How on God's green earth have I not told you about Hermoine, Ginny, and Harry yet?
(Yes. Those are Harry Potter names. Let's get over it and move on… because some of us here love H.P.)
They've been with us for the better part of a month now and after trying to source heritage pigs for months and months and months… and months… I must admit, I feel quite relieved that they're here now – tucked into the old rabbit run not 10 feet from my bedroom window.
(I say “tucked” like it's all planned out and sweet, when in reality, they're shaped like torpedoes and drastically dashed any hopes I had of keeping them in electric fencing for now…)
Ya. I'm talking about you Harry.
And don't worry about them being that close to my bedroom window, either. They actually smell good. And believe it or not, pigs are pretty clean! Unlike every other animal on the farm, pigs actually poop and urinate in a designated “poop corner” which makes cleanup and rebedding a delight!
Okay, maybe “delight” was not the right word to use there. But tolerable, no doubt. And frankly, I spend so much time dealing with fecal matter, really – what's three more pigs?
Seriously, ya'll. So. Much. Time. Hey Shaye! Whatcha doing? Whatcha been up to today? Oh nothing! Just chillin'. And dealing with fecal matter of all sorts. You?
Why are we talking about fecal matter again? Back to the important matter at hand…
WE FINALLY HAVE HERITAGE PIGS! And I am just tickled pink. With spots!
After the better part of six months was spent trying to find a breeding pair of Large Blacks anywhere remotely close to our side of the country, only to have our hopes dashed after the pregnant sow we did find had an entire litter that was stillborn, I finally had to accept that Large Blacks weren't going to happen. At least for the time. I spoke with a few pig-experts and finally settled on a different breed that shared many of the same traits as a Large Black pig – Gloucestershire Old Spots.
It's an old English breed that is most known for it's white skin, black spots, floppy ears, calm demeanor, great maternal instincts, and grazing abilities. And lucky for me, my friend Rachael happens to raise them. And not only does she raise them, but she does a fine job doing so. I've “imported” a few of Rachael's animals to our farm over the years – most notably the three foundational members of our sheep herd. As luck would have it, I reached out to Rachael at the same moment her pig was farrowing. She was able to raise and choose some fine breeding stock for us – two gilts and one boar.
The boar is Harry, obviously. And Ginny and Hermoine are the little gilts. A gilt being a female pig before she's had her first litter, naturally. Like a heifer in cow terms. You with me?!
Just a few days back, while rewatching Victorian Farm for the seventeenth time, I finally made the connection that they were raising Old Spots on their farm in Victorian Britain! “Princess” was their sow and was as sweet as pie – not to mention a great mother. After the cray-cray Duroc X's we've been raising, that sounded like a step in the right direction. Yes, they grow fast…. but they have miserable temperaments and personalities. We won't let the kids near them. I've learned in my few years of having pigs that breed plays a significant influence in all aspects of the pig. Imagine!
If a pig is bred for meat production alone, it comes at the cost of other traits: such as maternal instincts, grazing ability, demeanor, etc. You can't have it all to the max. One needs to find a balanced pig that can fulfill all roles faithfully. Commercial production doesn't allow for such, which is why you're left with meat monsters.
Our hope has always been to bring heritage pigs to the farm. For starters, they're a great resource to have to clean up the slew of extras we find ourselves with: food waste, garden waste, tree trimmings, whey, etc. Having a pig around is like having a garbage disposal that magically grows you bacon. Yes, please!
On top of that, I enjoy them. I enjoy watching them waddle around and muck about. I enjoy the idea of raising more than a few pigs per year for meat. And I enjoy the idea of being able to sell the extra piglets and share the beauty of heritage pigs with other farmers.
Oh. And did I mention more bacon? More proscuitto? More pancetta? More pork belly? More chorizo? More honey ham? More barbecues where I invite all my readers to drive to the farm, bring a side dish, and tuck into some slow roasted pork?
You think I'm joking…
You'll often find in homesteading it takes experience to decide on what works well and what doesn't work well for your land, your schedule, and your desires. I love that we get the chance to try these pigs on our farm and get to know them.
Will we love them? We already do.
Will we hate them? Yes. We've already had those moments. Most notable when they busted a giant hole in the side of my greenhouse…
I don't know much about breeding pigs. But I'll figure it out. I didn't know how to milk a cow either when I sat down to do that the first time! And I got kicked. And I cried. And then I figured it out.
We're in the process of designing and building a proper pen for them that will sit alongside our meat chicken run. They'll have room to run and roam but will be kept close enough that I can mingle with them each day. I'm trying to convince them to love me, you see.
They are so sweet and friendly already – like little torpedo-shaped, spotted puppy dogs.
And that's an animal I can get excited about!
And Amen.
Angie
i love them – they are adorable!!!!
Scott Price
We sell them. Have a litter that is going to be born any day.
Kait
Have you tried the electric poultry netting? It keeps our sheep in and they’re crazy Houdini escape artists. Just a thought.
Amanda
So glad I get to live vicariously through your farm! The pigs are adorable – adorable bacon!
Abby Jo
1. They are so cute!
2. I really want to come, pitch my cool tent and have a barbecue with you and your family!
3. We watch all the same shows, and we have serious problems! River Cottage, River Australia, Victorian Farm, War Farm, All things Farm!
Aliyah Prontaut
RiverCottage is a show!!! I have all of the cookbooks! Where do I find these shows?!
April Spengler
First we had two Hereford Gilts. My husband is an expert fence builder and we gave them their own 15 acre plot complete with a small running creek. That just wasn’t enough for them. Everyday they escaped so they could be at the house with me. They completely rooted up my yard, young peach trees, berry bushes, flowers, everything. So, we moved them to a more secure, much smaller area. Next, I decided to look for something a little calmer like GOS, but couldn’t find any anywhere near Kansas so we settled for a Large Black Boar. He is great. We bred him with our Herefords and they made the cutest tiger striped piglets. I am hoping to find a Large Boar Gilt to put with him. I just love Large Blacks now, but GOS are still my dream pig. Since that is what we women folk dream about.
It is time to get up close and personal with all of our pigs. 5 adults and 13 piglets as we move them in to clean up the garden for the winter. That is something I really enjoy because I can see them outside my southern windows.
Scott Price
We have them and will deliver any where in the USA.
Luke
Scott,
What is your contact info as I am looking for a GOS boar.
Thanks
Aubrey
I’m sure you already know this, but electric fencing is perfect for pigs. We raise polands and nothing keeps them corralled like electricity! Congrats on finding a true heritage breed pig, I have been looking for months here in Oklahoma to no avail! And FYI, when it comes time to breed, pig semen STINKS to high heaven. It’ll like to never leave your hands!
Stephen
Yeah I’ve had the same problem. Can’t find Old Spots anywhere in Oklahoma. If anyone knows a good source please call me. Thanks!
(918) 280-9661
Jodall
Do you keep you pigs in one spot or do you move them? They tear up one piece of land pretty quick so we have to move them every week or so. So they don’t get bored and they have fresh grass. Also we tried the movable electric fence and mine lost their fear of it at about 2 months.
Becky
I have a friend who got some piglets, and I asked her how they were to keep, because I had heard they go through any fence. She said:
“Pigs, honestly, super easy. I think the trick seems to be to train them when you first get them. We got a few basic pig panels, nothing too crazy, not like a big panel for cattle, but that thinner welded metal panel…not sure how to describe it. Anyway, some kind of panel to make a pen. Then inside that, run a strand or two of electric wire. We got turbo wire because we were told it carries the best charge. Then you leave the piggies in there for a few days or so to get used to it. Meaning, they will likely touch it at some point and learn to back away. Their instinct is to move forward through the charge apparently, but since the panels are there, it will force them to back up. Once they know it shocks them, they stay away. Then you can just open up the pen into your larger area that can just be one or two strands of electric wire. Worked great. “
Amy
Girl. You have a seriously awesome view. How can you tear your eyes away from that view, to watch the piggies, adorable as they are? I’ve been trying to talk my longsuffering hubby into getting a few pigs for several years now. Maybe next year!
Ashley
Jealous! We just moved onto 40 acres and I’m trying to convince him we need pigs. I sent him a quote from this: “Having a pig around is like having a garbage disposal that magically grows you bacon.” What’s not to love?? Thanks for the heads up to research the bed carefully before diving in.
Debbie
I was wondering where to locate the shows you watch? I’ve never heard of them but would probably like them.
I really enjoy your blog. Like many other followers, I too live vicariously through you and your farm life. Thank you so much for sharing.
Cris Daining
Thank YOU for being a loyal reader! I love hearing from you!
Micah
Run some wire around the inside of there pen right now and they will be terrified of it when there older. I work for a guy who has 30 some and he says sometimes he has to put a bucket over their head and back them out, because they won’t go where there was wire. Train them to it when they’re young. I hope it all works out for you.
Micah
Sarah
You named your bacon after Harry Potter characters? I can’t handle it. Maybe if you named them Lucius, Barty Crouch Jr, and Snape… No, not Snape, I do love Snape. Anyway, Congrats on your pigs! Accio pork loin!
Katherine Tedrow
AWESOME! We ADORE our GOS hogs! We got a breeding pair two years ago and have had 3 litters to date. They have the cutest piggies! Momma is protective, but fairly tolerable of us. My husband interacts with the litters,but gives momma plenty of space and keeps one eye on her if he has to go into the pen. Our boar is named George and thinks he is a pet! What a big baby! he loves to have his ears scratched, and he loves to “talk” to us when we go out to his pen. We are giving him three new ladies this fall, so we’re hoping for LOTS of piggies come spring. God bless.??
Nicole @Little Blog on the Homestead
Oh my goodness! I love those names! Our cats are Regulus and Sirius (cause what else could we name a pair of black cats)! I can’t wait to have pigs on our property, my husband raised them before and will choose raising pigs over pretty much anything else. If you give them enough space and secure it they’re pretty content to do their own thing. Plus, then we can trade bacon for steaks 😉
Janet
Congrats on the pigs. We found Large Blacks last Feb, unfortunately the farmer had no breeding pairs, only boys Hubby drove from North AL to SOuth AL in a mini cooper to get them. THey will be butchered in two weeks!!!!!!
OUrs were in a cattle panel pasture. In Sept. they moved to the garden (with field fence) and have done a great job of getting it ready for cardboard and mulch to go down in a few weeks Hubby is already looking for new pigs.
Robin Follette
We’ve had four GOS. Best. Pigs. Ever. Mattie and Penny lived to be 12 1/2 and 13 1/2 years old. With plenty of hay for bedding they did well in our Maine winters and didn’t let the snow slow them down. If I were going to have pigs year round again I would absolutely have GOS. Love those ears!
Elizabeth
The amazing pig guy over @ Sugar Mountain Farm calls piglets “bacon seeds”. Makes me laugh every time
Marcia Ballard
Make SURE the sows are separated for delivery of piglets. AND that the babies have a separate place from Mama except for nursing. Many times Mama will eat her babies or kill then eat. Esp. first litter.