About Manda Farm animals

*Manda*
Farm

We raise and sell Pork Products as well as Breeding Stock from rare and endangered pigs called Gloucestershire Old Spots (above) Our pork products are available at the farm, mailed to your home, in season at the Ashfield Farmer's Market, and the Florence Farmer's Market

Click on Buy Now for current products and the link for at-the-farm pricing.

Our pigs are raised on pasture and organic grain. They have outside access at all times. Their big floppy ears almost cover their faces and make them look as friendly as they are. Despite their lean, succulent meat, these pigs were near extinction a few decades ago because they did not grow fast enough for the needs of intensive factory farming.

The Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig, or GOS, originated in a region in Gloucestershire, England, known as the Vale of Berkeley. Recognized as the oldest pedigree spotted pig in the world, the GOS was once popular with small family farms where they were raised on dairy by-products (such as whey) and orchard "drop fruit," giving these pigs the nicknames "cottage pig" and "orchard pig." Get additional information at Old Spot Breed Association of America.

The American Livestock Breed Conservancy lists Old Spots as still "critical" for survival. We are raising these pigs to contribute to the restoration of these docile and useful animals to their place on the family farm.

[See additional animal photos at bottom of this page]

Our Heritage Turkeys are a breed called Narragansett We sold out quickly this past year. (about 5 weeks before Thanksgiving) We will raise more this year but will still have a limited number so we will be taking reservations (with a $25 deposit) for next season. (Birds will be processed and back for pick up a few days before Thanksgiving. Usually Sunday) These turkeys will be raised on pasture supplemented with organic grain and they will average 9 LBS for hens and 14 LBS for toms. Rare breeds grow slower and are more flavorful than the standard production turkeys. As outlined on the Slow Foods USA web site ".... When Heritage Turkeys are raised free-range on pasture and forage, they develop much stronger legs, thighs, and breasts than industrially-produced turkeys, which have mostly breast meat. The resulting meat from these Heritage birds is very firm and dark in color, as well as being succulent, rich and flavorful."

We raise Nubian milking goats, also known as Anglo-Nubians. According to the International Nubian Breeders Association the Nubian is believed to be the oldest breed of goat know to man. They are of African and Indian origin and get their name from Nubia in Northeastern Africa, or what is now known as Egypt and the Sudan. Hardy goats from this area as well as Arabia and India were cross-bred with English goats to develop the Anglo-Nubian. The Nubian is an all-purpose goat used for meat and milk. It produces milk with a high average butter fat content (over 4%). Learn more about dairy goats at the American Dairy Goat Association website. We make yogurt and cheese for our own consumption and enjoy the milk directly.

We raise Dexter Cattle on rotated pasture and hay in winter. The Dexter is an ancient breed from the southwest of Ireland and most commonly believed to be a cross between the smaller Kerry cattle, (which were the original Celtic small black breed) and Devons from England. The American Dexter Cattle Association can provide additional historical information on these wonderful animals. Dexters have a very gentle disposition. They are used for milk, meat and farm work which made them most useful on the remote Irish homestead. They graze on a wide variety of field and forest vegetation and can thrive in quite harsh conditions.

Llamas are one of four camelids indigenous to South America, originally domesticated from their wild ancestor, the guanaco, which survives to this day. Llamas and alpacas (their smaller, woolier cousins) are the only large domesticated animals indigenous to the Americas. Even large llamas are not large enough for most adult humans to ride, but they are excellent pack animals. A well conditioned llama can carry 1/3 of its body weight indefinitely. They were the means of transportation which allowed the Inka empire to reach across the length of the Andes.

These four related camelids were one of the commonalities which tied together almost every culture in South America. As a result, the Spanish felt it was important to eliminate them and replace them with Spanish domesticated animals. They were largely successful. Llamas survived only in the most mountainous regions where no other livestock could survive, and where their superior sure-footedness was necessary. The Spanish were sure glad to have llamas when they needed to get gold out of the Potosi!

Here at Manda Farm, we use llamas as guardians for our livestock, in addition to training them to pack. Our llamas were bred at Ivory Pond Farm, in Egremont, MA. They are a long-wool variety: the result of cross-breeding with alpacas. Shearing time is in the spring. We are also aware of and open to their traditional use as meat animals by South Americans. None of our three current llamas are destined to become meat animals. Llama meat is the leanest red meat. It makes excellent steaks, roasts, stew, and ground meat, but the most traditional means of preparing it is to make jerky. The word jerky is actually derived from a Quechua word for dried and smoked llama meat.

Jacob Sheep are considered a primitive breed. Millenia of breeding have significantly changed most sheep from their wild ancestors, but Jacob’s are a hardy, old breed, not all that different from wild sheep. They have virtually no difficulty lambing (something which most modern sheep need a lot of help with), and they will fight off predators with their numerous horns (some rams have six). Jacobs are a dual purpose breed, used for their fine wool and meat. See the Jacob Sheep Breeders Association

Guinea Hens are native to Africa, but they are thriving here in the Hilltowns. As one visitor put it, “their spotted feathers and funny colored faces bring to mind the dresses and makeup of ladies in 1920‘s America. They sure are a noisy lot, but they do a great job on the ticks. Constantly communicating and coordinating with each other, they sweep through our pastures like a swat team. Their communal, flock mentality is a joy to observe. See the Guinea Foul Breeders Association

They are also used by many people for meat and eggs. We’ve never been able to gather many eggs from them, because they hide their eggs in the fields, and then go to sit on them once they have accumulated a critical mass. When one of the hens is sitting, her family will come to visit her, but we still often lose eggs or sitting hens to predators.

We have a flock of Heritage Breed Chickens. They are free range and fed organic feed. Many of the old breeds of poultry, once a colorful sight on family farms, are now rare because they did not conform to the particular requirements of large-scale production. Like the old breeds of animals, these birds flourish on a variety of foods they find on the farm and provide both eggs and meat. Currently we have Silver Laced Wyandottes, Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, and Araucanas, and mixed breeds from these types. The Wyandottes are handsome birds with white feathers tipped with green-black. They are sturdy in winter and their rose combs are less prone to frostbite than the upright combs of many chickens. Black Australorps were developed in Australia and introduced into American flocks in the 1920's. The tawny gold Buff Orpingtons, introduced from England in the late 1800's, have a quiet, gentle disposition and are great mothers to the chicks running around our farm in the spring and summer. Developed in New England in the early 1800's the black and white Barred Rocks are still known for their dependability as layers. Araucanas have been called Easter Egg Chickens because of their blue and green eggs. Their name, however, reflects their heritage in Chile where they were first discovered being raised by the Araucana tribe of indigenous people. McMurray Hatchery is one site where you can get information about, and purchase rare breeds.