Pig ear tagging was yet another task that we had never done before but which had to be completed before they leave for the abattoir on Sunday. There have been many first time tasks since we moved here so we’re getting used to the feeling.
It was very similar with our first attempt at killing a home-grown chicken a while ago so we know that even a simple task can seem so much bigger in your head ahead of time.
As it turned out, ear tagging for the pigs really wasn’t such a big deal for us or the pigs as they barely noticed. The hardest bit was probably making sure I had the right spot, they may be off to the abattoir soon but I didn’t want to stick the tag through anything important. It was also a question of careful timing to get it done quickly before the head moved and I lost the moment!
There was the briefest of interruptions to their breakfast and, to my untrained eye at least, it appeared that they only felt a very slight discomfort. They just went straight back to their food afterwards which was very reassuring for me!
