Welcome to our Holden's Hide a way farm

Holden's Hide-A-Way Farm is a diversified farm that produces a wide variety of meat product, in much of the same manner as a farmer would have 100 years ago. Our ideas on how to raise livestock come directly from mother nature. We raise grass fed beef and lamb because that is what mother nature intended. Our pigs are free to root and roam through out the warm seasons. Winters are spent in a barn with ample space and lots of hay to eat and root around in. Poultry is raised on pasture where they get lots of fresh air and can do the things poultry likes to do.

Saturday 13 August 2011

New Arrivals

We just picked up our new girls. A new tamworth and a Berkshire sow. We currently have a our Tamworth Boar and a yorkshire sow.
Tamworths are heritage pigs. They have been around for since the middle ages. Traditionally used for grazing fields with cattle. They have longer legs which enables them to walk further when grazing. They are supposed to be able to get most of their nutrition from a pasture. Requiring much less grain then commercial hogs. However they are also slower growing. They were most famous though for their long bellies. That is where the bacon comes from. They are known as the bacon breed.
Berkshires are also heritage pigs. We hope that one day we will get a Berkshire boar as well. Berkshires were also used to graze with cattle, but are not quite as good at it. They are a black colour which prevents them from getting sunburned. They are known as the "angus" of the pig world.The meat has finer marbling, which makes for very tasty and tender meat.
Cross breeds between tamworths and berkshires have been happening for centuries. Crossing the breeds will give the best qualities of each.
Yorkshires are an older breed as well. However they remained very popular because they adapted well to confinement and they are very prolific mothers. Crossing with the tamworths produces a hardier animal and improves The meat is also a very good quality.
Pictures will come soon I hope.

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