Ozgirl, quite frankly your posts remind me of a school playground
in Kiddiesville, where little girls spend their time fussing over
who likes who or is fighting with whoever. Don't you have anything
more interesting to add to these debates?

PF, how do your pigs litter sizes, paddock born, compare in number with litter sizes in factory sheds?

One of the problems that I have with modern factory farming, is that
its all just numbers based. Some lamb producers are trying to swing
to that too, which I think is sad. I know with chickens, growth and
conversion rates are all they worry about, the result being chickens
that don't have the bone structure to carry their weight etc,
quite unnatural animals, many of whom die in the process. I gather
that pigs in America are down that same path.

I try and take a more holistic approach to breeding. To me those
last few % they are trying to squeeze out of animal performance
are unhealthy and they forget that the producer today only receives
a small % of the final retail price. If we look at the whole
marketing chain, that is where the problem lies. Very often
companies like Westfield, who own the shopping centres where people
flock, earn more from a product then the original grower. Is there
anyone doing pork to growers markets as there is with lamb?

Oh that really told me Yabby...I have been duly put in my place..ouch!

Dont you think Miss Bile mouth can speak for herself?..but then your manly and virile support of her is the reason shes in here...it must be love:)..........oh I do love a good love story...

Im not sure why I havent been banned for good yet..noone is allowed to upset the vile "he bi.ch"..

Back back to on topic...Yes I do love pork and I really care if its been free range farmed....Im not a vegetarian..I do eat meat and no Im not a hypocrite..I do have milk in my tea and I eat eggs...

Yabby what can I say it is possible to care for animals and STILL use animal produce without one a hypocratic thought going thru my head.

'dont you have anything more interesting to add to the debate?'

Yabby how many times can one get excited over pig poo and what one does with it after it has left said animals anal orifice...?

I mean really..are you hearing me Yabs?...I would much rather discuss the life cycle of a yabby any day..

This whole topic of pig crap and and pigs fullstop is to humour Pigkiddy and i dont feel like humouring her...him..oh Im not even sure now.

Yabby Im a girl..pig crap is not my thing..:)

Butcherbob..you are 'flaming ' here and could be very close to getting yourself banned indefinitely...dont pry into topics and things that do not concern you.

Yabby tell him will you?Tell him not to foul up your thread with crap,because that reflects badly on you.

"Yabby Im a girl..pig crap is not my thing..:)"

The thing is Ozgirl, farming is not your thing, nor the philosophies
behind it. You city girls are much more concerned with your
fingernails and hair etc. Ok, whatever gets you through the
night lol, but all that bitching is not my thing either.

I always welcome philosophical concepts behind farming which go
beyond just money, be they from females or males. Its my passion
and why I do what I do. But that is way beyond your head it seems,
so you get back to the fingernails or worrying about your butt
or whatever :)

“hiding out” ozchild? It’s a case of you seeking me out isn’t it?

“Im a girl..pig crap is not my thing..:)”

No, you definitely don’t specialize, crap in general is your thing.

"he/she" yes, there is a lot of confusion over who I really am.

While you’re sitting there twitching and waiting for replies, just for fun, look up that foul word I used.

Yabby – we don’t farrow in the paddock. We found huge losses that way. That’s were they come up with the litter size comparisons. The ‘figures’ will tell you that free range litters are much smaller than intensive.

Our litter sizes are 10 – 14, around the same. The difference is the viability of the piglets and the lack of problems at birth like splayed legs and runts. Our litter average (very important numbers in intensive farming) are a bit lower because we do not wean at 21 days. The strange thing is that they then accept losses at weaning like there is no relationship. Your right – the poor sow will get culled if they cant squeeze the numbers out of her.

I breed for instinctive behaviours – mothering, knowing to use a wallow for sun protection, strong legs and feet, general robustness. A tough outdoor pig. Most of these characteristics have been bred out of intensive sows. I know, because we made the mistake of starting out with commercial sows. One, on her first venture into sunshine, walked 50 metres and died of heart failure.

Farmers markets would be great if there were any close enough. When you operate this place 7 days its hard to fit in. We are trialling with a ‘on seller’ at the moment but I’m not happy with the lack of control. I do know of farmers that make their living at these markets.