Pigs
We have been looking into having Pigs on our property for
quite a while now. There are two approaches that are of interest to us.
Range Grown Tamworth Pigs
We've taken the plunge and
have breeding stock for raising Tamworth pigs on an acre of land that we have fenced and set aside for that purpose. We will be rotating them onto the pasture as it grows in and letting the pigs have freedom of foraging in addition to their feed. The combination of exercise and foraging is known to create the best tasting bacon, pork and ham available.
We have weaner pigs available
for Winter of 2013 and Spring of 2014 as well as feeder/grower pigs available
Spring and Summer of 2014. Those dates could be a month or two sooner depending on how scheduling goes.
Pricing for weaner pigs is $100 each for the first two and
$50 each for any pigs beyond the first two. This gives a price break for
purchases in larger quantities.
Beyond that, we will be offering the pigs that we grow out at
live weight plus separate butcher fees for processing and wrapping.
KuneKune
KuneKune are pigs from New Zealand that provide real pork
(unlike potbellied pigs) and have a breeding weight of 90 to 120 pounds with an
extreme weight of 200 pounds. This is especially appealing to us for a
breeding program that we and our children can work with without having to deal
with 700 to 800 pound breeding sows and boars. The KuneKune are
known for being truly docile and well mannered which is also a bonus.
One of the bonus features of the KuneKune is that they are
a grazing pig that can sustain itself on pasture. This will
fit into our current farming practices.
The negative for our obtaining KuneKune is that they are
so rare in the United States that their pricing for breeding stock is a bit
extreme for our budget. We will see what future years bring as far as availability,
pricing and our budget.