auction ring in which you do not actually get rid of the animal like a normal auction, but people bid and sponsor your animal.”

What do you hope to learn and accomplish this year?

“I hope to learn more about better showing a pig.”

What do you think other people should know about showing pigs?

“That is not as easy as it sounds. You cannot leave your house for trips unless someone can come over and feed and water it. They have to be fed everyday. Unlike my chickens you cannot just leave a big bucket of food out for them or they will eat all of the food in one serving and then be hungry.”

We are enjoying having the pig for this short term project, though we are grateful that it is a short term project for us since it does hinder our ability to travel away from home without hiring someone to care for the pig. In addition to my son’s pig my daughter is raising a goat for the show. She is a bit tenderhearted and did not want to raise an animal that had to go to slaughter. Goats do not fall under the same law, so she will be able to sell it as a pet or for breeding after the show. I will share more about her goat and interview her for next month’s homesteading homeschool post. If you have more questions about the pig or questions about the goat feel free to ask in the comments and we will be happy to address them. For more information on 4H in general check out our But I don’t do animals…or using 4-H in our homeschool post.

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