08/18/2026
This job started 116 days ago with these pigs, when I put the boar—the dad pig—with the gilts—the mom pigs. Now, the babies are here, they’ll spend roughly 8–12 weeks with their moms.
During the first few weeks, the babies stay in their individual pens, which are bedded with fresh straw every day. Mom is let out twice a day to stretch her legs, eat, drink, and get some time outside.
At around 3–4 weeks, the babies’ door is opened. This is when they gain full access to the barn and outside. They’re free to leave their pen, roam around, eat and drink outside, and spend time with Mom whenever they choose.
Around 12 weeks, the pigs begin to naturally wean themselves and are separated from their moms. The moms return to their free-roam yards, where they spend their days out on the dirt. The young pigs head to the outdoor finishing sheds, where they have free-choice access to food, water, and shelter.
From there, it takes another 245 days of work to get these pigs to the weight they need to be before processing.
All in all, it’s roughly a year of work to raise these pigs from start to finish. A year of breeding, farrowing, feeding, bedding, cleaning, growing, and caring for them—from the very beginning to the point where they become pork chops, sausage, bacon, and all the other products we’re able to offer for sale
