Home

Steamboat Springs — Harry and Shealie Jenkins keep their noses to the grindstone at least four hours a week, all for the benefit of Bambi, Flower, Morgan and Mr. McStifflestumps.

Harry and Shealie feed, water, train and clean the pen for the four pigs. The 4-H members, who live on the family ranch outside Steamboat Springs, are raising the hog quartet for the Routt County Fair in August. Harry, 12, and Shealie, 14, each have a pink male Hampshire pig and a brown female Duroc.

"Some people don't like to name them because they get too attached," Shealie said. "But I like to name them anyway."

Hers are Bambi, a Hampshire, and Flower, a Duroc. Harry's are Mr. McStifflestumps, a Hampshire, and Morgan, a Duroc.

Harry Jenkins and his dad, Tim, bought the four pigs for $1,125 in April at an auction in Wyoming, Harry said. They weighed 91 to 112 pounds when the Jenkins children logged them at the 4-H weigh-in May 13.

They'll sell the pigs at the fair and hope there's profit after they reimburse their parents for the 50-pound bags of pig feed. Both also participate in horseback riding through 4-H.

Youths pour a lot of effort into their livestock projects, Routt County 4-H Agent Jay Whaley said. According to a survey done last year, youths who do sheep, swine and goat projects spend five months caring for animals.

"That means seven days a week at least once a day caring for that animal," Whaley said. "There's no vacations when you're caring for livestock."

Youths spend an average of $570 on an animal, including feed and supplies. They average about 300 hours of work and net an average of $900 from the sale of each animal.

Harry and Shealie will be able to sell only one pig each at auction. Shealie said she was concerned about the economy. Last year, she sold a pig at auction for $2,000 and another privately for $700.

After that, she had to pay back her parents for the pounds of pig feed her animals ate.

"I made a profit last year," Shealie said. "This year, we're a little worried because there's a lot of kids doing it, and the economy is low."

Numbers are going up, Whaley confirmed. Routt County 4-H members are raising 280 pigs, lambs, steers and goats. They raised 229 across the categories last year. And there are more members: 260 this year compared with 219 last year.

Selling animals could be more difficult this year, Whaley acknowledged. But it's also a lesson in business, he said.

"That animal is their small business, and they have to care for it, work on it and market it. : It's also a lesson in supply and demand and the reality of life," Whaley said.

Supporters of 4-H are setting up a fund to help buy animals and support the youths, he said.

Back at the Jenkins ranch, Harry and Shealie are going about their business. Their pigs are gaining weight at a good pace, which means they'll weigh enough to be sold at fair, Shealie said. This is Harry's first year, and he's learning from his sister and from experience.

"If you're standing too close to them, they'll chew on your pants," he said. "If you put your foot up, they'll chew on your boot."

And the family has gotten used to wrangling loose pigs, said their mom, Mary Jenkins.

"The good thing about them escaping is each time they get a little better at coming back," she said.

Of course, the children do most of the work and will keep at it through the Routt County Fair in August.

"They're very talented," Mary Jenkins said.