ON THE FARM: PIGLET SEASON

Spring and fall are exciting times for us, as it’s when we welcome new litters to the farm. We’re definitely biased, but still maintain that there is nothing cuter than a pile of wrinkly Meishan piglets.

Our philosophy around farrowing is to do everything we can to support our sows so they can be the best moms to their piglets. This includes providing a custom grain mix high in protein and energy to support their milk production, lots of fresh straw for them to nest and manipulate, and freedom of movement at all times.

We never use any type of farrowing crate on our farm. Our sows are given space in big box stalls in our farrowing barn with access to the outdoors. They typically will “nest” a few days before going into labor, picking a stall and positioning straw just so to make the perfect nest for their incoming litter. Although typically our sows are extraordinarily friendly, this is the one time they do not want any interference and will firmly bump us out of the way if we interrupt their very important work. 

We try to be on hand for each farrowing as “midwives” and make sure all is progressing well, help dry off piglets if needed, and ensure our sows are not stressed. Because our sows enter pregnancy and farrowing in good health and fitness, they typically farrow with no challenges and have healthy, active piglets.

At one to two weeks old, each piglet will be ear tagged (akin to getting human ears pierced!) and the males castrated by our veterinarian to ensure high welfare and safety. They quickly recover from that short stress by their mom’s side and remain with her for eight full weeks before we wean through a fence-line weaning process.

But for right now, our three week old piglets are simply living life—nursing, exploring, and snuggling up with their moms and siblings.