LIVE SHOW MOVED THIS WEEK… INFO BELOW
I Posted a photo of our beautiful little pig “Tiny” out on the pasture today on our INSTAGRAM FEED.
The caption was… DO YOU PASTURE PIGS? Why or why not? I find it very interesting how passionate people get about this topic on either side of the subject… some people LOVE pasturing their pigs, others hate the idea. We have done both over the years and as usual our take is … pros and cons to both, in our current situation and our current pigs we are trying to get them out on our pasture more, but we also have plans to pour a concrete pad for the pigs this fall ? we do both I guess when the time is right for it.
That is how I honestly feel about pasturing pigs. Like all homesteading endeavors there are pros and cons, and each of us must decide what is right on our own homestead.
PROS of pastured pigs? They will absolutely get some feed from the pasture, in the form of plants, roots, grubs, etc. It WILL lighten the load of the feed bill. How much? That is a big fat IT DEPENDS, but it will save you some money.
Another pro, HEALTH! Keeping animals out of the mud is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, pigs LOVE mud. But if they live in a mud pit pig stye their whole life they can have more health issues than a pig that has plenty of high and dry time on the pasture or in the woods.
Believe it or not, another pro is that your PASTURES can actually be IMPROVED by pigs! Don’t believe me? In today’s Youtube video we share video from a pig farm, that shows a pasture that has held pigs for 4 YEARS! Take a look yourself, you may be shocked at what is growing in the field and what ISN’T!
The truth is though, that like everything there are CONS to pasturing pigs too! Your pastures can improve in some ways, but all pigs will do some damage to a field. Wallows and dust baths are a reality of pasturing pigs. If your animals lack nutrients they will root for the nutrients in the soil, and that means your pastures may get filled with holes.
And pasturing pigs can complicate your life as a homesteader. Pigs on pasture may be more likely to escape, get into stuff they shouldn’t, and overall be more troublesome!
SO… is it right for you?
That is something only you can decide!
To help you make that decision, we have added Pasturing Pigs 101 to the Pioneer Library! This is the extended version of the video we filmed with Kirsten Border of Mouse Creek Farms. Kirsten raises IPP (Idaho Pastured Pigs) and she took us on an extensive tour of her farm, and shared with us all that she does to raise pigs on pasture on her farm!
Click Here to see Pasturing Pigs 101, this months special addition to the Pioneer Library.
If you are not a Pioneer, and want INSTANT access to that class, CLICK HERE to become a pioneer and get instant access to our entire library of Homesteading Podcasts, Classes, and more!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LIVE PODCAST THIS WEEK?
We MOVED the date! We decided Monday’s were too crazy a day to try to fit the show in, so look forward to Wednesday at 12:30 Eastern Time this week as K and I record the Podcast LIVE on Our Youtube Channel. We have SO MUCH to tell you about. We literally have 16 NEW ANIMALS to talk about on this farm, and you wont believe what they are.
Stay tuned for the live show on Wednesday, and if you can’t catch the show live, don’t forget you can listen to it anytime afterward, just subscribe to our PODCAST HERE.
Hope to see you Wednesday!
Aust
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