Pasturing Hogs – History, Pros and Cons

Prior to the 1950s raising hogs on pasture was the only way to do it. This was before the advent of commercial hog production; before science came up with methods and feeds that created optimally developed hogs, in minimum time, under controlled conditions. The folks who raised hogs back then didn’t have the Internet to learn from; they learned to raise good hogs through trial and error and the use of hog breeds that could do well on pasture. However, even without the easy availability of knowledge that we enjoy today, hog farmers did write books and conduct experiments that helped improve the husbandry practices of the time.

We seem to have lost much of that knowledge which is troubling to me. Google “pasturing hogs” and you will find some websites that talk about it but even most of the academic sites will admit that very few studies have been conducted on raising hogs on pasture. Certainly this has to do with the wide variability of pasture and farms but it still puzzles me that no university’s swine program seems to have focused on pasture raising of hogs.

The old knowledge is not lost if you take time to do some research. It is just harder to find than a modern website or book.

One of my favorite books was written in 1840 by a man named Henry W. Ellsworth¹. It is titled, in the manner of the time: “The American Swine Breeder, a Practical Treatise on the Selection, Rearing and Fattening of Swine”.

Ellsworth did a great deal of research for his book and provides what seems to be the state of the art of hog raising for the time. Concerning pasturing of hogs, he provides the following advice:

“It is desirable that every farmer who consults the comfort of his animals should have both pens and pasture — the latter well covered with clover, of small dimensions, and, if possible, affording the hogs ready access to water. To effect this object, the fences which enclose the pasture may be extended so as to embrace a portion of some running stream, or if this is not practicable, some spring, from which water may be constantly flowing into an artificial reservoir. It is found that hogs thrive better, when they enjoy the means of slaking thirst as nature prompts them, than when they are restricted to water drawn from wells and furnished at stated intervals. Even in the absence of a stream suitable for the purpose, or a spring, water should, if possible, be conveyed, to some artificial pool, or trough, in sufficient quantities for their use at any moment. The size of the pasture will of course depend, to some extent on the situation of the farm, and number of hogs. In general, however, where the herd is numerous, it is deemed advisable, to scatter it in different enclosures, placing those hogs that are nearly of the same age and strength together. Small orchards, well set in clover, afford an excellent pasture for hogs.”

“This farmer, whose whole management is excellent, fatted, the year before last, twenty four large hogs. The current year he has fatted twenty five, and their average weight was 318 pounds! Whole weight,7950 pounds. His mode of fatting swine deserves attention. As soon as the pastures will afford a good bite of grass, he turns them in where they can have plenty of clover and water. He is careful to salt them once a week, or oftener, if the season is wet; and changes them from one pasture to another, as he does sheep or other stock, which is of much importance during the summer.”

In these two paragraphs Ellsworth has covered several important facets of pasturing hogs:

Pastures need to include legumes or other sources of protein.
Clean, readily available water is essential.
Hogs should be separated by size into small, rotational paddocks.
Hogs do best when the pasture is young and tender.

Other examples from a book published in 1885, “Hogology – Information Concerning Swine”²:

1. The importance of biosecurity.

“The disease is often conveyed from the pens or herds of neighbors, or from running water which comes through the premises of those who have the disease, or even through the air from adjacent farms. Too great care can not be taken by any one whose herd has it, that it be not transmitted. Hogs turned out to pasture, especially before or after it is wet with dew or mild rains, seem to get it because the wafted material is more apt to alight and remain amid moisture. There are some remarkable examples of exemptions to herds whose owners have been skilled and consistent and exact in their precautions. Where a neighbor’s herd is affected, in the opinion of most authorities, it is wise to treat adjacent herds with preventive measures…”

2. The importance of supplemental feed.

“Give the pigs a chance, and do not expect them to root for their living through the summer and then fatten out into fine big hogs in the fall, which is one of the impossibilities. Continuous growth is necessary to make swine profitable, and this can not be obtained without plenty of feed. A little grain each day with good pasture will answer all the purposes and insure the pigs making a very rapid growth…”

3. The importance of exercise and access to pasture.

“Swine, true to their natural instincts, will ramble, and the habit cannot be eradicated. Exercise to them is a necessity. The most successful breeders of the United States give their hogs a large range of pasture at all times during mild weather, and haul and scatter over the ground during the fattening season a supply of corn and vegetables, taking care never to feed more than once in the same spot. They claim that the hogs fatten as rapidly as when confined in pens, and by the use of regular preventives do not so readily fall victims to disease. In the winter time they should have shelter provided against inclement weather, and ready access to pasturage.”

One last set of old knowledge comes from: “The Hog in America – Past and Present”³ written by S.M. Shepard and published in 1886.

1. Importance of separating different sized hogs placed in rotational grazing paddocks.

“The pasture and stock-lots should be comparatively small and numerous, for several reasons, among which are, that it allows a separation of different kinds of stock, and of the different ages of the same kind of stock; it affords an opportunity of change of pasture. It is an old and true adage that “a change of pasture makes fat calves,” and it is no less true of other live stock. Doubtless, all the readers of this book have frequently noticed the greed and eagerness with which stock eat the grass of meadows and pastures that have not been used, when the grass is fresh, vigorous, tender and juicy…”

2. Importance of matching feed quality to the age and state of hogs.

“Don’t take the poor young sow, that is nearly exhausted by the drought of nursing a litter, and turn her upon grass food, without grain, and expect her to recuperate and grow to matronly beauty. It never has and never will be done, and the breeder who expects to succeed must give the sow a better show than a clover pasture. Mature sows — those that have been developed — will do well enough upon a clover pasture, and we would recommend such treatment for them after weaning pigs, until the pasture gets short, when a little grain, say an ear or two of corn each once a day, will keep them in good breeding order.”

So the knowledge of pasturing hogs, written by those who knew no other way, is out there. Then why is it so hard to find today? In my opinion the reason is that the possibility of raising hogs on pasture is not even known to many hog producers. Where I live, in the Missouri Ozarks, I am one of the very few farmers who raise their hogs outside on the pasture. Everyone else keeps their hogs in barns and small pens because that’s what they’ve seen others do. They have not been exposed to pasture hogs so they don’t even consider doing it that way. Even my neighbors have called me to report that my hogs are out, when they are actually just roaming their pasture paddocks. I always worry that someone will shoot one of my hogs thinking that they must be feral!

Another reason for this loss of knowledge is that university swine programs are focused on commercial production methods. Their plan is to turn out students that can be employed and all of the large producers raise their hogs in large facilities. Even the one program I am aware of that has a course on pasturing hogs has designed their program to duplicate that used by cattle producers. It includes modules on farrowing to finish including use of feed lots. These programs totally miss the value of pasturing hogs on small farms.

Pros: