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.