Once again, because the demand for our product is growing so fast, we recently bought a "few" feeder pigs from a neighboring farmer. Soon our breeding stock will be in full production but as our growth has been so wonderfully rapid, we have had to "outsource" some of our pork chop crop. All hogs are still
raised here but only about 75% are born here. (We believe this will be our LAST group not born on South Pork Ranch.)
So we buy piglets as young as we can and then we move them OUTSIDE. It is often the first time these piggies have ever felt dirt or been able to chew grass or bask in the sunshine.
In the beginning, confinement hogs are very wary of people. They are used to being indoors, in tight quarters. They are often fed by automated means. They don't get the kind of behind the ear scratches and shoulder rubs our animals are accustomed to receiving. Then they come to South Pork Ranch and their lives change.
We get them on pasture as soon as we can get them acclimated to an electric fence. The REAL fun happens very quickly as Keith begins to feed them raw milk from our certified organic dairy. The pigs love it and of course fall deeply in love with Pied Piper Keith.
I can hear the anxious squeals as they anticipate their milk and I'm not even there. Wow! it must be loud with that many pigs. Our feeder hogs, when we have them, have a pen right in front of the milking shed and they watch me milk. Yes, they know just what I'm doing. I wish we could put them out to pasture but alas, that isn't in the cards for now.
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