2021 Update on our Homestead – Part 1: Pigs!

Over 2021, which was our first full year on our property, our activities grew more than we could have ever expected!  We went from just “living in the country” to “having a farm.”  Now when I think of a farm, the picture definitely includes animals.  As part of our efforts to grow our own food we always intended to have animals produce meat, milk and eggs.  (All vegans can leave now if this idea disgusts you.)

We also wanted a variety of animals so that we could get different foods and activities from them.  Those of you familiar with permaculture know that animals are great at helping on a farm if just given a chance.  Pigs love to root around in the dirt and can break up the soil to prepare it for planting.  Goats and rabbits make great fertilizer when they poop.  Chickens scratch and enhance the break down of poop into soil.  Ducks will forage for insects and other tiny creatures for food and can stop these from eating up your garden.

Additionally, we thought it would be smart to start small:  small animals and a small number of animals.  So far, that has been a sensible decision.  Now, it’s time to catch you up on the results of our first year here!

The first animals we brought to our homestead were a pair of female pigs.  KuneKunes are a breed of small pigs from New Zealand.  After some research we found that these little piggies would really fit the bill on our homestead – they were very people-friendly as a breed, didn’t test fences too much or get overwhelmingly huge, and liked to forage for food.  They were really perfect in all respects and simply irresistible.  The breeder had two gilts (female pigs) he wanted to sell as soon as they were old enough.  This meant working out where to put them on our property and how to keep them safe from predators like coyotes and roaming dogs.

We had a few months to get ready before we picked up our pigs.  The first thing to handle was putting in a fence.  We fenced in a 40 ft. by 40 ft. area

close to our house that included our garden.  A separating fence went down the middle to keep the pigs out of the garden area.  Additionally, the outside perimeter of the fence has three lines of electric wire, two at the top for climbers and jumpers and one near the ground for digging predators.

The pigs also needed a shelter.  My husband and I built an 8 ft. by 8 ft. shed with two doors on the front and the metal roof from the first shed we built out of pallets.  There are openings around the top that are covered with hardware cloth so the shed will have good ventilation year-round.  We added a thick layer of straw on the dirt floor, a nipple waterer on the wall and locks on the doors.  Now we were ready for our pigs!

Meet Thelma and Louise when we first brought them home.  They were about a foot (30 cm) long and about eight inches (20 cm) high.  They have been a lot of fun so far!

We’ve adjusted our schedules to take care of them, with no regrets.  The pigs are super-friendly to anyone who will give them a good scratching or some food.

We experimented with some pig leashes that wrapped around their head and torso.  After the initial upset with getting this put on, the pigs really enjoyed

rooting for acorns under our oak trees.  Unfortunately, each pig had her own destination, so it was difficult to have both out with only one person holding on!  Then we tried using them as tethers, with as long a length as we could give them.  This was fine until they wrapped it up around a tree and started squealing!  Then it was necessary to untangle them so they could continue.  Additionally, the pigs kept growing and eventually got too big for the harness.  We even tried harness extenders, but our bigger pig would not cooperate!  A goat leash has worked better for the occasional pig escape as it goes on more easily and comes off just as fast!