And we have neighborhoods and a road near the farm, so security and safety were of high importance. The babies would thrive and follow Momma around. W hile raising pigs isn’t for everyone, they can be an enjoyable addition to your small farming operation. Careful attention to pasture conditions makes the system work. For starters, raising pigs on pasture (ideally, within multiple paddocks), will help spread manure around. A second difference in pasture-raised pigs benefits us—the human consumers. When venturing into any DIY fence installation project, my advice is to make your fences “hog-tight,” as they say. The thicker and taller the grass, the more resilient the pasture recovery. Thanks to the low start-up costs, pasture systems create an ideal way for new hog producers to get started in the industry. So, you want to be a pig farmer? When farrowing on pasture, there are a few important things to remember, starting with sows like to be alone to farrow. Another important concept in raising pastured pigs is stock density. Each block counts as a unit in our rotation and goes into a year of cover crops once every three years. Photo by Janet Horton Raising piglets on pasture allows access to nutrients you would otherwise need to provide via supplements. Just realize it is not the cheapest way to raise a pig. ‘We allow that to get destroyed if we need to,’ a better option, she says, than damaging prime pasture acreage through overgrazing. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. When my husband and I first decided to take the feeder pig route, we … When raising pasture pigs, it is best to focus on the quality of the meat rather faster growth rates. And if we need to switch things up, Layla is almost done with her litter so she and Mariah could switch places. Inspired by books on pasture rotation and sustainable agriculture by Joel Salatin and Gaining Ground by Forest Pritchard, we learned how raising pigs on pasture helped them thrive. Pasture-raising pigs is intuitively better than indoor confinement, but the practice is not without problems. Even worse, they may become sick from a nutrition deficiency. Results showed that fixed costs for the outdoor herds were approximately $3 less per pig weaned than for the indoor herds. The main cost in a pasture hog system is supplemental feed, with grain accounting for 60 to 70 percent of the cost from farrow to finish. If at all possible, section off a separate area where she can be alone with adequate food, water and shelter. The 12-acre paddocks radiate out from a central circular area, used for handling and observation, and are demarcated by electric fence. Raising pigs on pasture for meat and money. The biggest cost to raising pigs is feed. Raising Feeder Pigs – You have to decide: Concrete or Pasture? During the grazing season, they rotate ruminants through a series of paddocks to provide high quality forage and to allow the pasture to re-grow before animals return to graze. Cheap, no. Shelter for Pasture Pig Breeds. Labor is more seasonal than in confinement systems, so evaluate whether to raise one or two litters per sow each year and time group farrowing around crop chores. The grazing animals were supplemented with 1.5 to 2 pounds of corn per day. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Pasture systems require portable waterers and feeders. As we get more comfortable with the decision to leave Charlie with the sows, we might be more comfortable going into the pasture and run in the shed from time to time. Pasturin. Your email address will not be published. When each sow would farrow, or right before if we were on our game, she would be escorted to a birthing room with a fenced in area surrounding some lush green grass and weeds. With the current litters of pigs we are trying something a bit different. Where do I Find Feeder Pigs? There are some breeds, like Kunekunes, that are better at this than others, though. Results reveal outdoor herds save $3 less per pig in fixed costs than indoor herds. Appropriate shelter and access to clean water are critical aspects of survival for humans and animals alike. PIGLETS are here!! Standards Pigs. Pigs are smart, social and extremely fun to raise on pasture. Most pig farmers buy “weaners,” piglets about two or three months old that are no longer reliant on their mother’s milk; they then raise the pigs to slaughter weight (typically about 250 pounds), which on factory-style farms is attained by the time they’re 6 months old. 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