Pigs in a wallow |
Their day starts out once the sun is up. They don’t rise and shine quite like the
chickens that share their pastures, there’s a little more grunting
involved. Once they’re up and moving,
they wait for breakfast, which is their modest morning ration of organic
barley, corn, oats, flax meal and a mineral mix. They get just
enough to take the edge off and give them some energy to go exploring. Seldom do you see them at “home” during the
day. There is far too much excitement up
on the hillsides. They busy themselves
rooting around their 20 acre wooded hillside and pasture, exploring every nook
and cranny to see what treat they can find.
Eating a bite here, a dug up root there.
They look like they enjoy it and they are just doing what pigs are
naturally inclined to do—root around and use their snout to dig up underground
treasures! These days they make a
special effort to check the hundreds of wild apple trees and berry bushes every
day to find fallen fruit. They also like
to check their favorite nut trees for acorns or hickory nuts, but once they’ve
had their fill of roaming around, it’s time to work in a nap. Depending on the weather, they nap in their
straw-lined huts or in the shade of trees when the sun is shining. They like to make dirt “wallows” to lay in
and cool off when it is really hot. If
you look at their pasture, you might think it looks a bit like a “pig
sty.” Don’t hold this against them, it
all goes along with their natural behaviors!
Muddy patches and some uneven, dug up ground is just the way they like
it!
Running to the their culled vegetables! |
While we seldom hear our cows “moo,” you can often hear a
myriad of sounds coming from the pigs.
Squeals, grunts, snoring, snorting…these are all very common sounds for
pigs to make. The time of day when
you’ll hear them squeal the loudest is when they hear the skidsteer making its
way to their pasture with culled vegetables from the packing shed. They aren’t shy either, they’ll throw themselves
right into the pile…literally! They are
very good vegetable eaters, eating most any green or root crop, but it is clear
that they do have favorites, like melons, tomatoes and carrots. (Check out the pictures!) They don’t seem to mind if the vegetables
aren’t perfect, as long as they are organic.
They are just a plain “riot” to watch, especially when they have pink
lips after eating beets!
Just as with other animals and food crops, the way in which
an animal is raised is directly related to how the meat tastes when it gets to
your plate. Our pigs are very active and
eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and roots in addition to their organic
grain. As a result, the meat they
produce is often darker in color with a rosy hue and is very flavorful.
When purchasing meat from our farm, you can rest assured that our animals are well taken care of. We encourage you to visit our farm and see for yourself. If you have questions about our animal practices, make sure you ask your farmers. We are here to help further aid you in making an informed choice, one that you feel is best for you and your family. If our meat is a part of that choice, we are happy to be your farm!
When purchasing meat from our farm, you can rest assured that our animals are well taken care of. We encourage you to visit our farm and see for yourself. If you have questions about our animal practices, make sure you ask your farmers. We are here to help further aid you in making an informed choice, one that you feel is best for you and your family. If our meat is a part of that choice, we are happy to be your farm!
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