Pigs and Turkeys Around Chacala

I caught I ride home to Chacala today with a local friend, who lives in Las Varas. He seems to have lots of different business dealing going on, and one of them is raising hogs. It’s a family venture on his Dad’s place and a brother is involved too.I am starting to have the impression that many folks around this area have a family rancho in the area, and then actually live in town. “Rancho” is probably an exaggeration.Some of the places might be two hectares. It’s hard to tell.This a heavily agricultural area: fruit trees, bananas, pineapple, cattle, hogs, vegetables corn, grain, tobacco. All kinds of things.My friend asked if I wanted to check out his new pig set-up. The previous one was in an orchard area of his family’s place.Once, about a year ago, his family and I went out to drop some restaurant garbage off at the pig place. And to spray off the pigs with water. When it’s really hot I guess they have to do that every afternoon, to cool the pigs off.

Anyway, we drove out to the place, about a mile off the Las Varas-Chacala road, and stopped at the side of a field. The pigs and ducks were kind of co-existing, with a turkey, who watching over the whole group.I think there were maybe a hundred hogs of various sizes all together. Some in ugly cement roofed pens, and others in open field areas. Separated by size.

I had never seen the back-side of an almost full-sized hog before and I was kind of impressed with this guy.These little guys were about five days old.He told me that they grow wheat and corn on the place for feed for the hogs. I saw a plot that was maybe 3/4s of an acre right close to the pens. I would be curious to see how they harvest such small fields.

This turkey kind of ignored me at first.But when he realized I was taking photos he starting showing his stuff. Pretty big guy.I forgot to ask why they had a turkey there, but I suspect he is a guard turkey.A worker sleeps in a little shed on the place, as security. It probably helps to have a turkey around, as well as a couple of dogs.