Which animal could substitute for a pig?

[rinadav7]

We would like to practice rotational grazing on our homestead - a la Joel Salatin. Run cows through a paddock, then follow with chickens. We will hopefully also have goats. Pigs play an important role, turning over the deep bedding and helping it compost. But for religious reasons we can't keep pigs. Is there any other animal that could play that role, turning over compost/bedding?

[sammyd]

If you are grazing where is the deep bedding coming from?
If you are keeping the animals in a barn over winter then just spread the bedding over your garden area or any portion of the pasture you plan on revitalizing in the spring and till it in.

[rinadav7]

The goats will be in the barn for kidding, and for part of the winter - they don't really graze. Cows will also be eating hay under cover for part of the winter and will need the manure mountain they create to be aerated. Compost pile turned over. Missed carrots and beets in the garden harvested by someone. That sort of thing. Seems like Pigs are really useful. We just can't have them.

[Terri]

Earthworms???????????

I imagine a thick mulch with manure and straw and added worms to speed things up. Once the earthworms have broken things down for long enough turn the chickens out on the worms and they will scratch things up.

I have never done this or seen it done: it is just an idea.

[am1too]

Originally Posted by rinadav7

We would like to practice rotational grazing on our homestead - a la Joel Salatin. Run cows through a paddock, then follow with chickens. We will hopefully also have goats. Pigs play an important role, turning over the deep bedding and helping it compost. But for religious reasons we can't keep pigs. Is there any other animal that could play that role, turning over compost/bedding?

A dog except I won't eat one. I'm not that hungry yet. My dogs eat almost anything (they don't like onions) and they dig (till) like crazy.

[CIW]

I'm making the assumption that we are speaking about Judeism or the Muslim religions.
Have you looked into "Mule Footed Hogs"? They don't have cloven hooves. There aren't many around as they are on the Heritage Preservation list. There are a few folks breeding them though.
Another thing.
Could you keep hogs, raise and sell them off instead of eating them?
In either case, if you had one die, someone else would have to remove it due to not being able to touch the carcuss of the dead animal.

[jwal10]

Do we know where you are homesteading? I raised cattle and didn't even have them in a barn, except if one calved at a poor time. They used the woods and I fed them on a wood floor right around the hay feeder. No manure pile. 3 cows a heifer and 3 calves, I used a friends bull, pastured his weaned calves while he bred his cows, I fall calved he spring calved. My goats eat grass, they go in and out. I compost the bedding, no deep pack. Depending on weather, you work with it....James

[farmrbrown]

Originally Posted by CIW

I'm making the assumption that we are speaking about Judeism or the Muslim religions.
Have you looked into "Mule Footed Hogs"? They don't have cloven hooves. There aren't many around as they are on the Heritage Preservation list. There are a few folks breeding them though.
Another thing.
Could you keep hogs, raise and sell them off instead of eating them?
In either case, if you had one die, someone else would have to remove it due to not being able to touch the carcuss of the dead animal.

There are Christians that know the benefits of good diet too.
And it's "cloven feet who also chew the cud" that the OP is looking for, as far as eating goes.
The worms, dogs, good suggestions.
Maybe just break down and plow it?

[BobbyB]

Chickens do a pretty good job of scratching and turning given enough time and enough chickens. Other than that, I cant think of a rooting animal except a truck load of armadillos.

[Yvonne's hubby]

I use a tractor with a front end loader to scoop everything up and put it in a pile.... then a couple times a year I just move the pile which stirs it all up good.

[rinadav7]

Perfect, thanks. I thought perhaps there was a rooting animal I wasn't thinking of, but I guess not. We are Jewish, and Jews are not allowed to benefit from pigs in any way. It is the only non-kosher animal for which this is true. For example, catfish are not kosher, but we could raise them and sell them to other people to eat. But a pig is different for both Biblical and historical reasons. Thanks for all of the advice!

[goatlady]

Where ever you DO decide to purchase property be SURE and check on the wild pig problems in the area! THere are 100's of them in northern Arkansas tearing up the land/pastures. Game and Fish Dept is trapping as fast as they can and it's basicaly open season year round on hog hunting in this area.

[Maura]

You could have your property disced at the onset. That is what we did. It developed into a lovely pasture. Most people do not have pigs, you'll do fine without them. As Bob wrote, chickens are good at scratching the dirt. Chickens would love to hunt bugs in your disced field.

[badlander]

Nobody has mentioned sheep. More work intensive, more susceptible to parasites but an acceptable alternative. Something more exotic, maybe Llamas to raise as guard animals for the sheep? There are also a lot of burros around us in NE Missouri, mainly to act as guard animals for sheep and goats.

If you are thinking chickens why not think duck and turkey also?

I'm not Hebrew but I don't like pigs either. I just don't trust anything that is potentially big enough to knock me down....then eat me.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

If turning is all you need you clould try a Rototiller, Spading fork, or maybe a small cultivator or plow for a garden tractor or two wheel tractor. A small tractor is probably the most useful.

[PasturedPork]

My pigs are worthless at turning stuff over. You don't need them.

It's honestly better to save the bedding and use it as compost. I know from personal experience it's a lot of hard work but worth it.

A good pasture with cows and goats is a nice thing to have!

My sister in law is Jewish and thus my brother is too. I just make brisket for them when we BBQ.

[Callieslamb]

When we bought our place, DH said, "No pigs, no elephants." I'm totally okay with that. I don't like pigs anyway. So far, I haven't missed them. You can turn over deep bedding yourself - till it with a tiller then fork it to the garden or spread it on your pastures.