Western Oregon. Rain. Cold. Mud. MUD. Some days it doesn’t stop raining and feeding the pigs becomes a real challenge. It’s not that I’m the Wicked Witch of the West, it’s that I don’t want the pigs standing out in winter weather getting soaked while they eat. So normally I watch the radar all day,…

Boy it’s been a busy year but now we have proof of how fast our Berkshire piglets are growing. The photo on the left from our last post was taken when they were two months old, and the photo on the right shows them at almost 9 months. Piglets need TWO food bowls At 9…

Until now, Pigs Can Fly Ranch has raised small heritage pigs, of the American Guinea Hog and Kune Kune variety. These little pigs took a year and a half to reach market weight, which was only 75-95 lbs. hanging weight. Faster growth with more feed meant more lard for these breeds. Like many fine things,…

Pigs are not prey animals, so if you’re used to skittish horses, this ain’t that. Park trailer in pasture. Leave truck attached. Open trailer doors, put down feed at far end from door. They may or may not be hesitant but the smell of feed quickly wins out. Next feeding, shut the door for a…

It’s such a relief when fall comes. The grass and weeds become manageable and local harvests of various types of produce result in what must be the pigs’ favorite time of year. Then we move into November, when Oregon’s Willamette Valley weather retards thoughts of big outdoor projects. Days are short, the pigs sleep a…

Besides the 12 piglets that were born to Flower and P2 in early April (see Extended family), about a week later a new piglet appeared in the lower pasture where the herd had been separated from the two sows. I came to realize that one of the smallest members of the herd, a teenager who was…