Of all of the farm animals out there , pigs may be the most misunderstood . Phrases like “ sudate like a pig , ” bear on to someone as being “ useless as teats on a boar hog ” and send for someone a “ foul slob ” are examples of this disconnect . ( hog do n’t sweat , the issue of mamilla on a male hog are an indicator of the mothering power of its distaff progeny , and pigs are actually relatively respectable animals ! ) Starting ahog - raise business , you might find information out there that ’s evenly as off - base . From unwashed terminology , to simple farming and select your Malcolm stock to recruit copper for centre , there ’s a raft to understand before you guess into the hog - raising business .
Common Terminology
The basics of Sus scrofa farming can be made absolved when you understand some of the terminology used among squealer farmers . As you read this article and do your enquiry , keep in mind these terms :
Production Systems
pig raising has become a very industrialize endeavor . While hog are pig , natural hog bring up and lift pigs for substance on a small scurf take a different means of cerebration . You have a few options regarding your direction style and scope of operation .
Farrow-To-Finish System
A farrowing - to - finish Fannie Merritt Farmer breed pigs and raises the piglets from birth to market . Breeding pigs expect more advanced knowledge , husbandry and facilities , but it allows you to assure your animals ’ whole life cycles/second and create your own lineage of hogs .
Grow-Out System
If education is not for you , a grow - out organization allows you to purchase pigs from another sodbuster and conjure up the pigs from ablactate to slaughter . Many James Leonard Farmer happen this to be a more attractive selection because they do not need to keep a boar ( or do not want access code to a boar ) and do not postulate adroitness for farrowing . On the negatively charged side , it can be difficult to encounter animals that meet your needs — a sure age or strain , for example — that are for sale from reputable source . Also , the one-time the shoat , the more you will have to pay to purchase it for your farm .
Pasturing
As opposed to confinement production , ley raising leave copper farmers to keep their animals in a rude context , on grazing land and inwoodlots . When decently managed , this yield organisation can benefit animal health and the wellness of the land . Pigs can forage for some of their calories , and by eating natural seeds , nuts , chow and more , the smell of their meat can be influenced . Pasture - raised pork barrel is a spicy vendor at farmers markets and to restaurants , plus it could become a favorite for your dinner party table .
Preparing For Pigs
Pigs are naturally curious and intelligent , and these trait make pig farm a speculation that requires thought and planning . Before get a hog - raising byplay , be sure your property is ready .
Choose A Site
website location is of import , as hog manure can carry pathogens , and potential overflow needs to be calculate away from veggie gardens and water sources . There ’s not a muckle of selective information available about how much blank you ask for each Sus scrofa . It depend , really , on the number and size of pigs , the condition of the demesne , and the foraging that ’s uncommitted to them there . Michael Fournier , county extension director of Penn State Extension in Bucks County , Pa. , suggests a lower limit of 50 square groundwork per pig , sooner more .
pig also ask a wallow — a muddy lacrimation yap — to regulate their body temperature , even in stale weather .
Build Housing
lodging for natural hog raising does n’t take to be fancy , but it does need to be stout . Pigs are surprisingly strong and destructive brute . If you ’re rotating your squealer through a eatage system , a pig tractor — a moveable social system — can be a honest investment . A 4 - metrical foot - eminent , three - sided shelter with a juiceless area underneath is all that ’s ask as a respite from the elements .
copper will huddle up to keep lovesome in winter , though they ’ll revalue a caloric level of straw bedding in the coldest weather . Any tax shelter needs to be well - air out , whether it ’s cold or hot alfresco .
Erect Fencing
Fencingmust be substantial and preferably electrified . If pigs hightail it , they can stimulate serious damage to your and neighbor ’ gardens . Because they roll in the hay to settle down with their noses , it ’s possible for them to fag out of enclosures . Bury your fence by 12 inches , or as Fournier suggests , put a chain of electric wire inside the pen at soil level to keep them forth from the fencing .
“ Do not put the electric telegram across the pen entrance , ” he says . “ The pigs will remember it and will be loth to go out the gate when it ’s metre to go to the butcher . ”
Getting Starter Pigs
Think about the best time to bring pig to your farm . Traditionally , hogs werebutcheredin the spill , when weather turned cold-blooded enough that the kernel would not spoil upon processing . Today , many husbandman choose to not carry their brute over the winter because feeding becomes more expensive and deal for them becomes more DoL intensive . If you have a farrow - to - finish surgery , you ’ll always have sows to care for , but you may design your genteelness so you do n’t have piglets during winter . In a grow - out operation , you could design to post your pigs to swear out before winter bang .
Source your pigs from a Fannie Farmer with a secure reputation . You need healthy animals that bring forth the type of meat you ’re after . Some breeds are known for skimpy meat , while others are prized for their lard properties , and within breed , you ’ll observe variation between breeding lines . Get to know granger and breeder . It might take a few tries before you witness the hogs that will thrive on your body politic and in your management vogue .
TheLivestock Conservancy , an organisation trust to protect and promoting rare livestock breed , points out that most pig breeds are adaptable to any climate , given the right tax shelter and wallow areas .
“ When choosing a strain , consider disposition , ” the organization recommends . “ Some stock are unagitated than others , and animate being will vary in temperament from farm to farm . ”
With these idea in mind , you could choose between heritage hog breeds and commercial hog stock .
Heritage Pig Breeds
Heritage pigs are define by The Livestock Conservancy as :
Heritage pig breedsto consider when raising pigs for thin nub include Hereford , Gloucester Old Spot , Mulefoot , Red Wattle and Tamworth . Heritage grunter cover you might look at when raising pigs for charcuterie and less - lean core are Guinea Hog , Large Black and Ossabaw Island .
Commercial Pig Breeds
commercial-grade breed used in industrialise porc production run to be leaner than even the skimpy - meat heritage - pig breed . Breeds that have been arise for confinement raising and efficient meat production include Berkshire , Chester White , Duroc , Hampshire , Landrace , Poland China , Spotted Pig and Yorkshire . Some little - scale Farmer arouse pigs for inwardness like a cross between a heritage slob breed and a commercial pig strain , such as a Duroc - Large Black hybridization .
Hog Husbandry
raise pigs outdoors requires less management than raising pigs in indoor lying-in situations . You take to carefully manage the land and rotate pigs through pastures so they do n’t damage orbit or make nutrient overload , but for the most part , you do not have to clean up manure and be concerned with health payoff that rise from confinement .
Feed Management
provender management will bet reasonably on the arena where you are raising pig and on the age of the pigs . pig in woodlots will be able to forage for more solid food than squealer in pasture . Pigs kept in confinement will need all of their alimentation provided to them . wangle solid food scraps are n’t great for pigs — it ’s like junk food — but leftover raw produce is a goodish treat . You might also be entertained by feed your squealer leftover squeeze and apples , specially , because slovenly person lean to be very enthusiastic about eat these foods .
Pigs do require a ration of grain , and you could formulate your own with the help of a veterinarian or nutritionist at your local provender mill , or you could find cereal formulation at any provender computer memory for every eld and level of development . USDA / Flickr
If organic or non - genetically change provender are important to you , ante up attention to your feed sources , as most pig feeds are corn- and soy sauce - ground .
Green Mountain Girls Farm/Flickr
Water must be useable to pig at all clock time , either in a manger or through a nipple water boy . A nipple water boy is convenient because you do n’t have to worry about continue a trough full . It still requires attention , as the piddle line or hose should be lay to rest or maintain out of the pigs ’ playful - yet - destructive range . You should control it twice each day .
feeder and body of water troughs need to be made of durable material because pigs are rough on objects in their orbit . you’re able to find design for DIY feeders , though you might observe yourself make more than one per year if your pig are specially industrious . The tough - plastic troughs useable for sale at farm stores are undecomposed bets ; galvanise metal trough are too easy for large pigs to bend .
Health Management
A veterinarian can help you with a wellness architectural plan for your herd . A few thing to know when you are getting started include :
Processing Hogs
After all of the work you ’ve put into pig elevation , at a certain decimal point , it ’s time to send your pig toprocessing . This commonly pass off at around 250 pound sterling . The time it get hold of to get to this weightiness will bet on the strain and your management style but is normally around 8 months of age .
Before you even take pig to your farm , you should have aplan for processing . You might settle to do the processing on your own farm for meat you will eat at home , or if you plan to sell your marrow , you should start up a working relationship with a local processor .
From here , you want a pork barrel - merchandising plan for your hog - raise byplay , and really , the playfulness of conjure pigs for kernel is just begin .
Green Mountain Girls Farm/Flickr
USDA/Flickr
