Homegrown Acres

Questions to ask your Breeder

brian — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:06:39 +0000

If you are an experienced hog farmer you can probably ignore this page. It is meant for those folks that are new to raising hogs; these are the questions you should ask any breeder from which you may purchase piglets and hogs. These will help you understand whether or not the breeder knows what they [...]

What makes a good shelter for hogs?

brian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:38:07 +0000

Port-A-Huts are the best solution I have found. I was able to get three used ones on Craigslist for $100 each. Port-A-Hut.com.

Hoop houses made from cattle panels and tarps are another solution and about the easiest and cheapest shelter you can build. You can google “livestock hoop houses” and find lots. This was our [...]

Why is my boar pushing me around?

brian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:37:44 +0000

What you are seeing is a natural behavior from a boar who is trying to determine who is the most dominant. The problem is that this can get dangerous for you.

He is much stronger than you and he has big teeth. He may or may not use his teeth in an aggressive manner but [...]

Is it normal for the sow to lay down on her piglets?

brian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:37:24 +0000

Each sow is different and each piglet is different. The only way to improve the numbers is to go through more farrowing and gain more confidence. You will lose some; it happens and it is natural.

Our experiences have been pretty good primarily because we have built a lot of trust with the sows. We [...]

Can my pig eat that?

brian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:36:42 +0000

I recently saw a post on another blog that started something like this: “I am going to let my pigs clear out my garden soon and was wondering if that was okay. It has been overrun by pokeweed and, although I”ve tried to pull it all, there is just too much for me to remove. [...]

Can I raise a pig?

brian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:36:19 +0000

This is a question we get all the time from people considering whether to raise their own pork. It is natural to think that raising pigs is hard, or that it takes a special building or constant care. The truth is that pigs are one of the easiest farm animals to raise; if you let [...]

Why Inbreeding Matters and How to Manage It

brian — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 04:35:48 +0000

As a group of rare pig breeders, we have reached a stage where we have a large enough population of pigs, dispersed across North America, to be more selective in our breeding programs. In the past you were lucky just to get a breeding pair; now there is enough diversity, and documentation of that diversity, [...]

Providing Water to Pastured Hogs

brian — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:49:59 +0000

One of the problems that all pastured hog farmers face is the need for a constant water source for your herds. Hogs need water; a mature hog needs about a fifth of its body weight each day. Supplying that can be a real problem when they are out on pasture and far from the nearest [...]

Buyer’s Guide – Part Three

brian — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:49:40 +0000

In part one of this series I provided an imaginary tale about what is all too common. Someone will go out and buy a rare heritage hog only to find out that it wasn’t what they expected and end up with a bad impression of the breeds and heritage hog breeders in general. In the [...]

Buyer’s Guide – Part Two

brian — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:47:41 +0000

In the first part of this series I provided a fictional story about an unfortunate but all too common experience that some people encounter when getting into the world of rare hogs. In the beginning I described the common perception:

“You’ve heard that the people raising these are making tons of money off of [...]