Goodbye pigs

We said goodbye to our 4 girls today. Girl pigs, that is!

This was our first year raising hogs, we started with 4 weaned heritage-breed pigs purchased from a nearby farmer friend way back in early May.

They turned out to surprise us all. After a fiasco their first weekend here (the great escape, we'll call it), they were easy-mannered & easy to care for.

In 2 weeks time, they will be returned to our farm in the form of frozen cuts of pork. They're being processed at my favorite small, family-owned meat processor just 5 miles down the road. They do a great job of ethical processing & awesome award-winning methods of making sausage, bratwurst, chops, roasts, and bacon.

Those interested in purchasing some Berkshire pork, watch our blog for detains soon.

We look forward to raising a few pigs again next year. And we look forward to meals of our own farm-raised pork this fall & winter.
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Anyone raising pigs?

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We're expanding the livestock area of our farm in 2012.  A lot!  We'll be raising meat chickens & turkeys, in addition to our current flock of laying chickens.

So... one area I'm starting to think of, and read about.... pastured pork.  Anyone out there raising hogs?  From what I'm reading, they'll fit well with our current farm operation.  And I know one thing... we all love pork in this house!  And lard...  :-)

We'll be raising them outdoors, on pasture if possible, but definitely outdoors with a shelter.  No confinement on this farm!!!  :-)

I had begun my research actually thinking of raising goats.  But, the more I read & learned, the more I realized goats just aren't a good fit for us right now.  Pigs, however, just may be....