Cara Fall 2016
In the spring of 2013 we began with a fresh Tamworth breeding herd.
Coleen, Celine, Cara, and Clodagh four gilts from High Meadows Farm in Delhi, NY became our next generation of Tamworth sows. After a period of electric fence training and our adjustment of the pasture fence to keep in pigs not horses the herd now roams 4 acres.
Our current Tamworth sow Lucky is the offspring of our High Meadows Celine and Bredderman's Corc. Star, born from AI, joined her mama as a sow.
Excellent Mothers
When you observe a large Tamworth sow gently rooting through the bedding to clear it of piglets before carefully lowering her body, you know you have an excellent mother. As a heritage breed the natural mothering ability of a sow has not been bred away in favor of a sow tolerant of a gestation crate. Our sows farrow twice a year. Spring farrowing happens during February, March or April in the barn and the fall farrowing out on pasture.
Our sows are completely comfortable with me around but upon hearing the voice of a stranger a sow will quick leave her "nest" to protect her piglets. The warning bark of a momma brings playing piglets quickly back to her protective side.
Our sows are completely comfortable with me around but upon hearing the voice of a stranger a sow will quick leave her "nest" to protect her piglets. The warning bark of a momma brings playing piglets quickly back to her protective side.
Grazers
When we began our original sow, Sparkler, spent summers in the barnyard paddock. Summer evenings as it cooled you would see Sparks out grazing. She preferred to snip the green grass rather than root into the firm paddock soil. The pasturing of our pigs varies. Sometimes we will place then in a smaller area we would like to have cleaned up by deep rooting other times we give them a large pasture to be grazed. Tamworths are efficient grazers, active foragers and thrive on pasture and mixed wooded areas.
The batch of meat pigs pictured on the right enjoyed this dense hillside all summer long. After pasturing the pigs here it is possible to walk through this area where the undergrowth previously made navigation difficult.
The batch of meat pigs pictured on the right enjoyed this dense hillside all summer long. After pasturing the pigs here it is possible to walk through this area where the undergrowth previously made navigation difficult.
