Belbeck's Family Farm
Nassagaweya Townline Milton, ON, Canada

Hopefully the weather is great by then and we can get some pigs in the show ring again!

KuneKune Fun Fact #6 For our final fun fact, consider yourself warned - Kunekunes are addictive! Their great personalities and ease of care make it easy to want more in your life!... I figured our first 3 kunekunes would be our only ones. Now, several additional sows, several boars and dozens of piglets later, our herd has expanded immensely! I don’t see us ever NOT having kunekunes now! Next week we start with our education series, all those little things that we learned and all that we do to look after our herd, that we can share with you! Have a great weekend everyone!

KuneKune Fun Fact #5 Kunekunes are one of very few swine breeds to have wattles, also known as piri piri, or tassels. No one really knows the true function of these fleshy appendages that dangle from the jowls. In kunekunes, wattles are a heterozygous dominant gene. Generally speaking, breeding two wattled kunekunes together or a non-wattled with a wattled, will result in a combination of wattled or non-wattled piglets in a litter. Breeding two non-wattled pigs will result... in non-wattled piglets. Oftentimes though, genetics are complicated and sometimes you’ll get a pig born with only a single wattle instead of 2! Wattled or not, they are all representative of the KuneKune breed!

Fun fact #4 Kunekunes (and all other pigs, I am sure!) do NOT like fasting! Though it might not look it, this is the face of a VERY angry pig who has been forced to do just that in preparation for his neuter and hernia repair surgery this afternoon.... Poor Charlie . Only a few more hours to go until he can eat again!

KuneKune Fun Fact #3 Kunekunes came back from the brink of extinction! In the 1970’s there were estimated to be only 50 purebred Kunekunes left in New Zealand. Thankfully, two conservation-minded gentlemen, John Simister and Michael Willis founded a KuneKune conservation program with only 6 sows and 3 boars.... It’s kind of wild to think that ALL of the kunekunes today descended from those 9 animals! Part of their preservation strategy was to expand the area beyond New Zealand to prevent catastrophic loss in case of disease or natural disaster. The first kunekunes left New Zealand for the UK in 1992, with further exports happening in 1993 and 1996. There have been 5 importations to the US from either the UK or NZ between 1996 and 2012. I’ve always had an interest in breed preservation so having these amazing animals, that were so close to being wiped out, it’s truly an honour for me.

KuneKune Fun Fact #2 Kunekunes are a landrace breed (not to be confused with the breed of pig called a Landrace! ). A landrace breed is defined as a group of related animals unique to a given geographical area, in this case New Zealand. The KuneKune are thought to have been brought in and traded to the Maori people by whalers, where they continued to adapt in their small, isolated populations.... Given their relatively small original area, and interrelatedness, theres a certain level genetic uniformity that can be advantageous. Our next fun fact will dig more deeply into their more recent history in New Zealand

Nope, they aren’t friendly at all #kunekunes #kunekunebreeder #friendlypigs #kunekunesofinstagram #canadiankunekunes

What a stormy day! We battened down the hatches in advance of the storm today so everyone is secure, dry and cozy. After dinner and an evening by candlelight, we are patiently waiting for our hydro to be turned back on.... Stay well and stay safe everyone!

Here we grow again!! This handsome fella Ozz arrived this afternoon from Triple Eh Farms in Carstairs, Alberta! He’s a stunning Andrew line boar that is born out of direct imports from Sequoia Mountain Creamery (California) and brings a diverse set of genetics to our farm. We are absolutely thrilled to have him and adore him already. He’s a fabulous addition to our herd! Better pictures to come once he’s settled in!... P.S. He ADORES bananas! #kunekunebreeder #canadiankunekunes #kunekunesincanada #tripleehfarms #carstairsab #sequoiamountaincremery #ontariokunekunes #guelphontario #rarebreed #breedpreservation

Today we honour the sacrifices made by so many men and women (and even animals) so that we can live the lives we want to today. Forever grateful. #lestweforget #remembranceday2020

Breeding season officially began on the farm yesterday! We start grouping our kunekunes based on the earliest desired farrowing date in the spring and watch for signs of heat or breeding to determine our expected farrowing dates. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have 7 litters on the way starting in mid-March. After months of living the bachelor life, the boys always REALLY appreciate it when one of the gals in the group is already in heat! #kunekunebreeder #canadiankunekunes #pigletsontheway #kunekunesincanada #grazingpig #homesteadpig

What amazing weather we have been having!! Though I know it won’t last for much longer, we’ve been using every minute of it to our advantage! Today, it was time to barbecue up some delicious KuneKune pork chops. #kunekunepork #pasturedpork #kunekunepreservation #kunekunebreeder #grassfedpork #canadiankunekunes