Participating Marion County 4-H youth are “oinking it up” by raising pigs for the annual Pig Squeal coming up next month.

HAMILTON — Participating Marion County 4-H youth are “oinking it up” by raising pigs for the annual Pig Squeal coming up next month. The event will be held on Saturday, May 17, at 10 a.m., at the Fayette County Multipurpose Complex at 650 McConnell Loop in Fayette.
What is a Pig Squeal? The event combines area 4-H students from Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Walker and Winston counties into a show and auction. The youth are given pigs at approximately 60 days old, usually in January of each year. The students care for the pigs and learn other skills such as business management and record-keeping. At the Squeal, each student is divided into age categories and shows their pig to judges for awards. After the showcasing, the pigs are then auctioned off.
Marion County has 10 4-H youth participating this year. One of these students is Avery McCullough, 10 year old fifth grade student at Hamilton Middle School and daughter of Scott and Michelle McCullough.
Avery received her two pigs on Jan. 20. She manages to juggle school, softball and taking care of the pigs.
“Usually in the mornings, I fill up their feeder and make sure they have water before school,” Avery described. “After I get home from school, I feed them again and make sure they have enough water. I work with them in the

evening.
“I was very excited,” she said about the day she got the pigs but expressed her surprise at the size of them.
“I noticed how big they were! They were supposed to be 50 lbs., and they were 100 lbs. when we got them. I was a little nervous, but when I got in (the pen) and played with them a little bit, they were very fun and engergetic.”
Avery explained the process of what she does in preparing the pigs for the Squeal. One of the main areas looked at by officials during the competition is knowing where the judge is standing in relation to the pig. A competitor must always face the judge while guiding the pig in the arena.
“I take the stick and bump their sides and try to keep their head up so they won’t root,” she said. “We have round pen panels set up, three around their pen, so it’s about a 12 by 12, and we walk them out there.”
Practicing for the event is essential. David Daniel, Dallas County Extension coordinator, has judged the 2023 and 2024 Pig Squeals and explained what he looks for during judging.
“It’s about the youth exhibiting and showcasing their work and how much they know about it and how well they took care of it,” he said.
When asked about the record-keeping, Avery described some of the things she has to keep a record of, such as any veterinary issues, any behavior changes, keep up with all the profits and losses and the amount the pig is fed daily. Her father Scott has been helping her by standing in as a judge to help her practice for the event.
Extension is anticipating auctioning at least 32 pigs this year at the event, but they do need help in the form of sponsorships to help cover the costs, which include judges, student prizes and awards.
“They are trying to get people to contribute to the cost,” Scott said. “We had to pay for the pigs, but that’s a small part of everything that goes into this. They’re trying to get help with sponsors.”
For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Rebecca Danley at the Marion County Extension Office at 205-921-3551.