Raising Pigs on Your Backyard Farm: A Book Retelling Series
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.
I am retelling Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs by Kim Pezza. Published by Hatherleigh Press in 2016 (ISBN: 978-1-57826-621-0), this book is a practical, no-nonsense guide to raising pigs on a small farm or homestead. It covers everything. History, breeds, housing, feeding, health care, breeding, slaughter, and yes, even keeping pigs as pets.
Who Is Kim Pezza?
Kim Pezza is not someone who read about pigs and then wrote a book. She actually raised them. For years. She bred Yorkshire mixes and had deep hands-on experience with the animals. She kept a potbellied pig as a house pet for 13 years. She had a boar that weighed over 1,000 pounds, and she could walk him on a lead like a dog. That is not something you fake.
You can tell from the writing that she genuinely loves these animals. This is not a detached farming manual. It is someone sharing what they learned the hard way, with warmth and respect for the animals they raised.
What Does the Book Cover?
Pretty much everything a beginner needs to know:
- The history of pig farming and how we got to where we are today
- Breeds and which ones work best for small farms
- Housing and how to set up a proper space for your pigs
- Feeding and what pigs actually need to eat
- Health and the common problems you will run into
- Breeding and what to expect when your sow farrows
- Slaughter and the reality of processing your own meat
- Pigs as pets because yes, some people keep them in their house
It is a compact book, but it packs a lot in.
Why This Series?
I wanted to break this book down into smaller, easier pieces. Each post in this series covers a chapter or a major topic from the book. If you are thinking about raising pigs, or you are just curious about how it works, this series will walk you through it step by step.
You do not need to own land right now. You do not need to have any farming experience. Just read along, and by the end you will have a solid understanding of what raising pigs actually looks like.
Let’s get into it.
Book: Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs Author: Kim Pezza ISBN: 978-1-57826-621-0 Publisher: Hatherleigh Press, 2016