So you want to raise pigs. Maybe you have a little land. Maybe you just like the idea of knowing where your food comes from. Either way, you are going to need a solid guide, and that is exactly what this series is about.
Before we talk about raising pigs, it helps to know how we got here. Humans and pigs have a long history together. Longer than you probably think.
Before you pick a breed, you need to learn the language. Pig farming has its own vocabulary, and if you do not know the basics, everything else will be confusing.
Before you bring home a single pig, you need somewhere to put it. And not just “a spot in the yard.” Pigs need real shelter, real space, and real fencing. Get any of these wrong and you will have a very bad time.
Pigs will eat almost anything. That is a fact. Historically, they were called “mortgage lifters” on dairy farms because you could feed them leftover whey and scraps, fatten them up, and sell them for extra income. Pretty smart system.
Nobody wants to think about sick pigs. But if you are raising them, you need to know what can go wrong so you can catch it early. Or better yet, prevent it from happening at all.
Most small-scale pig farmers never breed their own pigs. They buy piglets, raise them to slaughter weight, and that is the whole operation. Simple. But some farmers do breed, and if you do it right, it can actually be more profitable than raising pigs for meat.
This is the chapter nobody looks forward to. But if you raise pigs for meat, this is where the whole operation leads. Understanding the process makes it less overwhelming and helps you do it humanely.
Not every pig ends up as pork. Some end up on your couch. And some end up doing jobs you would never expect from an animal most people only associate with breakfast.
Every book about raising pigs eventually gets to the fun stuff. The weird trivia. The facts that make you stop and say “wait, really?” Kim Pezza saved some of the best material for the end of her book, and honestly, some of this is wild.
This is the last post in the series, and I want to end with something personal. Not my story. Kim Pezza’s.