Repair Fencing with Hog Rings

As a boy I spent a summer on my grandfather’s farm in Mississippi. I learned a lot about farming. Grandpa taught me about hog rings, a piercing applied to a pig’s nose to prevent rooting (digging with its nose). He said they came in three sizes: pig, shoat and hog.

Grandpa used hog rings as fasteners for wire fencing. As often happens, this alternative use has now overtaken the original swine application. Any respectable fencing department sells hog rings. They are also widely used in upholstery.

All hog ring pliers have a set screw to prevent over-tightening; above you can see it protruding to the right. Grandpa never fussed with the set screw. Even back in Mississippi, I noticed that it was rusted in an open position. Grandpa simply squeezed the pliers until the ring looked and felt closed.

When Grandpa passed away, I inherited his hog ring pliers. The remainder of my grand inheritance consisted of everything needed to manufacture collars for a pack of hunting beagles. I keep these tools as a reminder of Grandpa. I use his claw hammer regularly, but the hog ring pliers…well, not so much.

Yesterday as part of a project to exclude squirrels from my garden, I finally had my chance to use hog rings again. The last time I squeezed those pliers, I was a young boy repairing a chicken coop in Mississippi.

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Compared to fencing, applying hog rings to live pigs is quite a tumultuous affair. The set screw is essential when hog ring tips are hidden in a struggling animal’s snout. So that’s why Grandpa’s set screw is inoperable–Grandpa didn’t keep hogs.

In this video, a bad little piggy gets ringed after getting caught dirt-snouted.