Minute Man is currently home to 60 pigs from the Codman Community Farms. These piglets are about 5 months old and include a variety of heritage breeds including the Large Black, Gloucester Old Spot, and the Tamworth.
The pigs are providing a valuable service to the Park as they root and dig up invasive plants from our landscape. Over time pigs can weaken and destroy the root systems of these plants so that beneficial crops can thrive.
To view the pigs, take a walk along the Battle Road Trail between Meriam’s Corner and Brooks Village parking lots; they are located north of the Carty Barn. There is signage in front of their large sunny pasture, and you can usually find them lazing about in mud puddles under a stand of trees! Download a park map before you set off.
In addition to grazing, our guests are fed non-GMO grains from Codman Community Farms and enjoy acorns from the numerous oak trees found on the Park grounds. If you see volunteers sweeping up acorns in the fall around the Buttrick Gardens, they are likely destined for the pigs’ trough.
To learn more about the pigs, visit the Codman Community Farms website.
Image above, clockwise from top: View of field and Carty barn near pig enclosure. Tamworth, Gloucester Old Spot, and Large Black pigs courtesy of Codman Community Farms.