How to Install a Hog Nose Ring
Hog rings are an efficient way to make sure your pigs stay in their pens. Pigs love to root in the ground and have a tendency to root up an entire fence if you let them. A hog roots with its nose so a ring will cause discomfort when it tries to root up the ground. The use of hog rings will ensure that your pigs stay where you put them and save a lot of money on fence repair.
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Things You'll Need
- Hog squeeze shoot or catch pole
- Hog ring pliers
- Six hog rings
- Antibiotic cream
- Blood stop
Instructions
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1
Catch your hog by running it into a hog shoot and closing the squeeze bar. You can also use a hog catch pole by looping the rope from the pole through its mouth and around its upper jaw. The most important part in placing hog rings in your pig's nose is good restraint.
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2
Open the nose ring pliers and find the groove in the mouth of the pliers. Take one hog ring and place it in that groove. Grip the handle of the pliers with enough pressure to hold the ring in place, but not enough to bend the ring. Place a dab of antibiotic cream on each point of the nose ring.
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3
Start with the right nostril. Position the ring on the outside edge of the hog's snout. Place the ring on the outer nostril, not between the two nostrils. Hold the pliers straight so the two points of the ring will pierce the nostril and meet in the middle. Give the pliers a quick hard squeeze and the ring will pierce through the nostril. Release the ring. Repeat this procedure and place two more rings in the same side 1/2 inch apart.
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Place three more rings in the left nostril of the pig. There should be little bleeding if any. If your pig does bleed, sprinkle a little blood stop powder over the wound.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not have access to a hog shoot or a catch pole, you can use a thick rope to restrain your hog. Make a loop with a slipknot at one end of the rope. Catch your hog by looping the rope through its mouth and tightening it around the hog's upper jaw. Pigs do not fight much if you catch them by the upper jaw.
Squeeze the pliers as fast as you can when inserting the ring. The hog will flinch and try to pull away. Hog rings are sharp and penetrate the nose cartilage with ease.
