The decades old expression here is, “By Labor Day the pigs become hogs.” We have raised feeder pigs for decades. They are a great help on a small farm. Each year Ken has a tilling project so he grazes them sequentially. On any given year they might expand a garden space, dig out the quack grass outside the garden, or clear a fence line.
They eat garden culls and many things people won’t want like a broccoli or bean plant. Ken also gives them sprouted organic grain and a bit of organic ground feed. Ken leaves the bucket of ground feed open while he feeds the pigs so Oscar can also snack.
Our pigs live six months. We get them at about eight weeks and forty pounds. They leave at around 300 pounds. They are outside with a large portable hutch so they can bed down on hay or get out of the rain. Most of the time they choose to be outside. Their lard has some of the highest “sunshine vitamins” – A, D, E and K because they are outside in sunlight. In stark contrast 93% of pigs in this country never see the light of day, and are fed to get to three hundred pounds in three months. For more information on commercial pigs, check out the book “Pig Tales” by Barry Estabrook
