Persnickity Pastured Pigs
**Currently no piglets or meat are available as of January 2023. As of Jan 2023, we are down to just our boar, "Junior", son of "Little Pig" and is a Big/Little, and Rosalita. And Rosalita has not given us any babies several times out this last year, so we get to start over. We are also moving toward a "big/little" mix of large breed pig crossed with the small ones, AGH/KK for a 3/4 size pig with the easy keeper qualities. Our boar is currently that mix. **
Why are they persnickety??? Well, if you've ever dealt with pigs, you'll know that they go where they want, when they want, and there'd better be food involved, and good food that they really, really like.
When we moved here to our new place in Chehalis, it literally took us a whole day to convince a big barrow to get in the trailer. He just wouldn't. No marshmallows, grain, fresh eggs, moving with a sorting board... he would not do it. Until evening time when it was almost dark, and he finally... just walked right in. Pigs'll do that.
We raise a mix of American Guinea Hog and Kune Kune, for a smaller homestead pig that is good for processing yourself. We also like their just really laid back personalities, and they are easy keepers, eating half the feed of the larger industrial breeds because of their size, and they don't do as much damage, either. They only root when a field is grazed down to nothing, and we actually use that trait to our advantage and let them turn compost for us. It is their favorite thing to do.
.....So what's the deal with our persnickity pigs? Well, they spend the bulk of their lives bein' lazy in the field, chowin' on grass, hay, a little grain, and whatever kitchen goodies we might have to offer. We keep the little guys in what we call "The Tank", a smaller pen with smaller holes in fencing, so they can't get out in the road. When they are bigger, they go out in the field. In winter, they will often hang out in a hoophouse enclosure or in the barn with a deep hay bed, moving it all over to create compost for next year's garden. Mamas with babies go in an enclosure because... chasing piglets. Need I say more?
.....We do not castrate. Why? We did 10 of them, and it doesn't fit in our goal to raise animals humanely, so we don't do it anymore. We have sampled a barrow (fixed male), a sow, gilt, and an old boar from our herd. We have not noticed a taste difference between all of them, they all tasted the same. Some folks have heard of "boar taint", a nasty taste in intact males... we haven't observed it. Note that we process at about 7 months to a year, because after that you're just growing lard and not meat. That may have something to do with the taint issue? But seriously, we have eaten a boar as well. No difference.
......How do they taste? We have heard it described as "a little gamey", "wild boar", and the "typical grass fed flavor." This meat is completely unlike the meat from the store that is pale, and confined and fed only grain. Like with any other animal, eating largely forage and grass really changes the flavor, making it more full bodied, healthier for you (and them), and dense. I find that I become satisfied with a much smaller portion of this meat than the storebought.
Typically, we have weaner pigs available almost year round, with a break in the winter. We don't like to have mamas trying to stay warm at the same time as nursing a litter of piglets, because piglets take a lot out of them, and also they burn more calories in the cold months. It isn't good for them. Hopefully, in the next few years, we can get pastured pork available for pickup from the butcher. Will keep this page updated to that effect.
....We have not wormed in seven years. However, we will if we need to. I'm not going to let an animal starve to death slowly. Not humane. We do not do iron shots, piglets get their iron from the ground. Outside. We do not clip needle teeth. And as mentioned above, we do not castrate, as this involves literally slicing the scrotum open and physically ripping or cutting out the testicles. Piglets cannot be banded like other animals because of the shape of their um... parts.
So we treat these little guys nice while they are with us. Humane is the name of the game. Some of the tamer ones, like the sows and boars, will flop over for belly rubs, and follow us around like the dog, looking for goodies. My spotted boar, I lay down with him in the field and file his toenails, he is so tame. Our pigs particularily calm and friendly toward people and we cull out any traits to the contrary.
2020- We have 2 new giilts in the lineup, adding some Hampshire . Yorkshire, and Duroc into the mix. So the pigs have split off into two types, with one baby daddy.:
BIG PIG HERD:
For folks that want a bit larger pig to send a pig off to the processor, we have paired our AGH/Kune Kune spotted boar with three "big gals", a gilt "Porkarena", a gilt "Rosalita", and a gilt "Hamella Anderson" . Adding the full sized hog to the AGH/Kune Kune "easy keeper" qualities.
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LITTLE PIG HERD:
For the small homesteader DIY processor type, we are still keeping the little guys, Our AGH/K K boar "Little Pig" is paired with two of our AGH/KK gals "Betty", and "Beatrice". These little guys top out at 100-200 lbs, depending on when processed and how much lard you want. Our FAQ page above has a LOT more info about these little guys.
"Beatrice", solid black AGH/KK sow with two of her half-grown piglets.
"Betty", solid black AGH/KK sow, nommin' on grain in the field, with a baby goat jumping on her butt.
"Little Pig" throws some seriously
cute babies, I'm just sayin'.
Left: One of Wilbur's sons. Middle: Wilbur, the former herd sire, an AGH/KK. Right: "Little Pig" when he was still actually little.
Piggies past, from our first two sows.
