Piggies

The pigs we are currently raising and have been very happy with are not a standard breed of pig. They don’t get as large as other pigs—only about 100 lbs. They are unusually colored and of all different varieties. Some are black, some red, some pink and grey, some spotted tan and brown. One has a white stripe on his nose and around his middle. They are “brush hogs,” almost like wild pigs and they are very hardy and love the free-range set up. They are fed the organic pig feed from Countryside Naturals, which is supplemented by the acorns, bugs and roots they are finding.

Our first pigs were raised on where our garden is now. We had hoped they would be very destructive and root the area up entirely. Instead they mostly lounged around and scratched on the gate, which ended up breaking and being replaced. After a disaster involving a moveable electric goat fence which the pigs immediately found they could get out of by lifting the unelectified bottom wire with their nose, we put the new piglets in a smaller pasture that we hoped they wouldn’t tear up too much, but they are anyways.

We currently have five new piglets. They are growing fast and are expected to be ready soon. They are available for a pre-arranged sale and will be cut how ever you like. If a whole pig seems like too much feel free to find a friend or neighbor to share it with you. They can be divided in half. Please email us for more details.

For our next batch of piglets we have two major concerns: Feed and erosion. The feed is expensive and is made of grains which are very energy intensive. If we can reduce feed costs, it reduces the price of the pig and makes it more affordable and better for the environment. We think good food ought to be good for the earth and priced reasonably. As far as erosion, we need to be able to move the pigs to minimize the damage they cause with their sharp hooves and by rooting.

The solution we’ve come up with is—seasonal production. Our land has lots of young live oak trees. Some of these trees bear acorns so sweet we were eating them like chestnuts last fall. With moveable electric fencing and a solar charger we can move the piglets from oak tree to oak tree in the fall and have them ready for slaughter during the coldest part of the year when they would be the fattest and best for eating and making lard. One thing we’ve really noticed with these summer piglets is that they just aren't getting fat. There’s not much reason to if it’s 90 degrees out and 100% humidity.

The only drawback is that we will only have pigs in the winter, but we think it will be well worth it. This fall we will be focusing on a perimeter fence and getting set up for next fall’s piglets, so these summer pigs will be all we’ve got for a while.