Can you pastured pigs

Watching pigs run through open sunny pastures or waddle up a forest hill seems so natural. Better For The Environment Thousands of pigs raised inside undersized warehouses generate literal tons of waste: One finishing pig can produce up to 6 cubic feet of manure per month. In conventional hog operations, this material drains into gigantic lagoons, but these fill up quickly and require emptying.

Elevated rates of health issues are common in such communities. For starters, pastured-pig farmers raise far fewer pigs than conventional operations, which are specifically designed for maximum production, so manure output is also less. Finally, in pastured operations, nobody makes it rain hog poop, which seems inherently superior to me. Better For The Farmer While conventional hog operations do offer unprecedented numbers of pigs, volume is just one of the factors that affect a farming operation.

The conditions associated with conventional hog farming require routine treatment to maintain pig health, including daily antibiotics , deworming medication and lice treatment. Where to buy Pastured Pork. Standards Pigs. Environmental Management Plans. Pig Farm Management Plan. Getting Started So, you want to be a pig farmer? Raising a Pig for Food. Raising Pastured Pigs. Water for Free Range Pigs. Fencing For Free Range Pigs. How much feed does a pig need? Feeding Pigs On Pasture.

Feeding Pigs Feeding. Pig Breeds Berkshire. English Large Black. Wessex Saddleback. White Breeds. Selling your Pastured Pork. Tail docking, Teeth clipping, Castration. Pig Farming Terms. Lameness in Sows. Minimizing Piglet Losses. Piglet Scours. Pig Diseases. Humane pig slaughter. Strategic Planning. Poultry Welfare. Marketing Your Free Range Pork. Vaccination for Pigs. The Nesting Instinct. Free Range Pork. Free Pig Farming Courses.

Starting a Pastured Egg Farm. Pastured Egg Farming Books. Labelling Your Eggs as 'Pastured'. Pastured Poultry Nutrition Do chickens eat grass? Egg Yolk Colour. Where to buy Pastured Eggs. Are Pastured Eggs Better for You? Sows usually give birth in these shelters and feed their piglets in, or near, the shelter.

Pastured pigs receive feed from a farmer in addition to the food they root for themselves. This feed may or may not be certified organic , so the pork that results from these pigs may or may not be certified organic.

Since they aren't crowded together in unhealthy conditions, pastured pigs do not commonly receive unnecessary antibiotics. Pastured animals tend to be raised on small farms. The farmers often sell their goods at farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer methods.

Many farms that sell pastured meat are often proud of how they care for their animals and will happily share the details with potential customers. Beyond a marketing tactic, these farmers have embraced the work it requires to pasture pigs because it results in a better tasting product. Some farms raising pigs this way will even offer farm visits. Beware, pigs are smart, social animals.

Spending too much time with them may make you rethink whether or not you want to be eating them! People turn to pastured or grass-fed meats for a wide range of reasons.

First, the meat often has deeper, richer, or more complex flavor than factory-farmed meat does. Second, for many people, knowing that the animals they eat were raised humanely is important, as is the lessened use of antibiotics. Third, pastured and grass-fed animals tend to have a more positive impact on the environment.