Pastured pigs and poultry
Pigs and poultry are omnivorous – they evolved eating a wide variety of plant foods, and can digest animal protein as well. Raising them on pasture, instead of in confinement, is increasingly popular as consumers reject factory farming, and farmers seek independence from the corporate system.
Raising pigs outdoors allows the animals to engage in their instinctive rooting behaviour. Sows are provided with huts and straw bedding so they can make a nest when ready to give birth. Outdoor pigs are active, and thus their meat is firmer and leaner than factory-raised pork.
Poultry raised on pasture are often housed in “chicken tractors” – moveable cages that protect the birds from predators and provide some shade and a water supply. The chicken tractor is moved daily to provide fresh pasture. The chickens’ scratching and manuring conditions the soil. Their taste for insects helps control pests.