Chilled Out Pigs

The other day, when the vet was here, his assistant was admiring the pigs but was flabbergasted that they were not, in his words, "tearing the barn down."

Anyone who has had pigs knows what he means. Confined pigs are destructive--they tear down, chew up and destroy anything they can get a hold of. And since they are a couple hundred pounds of pure muscle, the list of things they can lay hold to and annihilate is quite long. Our first litter from this year was raised entirely in the pig pen next to the barn and I bore witness to their powers of destruction.

But I've learned a few things since then. I've learned that pigs, like any species, have a completely different demeanor if you make their lives a little more natural and interesting. The second litter of pigs ran loose from day one...Mama Pig had the big corral to herself, complete with mud wallow, weeds to chew on and things to dig up. The piglets had run of the entire farm. The destruction level dropped off markedly.

Now that winter is here, we've had to alter things a bit but the principle remains the same. Like a stalled horse, my pigs have daily "turnout time" where I open the barn door and let them roam the pasture with the horses. They run, play, eat some grass and burn off energy. Even Mama Pig takes a full turn around the perimeter of the pasture, ambling about and getting her exercise in. When they get back in the barn, they are a lot more content to chill out and enjoy their giant beds of straw (which, comically, they "remake" every night---another good pig-entertainment activity).

I can't wait for next year when we fence off our east trees for the pigs and give them a full acre and a half just for piggy activities. Happy, tired pigs are just so much easier to live with!