IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Properly means many things.
The food the animals consume should be what they were meant to eat. Cattle and sheep are herbivores and are ruminants; they are meant to eat leafy greens (grass, weeds, and leaves). They not designed for a grain diet. Grain makes their rumen acidic (it should be pH neutral, and it causes all kinds of health problems for them and us when it’s not). Pigs are mono-gastric (like humans) and are omnivores; they can eat anything.
The environment in which the animals are raised should be consistent with their behavioral needs. Cattle and sheep are herd animals. Leaving them by themselves stresses them out. They are hard-wired to know that there is safety in numbers.They are healthier and happier in fresh air, grazing at their leisure. Packing them into a building and stuffing them with corn is unnatural and causes physiological stress. A stressed animal is upsetting to observe and results in off-tasting meat, which is tainted by adrenaline.
Pigs naturally want to roam and root. Allowing them this option reduces their stress. They can forage for greens, roots, grubs, and nuts. Our pigs can snack on hog feed (local, non-gmo) but prefer other food sources, if available. We also feed them produce, and have added brewers grain to their diet, which they love.
We use no antibiotics unless medically necessary. Illness associated with industrially raised animals stems mostly from the conditions in which they are raised and the food they are fed. Because our animals live outdoors and have a diverse diet, they don’t get sick.
We use no growth hormones, chemical fertilizers, harmful pesticides, etc. on our farm. Ever.
