One of the mantra's of this farm is to keep an open mind and be ready to adapt and change plans as necessary. When we first got our pigs, my plan was to use the boar and sow as foundational breeding stock that would eventually lead to a herd of 4-6 sows and a boar. This herd would have two sychronized farrowings a year producing 35-65 piglets every six months. One of my guides was Kingbird Farm which used this system and produced a series of really helpful instructional videos.
Then, winter struck. It turns out that winter here in Western Washington is really awful for pig production. The grass is dead, the weather is cold and wet, and the soil is either saturated with water or actively puddling. When the pigs start their natural rooting process on the wet soil, it turns it into mud soup in a day or two. I experimented with moving them to fresh pasture paddocks, but the speed at which they destroyed the pasture was amazing. And this was just a boar and a sow! In order to stick to a twice-a-year farrowing schedule, it makes the most sense to farrow in the spring in the fall. This means that the six month grow out period fallowing fall farrowing would require the 35-65 grower pigs to overwinter in these far from ideal conditions. The cold also makes the pigs put more of their energy into staying warm, which makes them eat more and grow less fast.
At this point, I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. It seemed like I was destined for a miserable future of cold, wet winters filled with mud, manure, all to make less profit per pig because I'd have to feed more, supplement with hay, and lose the free food they glean off a lush spring and summer pasture. Plus, I'd have to build adequate winter housing for all those moms and little piglets.
Then, one day about a month ago, I stumbled on an alternative (not my idea, this is a practice that has been used for quite some time): one-litter farrowing. In this system, pigs farrow in the spring. After weaning, the sows are either rebred and sold to enterprising farmers who want to raise their own litter or slaughtered (older pigs have more fat and thus more bacon!) The growing litters then get to grow up enjoying the good weather and fresh grass from daily moves without turning the pastures into muddy slip and slides. At 6 months, the pigs are sent to slaughter, except for a group of 8-12 gilts that stay on to become the next year's breeding stock. They are bred by the boar or artificial insemination at 8 months and farrow exactly a year from when they were born (Thanks to Walter Jeffries at Sugar Mountain Farm for assuring me this schedule should work). The cycle repeats.
To me, the one-litter system is about the perfect solution to my anxiety regarding winter. In this system, I'll only have 9-12 pigs in the winter instead of the 70 I might have had with the other system. The smaller number of pigs will be much easier to manage (I'll write about my specific plans for next winter in a later post), and I'll get to put my heavy work load during a time of the year when it's actually pleasant to be outside.
Then, winter struck. It turns out that winter here in Western Washington is really awful for pig production. The grass is dead, the weather is cold and wet, and the soil is either saturated with water or actively puddling. When the pigs start their natural rooting process on the wet soil, it turns it into mud soup in a day or two. I experimented with moving them to fresh pasture paddocks, but the speed at which they destroyed the pasture was amazing. And this was just a boar and a sow! In order to stick to a twice-a-year farrowing schedule, it makes the most sense to farrow in the spring in the fall. This means that the six month grow out period fallowing fall farrowing would require the 35-65 grower pigs to overwinter in these far from ideal conditions. The cold also makes the pigs put more of their energy into staying warm, which makes them eat more and grow less fast.
At this point, I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. It seemed like I was destined for a miserable future of cold, wet winters filled with mud, manure, all to make less profit per pig because I'd have to feed more, supplement with hay, and lose the free food they glean off a lush spring and summer pasture. Plus, I'd have to build adequate winter housing for all those moms and little piglets.
Then, one day about a month ago, I stumbled on an alternative (not my idea, this is a practice that has been used for quite some time): one-litter farrowing. In this system, pigs farrow in the spring. After weaning, the sows are either rebred and sold to enterprising farmers who want to raise their own litter or slaughtered (older pigs have more fat and thus more bacon!) The growing litters then get to grow up enjoying the good weather and fresh grass from daily moves without turning the pastures into muddy slip and slides. At 6 months, the pigs are sent to slaughter, except for a group of 8-12 gilts that stay on to become the next year's breeding stock. They are bred by the boar or artificial insemination at 8 months and farrow exactly a year from when they were born (Thanks to Walter Jeffries at Sugar Mountain Farm for assuring me this schedule should work). The cycle repeats.
To me, the one-litter system is about the perfect solution to my anxiety regarding winter. In this system, I'll only have 9-12 pigs in the winter instead of the 70 I might have had with the other system. The smaller number of pigs will be much easier to manage (I'll write about my specific plans for next winter in a later post), and I'll get to put my heavy work load during a time of the year when it's actually pleasant to be outside.
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