Heath Putnam was onto Ayrshire long before I was.
http://woolypigs.blogspot.com/2009/07/humane-farming-dead-piglets.html?m=1
"On the topic of rare breeds, humane husbandry and sow housing, I found this post about a farm where they raise old breeds, in a natural setting, according to "certified humane" protocols, where sows are allowed to crush nine out of ten of their endangered rare breed piglets:
The sows are good for 5-10 litters, until they get too big and accidentally start squishing (and killing) the piglets when they lay down. The dirty girl in the picture below is one such sow - she had her 10th litter about a week ago and squished all but one piglet. They'll let her hang in the mud for a few weeks (primarily to allow her hormone levels to drop) and then send her to slaughter.
A few thoughts:
At least the 9 piglets were killed "certified humanely".Were I one of those 9 pigs, I'd rather be born on a modern farm with crates and a heat lamp - because it would lessen the odds of an early death.If the pigs are really endangered, why aren't they doing a better job of protecting the piglets? When humans run a seed bank, weisolate them from things that might damage them.Do they always castrate those pigs in the first week? It can be very hard to do in that sort of system - one the the reasons I really don't like the "ceritifed humane raised and handled" protocols."
Direct link to article about Ayrshire imbedded in this article
http://whittybites.blogspot.com/2009/06/field-trip-to-farm.html?m=1
Glad you found that, and I hope that you can use it in your case.
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