As we bring a new pig onto the farm for breeding purposes it
always makes me think of the many times we are told by other producers, “the
pigs are not my pets”. This statement has always been of interest to me;
do they say that because they don’t like to think of the impending death of the
animal to provide us or someone else food? Is it because they don’t want
to develop a relationship with that animal because it will be then emotionally
difficult for them to slaughter? Is it because they just think of it as only a
dollars and cents type of relationship (food in food out)?
I do not fault any of these producers for having that type
of mindset, they do best what works for them and their operation. We have
had many pigs from farms “where the pigs are not pets” and they have been
wonderful animals and worked well for us.
Our pigs are not pets either, we know they will be butchered
one day and provide us with nourishing food, but in the space between, they are
welcomed into the fold and treated with love and kindness. BUT WHY IS
THAT IMPORTANT TO US?
We have now been working with pigs for 11 years on our
little farm and each year we learn more and more about how it all works and
their roll on the farm. We are by no means experts in raising pigs, but
rather lifelong students.
Here are a few things I think are important about why we try
and develop a strong relationship with our animals (that will some day be
butchered):
- Pigs on our small farm
need to be moved from pasture to pasture frequently, if they trust us they
are much easier to move from paddock to paddock or load on the trailer
when we need to move them across the farm.
- We have small children
and many visitors have small children. While we do not children go
into the pens, I feel its important for our family and any visitors to get
close to the animals or maybe even touch them if they want. It
amazes me that our now 22 year old daughter, an animal lover to the core
and who still has to visit the pigs on every trip to the house, never had
an issue with knowing the pigs are going to be food someday. To me
this speaks volumes.
- Pigs provide more than
just food on our farm – they help transform all of the “waste” produce on
the farm into delicious bacon. In the fall we literally have
thousands of pounds of apple pulp after pressing for cider that the pig
and chickens eat up like crazy!
- They spend a fair amount
of time on the farm. Our feeder pigs only spend a short time on the
farm (9-11 months) and are rotated on pasture constantly. Our
breeding stock spends anywhere from 5-8 years on the farm, we rotate them
on pasture, are in their sheds during farrowing, need to separate at times
for breeding and farrowing, the list goes one. The breeding stock
can be very large (500-700lbs) and we are around them a lot. Boars
have tusks and sows are very protective of their young – We do not need to
be around large aggressive animals on our small operation – they need to
be friendly, trust us and be docile.
- If there are issues we
need to be able to intervene and get close. I remember the one
winter we had a pregnant sow, Elsa, that got injured when wrestling with
her sister, Suzy. Elsa was not able to stand on her back legs for
some time and we were quite concerned about her. Because of her
demeanor and her trusting us we were able to be in the small shed with her
and the local vet to check for any bone breaks or other issues that may be
a problem. The outcome ended well and Elsa went on to farrow some
beautiful piglets that late winter.
- Lastly, pigs are living
creature that provide the ultimate sacrifice for us – they die so we can
live. They need to be respected for that.
These are just a few thoughts on pigging…..
John
