All I Can Think About...

photo: Cascade Meadows Farm, Sandy, Oregon

Meet the American Guinea Hog. There are so many reasons why these pigs are so great.

Here's a few:

• Size - A fully mature hog can weigh from 150 - 300 pounds - that's depending on their sex, body type and their genetics. They can be approximately 22-27 inches tall and 46-56 inches long. That's a pretty compact pig! 
• Temperment - they are very friendly and docile. They like attention from their owner's and people who might be nearby. They like to have a belly rub every now and then too. 
• Excellent breeders! Litters can range from 1 - 14 piglets with the average being 6 in a litter.
• They are excellent foragers. What the what?! A pig that prefers to forage rather than root? Okay...this could work out well. They could be garden clean-up! Well, the big stuff anyway. I see squash in the garden for future pig food.
• They have excellent flavor and produce a lot of lard! 

We are all set to visit a farm in Oregon that raises livestock for small properties - that would be us. With just under two and three-quarter acres, we don't have a lot of space a lot of animals, but we do have room for a couple of these compact swine. So next Monday we'll be taking a little road trip and visiting Cascade Meadows Farm and getting as much information as possible.

Time to get a list of questions put together...