Breeding-interested neighbor.

[Justin]

My daughter recently made a friend. Her mom came to pick her up a few times. She is also asking my wife teach fine art to her another, older daughter.

Anyway, she found my pigs charming. Last night, she asked me to "rent" one of my boars so she can buy a sow and do little backyard breeding.

I praise her exquisite taste of recognizing handsome boars, as well as sense of economic efficiency. But I said I am not so much into breeding for some reasons. I didn't say much to not scare her off. Since she visits almost every other day, I will have plenty time to inform her slowly. Better yet, I can just give this website.

On a separate issue. I and my wife are seriously considering to go back to non-organic milk. Last night she suggested that organic milk's lack of vital ingredients such as various growth hormones and antibiotics accounts for the difference of heights between her daughter and mine. Would you think few inches are worth few years of life expectancy? Being not so tall myself, I think the answer may be yes. I don't know.

[Susan9608]

On a separate issue. I and my wife are seriously considering to go back to non-organic milk. Last night she suggested that organic milk's lack of vital ingredients such as various growth hormones and antibiotics accounts for the difference of heights between her daughter and mine. Would you think few inches are worth few years of life expectancy? Being not so tall myself, I think the answer may be yes. I don't know.

Is this a joke?

[Justin]

Originally Posted by Susan9608

Is this a joke?

It should be, right? I think I am still sane. It's still a joke for me.

But we are desperate. I am short. My wife is even shorter. It hurts to see our daughter shorter than average too. So the joke might become reality at any given time, when our will weans off. Hormones and antibiotics helped cows and the neighbors daughters grow faster. It's not the first time that I heard that story. I have relatives who actively feed their children unproven growth hormones. It's common in Korea.

Sad.

BTW, the neighbor wasn't joking.

[Jane_G]

This is wrong on so many levels I don't know where to start. Giving your children growth hormones is not something taken lightly. It needs to be under a doctors care and only after careful consideration and also only if there is a hormonal issue.

My son has medical issues and for the past two years has barely grown or gained weight. He had a tube surgically inserted into his stomach in November. He has this so he can get a special formula since he had an allergic reaction to all food proteins. He doesn't really eat by mouth anymore. He has a few foods that he has passed a trial on and he eats those mainly for the habit of eating, not nutrition.

The thought of growth hormones never even entered the plan. With proper nutrition, he will start to grow again and eventually catch up to where he should be.

If you really think your kids have a growth problem, they should see a specialist. Their pediatrition should be able to point you in the right direction. All it would take is some blood tests to see if everything is alright.

I hope you will reconsider giving your kids something that might hurt them.

[Cosmictadpole]

I have a feeling he's totally joking, but he is kind of nutty, so who knows?! Justin, being short is not necessarily a curse. I am short and enjoy being cutely miniature. Guys enjoy it too, because it makes them feel bigger around me! I can also use it as an excuse to make others do things for me, like get down items from tall cupboards. Tell your daughter to make the best of her adorable stature! It's definitely better than giving her weird hormones that might turn her into a fully developed woman by the time she's 8 years old.

[steve_and_pigs]

It this at all related to:

Velvet Deer Antler, Nature's HGH or human growth hormone, IGF-1 from red deer velvet antler

[Justin]

Being insecure, in addition to be nutty, I get easily affected by others. It's nice to be assured by some sane people. The answers I got from another forum were... different. I was encouraged on the milk, and some other options too. Anyway, she is only a kinder gardener. I will convince my wife to hold on the milk.

Jane_G: I am deeply sorry for your son. I really hope he will get better. There are a few shorter kinder mates of my daughter. She doesn't have any medical problem.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by steve_and_pigs

It this at all related to:

Velvet Deer Antler, Nature's HGH or human growth hormone, IGF-1 from red deer velvet antler

Thanks for the information. Deer Antler is very popular in Korea. People have believed in it for thousand of years. But being a naturalist (contrary to a super-naturalist as so elegantly put by Weatherlight), I am skeptical on things not scientifically proven.

[thalestral]

I recommend reading these

Dairy Products & Health

The Dairy Cow
The Poor Mother
The Poor Calf

[hydrohoki]

Being below average in height isn't a curse. I'm not extremely short; however, caving with my tall friends is insanely fun. I get to gloat about not having to duck!

Living on a school bus for 3 months was far more comfortable for me than my fellow classmates (yes we lived on a bus). Plus when everyone stands up on the plane to get off, I can stand even when I'm the window seat.

The downside for me is that somehow everyone thinks I'm 5-6 inches taller than I am. Ask my friends and they'll argue with you that I'm tall. Weird. (I'm 5'4" for the record.)

[Haley0489]

I'm only 5'1½", I haven't grown any in about 4 years...Being short is fun!
And if your daughter is only in kindergarten, she has plenty of time to shoot up like a weed.

[auburnmare5]

On the back yaerd beeding question- You shoudl tell her all of the risks about breding such a oyung animal. If she really wants babies, she should adopt a pregnant female who (the previous owner) thought they could handle breeding, but they probably could not. But make sure you tell her as much as you can about this problem, and make sure the rescue tells her as well. Ask her fi she is really willing to spend possibly in the thousands of dollars on vet care if something goes wrong. Will she really be able to devote a good majority of her time to taking care of pups and a momma?
Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.

[Justin]

I will let you guys know how it works out. But it will be slow. I have some feeling that she will be scared off if I tell her everything at once. I will do it slowly so there is still some chance that she will adopt a couple of pigs after learning the facts.

By all means, I will make sure that she wouldn't rush into the breeding.

[VoodooJoint]

Height isn't the only thing that BGH might contribute to. It is also suspected of causing reproductive problems and infertility, ovarian cysts and possibly cancers and who knows how many other issues.

My daughter is very petite for her age as well. I know that she, her father and I all value her health over her height.

[Alusdra]

Growth hormone is a protein and thus is digested in the digestive tract and not taken up by your body (hence why you can't take insulin orally). So really, you aren't taking it up anyway. Besides the fact that cows naturally put out GH and various other hormones and proteins in the milk (which you also can't take up- also broken down in your digestive tract).

I would definitely not try the deer antler 'NGH'. True: IGF-1 is the factor that actually induces growth (the "signal from the pituitary gland to produce IGF-1 in the liver" would be growth hormone, by the way)- but how in the world they think deer antlers are going to do anything to release it? Basically the site is dancing around the fact that they are attempting to collect deer growth hormone (which is pretty close if not the same thing as bovine growth hormone) and saying to use that instead. Bizarre...

Your neighbor sounds like she has some... interesting... ideas. I wouldn't listen to her (at all). Your child being short because both her parents are short would be natural- not something to worry about. Make sure she gets proper nutrition and pediatric care and she will reach the size that she should be.

Probably sending her to this site will be a good thing for the piggers, though- show her what it takes to really care for pigs and how hard breeding is on the sow, etc. With any luck she'll see all the work involved and give up on the idea entirely.

[Metroid & Boo]

I am only 5' tall and it doesn't bother me at all. My son is small compared to the other kids in his class but we don't care at all. He is a very happy little boy and that is all that matters to us, not how tall he is.
I wouldn't listen to your neighbour, she sounds like one of those competitive parents who will do anything to make sure her little darlings are the best looking, the tallest and the smartest of them all. I ALWAYS try my best to avoid people like her.
If she gives growth hormones to her daughter, God knows what she will do to guinea pigs! Maybe putting her off getting piggies isn't such a bad idea.

[Justin]

Thanks for the good reminders. We had long discussion last night and decided to stick with organic milk.

I just want to point out two things.

1. I heard that it is "chemical antibiotics" in the milk that actually promote growth, as a side effect. Not the digestive protein hormones. Seems like the industry is very generous on quantity of the antibiotics they use.

2. My good neighbor never fed her children hormones. She just provided regular milk knowing it had them in it.