Handling the young pig

Piglets can be caught from behind and held by grasping the hind leg just above the hock. The small piglet can then be lifted by placing the other hand under the chest and lifting the animal. When holding the piglet always support its weight against you. By the time the piglet is weaned it will be too heavy to lift.

Handling the older pig

Pigs will naturally head for a gap (or opening) when you approach them or try to catch them. You can use this habit to make the pig go where you want it to If two pig boards (wooden boards 0.8m square) are placed either side of the pig’s head it will move forward in the direction the handlers want it to go. As the animal gets older it can be trained to move under the control of one handler who uses a board and a wooden bat about 1 m long.

Restraining a pig

You can restrain a pig by holding it with ropes against a wall or fence. Large pigs can be easily restrained with a rope or wire loop around the snout.