| Pigs on Pasture |
| Welcome to the pig pasture! Here at Dolly-Rock, our pigs are raised entirely outside. This makes for healthy, lean pork products. Pigs develop fat in a layered fashion, in between the muscle. This makes trimming out the fat for a leaner product very difficult. Pigs raised in a building, on corn or processed feed get very fat, very fast, and we actually find it really gross. Pigs raised on pasture develop strong, lean muscle with a comparatively minimal amount of fat. The industry standard for pork, last I read, was around 67% saturated fat. WOW! Not ours! More muscle equals better flavor, bacon that holds its size, and brats that don't leave a 1/4 cup of grease in the pan. Since we use a nitrite-free cure for the ham and bacon, and have the brats and links processed fresh, heartburn ceases to be a problem, and the chemically sensitive (like me) can enjoy a slice of bacon, or a breakfast link without fear. |
| These are a group of feeders we purchased our first pig- winter. The pigs were deep-bedded in a large, 3-sided open air shed with outside access. This was the day they came home, frightened and hungry. They adjusted very quickly as soon as they learned who had the food. We hope to acquire a breeding pair soon, and start raising our own. |
| As soon as we had some green, they were moved to a fenced in run, to adjust to more space and fresh ground. They were very happy pigs. |
| Breed of choice: Tamworth, Poland China & some crosses they handle the weather well, and have long, lean bodies for more bacon. |
| Our menu: weeds & bugs lean, clean, frozen meats garden leftovers grass, millet fruits & veges alfalfa/clover hay a little bit of whey leftover kitchen scraps we also give a whole-grain mix consisting of a wide variety of types corn is only a very small fraction of the total amount as corn makes pigs fat we do give some as part of a balanced diet, and a little more in the winter, as they use the extra fat-energy to help stay warm in the fall, we feed lots of apples and squash no store-bought processed feed NO SOY! |
| As soon as they outgrew the fenced pen, the pigs were moved to last winters cow pasture. They tore through old manure and spoiled hay with piggy grunts of joy. This had the added benefit of cutting down on parasites, and prepared the ground to be reseeded. |
| The only thing keeping them from tearing into this cornfield is 2 strands of electric fence. Pigs hate electric, and although they are curious, as the photo below shows, they are also very smart, and learn really fast to never touch it. |
| Two of our butcher sows, playing on a nice winter day. You can see their subterranean home they dug for themselves. The hole under that roof is probably 4 feet deep, and full of hay. |