How the life of a pig on our farm differs from a commercial pork operation, Part II

In Part I, I wrote about the difference in how we raise our pigs at Sparrow Hill Farm compared to a commercial operation. The focus was mainly on the sows. But what about the pigs after they are born? How are they raised? And why is this pig eating hay?

How pigs are raised after they are born

What happens at Sparrow Hill Farm?

Our pigs are born in a nest built by their mother. Minutes after birth, they scramble around to their milk bar, the sow's belly. The sows have anywhere from 14 to 18 teats so the little guys all line up. A teat for everyone! After a couple days, the babies start sampling feed and nibbling on grass and weeds. By 8 weeks they still like to steal a suckle from the milk bar but are plenty old enough to be weaned. At this time, they join the bigger herd of feeder pigs. 

In the spring, summer, and fall, the feeder pigs are rotated through green pastures. The pastures are full of forage including grasses, mulberries, and wild plums. It is a pig paradise. They are fed once per day. A mix of non-GMO corn and soybeans. It is just enough that they clean it up in about 15 minutes. And then, they spend the rest of the day foraging. 

In the winter, we bring the pigs off the summer pasture to a pasture closer to home. Since it is winter, this pasture does not have as much green. We mitigate this issue by giving the pigs large round bales of both grass and alfalfa hay. Most people I talk to are surprised when they hear pigs eat hay. They do. And they love it. Especially the alfalfa.

The pigs are still fed the non-GMO grain mix. And the hay keeps fiber and diversity in the diet. This ensures we can maintain a high standard of pork flavor and quality all year. At 9-10 months of age, the pigs are around 275-300 lbs. This is when we take them to be humanly processed at Avon Locker Plant. And turned into the highly flavorful and nutritious farm meat products we offer. 

What happens in a larger, commercial confinement operation?

I will keep it brief. It is sad but interesting. The little pigs are born onto a hard floor to start life. No dirt. No grass. Only a dusting of feces over slats and concrete. Because of the next step, they have their tails cut off and needle teeth trimmed out of their mouths.

At 3 weeks old, the pigs are separated from their mom and moved to large group pens. Because the pens are crowded and the pigs are stressed, they tend to chew on each other and will injure each other. Trimming the tails and teeth removes both a target and a weapon.

In the pens, the pigs are fed high-protein, high-energy, low-fiber rations. Typically, the rations are just corn and soybeans. The diet ensures fast, efficient growth. It also sacrifices pork quality. The pigs are usually harvested at 5 -6 months of age when they are around 275 lbs. 

What's the end result of both approaches?

Raising commercial pork is fast and efficient if time, size and cost are the only factors. It produces a less expensive product. But fails to consider the ethics or the morality of treating animals right. And it produces a dry, flavorless pork with overtones of pig excrement. 

In comparison, pigs raised on open pastures with consideration to how the animal actually likes to live takes longer. A diverse, high-fiber diet makes the pig grow slowly. We believe, the end product is worth it. You end up with pork that is dark, juicy, and clean.

Of course, it does cost a bit more to raise pigs ethically. 

But I think our taste buds, our health, and the future of our kids are fine with that.