Jolie Piglets Sleeping
After her big movie Jolie and the piglets are taking it easy today, snoozing in the sun. Their hay filled shed in the atrium garden opens to the south with the hay shed to the north to block the wind.
You might notice that some of the piglets have short tails. Sometimes a piglet in the first week or so will mistake another piglet’s tail for a teat and suck it. The result is a short tail. I see this happen more in big litters. Jolie had a large number since she adopted so many piglets thus the shorter tails on a few.
The spotted piglet, white with black markings, is what we call a cow pig. That’s not an official name but something the kids came up with to describe that type of markings. You’ll notice there is also a red in this group. Neither one are Jolie’s natural born as she seems to only carry the white genes care of her Yorkshire ancestry.
Outdoors: 22°F/4°F 2″ Snow, Mostly Sunny
Farm House: 58°F/44°F
Tiny Cottage: 63°F/51°F
Walter Jeffries Tinker, Tailor… A bit eclectic & a tad eccentric, polymath, quantum mechanic & Farmer. Also lucky at cards.
I love that ‘cow pig’! Who’s the Daddy?
Hello Walter! Have you ever noticed a difference in taste between pork from your white, spotted and red pigs? Thanks, Jessie N.
Jessie,
No, I haven’t noticed any difference. Our pigs all derive from five genetic lines. That’s three sister sows who represent one line, another large black sow who represents another line and then three different boars. They resulting offspring all taste the same to me. I think that the food they eat, pasture in the warm weather, hay in the winter and whey year round, is what determines the taste most predominantly.
Still, it is fun to have the occasional colored cutie-pie!
Cheers,
-Walter
Hi Walter – I’ve cruised your farm online for a while trying to get ideas for our “new” 100 acre over grown former farm. You are very generous and informative with your stories. Thank you and wish you well.
Gus
On Mar 31, 2008, at 9:27 PM, Dana wrote:
Hi,
I really enjoy your blog, it’s so helpful!!! I just bought two piglets, the female is about 2.5 months and the boar is about 6 weeks old. I have plans to pasture them, althouugh right now they are in a pen about 20 x 20. I plan to eventually breed this pair. Here’s what kept me awake last night: they are already very attached. Once the first litter is due, do I separate the female and her babies from the boar? Will he kill them? Will she try to kill the boar?
If I separate her and the litter, will the male become lonely/depressed? How long can I keep the same breeding pair…do they get too old and, if so, what do you do with yours at that point. I plan to raise some piglets for our own meat and sell others.
At some point, I know we need to keep fresh breeding stock, but from what I’ve read on your site and a few others, it doesn’t sound like you can butcher a boar once he’s a couple of years old for meat purposes. Lastly, what’s the average life span, if you don’t send them off to the processor?
Thanks, I’m sure newbies like me drive you crazy, but we got fed up with suburbia and moved to a small 5 acre farm and I love it….just need some guidance. Thanks!!!
~~~
Hi Dana,
In our experience on pasture the boars are very gentle with the piglets. My experience is all based on our pigs and we breed for temperament so I can’t guarantee how another boar, or sow, will act. If he tries to mate her after she farrows he may step on the piglets. I have heard of that. Typically on pasture the sow goes off in the brush to make a nest away from the herd and then four days to a week after she has farrowed she returns. This implies they would like some privacy if they can have it.
Our oldest breeding sow is three years old. The live as long as about ten years I believe.
You can butcher a boar for meat. The oldest I’ve done is 30 months and he was excellent eating.
See here for boars with piglets: link
See here for boar tasting: link
Feel free to ask questions here on the blog where we can share ideas with others.
Cheers,
Walter