Sallygarden Smallholding - The Forum For Sustainable Living

Our own large black piglets are at last settled in and they are ready to accept visitors! For the next three months we will be running courses for people to come to Sallygardens Smallholding and learn how to rear a pair of weaners for the table. If you have between a quarter and half an acre of land you can very feasibly raise a couple of pigs by buying in some eight week old weaners and fattening them to roughly six months of age. Your pigs will be living a very happy and fulfilling life, free ranging and happily grazing on the land. There are many hardy breeds that can be kept outdoors all year round. Perhaps you have a piece of land to reclaim from rushes or scrub, why not let the pigs do the work for you and reap the benefit of delicious pork at the end of the job! Such benefits include home made sausages, salami, air dried hams and out of this world roasts.

On the course here we start with a cup of tea and a chat at the kitchen table about your own circumstances and hopes for family scale pork production. Then we go outside to meet the pigs and discuss what breed of pig would suit your needs best, where to source them, welfare, fencing, housing, transport, feeding, handling, legal requirements, the final days of preparation for the abattoir and a couple of tips for processing the pork.

The maximum number of participants on a course is four, that way we keep it friendly and informal and we have plenty of time to discuss your own situation and questions. Once you've done the course you are free to contact us with any further queries. You'll also receive a printed copy of our booklet 'Rearing Weaners for the Table, A Beginners Guide'.

Upcoming dates in 2008 include ;
Saturday 20th September 2.30pm
Saturday 11th October 2.30pm
Sunday 19th October 10am
Saturday 8th November 2.30pm
Sunday 16th November 10am
Saturday 13th December 2.30pm
In 2009 courses would probably run again from roughly April. Email me to reserve a place on the course; irishsallygardens [at] gmail [dot] com