When is the best time of year for free range pigs? Autumn!
We really only seem to have 2 seasons in Saskatchewan, Winter and Summer! Summer comes and goes so fast!
We have been extremely lucky this year and not had a massive dump of snow - yet, and at the beginning of November it actually feels like Autumn - or Fall as the Canadians call it.
The pigs are taking full advantage of the milder weather and getting in some extra rooting time!
Check out our super short video on YouTube!
Getting pigs onto a trailer without the stress - and no electric stock prods!
Loading pigs can be really stressful - on both the pig and the people.
Loading pigs can be really stressful - on both the pig and the people.
I have heard so many horror stories! People get really angry when a pig won’t get on a trailer.
How can it not know what we want it to do?
Pigs aren’t stupid! People loading them aren’t stupid - but you have to realize there is a language barrier lol.
People think that pigs should understand what “come on get up there” means. Why won’t they get on? They don’t like being pushed into strange places. If you have a good loading system this is a lot easier - but can still be stressful in many cases.
Homesteaders and Free Range pig farmers are not oftenset up with a nice loading system. So we have to improvise!
Use what works! What do pigs understand?
Pigs understand - Food!
We use food as a motivator - we NEVER use electric shock prods - we don’t even own one! Why would we when they will happily follow the food.
The video is the first time these pigs were loaded. They didn’t all go on but that is ok, because next time they will.
You may want to move your pigs to a new place on the farm - if they have been in an electric-fenced area this can also be hard to do - get them to follow the food - it’s easier!
We feed ours on the trailer, shut the door while they eat, then let them off. Do this a few times - and randomly - they are no longer scared and will happily jump up there for you.
A trailer is a perfect safe solution for treating a sick animal or quarantining any new livestock you bring on to your property.
We also use the trailer ready for their new home - this makes transferring them to their new owner less stressful. They will go on our trailer but a new trailer and new people - they have “stranger danger”
To ensure success - make sure they are hungry - it’s harder to do if they have been on self-feed and don’t need to eat!
Get them in the habit of doing this and you can load them anywhere - deen the middle of a field!
If you enjoyed this content and would like to buy me a coffee that would be greatly appreciated!
4 things to consider when you buy piglets for your home raised free range pork
Raising your own pork can be very rewarding but wading through all the adverts for weanling pigs in spring can be a nightmare.
Of course, I am biased and am going to say look for Berkshires but it’s not always an option.
In your search, price and location will likely be deciding factors but beware of what looks like a really good deal - especially if you are new to raising pigs.
Piglets raised in pig barns, uncastrated males and very young pigs can usually be found cheap but could be costly in the long run.
Consider these 4 things when you are buying your pigs.
AGE Piglets should not be weaned until they are at least 6 weeks old. Don’t buy them any younger. The longer they are with their mother the stronger and healthier they will be. You want piglets that have had a good start in life.
PROPER WEANING - Adverts will usually say piglets or weanlings. Weaners or weanlings are young piglets that have been - or should have been taken from the sow (their mother).
Hopefully, you will find a farmer that actually weans the piglets and doesn’t sell them straight off the sow.
Piglets straight off the sow and not weaned are fast and feisty. If you have no choice but to take these you run the risk of them escaping, never to be seen again - Your pen needs to be like Fort Knox when you unload them - or even leave them on a livestock trailer until they get used to you feeding them.
If they get away from you they are just going to run as fast as they can looking for their mum and you will be lucky if you catch them.
We wean ours at 6 weeks old then we have them in a pen for 2 weeks - this allows them time to get used to people feeding them and they are less stressed when they go to their new home.
AVOID BUYING BOARS (uncastrated males) for meat.
Buy barrows (castrated males) or gilts (females). Boars have what is known as boar taint when they get older. This is an awful smell that will put you off eating pork for years.
Women seem to notice boar taint more than men and I have seen numerous social media posts saying it’s not anything to worry about - I can tell you from experience it is! We worked in abattoirs that processed hundreds of boars and you can definitely smell it.
With the price of feed right now it’s not worth the risk of raising boars that will almost certainly lose you clients when you sell them stinky inedible pork.
You do have the option to get them castrated but this will be a costly vet visit.
LOOK FOR PIGLETS RAISED OUTDOORS - If you want free-range pork look for weanlings that are raised outside. Avoid pigs from a commercial, climate-controlled barn these piglets will not be hardy.
Happy Piglet hunting
If you found this helpful and would like to buy me a coffee I would greatly appreciate it!
This blog post was written in participation in a Blogging Bee--an online gathering reminiscent of the quilting bees and sewing bees of days past when women would bring their work together to create art. If you enjoyed this post with the theme of “Four,” take a look at these posts from other farmers, small business owners, homesteaders, and creatives.
The Easy Cut Flower Garden by Brooke Fraser Slack
Top Four Reasons to Shop Farm to Table by Jessica Haberman
More Blog posts on raising pigs
For more tips on raising free range pigs check out my e-book or book a consultation
Berkshire pigs can be free ranged even in the cold Saskatchewan winter
The Berkshire pig breed is an old fashioned breed that is well suited to being raised outdoors - even in the extremes of the Canadian climate.
Winter is my least favourite time of year. If I didn’t have animals to care for I think I would just hide away for winter. Unlike our Berkshire pigs I am a complete wuss when it comes to the extreme cold Saskatchewan temperatures.
They love winter and their hardiness amazes me. They thrive in the extremes of the Canadian climate - which is why our passion is raising pedigree Berkshire pigs and keeping their hardy genetics alive.
Water
This is usually one of the things that stops people keeping outdoor pigs over winter. Yes it freezes!
We have a heated water bowl for the cows and horses and our pigs have a little step they can stand on so they can drink out of it too.
The last 2 years this has frozen up on us.. even though it is heated so we use our water hydrant - we can either have a water trough right under it, or we haul pails of water to where the pigs are.
If you are putting in new water lines put them close to your animals if you don’t want to carry pails for the winter months…. It is a good work out though lol. I have hauled water from the house before which is it fun!
Food
We feed ours extra grain on the coldest days or if we have bad storms forecast - that way if we have issues getting to the feed bin at least we know they have had extra the night before.
We don’t give ours hay as a main part of their diet but they do eat it and love rooting around in the bales looking for tasty treats and alfalfa that the cows and horses drop on the ground.
Pig Shelters & Straw
Of course we do have lots of shelters for our pigs and we put plenty of straw out for them. They move freely around the shelters and they always know the best one to be in.
They can stand the cold, wind and rain/snow but not all at once blowing directly on them.
We use old grain bins for shelters and we have a metal calf shelter which they - and we prefer. They haven’t destroyed it like they do wooden buildings. We also have a pigloo - which is a damaged water tank - this is perfect for the younger pigs. We even put heat lamp in it one year when we had a pig farrow in it.
It doesn’t always look pretty but we use whatever we can for windbreaks over the entrances - tarps, rubber matting, old blankets, comforters and old carpets - then we put straw bales in front of the shelters for additional windbreaks.
They will pull straw from the bales and carry in their mouth to their bed. They will do this for hours and make a straw bed to bury themselves under. We usually help them as we can move straw quicker than they can but building their own bed is what they do naturally.
Then the pigs will all snuggle up together under the straw keeping each other warm. There is the occasional squabble for the best spot but they settle down quickly.
Some farmers manage without shelters and put lots of big round straw bales out and the pigs bury under those for winter with no problems.
Berkshires are an old fashioned lard pig & their extra fat helps keep them insulated,
This fat gives us delicious pork and juicy marbled meat lacking from the modern, factory farmed, leaner breeds of pigs - these don’t need a natural fat covering because they are raised in climate controlled barns - this is why store bought pork doesn’t have flavour like outdoor raised pigs.)
The extra fat is never wasted. In fact I generally don’t have enough! We render it all into lard.
For more in depth information on raising free range pig you can check out my e-book - A beginners guide to raising Happy Free Range Pigs.
If you like this content and would like to buy me a coffee that would be greatly appreciated!
This blog post was written in participation of a Blogging Bee-an online gathering reminiscent of the quilting bees and sewing bees of days past when women would bring their work together to create art. If you enjoyed this post with the theme "More About...” take a look at these posts from other farmers, small business owners, homesteaders, and creatives.
Everything You Need to Know About Wreath Season ‘22 by Megan Rudroff
Herefords: Why We Chose This Breed of Cattle by Jessica Haberman
Finally we got a Piggy Cam
A Christmas pressy to myself this year - a Piggy Cam. Well not really - we got it for the house but the dogs and cats kept unplugging it or knocking it - so had to rethink the one for the house.
It has so far worked great as a piggy cam so we don’t have to disturb the pigs when they are farrowing but can keep a close eye on them.
Here’s a short video of Edith making her bed and her new piglets born on a day when we had an incredible amount of snow- it was so much easier not having to get all my winter gear on and run out every 4 hours.
Based on our experiences free ranging pigs in Saskatchewan, this downloadable guide is packed with tips on housing, feeding, watering, fencing and handling pigs.