Raising Pigs For Meat
We absolutely LOVE raising pigs on the homestead. While you need to experience it for yourself, I can almost guarantee that you'll feel the same way we do.
Our experience with raising pigs has been overwhelmingly positive and fills us with a deep sense of appreciation, both for the animals we've raised and the effort that goes into the process.
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Pros + Cons To Raising Pigs
Since I'm trying to sell you on the joys of raising swine, I'll start with the pros!
Pros
Pigs are incredibly smart and social animals. They have personalities and each is unique. Kevy often jokes that pigs are like big dogs, and he isn't wrong. Having a relationship with the pigs makes them incredibly fun to raise.
Our first summer with pigs, the Franks (Frank and his French brother Franc) imprinted on Kev, and they knew he was coming just by his gait. They'd rush from the back of the bush straight to the fence for neck scratches and belly rubs - not even joking!
The quality of the pork is unmatched. In our case, mass produced, factory farmed pork can not hold a candle to our forest pastured pigs raised on high quality feed. It's not even close.
Between the pigs and our chickens, we have no food scraps - nothing goes to waste. Not even weeds, they happily munch on weeds, garden refuse, and anything that comes out of the house (except meat!)
We love that raising pigs results in food that we can feel good about. That our pigs were raised with dignity and respect, that they've gotten muddy in a wallow, felt the sun on their skin, and danced in the water from the hose. These animals had a great life and one bad moment.
One unexpected thing that I really appreciate about raising animals on our homestead, not just pigs, but the laying hens and meat birds too, is that it has firmly connected us to our food supply and keeps us involved. It's easy to walk into the grocery store and buy a package of pork chops, it's a lot harder to raise two pigs to butcher weight for pork chops. Raising pigs has made us active participants in the food we eat, and it's had a profound effect on our entire family.
Cons
By this point, raising pigs almost sounds idyllic, right? But it ain't perfect. Here are my perceived downsides to the process:
Pigs are incredibly smart and social animals! And they can be devious! If they are bored or hungry, they can get naughty! Which can look like digging out and escaping from their pen. Trust me, that is never a good time. One way to deal with this is to free feed, or ensure they always have food, and give them something to do - our pig pen is built into the forest, so they have tons of space to explore.
Infrastructure can be costly. If you don't have any fencing, purchasing fencing supplies is expensive. If you don't have a shelter, shelters can be costly, whether purchased or built. Quality feed costs money.
Pigs are a lot cleaner than you'd expect, but they eat a lot and poop a lot. That can get smelly. We've counteracted that by adding wood mulch to the pen in the spaces that need a little love. Because our pen drains toward the front, the back half always stays clean and fresh, but the front corner with the wallow can get a bit stinky - adding natural mulch makes a huge difference. (PLUS! All of that gets added back to our compost to help feed our soil)
You'll undoubtably eat all your pork - we went through nearly 300 lbs of pork within a year - which will leave you planning for your next batch of pigs! Seems hard to believe, but the pork is so delicious that we cruised through it.
It can be incredibly hard to say goodbye to an animal you've grown fond of. The way we've mitigated that is through mindset. We are always going to be kind and treat our animals with dignity, we are going to give them the best life we can while they are on our homestead, and we are going to honor them by respecting their sacrifice for our family.
Each year, before butchering, Kevy and I go out to the pig pen and spend a few quiet moments with the pigs. We say a quiet, heartfelt thank you to each pig, and tell them that we appreciate them. It helps us to close the loop on the process.
Things To Consider
Before you get into pigs, there are few things you'll need to have sorted. The pigs need a pen, shelter, feed. You'll have to decide which breed you'd like, how and when you'll acquire them.
Pig Pen
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - pigs are smart. The need a solid, secure pen. When we built our pen, we used cattle panels and buried them 12" to help deter digging/ escaping. Catching runaway pigs was NOT high on our to do list!
In hindsight, solid fencing was an extra bonus, because the pigs often rub up to and scratch on the fence. 300lbs of muscle sure can make a fence wiggle!
Many pig owners opt for a couple of strands of electric wire fence along the lower inside of the fence to help solve this problem, but we've found that with enough entertainment, our pigs do just fine without hot wire.
When we set up our pig pen, we purposely put it immediately across from our chicken coop. Because the land was undeveloped there, we were able to concentrate our chore space to one area of the property. This also meant that we were able to build the pen into the forest.
Having the pigs living among the trees has so many benefits - it gives them space for exercise, natural rooting opportunities, and places to get out of the sun.
You can see our complete pig pen build video on YouTube!
Shelter
It's important to have shelter for your animals to protect them from the wind and rain. It gives them a clean space with bedding to bury themselves in when the weather is cool.
We found a used cattle shelter for a reasonable price and placed it with the back to the north protecting the pigs from the prevailing west and north winds on our property.
How To Feed + How Much Feed
In 2024 our pigs ate 2,118 pounds of feed and in 2023 we went through 2,564 lbs.
When it comes to pigs, you can choose to free feed or meter feed.
Free feeding simply ensures that your pigs have feed at all times, this is the method we use. Metered feeding sees you rationing feed and only feeding the pigs a set amount per day, or by weight. Rationing feed can work well in instances where there are a lot of hogs, but I prefer to not muck with measuring and rather have feed in the trough at all times.
It is important to note that we are raising pigs for meat, so our main concern through the time they are on the homestead is feed to muscle conversion. If you're raising sows and boars as part of a breeding operation, your feeding method will absolutely be different because your goals are different.
Beyond that, there are different feeding options. We ferment our pig feed but you can opt to feed dry feed as well. Fermenting feed takes a little more effort and time daily, while dry feeding sees you topping up a gravity feeder as required.
Do you want to buy bulk feed or buy bags from the feed store? If you're buying bulk feed, you'll need a somewhere to store it and dispense it. If you're buying bags, you'll need a place out of the elements to store the feed bags. The first year we used bagged feed and the second year we invested in this grain bin - having the grain bin adjacent to the pig pen was a huge success and cut down on a lot of manual labor.
How Much Pork Do You Need
This is a personal question that only you can answer for your family, but taking the time to think about it can really make a difference in your planning process. We have a family of 4 with two teenagers, and we went through nearly 300lbs of pork in the past year!
Sounds kind of outrageous, but it's not! Bone in pork chops are so delicious and easy to cook. Ground pork got used along with beef for burgers, meatballs, meatloaf. We made smoked pulled pork and smoked pork picnic roasts that we then sliced for sandwiches. Roasts were made. Hams were had. Bacon was savored. It doesn't take long to cruise through high quality food.
For us, our delicious pork has almost replaced beef, so two feeder pigs is a must for our family size at this point. BUT - pigs, like all farm animals do better with a buddy, so if you think one pig is enough for you, I'd recommend reaching out to your circle and pre-selling the second one.
How Do You Want To Get Your Pigs
Keeping pigs on the homestead full time would be a large undertaking for us, as our Zone 3 climate is not great - see my chicken keeping in a polar vortex (-65f) video.
So to bridge that gap, we've met with a couple of pig breeders and picked one that we like. We then purchase 2 feeder or weaner pigs each season. The nice thing with purchasing young piglets is that I don't have to farrow a sow, I don't have to have a separate pen with a boar, and I don't have to overwinter pigs here.
With a little legwork and a few connections, you should be able to find weaners in your area! We do travel a little ways to pick up ours, but Kevy and I love Berkshire pork and we really value the temperament and docile nature of the pigs we've been purchasing.
If at all possible, aim to pick up your piglets when they are 8 weeks. Our first go round with pigs was perfect, we picked up at the end of May and they were 8 weeks. The second year, the girls, Fancy and Estelle, were only 6 weeks when we picked up in mid-May.
Those little shits were small enough to fit through the holes in our cattle panels. We came home one night from soccer practice to find them walking around the chicken coop. *cue the sweating!* That night, Kevy and I spent HOURS putting up chicken wire along the bottom of the pig pen to keep them in until they were too big to fit out of the holes.
When Do You Want Your Pigs
I can't speak to every climate, but here in northern Alberta, the sweet spot is to raise pigs from May through late October, which kind of puts you at the 6-7 month butchering age. Beyond that, you may be putting in feed that they're not converting as well because the weather is much cooler before May and after October.
But the time of year that works for you may actually be over the winter months, especially if you live in a warm zone with intensely hot summers and mild winters.
Which Breed Is Best?
You're raising bespoke pork, so why not lean into it! Out here on the homestead, we don't need commercial pig breeds - in fact, we prefer to avoid commercial breeds that have been selected over time for rapid growth but may lack in other aspects.
When it comes to heritage breed pigs, there are many options; berkshire, kune kune, yorkshire, large black, tamworth, duroc, mangalitsa, and the list goes on and on!
If you need a jumping off point, start with choosing wether you want a lard pig or a meat pig. Lard pigs like kune kune grow slowly and, as the type indicates, have a higher lard/fat proportion to muscle mass. While a meat or bacon pig, like a duroc, will have a lower fat to muscle/meat ratio.
Kevin and I like the berkshire pigs, and our first experience with them was excellent - they were cross bred with a large black and the meat was incredibly marbled, the fat plentiful and flavorful. Our harvest weight was high and the quality was higher.
I recommend doing some research before deciding as each breed has different traits and you may prefer a different combination than us.
Do You Want To Butcher
You know the saying "jack of all trades, master of none"? Well... out here we know which trades we have not mastered - pig butchery is one.
I firmly believe that poor slaughter and butchery can ruin a quality animal and that is not a risk we are willing to take. I would hate to attempt at home butchery and undo months of work, dishonor my animal by doing a poor job, and end up with something I couldn't eat.
We are blessed to live in a very farming forward community and we were able to find a local company that does on farm slaughter and delivers to our desired butcher. This process was as easy as it could have been. Kevin and I were present during the process, again, to help close that loop or chapter.
If you're in north east Alberta, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend 413 Mobile Animal Slaughter Services! Our experience with Phil was excellent.
Back Up Plan
If you have livestock on the property, it's a good idea to have a contingency plan in case of illness or injury. This may be as simple as having a mentor who has raised pigs before, but it can be as involved as having a relationship with your local veterinarian. There are also tons of high quality books about raising hogs that can offer guidance.
Thoughts From The Homestead
Raising pigs on a homestead is an incredibly rewarding journey, filled with joy, laughter, and a deep connection to the food on your plate. The experience brings immense satisfaction, knowing that the animals have lived well, enjoyed the sun and mud, and have been treated with dignity and respect.
As with anything worth while, there are challenges—smart and sometimes mischievous pigs can test your patience, and the infrastructure can be a significant investment. But these hurdles are small in comparison to the profound fulfillment of seeing these animals thrive and contribute to your family's nourishment.
Embrace the experience, cherish the bond with your animals, and enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor. If you're considering taking this path, know that it will not only enrich your homestead but also bring you closer to understanding the value of sustainable, home-raised food.
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