Tough time of year...

When the Weather Turns: Life Outdoors for Our Oxford Sandy and Black Pigs

This time of year always feels like a turning point at Beech Hill Farm. The rain settles in, the temperature drops, and the ground begins to change under our feet. For those of us working outside every day, it’s a challenging season — and for our rare breed Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, it’s when thoughtful, careful farming matters most.

Oxford Sandy and Black pigs making the most of drier days before winter sets in.

Autumn often begins kindly enough. There are still green fields, pockets of sunshine, and days when the pigs wander calmly across the pasture, grazing and rooting as they please. These moments feel almost deceptively gentle, knowing what the coming months will bring. But this is all part of the natural rhythm of outdoor farming.

As winter approaches, the rain becomes more persistent and the cold more biting. Fields soften and then give way to mud, gateways become well-trodden, and daily tasks take longer and demand more care. Managing land to prevent damage, keeping shelters dry and well-bedded, and ensuring the pigs have constant access to clean water and enough feed to maintain body condition becomes a daily priority.

Caption: Natural foraging and enrichment remain important, even as the season changes.

Even as conditions worsen, our Oxford Sandy and Black pigs continue to do what they do best. This traditional British breed is hardy, resilient, and deeply suited to life outdoors. Their thick skins, strong frames, and calm nature allow them to cope with cold and wet far better than many modern breeds. They still root, explore, and socialise, finding interest and enrichment in their surroundings no matter the weather.

Living outdoors gives them choice — when to shelter, when to forage, when to rest. On cold mornings you’ll often see steam rising gently from their backs, a sign of bodies working efficiently to stay warm. It’s a quiet reminder that comfort, for pigs, doesn’t always look the same as it does for us.

Caption: Winter conditions at Beech Hill Farm — challenging, but managed with care and respect for the land and animals.

There’s no denying that this is the toughest time of year on the farm. Mud management, fence maintenance, and animal checks are relentless, especially during prolonged wet spells. But watching the pigs remain healthy, settled, and content makes the effort worthwhile. With good shelter, dry bedding, and attentive daily care, they continue to thrive despite the conditions.

Rare breeds like the Oxford Sandy and Black are an important part of our farming system. They represent resilience, genetic diversity, and a way of farming that works with the seasons rather than fighting against them. Keeping them outdoors year-round isn’t the easiest option, but it is the one that suits them best.

As winter tightens its grip on Beech Hill, the landscape may look harsher and the work harder, but there’s a deep satisfaction in seeing our pigs flourish just as they are meant to — outdoors, resilient, and quietly at home in all weathers.