Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary

Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary often gets repeat visitors, and for a very good reason. The farm is home to a population of both adoptable and resident animals, including pot-bellied pigs, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, horses, cows and peacocks. The lineup of animals at this spot 20 miles outside of Indianapolis changes constantly, meaning no two experiences are the same.

Located on the local Head family’s farmland, Oinking Acres is a regional nonprofit rescue and adoption center for farm animals that have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Its primary mission is to rehabilitate and care for the animals until they can be adopted by compassionate people who will give them good homes. But when animals are unadoptable, Oinking Acres provides them with a safe and permanent haven.  

Although Olivia Head started Oinking Acres in 2019, its origins date to two pot-bellied pigs, Pixie and Penelope, she raised during her childhood. As a teenager, Head also fostered pot-bellied pigs that had been abandoned by city dwellers unprepared for the porcine pets, which can weigh more than 100 pounds. To date, Oinking Acres has rescued more than 2,000 animals, and its resident population varies from 200 to 300.

Every animal at the sanctuary is loved dearly, and affectionately given a name. For a $10 donation per person, visitors can enter the sanctuary on Saturdays and Sundays to meet the animals by way of a self-guided tour of the farm. Since the sociable pot-bellied pigs love company and enjoy being gently petted, they’re usually waiting at the gate to greet people. 

A gravel pathway leads visitors to an aviary with winged inhabitants, a pasture with grazing animals and a former dairy barn where stalls have been converted to miniature apartments — complete with twin beds, TVs, and artwork — to accommodate pot-bellied pigs that are used to being house pets. 8420 N. County Rd. 650 E., Brownsburg, Indiana 46112, 317/225-1761, oinkingacres.org