In this on‑farm video, the host (Speaker A) walks the crew through a hands‑on trial of managing five newly‑trained pigs. The pigs are first let out of their stall, where they immediately begin tilling soil and depositing manure in a concentrated spot, prompting the crew to add mulch and plan a composting system. The team discusses how to keep the stall dry, manage water access, and prevent the pigs from turning the waterer into a wallow. They experiment with adding whey (a by‑product of cheese making) and skim milk to the water to make it more appealing, observing mixed success as some pigs drink while others continue wallowing. The host also outlines a longer‑term plan to move three pigs into a forested area to aid in clearing, measuring a water line extension of roughly 200‑600 feet to supply them, and demonstrates a small‑scale permaculture pig system for viewers with limited space. Throughout, the crew uses practical, conversational instructions, noting observations, challenges, and moments of optimism when the pigs respond positively to the interventions.
Chapters
We've had our 5 new pigs training in that stall right there. Yesterday, for the first time, we let them out. And although I was apprehensive— I'm not excited about how feisty they are— it worked. You guys are going to be doing this right now? Okay, do you see where— do you see where they've tilled? Yeah, let's put the mulch right there for now. Just put a little bit of mulch here, just a layer, just to cover up the bare earth. Mother— oh, oh, I just found the manure. I think I might have been sitting in it. That's gross. That's real gross. Please tell me I wasn't sitting in it. No, I wasn't sitting in it. Okay, pigs like to poop in one place apparently. That's it. Our idea is to move 3 of these guys to a forested system to help us clear the forest, and then 2 of these guys, because so many of you are on small places, I want to demonstrate in my next film project, Permaculture Pigs, how folks can keep pigs in small places, this is the plan. A wall this tall, cattle panel, tin this tall along the bottom, add mulch as we go, compost. Compost your pigs. So today we got to manage their tealing. You've seen the boys do that some already. We need to manage their— and we need to manage their water. Let's get it out of there. Let's keep the stall completely dry. I'm so happy though that they are pooping out here and not in their stall. Hey, don't step on the manure, guys, okay? Do you see the manure, John? They're dropping bombs right at the edge of this. We've gave them a wallow here. We could give them a little bit more water in there, Josiah. But we don't want them drinking it. And we want to get our waterer out of here. Why don't you go get us a clean bucket, Jonah, and we'll do it one scoop at a time. Thank you. This right here is super encouraging. They did just eat. Jonah fed them, but they're not just like— hey, it's on, dude, you're gonna get shocked.
I want to get over.
Okay, go turn the fence off and then get over. That's fine with me. Um, they were crazy yesterday, and I guess it's just because maybe they were hungry and they were just getting let out. What do you think, Josiah? Probably, because now they're so chill. I'm not scared they're gonna get out. Are you scared they're gonna get out? Some say that the pig Will get smart enough to hit this water nipple enough to give themselves a wallow? It's certainly wet there, probably because they're spilling. Maybe they're trying to give themselves a wallow without emptying it some with the bucket. I can't move it. Was there only one clean bucket? They're drinking the wallow. That's what I was afraid of. So I saw that at Cliff's, they had this fresh clean well water, and they go to drink that. Oh, don't, don't pour it in there. We've got enough water in there. Let's rinse this barrel out right there, right there. We're gonna put something special in this. Let's go get it while it fills up. We saw this trick on the internet. I don't know if it was my member area or Rebecca texting with a friend, but it's worth a try. It's basically Figuring out if there's a way to make our water more appetizing so they drink our clean water as opposed to the wallow water. You guys get me the end of this blue hose to rinse off some of these buckets? They rinsed off the bucket, but I don't think they know what I mean. Rinse off the bucket like we want this to be clean. Get the old grain out of here. Where's your clean bucket? Is that it?
Yeah.
All right, let's rinse it off a little bit better. Come on up, Jonah. Oh, perfectly clean. All right, bring it over here. This is what happens to skin milk. I guess technically that's a cheese. And there, you know what that is? That's whey. Pigs love it. Pigs love both these. The nastier the skin milk gets, the better. So we're gonna strain it for the cheese and for the dirt. We don't want to clog up our, our water. And one thing The first thing we want to test, Jonah, is if this wave meshes with the water or if it's just going to settle at the bottom. Hey, you got an aversion to that smell? I do. Gonna have to change Mr. Brown. Had a little water tussle, I guess. New clothes for Mr. Brown. Shoot, we overflowed our water. I have to get the hose out of there. I'm afraid they're gonna make a wallow right here, but let's hope not. Shoot! Oh, look, you can see him do it. Oh, come on. This is not what I was hoping for. I'm getting water out so I can put whey in. Mr. Brown, can you go turn that water off? He's gonna get wet again, guys. Look! Yay! It's cloudy. Well, hopefully it's not sinking to the bottom. Let's see if we mix it.
Wow!
I don't think it just is sinking to the bottom. I think it's mixing in. Let's go get some more. Let's give it a valiant effort.
Got more weight for you guys.
Maybe you'll drink your water now. Don't get me wrong, they actually happened— they drank a foot and a half of it. Um, but if we can get them even more excited about it, that's better. I'd love to see somebody drink out of it. Now let's cover up their deposits over here.
Good job!
What I feared most came true. They're making that a wallow. Why not practice training to the bucket? Am I the Pied Piper of pigs?
Am I?
Yes, I am. They'll follow me anywhere so long as I have skim and milk. For our 3 forested pigs, this is our closest water source. This is tap— the well's right there. We're tapping into the well here. To give you an idea of where we are, well, we're going to measure it. The well's right there, and the forest that they're going to help us clear is way down there. I'm gonna guess, I'm gonna guess 600 feet. Let's walk it. Nearing the end. What'd I say, 600 feet? Wow. I'm at 370 right here. Here's the beginning of the forest. We're at 420 right here. Okay, here I guess technically then it begins right here. We're at 470 right here. The supply line will go up through there along this fence and an extension line that we can roll up and contract because first they'll be in here and the water will be like right here. I cannot wait to put them in this Can you guys wait? Like, this is going to be amazing. Our extension line, we need to go down through the woods. I'll need to— I'll need to measure that too. I'll be— hey, just wait there, I'll be right back. 200 feet. Well, 197 feet technically though. We don't have to all go all the way to the end because we'll fill up our water not at the very end but closest here. But 200 feet, you know, there might be some different length shoot up through there, although I think that's one of our longest ones, if not our longest ones.
Hey, put it in the back of the truck.
What, this? Yeah. Yeah, will you please take this home for me?
Yeah, we will.
That would be great. I'm tired of carrying it. Thank you. We're out and about doing afternoon chores and we saw them just going to town on that waterer. I've never seen them drinking out of it, so I think that's saying something. Still mixed in. I think they're into it now that there's whey. This one drinking? No, he's scratching though. Look, it's happening, it's happening, Lily.
Yeah.
Yay! Okay, look, we've been out here with them for the camera. We saw 2 or 3 pigs— 2 pigs fighting over it, another pig drinking, a pig when we came around, they were wallowing this. I didn't see any more drinking in this. I think this is working. I think the way with the water is working, and it'll get them to drink more water. Look, he didn't drink it. Watch. Look, he opted out of that. Yes, you guys saw it. He, he could have drank the wallow water, but he came over to the waterer. We caught it, Lily. We caught it on camera. What'd you say?
They really like the water because I like milk.
Look, Lily, I've never seen them drink out of this. And now it's like you just come out here and sit for a couple of minutes, somebody's drinking out of it. It worked. It worked.
