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How We Raise Our Pigs
Pigs are intelligent, social animals that deserve kindness, respect, and the opportunity to do the things pigs love to do - dig, wallow, and take long naps! We keep our pigs on the more rugged parts of the farm where their destructive digging can actually be beneficial.
Our Breeds
We currently keep 3 different heritage breeds on the farm, two of which are endangered, and the third deemed 'critical.' Large Blacks were the first breed of pig we brought to the farm, and we enjoy their floppy ears and calm demeanours. From a pork perspective however, the breed produces more fat than the average consumer enjoys, and so we started looking into a crossbreeding program. In 2023, we added 'Tommy' a red wattle boarlet who has since matured into our breeding boar. Red Wattles are nearly extinct and are known for their delicious, marbled pork. We look forward to our first litter of Red Wattle/Large Black piglets this fall. This spring we also added Tamworths, another rare breed known for having leaner meat and producing excellent bacon. All three of our breeds thrive in outdoor, pasture-based settings and contend well with our coastal climate.
Piglets & Farrowing
Since the beginning, we have bred our own piglets. Our sows are free to birth their piglets without the use of farrowing crates. Mothers raise their young naturally, outdoors until weaning age. Piglets drink their mothers milk and eat an organic ration, just like the adult pigs!
Feed
Our pigs are free to forage and enjoy digging up roots, shoots and earthworms. In addition, they are fed an organic pig ration twice daily, often supplemented with of our kitchen and garden scraps, and extra milk and whey from our dairy animals. In the fall, we often receive gleaned tree fruit as well.
How to Purchase
We keep pigs year round, but typically have pork available in the fall or the spring. A certain amount of our pork is destined for local chefs, and the rest is available to purchase via our farm store. You can also find our homegrown lard in our soaps! Sign up for our newsletter to find out when our next offering will be!
