Product...or participant?
Different lives
In the industrial model of farming, the role of a turkey is pretty simple:
Turkeys are a product.
Their "job"? Hatch, grow as quickly as possible, be killed, be bought, be eaten.
In this model, many normal turkey traits are "problems":
- pointy beaks are trimmed flat using hot-blade trimming or infrared beak trimming (IRBT)*
- the clawed portion of all front-facing toes are routinely removed*
- droppings must be continually cleared from the housing area using automated machines such as conveyor belts and vacuum systems**
*In confinement, behaviors such as aggression, injury, and cannibalism are common. Sharp beaks and claws cause injury that "downgrades meat quality."
**In an enclosed building, stagnant and concentrated animal waste poses a significant health risk to both birds and workers—and "impacts the quality of the meat produced."
So let's take a beat.
On our farm, what's the role of a turkey?
Made for this
Pigs root to satisfy their natural instincts and needs, serving several practical purposes:
🍴 Foraging for Food: Pigs root to find food such as insects, minerals, and, well, roots in the soil.
🌡️ Temperature Regulation: Cool, wet soil is heaven to press your snout into on a hot day. :)
🧸 Comfort and Communication: Rooting is a way for pigs to express comfort and closeness (like a dog nuzzling up to you), communicate with other pigs (and humans - "Give me that apple you've got!"), or create a nesting area in hay.
🤸 Exploration and Exercise: Rooting is one of the primary ways pigs explore their environment and engage in physical activity.
But most of all, it just is what it is.
Pigs root.
Simple as that.
And when something "just is," surprising (and often upsetting) things can happen when that behavior or instinct gets interrupted.
For example...
1. In the Wild: Feral Pigs
Rooting: it's what they do. No notes.
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2. Industrially-farmed pigs
In confinement, the inability to root leads to stressed animals and aggressive behaviors due to frustration and boredom.
The rooting of outdoor industrial pigs can do extensive damage to the land. Pigs also use rooting to dig out of enclosures.
When blocked or interrupted, the rooting instinct becomes a "problem."
The self-sustaining loop is no longer cycling.
And as you can imagine, what comes in response to a "problem" ... are "solutions."
(Like nose rings inserted into pigs' sensitive snouts so rooting will be painful; and clipping piglets' tails and teeth at birth to limit tail-biting injuries, wound infections, and fatalities due to stress-related aggression when they are grown.)
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3. Another Way
The way we manage our pigs
positions their
normal instinct to root
where it is
beneficial to all parts of the system—
including them!
We...
🌱 ...give our pigs space to roam and move
(and root!)
🌾 ...manage their grazing
(by moving them frequently—before the beneficial disturbance in their current spot becomes problematic)
🏆 ...provide them with a satisfying & natural environment
(where rooting is rewarded and life is interesting)
🏋️ ...let them contribute!
(When they're nearly ready to move to a new section of land, we overseed the area they're about to depart. As the pigs finish rooting that spot, they nudge the seeds down into the soil—providing complimentary planting services, aeration, and fertilizer for the new grass that will grow there. 😉)
🧸 ...keep them comfortable
(ensuring cover from rain and snow, straw bedding for cozy nights, treats like discarded apples, pumpkins, and non-GMO feed, fresh water always on tap, sunshine or shade as desired, and a life lived entirely outdoors)
🌞 ...select for & encourage beneficial characteristics
(that allows them to thrive in our farm's specific environment)
🩷 ...and of course love on them whenever possible.
Instead of requiring solutions, the way we position our pigs makes them a part of the solution—helping us restore nature's self-sustaining loop while providing clean, wholesome food to friends like you.
Let us know what we can pack in your box this month. :)
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The food we raise is great for the planet. It's great for you. And it gives the animals who are raised here a truly great life.
Have you stocked up recently?
