At Paddy Creek Naturals, we believe farming calls on us to be good stewards of the land and to respect life, opposing exploitation or cruelty. As odd as it may seem, respecting our animals is the best way to achieve top quality meats. We use natural methods to prevent disease rather than dosing our animals with unneeded antibiotics to ensure they don't get sick. We raise healthy animals rather tha
n feeding them growth hormones and antibiotics. We give them access to a variety of foods and pasture, allowing them to have a balanced diet as nature intended, rather than simply feeding a commercially prepared, dry feed. Animals raised by natural farming methods are healthier, happier, and ultimately better quality than commercially produced livestock. They have almost no disease, show great adaptability to changing weather conditions, are socially well-adjusted, and provide us with a much more flavorful and healthy meat product. Of all the commercial farming methods that have put big profits ahead of ethical, natural farming, hog confinements may take the cake. Here at Paddy Creek Naturals, we raise heritage breed pigs, rather than the commercial breeds that have been over-selected for producing large litters at the expense of disease resistance and great taste. We raise our pigs on pasture, with free access to indoor shelter, not in an overcrowded confinement. Unlike confinement produced pigs, our pigs have seen the sun and played outside! When it is time for our sows to have little ones, we never use farrowing crates. We are aware that most small farmers raising heritage pigs choose to use farrowing crates to minimize losses of piglets and increase convenience for the farmer; however, we believe that the use of these tiny cages is unethical. Nature did not intend for moms to be jailed in tiny cages for months on end, so our sows enjoy normal interaction with their young, with full freedom of movement for both mom and the piglets. We will not sell our pigs to people who intend to use farrowing crates, but will gladly show you our set-up to avoid losses while allowing freedom of movement for the sow. Our system has not led to any higher losses than is the average for those using farrowing crates. While hog confinements often produce very aggressive and dangerous sows, ours are quite docile and well-adjusted due to the humane treatment and natural farming methods we employ. Pigs are intelligent animals, and they react to long-term abuse and sheer boredom in the same way a human would... by becoming maladjusted, aggressive, and dangerous. We ensure that our pigs enjoy variety in foods, variety in places to 'hang out," normal socialization with other pigs, and enrichment through a variety of activities to enjoy. Finally, hog confinements are causing serious environmental issues. The housing of thousands of pigs in a building leads to obvious issues related to waste disposal, water contamination, and what we'll just call call odor pollution (that stench that can be smelled for miles around a hog confinement). At Paddy Creek Naturals, we raise only as many pigs as our land can sustainably support and rely on appropriate pasture rotation to ensure the land remains healthy and the water remains clean and safe.
