Our Projects
We preserve rare breeds
Birkshire Pigs
We have one of the largest, all outdoor, traditional breed herds in the country. Our pigs are kept outside for their whole life, contained by a pulse electric fence. They have free access to insulated arks with plenty of straw, fresh water and the freedom to root through the soil; just what pigs love to do.
Our pedigree Berkshire pigs are an all black breed with white feet, a white blaze on the face and a white tip to the tail. They have a great personality, very good temperament and good mothering qualities which make them ideal for rearing piglets outside.
Our Methods
The light sandy soil at American Livestock Farm is ideal for pig production and they are an integral part of our farms, serving an important role in our efforts to create a sustainable farming system by;
—– Providing natural soil fertility.
—– Clearing perennial weeds, particularly couch grass and docks, and volunteer crops, especially root vegetables.
—– Utilising the straw from cereal crops.
We do:
Always keep our pigs outside, unless they need special treatment
Feed and check our pigs every day
We don’t:
Use antibiotics unless absolutely necessary
Dock our pigs’ tails
Clip our piglets’ teeth
Castrate our male pigs
Sows are weaned (separated from the piglets) and moved into a small paddock on their own next to the boar and other dry sows (pregnant pigs). This gets the main group familiar with the sow so she can mix with the others in a few days with a reduced risk of bullying. The sow will come onto heat within a few days of being near the boar. If she conceives then she will give birth in 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days time. (112-115 days time). If she doesn’t conceive then she will come onto heat again 3 weeks later. The sows are moved into their own individual paddock a couple of weeks before giving birth in order to increase their food intake and for the sow to make their ‘nest’ before giving birth. Dry sows and boars are fed 2 -3kg/day, the equivalent of 3 loaves of bread.
BAGOT GOATS
Bagot goats do not excel as dairy or meat goats. While Bagot goats can be used for meat, other breeds (e.g., La Mancha and Nubian) are much bigger and provide better monetary returns. Likewise, the Bagot goat does not produce as much milk as the high producing dairy goat breeds (e.g., Alpine and Toggenburg). The Bagot goat has a nervous temperament, so it cannot be used as a harness goat. This characteristic also interferes with using it as a milking goat.
Despite the breeds limited milk production, it remains hardy with a nervous disposition and suited to a low maintenance diet.
Both males and females are horned.
Bagot breeders and enthusiasts like us concede that the Bagot breed has little agricultural use, apart however, they do make excellent conservation grazers but breeders enjoy Bagot goats for their beauty and rarity.
