My pigs only saw the trailer for the first time when I was loading them. I eased off on the food for a day or two beforehand and I walked to the back of the trailer and scooped the food from a bucket- a sound they had become very familiar with. They knew it meant food.. they were hungry and they were used to me anyway. So they walked straight onto the trailer. It was so easy but something I wasn’t sure about until the moment.
Pigs are such individuals and what works one year won't work the next! like you say, you can't say for sure how they will react until the moment! The last few times I've loaded pigs I've brought them in the night before and kept them in a stable overnight, which has worked for me!
100% agree! We’ve had hungry pigs wander off (actually, charge off!) around the field because we were sure they’d follow the bucket... ;p.
Putting them in the trailer overnight works extremely well. No stress loading, because you’ve got all the time in the world, they have a lovely time finding the nuts you’ve scattered in the straw for them. And in the morning, they are usually still laid out comfortably snoozing as we set off for the abattoir, so no stress hormones in the meat either