Butcher Time - Hogs

[barrybro]

Well my two pigs went to the butcher on Saturday. The hanging weight of the larger one was 135 lbs and the smaller was 110 lbs. So defenitely on the small side but I am anxious to tase it.

Barry

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

I have some questions on pigs, I just got 3yorkshires and they are all from differnent parents so I am going to bred them. I have 2girls and 1boy so I am wanting to know if I breed the girls at 6months and let them give birth and around 9-10 months old. If the babies take 4 weeks to feed of her, so then she looses a couple pounds from the babies will it take more than 2 months to get them to butcher weight 200 220. Also if it does take them over a year to reach that weight because of the babies will the meat taste any different because she is older?

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[Blaineiac]

The gilts should be to weight by the time you breed them. Even after the litter brings her down, if you feed for 3-4 weeks after weaning, she will likely be 300+. This is a good time to load her up with apples to get the marinade started. If it's a good mother, I'd be hard pressed to eat her. It's definately worth the feed if she will give you 20 piglets a year. You can play around and find what size tastes the best. good luck, and from experience, don't count on the 6 month deal and eat your boar before you see piglets.
... and yes it will taste different because you raised it, nothing to do with age, it turns into real food.

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

Hows everyones pigs doing this year? Just got 2 hampshire piglets for 40bucks a male and female about 15pounds each. Will post pics soon,

Truly,
RIRs

 

[DadandJoJo]

Quote:
I was a breeding manger at a large confinement for 5 years here in mn so trust me on this casterate your boar feed him out with your gilts when your gilts are breeding size 200-220 let them go into heat with him in or around them but go artifical to breed them. your local feed store can help locate semen and tubes and put him on the truck to market he's served his purpose to help your gilts come into natural heat and if he is casterated his meat will be good. A boar intact will have a sour taste in the meat from his hormones most intact boars never go to process for human food usually pet food or fertilizer if you have ever had a pork roast that has a strange strong oder you will know what I'm talking about. Your gilts after birthing will now be consider sows but they will remain good for human consumption for a quite a bit longer I have eaten sows into their 7-8 litter and couldn't tell the difference from a gilt.

1. facts on pigs average breeding age of first gilts 6-8th months for most confinements you can add 2 months for farm raised. A 200 lb gilt will eat 6-8 lbs of feed a day heat cycle is 3-7 days long every 21 days. weaning new babies at 21 days is best and sow will go into heat excatly 4 days later, pregnacy/ sp? 112 days and towards the end of pregnacy a sow will eat upwards to 8lbs a day when you look at her from behind she should be full from sholder to hind if not up her feed gilts shouldn't be allowed to get too fat during pregnacy or her babies will be too large for her to pass and then you'll be asking about the birthing process lol let me just say it like this have a skinny arm and lots of dawn soap and one last thought before this gets too long pigs are easier to trian than dogs they are a clean animals for the most part if they are dirty check air drafts and enviroment before shuffling it off as they are just pigs most of the time an easy enough fix pigs do not have sweat glands ie the laying around in muck is a way to keep cool if you have any ? just message me I"ll be glad to help and if I don't know the answer right off I have enough people around me to help (I live in martin county mn also known as hog capitol of mn).

 

[calgal98]

As a born and bred Californian I am so envious of your experiences with farm life. I'm no novice, having hunted/gutted a few deer and raised goats, sheep, rabbits, and chickens. But were I to express the excitement I feel over butchering a pig to my husband....we might just be talking divorce! LOL I was born a century too late! I would so love being self sufficient. Not to be again in this life, but mayhaps the next?