New Pigs

Now that I have the new pig pasture complete, the 8 door feeder in the pasture, and 3 feeder pigs currently, I figured I should go ahead and get 5 more heads for the remaining 5 doors. The Pig Man, thats what I call him, called me last week and said that he would have some ready end of this week. So today was the day. I am hoping that this is the last few I have to purchase from him because now, both my breeder pigs are indeed pregnant, so we will have our own litters in the coming month. More on that.


In this litter, I thought I would try a couple of different breeds this time just to see how they fair. I got 3 Yorkshires, 1 Hampshire/Yorkshire cross (that is what we will be having in our litters), and a Duroc. I really like the Duroc's. So now, I have 8 feeder pigs, 2 Breeders, and a big Stud named Dudley.


It always fascinates me seeing pigs that would have been in confinement getting to be free and raised the way nature intended them. To see them come out and touch dirt for the first time, and start trying their noses, and nipping at all the different vegetation. Its quite sad to think that the pigs most eat in a grocery store never get to experience this. They live in concrete boxes, with hard floors, that when their feed gets on the ground, it cuts into their skin because it is so coarse. Once you get pigs on your farm, you will realize that they are the life of it. They love doing what they do best, tearing the ground up. But when you walk out there, they stop what they are doing and run as fast as their funny bodies will take them and then fall over in front of you for some petting. They are very emotional animals who in confinement, continually stay depressed. Very sad.

This guy wouldn't quit rubbing his body in the soft dirt.

In the newly sprouting rescue grass. Probably feels like carpet

Look what I found to play with.

While at the TOFGA conference, I found a feed mill that sells only 100% certified organic feed. It is called Coyote Creek Farms. They specialize in chicken feed but I got to thinking that pigs eat pretty much the same things are chickens. So I asked the lady, named Sue, if they would be interested in doing this. She was very excited and called a nutritionist and got a recommendation. The even better part, is that the mill is only 75 miles from our farm. Can't beat that. Now the feed is way higher than if you were to buy normal feed but the benefits are well worth it. No GMO products in this stuff, Redmond Natural Trace mineral is used, no chemicals of any sort in the grain. They milled it for me the morning I went to pick it up. It was so yellow and fresh smelling. Probably could make some great cornbread with it. Maybe. No we aren't looking to get certified organic, but we always want to be feeding our animals the best products that are out there.

This is 1000# of pig feed. It smells so good.

Needless to say, I will be getting a price list together for our products because pretty soon we will be in the product selling business. It takes time to build things up so that you can be able to produce over a sustainable amount of time. With such a huge demand for pastured pork, non the less, pastured pork fed only organic grain, I feel these things will get reserved quite fast.