HOW THEY ARE RAISED
LOCATION:
Our pigs are raised adjacent to our barn in a large paddock of about 4,000 sf. Raising pigs require a lot of monitoring so having them close to the barn makes it easy to do while completing other chores. One of the best and worst characteristics of pigs is that they are mischievous and curious creatures! Almost daily we have to check the fences to make sure they aren’t about to dig under them or bending them up or pushing over T posts. Another reason we like them close is to monitor their health, a sick pig can head south really quick and may not be able to rebound if they go too long without any assistance. Early spring is notorious for pigs getting pneumonia in our system, little pigs playing in the rain and mud and then cool nights can be devastating. Almost every year there will be at least one get sick and require medicine to save its life. Once June comes there is very little chance our pigs get sick except for the occasional sun burn!
FEED:
We only raise pigs April-October letting the paddock rest during the winter. A week or so before the pigs go to the processor we plant winter wheat in the paddock, the pigs walking and wallowing around sow the seeds for us. The wheat helps break up any compacted soil from the pigs and provides new forage for the next year. We feed our pigs mainly a corn and soy bean ration that we get from the local feed mill, there are no antibiotics, growth hormones or animal fat in the feed. They have access to food and fresh water 24/7. Along with their feed rations they have forage from the wheat planted from last year along with all the bugs, forbs that come along with living in a woodlot. Also below you will read about all the veggies they get from various sources.
COMPOSTING:
We have setup a large winter pen next to the pig pen and barn for the cows. Cows waste A LOT of hay over winter and bed down on it and defecate on it so they are creating their own compost pile all winter long. To make proper compost it must be turned, rotated and mixed up to continue the decomposition of the waste. In come the pigs, quite literally, open the gate to the pigs a couple times during the summer while the cows are out on pasture and they will root it all up looking for wasted cow feed and seed heads from the hay. By controlling the location of waste and using the pigs to rotate I am cutting down on my time doing the work and the need for equipment. They are happy doing it and I am happy I get chemical free fertilizer! In the fall we spread it over our hay fields and garden to provide proper nutrition to the forage and plants for the next year. Perfect examples of taking the natural habits of animals and using to our advantage to accomplish work around the farm.
GARBAGE DISPOSALS:
No matter how much you try you always have wasted food, especially with kids. So the pigs get waste from our kitchen almost daily and periodically the local food bank calls us when they have a bunch of food getting ready to go bad. This has resulted in pigs getting hundreds of pounds of cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupe and pumpkins at a time along with other random veggies. In the fall just before processing they get wind fall apples that aren’t good enough for canning, weeds from our garden and anything else we don’t want out of there. They are a great resource to reduce waste around the farm and beyond.
Our pigs are raised adjacent to our barn in a large paddock of about 4,000 sf. Raising pigs require a lot of monitoring so having them close to the barn makes it easy to do while completing other chores. One of the best and worst characteristics of pigs is that they are mischievous and curious creatures! Almost daily we have to check the fences to make sure they aren’t about to dig under them or bending them up or pushing over T posts. Another reason we like them close is to monitor their health, a sick pig can head south really quick and may not be able to rebound if they go too long without any assistance. Early spring is notorious for pigs getting pneumonia in our system, little pigs playing in the rain and mud and then cool nights can be devastating. Almost every year there will be at least one get sick and require medicine to save its life. Once June comes there is very little chance our pigs get sick except for the occasional sun burn!
FEED:
We only raise pigs April-October letting the paddock rest during the winter. A week or so before the pigs go to the processor we plant winter wheat in the paddock, the pigs walking and wallowing around sow the seeds for us. The wheat helps break up any compacted soil from the pigs and provides new forage for the next year. We feed our pigs mainly a corn and soy bean ration that we get from the local feed mill, there are no antibiotics, growth hormones or animal fat in the feed. They have access to food and fresh water 24/7. Along with their feed rations they have forage from the wheat planted from last year along with all the bugs, forbs that come along with living in a woodlot. Also below you will read about all the veggies they get from various sources.
COMPOSTING:
We have setup a large winter pen next to the pig pen and barn for the cows. Cows waste A LOT of hay over winter and bed down on it and defecate on it so they are creating their own compost pile all winter long. To make proper compost it must be turned, rotated and mixed up to continue the decomposition of the waste. In come the pigs, quite literally, open the gate to the pigs a couple times during the summer while the cows are out on pasture and they will root it all up looking for wasted cow feed and seed heads from the hay. By controlling the location of waste and using the pigs to rotate I am cutting down on my time doing the work and the need for equipment. They are happy doing it and I am happy I get chemical free fertilizer! In the fall we spread it over our hay fields and garden to provide proper nutrition to the forage and plants for the next year. Perfect examples of taking the natural habits of animals and using to our advantage to accomplish work around the farm.
GARBAGE DISPOSALS:
No matter how much you try you always have wasted food, especially with kids. So the pigs get waste from our kitchen almost daily and periodically the local food bank calls us when they have a bunch of food getting ready to go bad. This has resulted in pigs getting hundreds of pounds of cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupe and pumpkins at a time along with other random veggies. In the fall just before processing they get wind fall apples that aren’t good enough for canning, weeds from our garden and anything else we don’t want out of there. They are a great resource to reduce waste around the farm and beyond.
How to Order:
Typically we take orders in up to April for October delivery and up to October for May delivery. Occasionally we have extras so please call! We can make arrangements for payments but at a minimum need $100 a month for a whole Hog or $50 for a half Hog. At the time of delivery to processor we can finalize the final cost based upon the live weight If you want a suckling pig (under 50 lbs) or a roaster (100 lbs) please give us a call and we can try to make arrangements. |