5 Paddles Brewery - Spent Grains and Pigs

As every pig farmer, or any farmer for that matter could probably agree. One of the biggest expenses and deterrent from owning livestock is how much the feed costs! It seems to creep up and up every year. Which is a coincidence since I seem to see more and more cash crops each year, but that's another post and story all together.

I have ended up being able to get in contact with a brewery in Whitby called the 5 Paddles (http://5paddlesbrewing.com/) They just opened on June 21st and are doing wonderful. Sold out all the time! The way I came in contact with them was through a company called The Malt Exchange; http://www.themaltexchange.com/ Signe is a wonderful person just trying to help farmers and breweries get in contact with each other. The brewers have to get rid of the spent grains and the farmers need to feed their animals, win win!

We picked up our first batch of spent grains last Monday. I was wondering if the pigs would like it as it does have a noticeable smell to it but sure enough they gobble it right up. They do say pigs will eat anything though! The only things I have found that they won't eat are lime peels, uncooked potatoes and uncooked asparagus. Although it is a GREAT possibility they are just spoiled snobby pigs! Back to the grains, through the research I have tried to do on spent grains I have found out that it has less starch and less sugar as that is extracted out of it but still a great amount of protein. Although, if my pigs didn't have access to 6 acres of pasture to supplement their diet I am unsure if I would be willing to feed them solely spent grain. I guess I would have to see how they did on it.

Thank god for my helpers!!