New piglets
Another batch of piglets was just born during the month of June on the ranch. They are doing well and happy to be running around outside in the sunshine. When the pigs are this small, they are really fast for their tiny size and dart all over the pastures, usually in a big group. It's a site to see. And every once in a while you'll see one of those groups escape the fields and start running down the road or through another field, but we always get them back to their mothers. It's a non stop adventure when there are piglets at the ranch. These little ones are still with their moms for a few more weeks before they are sent out to the bigger pastures to join the rest of the pigs.
What do the pigs eat?
Once the piglets are old enough and don't need milk from their moms, they are let out to bigger pastures where they forage whatever they can find. And they find a lot. Between the grasses and other vegetation that grows, they also dig up roots, bugs, and anything else in their path. Even old hardware. The pigs have dug up some items that are older than any of us working on the ranch! And besides what they forage in the pastures, we also feed them a local Montana feed that is non-GMO. Made from all Montana ingredients as well, it is a great feed for the pigs to eat. Not only for their health but also for the environment as well. There is no corn or soy in the food, which doesn't have much nutritional value, and it instead has ingredients like peas, barley, and other nutritional items for the pigs to eat. Another benefit of having no corn and soy is that it makes the feed GMO-free. With the feed being made in Montana, it cuts emissions by not shipping feed made out of state with ingredients imported from all over the world. All of this makes for excellent flavor in their meat, as well as a nice layer of fat on the animal that is also delicious.
How are they raised?
The pigs are all-natural, pasture-raised, and are never confined to tightly crowded small pens inside commercial barns. Being outside is beneficial to their overall health for many reasons. When they are raised inside their entire lives, they never see the sun, so they never get any of the health benefits from seeing sunlight, like vitamin D. They also aren't exposed to nature and all of its bacteria, so they are much more likely to get sick, and need to be vaccinated more often and given more shots because of this. Never seeing the outdoors affects their mental health as well, and they don't have a happy life overall. That's not how we operate at the Double K Ranch. Here, we make sure to give our animals the best life we can before their final day does come. From always being on pasture to eating the healthiest feed we can get, everything is meant to make them as stress-free as possible. Our guardian dogs keep away any unwanted predators that may stalk, kill and harm the pigs. And we don't have to haul our pigs to another processing plant or anywhere else, which is a huge stress on animals the day before they are processed. All of this means happier animals and healthier meat.
Which piglet do you think is cutest?
Piglet 1
Piglet 2
Check out our Online Shop to purchase a variety of Salami &
Sliced Whole Muscle Charcuterie
And stop by the ranch and meat shop located in Darby to learn more about our operation and to try some of our locally raised meats.
Located at:
3096 KK Ranch Road, Darby MT
