I absolutely love this. I really hope to see, in my lifetime, this become widespread and the new normal in agriculture. This is exactly how it should be done. 💙
Thank you Karma. This was a fantastic series of four videos. I’ve been farming sheep and goats for 25 years and I am now entering the pig arena. All aspects of your farming is exactly how I would like to pursue raising our pigs. Thank you again for showing all aspects of breeding through finishing including Trailer loading and delivery to the butcher.
I am totally in awe of your operation and your work ethic. I have watched Joel Salitin and heard him speak to the idea of "pigliness" and I applaud your approach and concerns for the well-being of your hogs. I am very much jn favor of organic as opposed to all the poisons and antibiotics used with sooo much of the pork produced in the country. I wish for you and your enterprise much success and may you continue to be as happy and content as you appear to be in these videos.
This info is so necessary for someone wanting to do it right. Beasts of burden are not beasts of abuse. Thanks so much for your time and Gods speed in your endeavors!
Absolutely brilliant and well-thought-out program! You are doing a huge service to animal husbandry, and to the public, with this sound and well produced series of videos. Very important, too, is your excellent narrative, which beautifully captures both the design of your farm, the careful steps in the raising process, and the solid steps taken to condition the pigs to your trailer -- and then, to your butcher, who uses humane methods right up to the moment. Wonderful program! And the Tamworths are such a perfect choice. (My family farmed in Iowa and Illinois decades ago; and my BS is in animal behavior; my MS is in communications) How wonderful your farm is, and all its facilities! Makes me wish I were young again -- I would pattern a program after yours!
Nice to see a small farm with great looking pigs on pasture. We do the same thing only we have small moveable buildings (effort to keep property tax under control in NY)for them to shelter in and a leantoo in the large pasture for them to lay under. I liked the wallow hole and I am glad you emphasised the importance of it for the pigs, our large pasture has a small area just for them to wallow in. Again very nice pigs, thanks for sharing the video.
these videos are the best I have seen on the subject of raising natural pigs to breed! Thanks so much for being clear and to the point!!! I will be looking for more from you
Thank you so much for your videos. They are so well produced and informative. I really appreciate your down to earth approach to small scale/family farming and your respect for life in how you handle your livestock in a humane, sustainable, and sensible manner.
hello from australia.... I have raised a few pigs for my own consumption. ... as a kid and as an adult. This is a great video, I like it because it is from past knowledge. Pigs are amazing and should be respected at all times, including transport, slaughter and at the eating stage.. The 'tragedy' in this clip... was the communication between pig and carer. Canaries, goldfish and even horses do just fine without human contact. Pigs can be dumped and attended, but that will never make a happy pig... I support humane animal treatment at all levels, but to 'own' a pig is to respect a pig..Lots of evidence of this in all aspects of this video... tyvm Kingbird Farm
I think it's great how you realize how stressing pigs out and frightening them before slaughter affects the taste of their meat. If only some of those factory farm workers who horribly abuse the pigs realized this. I'm sure I can tell now when eating pork whether that pork came from a pig that was abused or from a pig treated much more kindly. I can also tell that you don't abuse your pigs because they're grunting and not squealing, and they walk up to you in a friendly way rather than scurry away from you whenever you get near them. You can always tell how pigs are treated before you even see how the handler treats them because of observing to see if the pigs are grunting and approachable or squealing and scurrying away
This was wonderful thank you! I've been looking for someone who can tell me the process throughout not just be like "Here's my pigs and we feed them!" No no I want to know about breeding, piglets, etc etc. Thank you again for this video! :D
Karma i agree 300 % with you . I love how you treat the animals andi have a lot of respect for you , its takes a lot of courage to start your own farm!! I wish you all the best!!
Thanks for the tip about training pigs to the electric fence inside the pig panels. I am scared of electric fences (and still am unsure whether I have the heart to do it and the trust! - will my training work?) but it's wonderful for pigs to be able to root to their hearts content.
G'day, Thanks for the most informative video. I'm in the Philippines and here it's common practice to clip the teeth of the piglets to remove the tusks and also remove about half of their tails. Do you do that?
Good on you for treating your animals so well. I can't even imagine the torture they go through in modern industrial farming from birth to slaughter. It's sickening.
I could watch pigs and piglets forever (don't hire me). The combination of their individuality and their herd dependency is fascinating to watch (I imagine that they start fighting each other from the instant they're born, each going for the best teat, to which it will remain attached through weaning--in many, if not most, cases. (I've heard that the piglets closest to mom's head are the strongest and healthiest; the ones that have to settle for teats at the opposite end, less so.) Also, the mothers are incredibly patient and loving (but not overly so--like owners of "pet pigs" who spoil spoil them just to keep them quiet). Their are even videos of livestock pigs taking turns sliding down a mountain rill, then going back up and repeating this soothing thrill ride (mud feels good and is not necessarily dirty). There's even an Asian farmer who has taught his pigs to high dive into a deep lake in exchange for treats (the most food-motivated of all animals). It gives them exercise and, he claims, improves the meat. Chinese farmer claims diving pigs make tastier pork
Really intresting video. Im doing research i got my first then second a month apart. Was going to raise a few pigs just for meat but they are an intresting animal
Hi - Can you tell me where you found that feeding trough that you see in the video? I have never been able to find something like that and would really like to.
i wish all pigs were reared like this. i particularly think the way she is concerned for their welfare right to the very end is good. if people will eat pork, then this is how it should be for the animals without a doubt.
you need an on site butchering station...doesn't need much. save a ton of money if doing 10-16 every 6 months...probably 3 grand each run...great videos. best of luck
I love your thinking....so much like I think, to have pigs live a stress free life from birth to slaughter.....it shows you love your pigs..tks for sharing
thet recommend mulberrie trees for pig pasture huge shady and prolific........gannon oaks......honey locust......persimmons.....crab apples......chestnut, beech
Great work and video. Beware the small slaughter house.I always do my own butchering, but once I bought a fair lamb that went to the slaughterhouse. 99% of the time they did just the kill and sent it to butcher shops for cut wrap. I insisted on cutting it myself, and went to this little shop of horrors to pick it up. No one spoke english and they looked at me like I was stupid when I told them the tag number of my lamb. As I waited 2 goons dragged a goat by a rope into the kill room, while 2 more followed kicking it just for fun. Terrifying. Real monsters. This carcass they gave me might have been a lamb at one point, but I am not sure. Maybe some old goat. Foul and defective meat. If one spends this time making great meat, he just has to kill and cut it at home. Our county fair board at least moved to a new slaughterhouse after I described my visit there. Where in hell the USDA was, I will never know. Mobile USDA kill and cut is becoming available in some areas.
ok number one I love they idea and the way you raise your pigs I'm in total agreement with the way you run and raise pigs and i have watched all four video's on the pigs and I've only found one thing that I wanted to let you know that I found out the hard way don't take any animal to a processing place or meat locker what ever you want to call them yeah they may do a good job and it may taste good but trust me I've worked in three different ones and you want get your exact meat back all the cattle go together all the pork goes together ect. ect. trust me I promise you they do and if you ask them they won't tell you the truth BC they want your business I toke a gilt that was 250 pounds into a highly recommended meat locker that was rated 2nd in the state and I got back pork that smelled like a bore and was so tuff you litterly couldn't hardly cut it with a steak knife so if you want to take that extra step and know 100% sure that's your pork prosses it all your self it will be more work but you guys all ready work so hard I don't want to see you through it all away by taking it to a meat locker thanks for all the video's and God bless
One last note on unloading your meat hogs.actually its a question; Was it a little bit emotional? I know it will be for me,and im "the tough guy". I saw a video that was a horror to watch,you know the type that wants you to become vegetarian more than anything . But I thought to myself I'm not just gonna be somebody that talks about it I'm gonna do something and I want to raise my own pork and the day of butchering I want them to be eating a bowl of mint chip ice cream and then the stun gun come up behind them with them never see it coming .
Calm butcher is REAL important; y'dont wanna be ugly to 'em at th'end after doin' good by'em raisin'em rite. I do believe eatin' meat from scairt, stressed-out animals is downrite pizenous to ya...
Whilst I applaud what your intentions are, and you certainly do a good job in what you have chosen - I rather think you have missed the point. Why do we need to be eating pigs at all - certainly after only 5-6 months? I suggest that yours is a more compassionate approach - yes - but what we are really discussing is the why we choose to eat cows, pigs and sheep at all. Once I saw H.O.P.E I started to make choices for myself - primarily around my own health - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pDg7tlEJD64.html It literally changed my way of thinking about the wider issues too.
If animals weren't killed or eaten. How would you manage over population. Dogs and cats are examples. No matter how compassionate you are about them they still are HUMANLY put to sleep by the thousands yearly. I bet you would save a dog or cat before caring about an aborted baby or homeless vet.
Save a plant, they have feelings too. After all they respond to talking and music. Darn now what do I eat? Maybe if I get on the ground and try the grass.
Been encouraged by what you’ve already done. Taking steps to do it on my own. Help my family of five achieve our dream to sustain the environment and sustain healthy lives for our family and the community. gofund.me/4v8yajpg
Unfortunately, my gut feeling about you and your "farming operations" do not come anywhere near favorable. If such is my immediate impression I shudder to think what your captives experience once they see you approaching. It certainly makes me very unhappy. Perhaps I have misjudged; I certainly hope so.
