Headley children learn ins and outs of raising pigs

BIRMINGHAM — The Headley family of rural Birmingham is likely familiar to county fairgoers who have seen the three Headley children show their pigs and cattle at both the Jefferson and Van Buren county fairs.

Father Craig Headley and Mother Devon both grew up on farms, and today they are instilling those farm values in their children: Bailey, age 14; Braxton, age 12; and Brooklyn, age 10. The kids attend the Van Buren County School District, where Bailey and Braxton are members of its FFA program, since Van Buren allows students to join as young as seventh grade, which Braxton is in.

The family has a cow-calf operation, but the pigs on the farm are not commercial; they’re just for 4-H projects. During this most recent fair season, Bailey showed four pigs, with Braxton showing three and Brooklyn two. They competed in divisions such as breeding swine, market barrow and market gilt.

The pigs shown at the fair are born in early December. By the first of February, the Headleys are out scouting for pigs. One of Craig’s best friends, Drew Johnson, is into show pigs, so he joins the family in visiting local breeders to pick the best pigs, which are about 40 pounds when the kids get them.

Craig said his role with the pigs is just to make sure none of them are sick and that they’re taken care of, but the Headley children do all the day-to-day chores. That means feeding them before and after school every day, cleaning the manure from the pig pens every day, and giving them new bedding once a week.

Once the weather gets a bit nicer in the spring the temperature rises above 50 degrees, the three Headley children start regularly washing the pigs and driving them in the yard, which means practicing leading them around so they learn to walk in a straight line with their head up.

“When they get a month or two away from the fair, the kids are washing the hogs twice a day and driving them twice a day,” Craig said.

The kids get out of bed at 6 a.m. so they have time to do their chores before school. After school is a busy time for all three since they participate in baseball and softball.

“Sometimes it’s late in the evening when they get the chance to walk [the pigs],” Craig said. “One time, I had to shine my headlights on the yard so that Braxton could walk his hog after a baseball game.”

Craig said the kids don’t have to “cram” before the fair. In fact, in the week leading up to the fair, he likes to tell them, “The hay is in the barn. Let’s go hunting.”

“The fair is the reward for all the hard work they’ve done,” he said.