How we rear our pigs
The pigs are reared outdoors as much as possible, only coming in for the most severe weather. They live outdoors in straw stuffed arks and can enjoy rooting up to their hearts content.
The sows are "in pig" for 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days. They then build a nest and give birth or "farrow".Ours sows usually average 10-12 piglets each and the piglets stay on mum until they are 6-8 weeks by which time they are usually weighing around 20kg and mum is glad to see them go!
We have a German Sheperd dog who can always be found with the sows and litters helping mum retrieve any wandering piglets and has even be caught trying to leave piglets suckle of her!
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The piglets start pinching there mums food at around 2 weeks and we then start to creep feed them. The creep is somewhere where the piglets can go and eat piglet feed and the sow cant get to.
Once weaned the piglets are wormed and then remain in litter groups with their brothers and sisters. They then fatten in their arks with a run of 20'x10' till they are 30kgs. We restrict them in this size run to help the piglets keep a good body condition and get used to being without mum.
Once they are 30kg at around 10 weeks we let them loose into paddocks to fatten up to pork weigt and to have fun and run around, root and just be pigs.
The pigs are fed on a natural diet. We buy wheat and barley, grown locally in Margam, then mix it with soy bean meal to give the pigs a cereal based diet that enhances the flavour and quality of the meat.
We are trying to find a UK grown alternative for the soya, ideally a Welsh grown alternative to keep our food miles and carbon footprint as low as possible!
Our pigs are usually at pork weight and ready to go at 60-65kgs which is around 16-18 weeks of age. Once ready the pigs are calmly loaded onto the trailer and taken on a short trip of 15mins to the abbatoir.
We believe in natural food that has low food miles, a small carbon footprint and is local from start to finish all ethically and humanely reared with animal welfare in mind.
Our pigs are usually at pork weight and ready to go at 60-65kgs which is around 16-18 weeks of age. Once ready the pigs are calmly loaded onto the trailer and taken on a short trip of 15mins to the abbatoir.
We believe in natural food that has low food miles, a small carbon footprint and is local from start to finish all ethically and humanely reared with animal welfare in mind.