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So, you want to be a pig farmer?
Free range pig farming will need some sort of commitment on your
behalf. Commitment to the care and welfare of the pigs as well
as the environment in which you farm. How do I herd pigs?
How do I get started in free range pig farming? It’s a question that is now being asked on a regular basis.
Firstly, and probably most importantly, contact your local council and ask if there are any restrictions or special requirements for farming pigs in your area. You must have landed that is zoned Rural 1A before you can even contemplate pig farming. Some states require licences and Development Applications. You may also need to have a waste management plan in place. Check before you invest any money into you planned venture as you could be shut down if your piggery is deemed illegal.
You now have the green light to get started but do not just rush out and buy any old pigs that may be handy in your haste to get up and running. Select your breeding herd carefully as they are the foundation of your business. It’s an expensive lesson to learn if you buy unsuitable sows. Generally, sows that have been bred for the intensive indoor industry will not perform well in a true free range environment. They are selectively bred for traits that suit that industry; in particular, leanness and strong legs that can withstand a lot of time on cement floors. While we will be aiming to produce fairly lean pigs, the lean genes of these commercial type pigs makes it difficult for the sows to keep on condition in an outdoor situation.
The ideal sows will have been raised free range and proven that they can perform outdoors. Look for an animal that has a nice straight, wide back with nice hams, at least 14 good teats and not too leggy. The sow should have just a nice fat coverage: not too lean and not too fat as neither of these types will perform well.
Free range pigs will put your fencing to the test so it will have to be sound. Ringlock 8/30/90 with a standout electric wire works very well. The mesh needs to be very well strained and posts need to be closer together than if you were fencing for sheep or cattle.
Getting pig nutrition right will mean the difference between success and failure of your farm – it is that important. Pigs have the ability to grow at an incredible pace. During the first few months they will lay down mostly muscle and bone and little fat. If you do not have their diet correct you will disrupt that and risk producing pigs that grow too slowly resulting in excess fat, poor muscle development and boar taint.
No matter what state you live in, to sell your pigs you will need to purchase a registered pig brand to identify your animals and ensure traceability. In some states you will also be required to have a Food Safety Program in place that is audited by a third party. Pigs must be accompanied by a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) when they are sold. NVD’s are available from the PigPass website. Each state has different requirements so check with the relevant departments of agriculture.
Free range farmers must become stewards of the land and ensure that pigs do not cause permanent harm to their environment. Pasture management that includes paddock rotations and even spread of manure are vital. Manure built up and run off must be prevented. A carefully planned system can actually be of benefit to the land enabling you to grow crops and grasses fertilized by your pigs. Set stocking of pigs will cause problems not only to the land, but to the health of the herd.
Caring for pigs and all of the above topics and more are discussed in depth in the book Free Range Pig Farming - Starting Out, or take a paid membership at Australian Pig Farmers. (International farmers welcome)
You may have already discovered that good information about free
range farming is a little hard to find. You will come across a
fair bit of theory but not too much hands on, practical advice.
Also
available in e-book format for instant download
Read some examples from the book
About The AuthorI am a free range pig farmer. My husband and I own and operate Melanda Park Free Range Pork in Inverell in the northern New England region of New South Wales, Australia. I actually do 'farm' pigs, not mass produce them. It is really important to me that people understand the difference. Read more ....
How Intelligent Are
Pigs?
In recent times there have been articles printed in
the media questioning the intelligence of pigs and whether they can
be compared to a three year old child. A statements made by a
pork industry body claimed “cognitive ability and intelligence
aren’t the same thing”. Technically maybe not, but I believe the
two go hand in hand. Cognitive ability relates to learned
behaviours. Those behaviours that once learned, become second nature
and we, or pigs, just do without much further thought. Cognition is
from the Latin word meaning “to know” Intelligence, on the other
hand, could be described as “what you do when you don’t know
what to do”
Intelligence is defined as general cognitive
problem-solving skills. Generally, intelligence is the ability to
think about ideas, analyse situations, and solve problems. So, does a pig have the intelligence or the
cognitive ability of a three year old child, or both? Read
more .. Getting StartedI am quite often
asked, how do I start a free range pig farm? Here
are my honest answers. I have learnt all this the hard way – lots
of costly mistakes that I hope I can help you avoid so I will not
just paint a pretty picture of running a piggery, I will give you
the cold hard truth! Don’t
get me wrong, if you do things right it can be very rewarding, after
all, I earn my living from free range pigs. It’s very easy to
tell someone how to set up fencing, yards and how many hutches they
will need, but how do you teach someone how to grow a marketable
pig? Read
more ....
Also
available in e-book format for instant download
How naive was I ... My venture into pigs started about 12 years ago when I purchased a couple of weaners to grow out for the freezer. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, these two pigs were to set my life on a completely new path. I quickly realised that these animals were not happy confined to the small pig shed we had on our farm and I also quickly realised that I was not happy looking at them in their confinement or having to deal with the stench such conditions produce! I decided to set my pigs free. These intelligent little creatures soon caught onto their new routine. Safely tucked up in the shed at night but moved to their relocatable pen on pasture during daylight hours. They happily followed me to and from each day. Of course, I did start to wonder how I was ever going to dispatch these pigs when the time came. My next purchase was a pregnant cull sow from a small intensive piggery. She was to be butchered because she had bad feet, well, bad for a sow that must spend her life standing in one spot on concrete. 'Betsy' thrived in her new environment and repaid us by producing huge litters for the next 8 years. She eventually became the foundation for our current breeding lines. Oh, and no, she did not produce pigs with bad feet! Her problem was environmental not genetic. Betsy is still alive and well today and a proud matriarch of the herd and still demands their respect, and gets it. We increased our little herd and relocated them to Inverell in 2003. We had purchased an 80 sow intensive piggery, and while we never had any intentions of continuing its operation, the reality of factory farming hit hard wandering through those empty, gloomy sheds. Prisons cells; that’s what they felt like, full of ghosts too, the skeletons of many that had tried to make their escape through the effluent pits beneath them told of a very grim life. It was 6 months before I could enter those sheds without feeling a chill. We eventually set those ghosts free by dismantling the crates and cages that once confined the pigs. What a wonderful feeling! All those metal bars stacked high in a rubbish heap. The sheds now have a new purpose, to shelter the pigs but only when they choose to use them. We currently run 150 free range sows. Small in terms of the average herd size in Australia, but a number that is easily managed by my husband and myself while still allowing individual care for the pigs. I will never advocate large free range herds, instead I would like to see the smaller, family farms fostered. Factory farming doesn’t really allow for time spent with the pigs so I suppose that could explain why some producers don’t have a problem with keeping their pigs in confined conditions because they never get to really know the animals. Intensive sheds are designed for minimal handling of the animals so interaction with the pigs would be almost non existent. I do believe that these kind of producers know in their hearts what they are doing is cruel but if they just keep repeating the industry propaganda over and over to themselves it eventually drowns out the tiny voice urging them to do the right thing. Others of course are just heartless and really don’t give a damn - pigs are just a commodity and nothing more to them. I now find myself at odds with the intensive pork industry. I know that I do not belong in the same class of industry as those that confine their pigs to sows stalls and farrowing crates or raise their pigs in crowded sheds. Neither am I part of an industry that relies on antibiotics, hormones, growth promoters or a vast array of drugs to sustain their existence. I believe that wholesome food does not come from animals that need to be kept alive until they go to slaughter. It doesn’t come from animals that have never experienced the sun or rain on it’s back or felt the earth beneath its feet or foraged naturally on plants and grasses. It doesn't come from pigs that need growth promoters and hormones to force unnatural growth at the expense of the pig's health, and possibly that of those that consume it. I believe these animals shouldn't have to cope with their environment, they should thrive in it. Industrialized agriculture in its current form is unsustainable and we will one day pay the price when nature finally says enough is enough and kicks butt.Sustainability in agriculture is about much more than the environment, its also about acceptable farming practices. Lee McCosker
How
Intelligent are Pigs? continued
.... It is very easy to train a pig, in my
experience, much easier than training dogs. If I need to change the
routine of our herd it will generally take only two days for them to
learn a different behaviour. I am not talking about complex tasks or
tricks, just changing their routine. A perfect example of a learned behaviour of our pigs
is their morning feed. The sows come in from the paddock to be fed
in a shed every day. They know exactly what time to be there (if I
am early there will be no sows waiting) There are things about this
morning ritual that really intrigue me. When I arrive at the shed at
the usual time, it will be full of sows patiently waiting. They stir
a little when they first see me but make no fuss or noise. I yell
“every body out!” and up they get and go outside. Some try to
hide at the back of the shed (to get first go at the feed) but are
easily convince to leave. The gate is now shut while their feed is
readied. The sows wait and watch at the door. If anyone has been in a pig shed at feed time, they
will know the noise is truly deafening, painful in fact, and the
earmuffs hanging up in ours are testament to that, yet our sows wait
patiently and relatively quietly at the door. First the long troughs are filled with water. This
action does not get a response from the pigs. I could clean the shed
or do repairs at this point and the sows will remain quiet, although
they will show signs of becoming impatient. I take the red, rattly
feed trolley out of the shed and head for the silo – no noise yet.
On my return, there is obvious excitement but no ear piercing noise.
Once the feed has been put into the troughs, I rearrange the
internal gates of the shed. This is the action that triggers the
pigs. They know now that food is imminently available and my next
action will be to open the gate and let them in - the uproar starts. Now, on occasions I have had to make changes to this
routine. I have changed the location for feeding, the time of day,
and the path the pigs need to take. If a pig lacks intelligence,
surely it would continue on with its previously learned behaviour
and starve to death? When it comes to intelligence of pigs, it is not
just black and white. They are no different to humans in that they
are all unique individuals with differing personalities and
obviously, like us, different levels of intelligence. Some pigs are
clearly ‘thinkers’ and leaders, the majority followers. The same industry body mentioned earlier also made
the comment “to equate learning ability with intelligence is
somewhat silly” Is it possible to have one without the other?
Maybe that is true in the mentally retarded. For pigs to learn
behaviour, wouldn’t it require some level of intelligence? Can a pig think about ideas, analyse situations and
solve problems? It certainly can. Whether it is on the same level as
a three year old child I have no way of knowing. Three year old
children, just like pigs, have varying levels of intelligence and
learning ability. Three year olds though are able to express what
they are thinking with language we understand. What problems would a pig need to solve? Pigs are
driven by some very basic needs; food, shelter, social contact. That
explains why it is so easy to teach our sows a new routine – food
is the reward. I quite often tell a story about the particular
actions of a sow and how she was so determined to rejoin her herd.
She was in a small paddock with her piglets but was obviously driven
to take her babies and join her herd mates. Everyday we would find
her out of her paddock, the gate open. OK, we decided the chain on
the gate was a no brainer to open, so added a typical gate latch and
chain. Still the sow would escape, the gate open. Now, the gate
latch was one that hooked over with a spring loaded ring to hold it
secure. It requires a human to press the ring in to be able to lift
the hook and unlatch the gate. Every time the sow escaped, you would
return her to her paddock and watch to see how she was getting this
gate open. She would not attempt an escape while we were in sight.
Although we felt rather silly, we decided to hide behind a shed and
watch what was happening. Sure enough, the sow appeared at the gate,
looked all around her, sniffed the air, and decided all was clear.
The first chain was off with a flick of her snout, the second (the
spring loaded latch) took a little longer – maybe 30 seconds! She
bit the latch to hold down the spring and then lifted the hook off
the gate. Off she went very pleased with herself. No one taught her how to do this. She analysed the
situation and solved the problem herself. Not only did she figure
out how to get the gate open, she knew not to do it in front of us.
Now that is intelligent! Three year old children have the ability to
verbalize their thoughts and feelings. I know from experience that
pigs have the ability to vocalize a need, pain and stress. This
ability seems to be missed in scientific studies, probably because
you need to know the pigs you are dealing with and to have spent
enough time with them to recognise their vocalizations other than
those that are immediately obvious such as extreme pain, fear or
anxiety. That brings me to another point. Where do they
source these pigs that they use for scientific evaluation? From the
intensive industry? Pigs that have never known the freedom to
express most natural behaviours? Pigs that have been selectively
bred for traits like strong legs that allow it to withstand a life
standing on concrete? From my own experience, I fear that a lot of
instinctive behaviours have been bred out of these commercial super
genetics. Hardly a sound base for an unbiased scientific study. One
Australian scientist advised a vet student visiting our farm to
expect free range pigs to be very aggressive! The poor girl was
terrified at first, and then amazed that he was so wrong and that
she had been so misled. Most research done on pigs is industry or
government funded and that research results could be affected by a
scientist looking for funding – or an industry hoping to justify
itself. Let’s see some
research on pigs unaffected by the learned behaviours from a life in
an artificial, intensive environment. It seems that no one is able to dispute the fact that pigs are indeed intelligent. It just comes down to semantics. Some want to dispute that their intelligence is at a comparative level to that of a three year old child. Whether a pig’s intelligence is that of a three, two or one year old child, the fact remains that these animals are intelligent and no one has been able to challenge that.
Getting Started continued ..... Sheep and cattle are a
whole other ball game. If prices are down you have alternatives and
can hang on to them until they rise again, if they lose condition
due to drought, you can wait for a better season and they will put
that condition back on and you can sell them as a different class of
animal. Not so with pigs! There is a very small
window of opportunity when selling pigs. When they are ready for
market they have to go or they will continue to grow rapidly and lay
down a heap of fat – no one will want them, and if they are males
you will be seriously out of pocket. So many people hold the notion
that pigs will eat anything and all you have to do is feed them
scraps, get them nice and fat and off to market they go. Change that
perception immediately! Firstly, I am a
commercial grower in comparison to some of our other free rangers
that concentrate on rare breeds of pigs. What I am telling you here
may not necessarily apply if that is where your interest lies. To
make money from pigs that are sold into the general market you need
to do things differently. Don’t make the
mistake of just buying any sows that are available to get started,
unless they are well bred they will not produce the pigs you will
need to supply your market. If
you don’t know what you are looking at, ask someone who does or
get hold of industry related journals and do some research. What I
would be looking for is: Long, straight and broad backs. A nice
little groove down the spine would be a good sign. No curves in the
backbone and don’t buy an animal that has a raised spine, one that
seems to form a peak instead of laying flat.
Well rounded hams. Don’t buy sows with long, rangy looking
legs and no flesh around their bums.
Check the udder for signs of previous infection and enough
teats (14 at least) and ask the seller about the sows production
history. If you can buy sows that have been raised in free range
conditions, you will have few problems adapting them to your system.
Be aware that pigs bred for indoor intensive production may
not adapt to outdoor conditions as they have been selectively bred
for traits suited to that industry. Buying pregnant gilts will guarantee your first litter but gilts present their own problems and can be difficult first time mothers. Gilts that are bred too young, or too small, and have not had a chance to grow to a suitable size, will have difficulty delivering particularly if it is a small litter.
So
much more in the book! Order
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