How We Care for Our Hogs in the Winter

written by

posted on

January 3, 2024

Hey guys! It's January...

We have officially entered winter, and the farm is mostly quiet. There are no poultry to listen to on the Kesten farm currently, just the grunt of hogs and the clamoring of their feeders. So this week I thought I'd show you how we keep them happy in the winter!

Not only do our hogs get the privilege of being cared for by such a handsome farmer, but hogs at David's Pasture get to enjoy being outdoors year-round.

These guys have zero issues with winter. They love it! Swine do not sweat like you and I, so they would rather take the cold over heat. They dig down to warm soil and sleep in a pile to share body heat. It reminds me of when the farmhouse would get cold growing up and my siblings and I would all pile into the same bed to stay warm lol. They also have a "hog hut" for an escape from the wind.

We put hay or straw in their paddock during the winter. This offers several benefits.

First, the pigs love it. It gives them something to bed in for additional warmth and serves as a toy. I often catch them chewing on it, piling it up, or throwing it with their snouts like confetti. They are great at hiding in it too.

The second benefit is for the soil! Whether in the pasture or a winter paddock, it provides beneficial ground cover during the cold months and then feeds the microbes when spring comes around. It's a win-win.

That's our stockpile of straw bales for this winter. This year we were able to get them all from a neighbor just down the road!

The pigs (younger swine) get straw for bedding in their winter paddock just like the bigger guys. They also get access to the barn for refuge from freezing windchills.

But how do they get water during freezing temps you ask? Well thanks to our friend, electricity, we can supply them with fresh water all day using tank heaters. We fill the waterers using short hoses that we remove and drain each time to keep them from freezing up. The hogs also get raw apple cider vinegar in their water as an immune booster.

We use these portable waterers in all four seasons. They are an easy way to get water to our swine friends wherever they are on the farm.

And that's how we keep our hogs happy even in the winter (when their farmers tend to be a little more moody. 😅) If you have a question about how we raise our hogs that I have not answered here, please comment below or contact us directly!

And if you are ready to try some of our delicious pasture-raised pork, click here to order yours today.

Have a wonderful week!

Your farmer,
Remi Kesten

pigs

winter

Remi

The Mud Spa: Why Pigs Love to Wallow

Ever seen pigs having a blast in the mud? It might seem messy or excessive, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Pigs are onto something with their love for wallowing—it's not only natural, but super important for their health and happiness. Let me explain why in simple terms.

The Farm Boy Who Didn't Eat Eggs (or Drink Milk!)

Once upon a time there was a farm boy who didn't eat eggs or drink milk. Everyone gave him a hard time, which is understandable considering the irony of not being able to enjoy the food you produce yourself. Yes, that boy was me.

Why I Choose Grass-Fed & Finished Beef (by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN)

Hey guys, Remi here! This is a post from Tracey Long's blog that she gave me permission to share here. She works in integrative and functional nutrition at Big Picture Health. Tracey has seen many people's lives changed through their bettered understanding of food, including her own. Enjoy this article, and feel free to reach out to her if you are looking for guidance in your healing journey. Pictured on left: Cows raised on pasture by the Bauman Family near Garnett, KS.Pictured on right: Cows started on grass, but finished on grain/soy at a feedlot. 1. I believe in supporting local food, small family farmers and the economy. The average miles our food travels to reach our dinner plates is about 1,500 miles1. When we eat local we conserve fuel, keep our food dollars local and can have a personal connection to the farmer and how our food is raised. I subscribe to the mantra, know your farmer, know your food. Know your farmer, know your food 2. Cows are biologically meant to eat grass and pasture, not grains like corn or legumes like soy. When you feed an animal the food that it is biologically set up for it will be healthier. Cows are four-legged ungulates best adapted to graze on forage. The digestive system of cows, the four stomachs they have that we learned about in basic biology, are meant to ferment forage. Grains like corn and legumes like soy are used as high energy-dense food alternative for cows to put weight on them quickly for faster processing. This diet that is not congruent with the cow’s biology does work to speed up the process from start to finish, but can actually compromise the animal’s health. A review article by Calloway et al2 found that cows fed a diet high in grain had higher levels of the food-borne pathogen E. coli. When the diet was changed back to forage the E. coli levels were lowered within five days. A research study by Khafipour et al3 found that cows fed a diet based on grain became acidotic, and had high levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that triggered inflammation and health problems in the cattle such as liver disease. These are two scientific examples of how grain can be unhealthy for cows. 3. Grazing cattle from start to finish is better for the environment and planet. You may be interested in reading the book by Judith Schwartz, “Cows Save the Planet.”4 Judith discusses how raising cows on pasture returns moisture and nutrients to the soil and, therefore; our food. Cattle feedlots are also a significant source of environmental pollutants such as antibiotics that affect downstream aquatic life and hormones that end up in the drinking water supply as additional examples.5,6 Feedlots use antibiotics and hormones to encourage rapid and increased growth and require antibiotics to suppress illness due to the confined living space and large buildup of fecal matter. Pastured cows arguably have less negative impact and even reported positive impacts on the environment. 4. I believe in respecting and honoring the animals I eat. As humans we have the capacity to treat animals poorly for our benefit (food) or treat them in a thankful manner for the nourishment they provide us. Joel Salatin, a well-known sustainable farmer in Swope, Virginia, said in a magazine interview, “Our first responsibility is to try to figure out what kind of a habitat allows them (cows) to fully express their physiological distinctiveness. The cow doesn’t eat corn; she doesn’t eat dead cows; she doesn’t eat cow manure, which is what is currently being fed to cows in the industrial food system. We feed cows grass, and that honors and respects the cow-ness of the cow.7” Joel Salatin 5. Pasture raised and finished beef has a healthier fatty acid profile than conventional beef. The standard American diet is high in omega 6 fatty acids relative to omega 3 fatty acids. The problem is that omega 6 fatty acids, when out of balance with omega 3’s are highly inflammatory to the human body. Inflammation is now known to be the root of many chronic diseases. The good news is that the fatty acid composition of grass fed and finished beef is higher in the beneficial and anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. A study by MacAfee et al found that people who ate grass-fed meat had higher levels of the anti-inflammatory omega 3’s when their blood was tested for this healthy fat.8 David (founder) and Reeves Kesten at the Brookside Farmers Market, 2017 Meet David and his [second] son Reeves, of David’s Pasture, from Concordia, MO. I am grateful for the opportunity to purchase quality meat, pork, poultry and eggs from a farming family like Dave’s. Dave’s cattle are raised on pasture and get to express their, “cow-ness,” as Joel Salatin would say. Dave shared with me that he even feeds his cattle organic apple cider vinegar to improve their gut health and does not use hormones or antibiotics. His cattle fertilize the land they forage on and he rotates their grazing to promote healthy soil. Yes, I pay more for the products I buy from Dave than I would pay at the local grocery store, but for the reasons I listed above I know the price is worth it!Original post by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN at Big Picture Health. Specializing in integrative and functional nutrition. Re-posted here by Remington Kesten, David's Pasture. Grass-fed & finished Beef delivered to your door.

How We Care for Our Hogs in the Winter

More from the blog

The Mud Spa: Why Pigs Love to Wallow

The Farm Boy Who Didn't Eat Eggs (or Drink Milk!)

Why I Choose Grass-Fed & Finished Beef (by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN)

Stay up to date

David's Pasture LLC