Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

There are all kinds of You Tube videos and this website that show the killing, gutting and processing. The gutting is not too bad. If you do not like the plucking then you can pull the skin with feathers off of the chicken.

That said I have a 100 lb plus pot belly pig that needs to be processed. It is taking the time and being prepared. I am contemplating scraping the hair off and cooking the whole pig at one time on the spit and then freezing cooked meat and skin instead of all kinds of raw pieces. I am just worried that a pot belly pig might be a bit lean especially one that has lots of space to roam on.

I've never cared for pig roast pig. I wonder if pork from a "ranged" pig is different from a commercially raised pig? I've never heard of Pot Belly pigs being raised for meat though I suppose it's been done. I think there was a time they were called Vietnam Pot Belly pigs.

 

[rancher hicks]

I would want more goats and chickens. Castrate most of the male animals and eat those for meat. We do castrate the bucks already and hope to learn to caponize the roosters. Bees might be nice or sugar beets. We do have ten in the family still so that changes the picture too. It is fun to look at this and dream. We are from from this.

DW says Bees are something we should get. Though she is little involved in any of the farming part. I wonder, at what point does a person go from being a gardener to being a farmer?

For me it makes little sense to grow things no one will eat, so in your case if you would use more goats then you should switch perhaps the pigs for goats.

If you've got ten in the family then make it a family affair, assigning each their niche', in what they like to do. My DD likes to take care of the chickens and collect the eggs. DW likes to harvest and believe me it's not easy once the crop comes in.

 

[Anna6]

I've never cared for pig roast pig. I wonder if pork from a "ranged" pig is different from a commercially raised pig? I've never heard of Pot Belly pigs being raised for meat though I suppose it's been done. I think there was a time they were called Vietnam Pot Belly pigs.

I found a website where a person in the US raises pot belly pigs and uses them for meat. Yes, they are know as Vietnamese pot belly pigs. The meat is supposed to be leaner and more flavorful. I would think tiny pieces or slow roast. I am not a big meat eater but we do eat meat. I would rather eat goat then pig.

 

[Anna6]

DW says Bees are something we should get. Though she is little involved in any of the farming part. I wonder, at what point does a person go from being a gardener to being a farmer?

For me it makes little sense to grow things no one will eat, so in your case if you would use more goats then you should switch perhaps the pigs for goats.

If you've got ten in the family then make it a family affair, assigning each their niche', in what they like to do. My DD likes to take care of the chickens and collect the eggs. DW likes to harvest and believe me it's not easy once the crop comes in.

Indeed we all help out. Most of the children are on a rotational schedule for milking and taking care of the animals. The younger ones go along with the older so they are learning that way. The gardening needs reviving but one of our adult sons has taken a liking to that so I anticipate some good results soon.

 

[rancher hicks]

I found a website where a person in the US raises pot belly pigs and uses them for meat. Yes, they are know as Vietnamese pot belly pigs. The meat is supposed to be leaner and more flavorful. I would think tiny pieces or slow roast. I am not a big meat eater but we do eat meat. I would rather eat goat then pig.

I've only read about them being raised for pets, but upon further thinking figured in Vietnam probably not pets. I wasn't sure if they were the same animal.

I eat meat too but mostly chicken and pork. DW controls the food we eat.

Thanks for the response, folks like you are why I'm here.

Rancher.

 

[rancher hicks]

Just a quick tip y' all.

I like to take and get the "silicon" packets when I'm at the shoe store. (remember I have girls) or from items bought and put them in with my tools or right now my incu when I pack it up so they don't rust.

I store my things in plastic bins and toss the "free" silicon packets in when ever I get them.

 

[trsturself]

Just a quick tip y' all.

I like to take and get the "silicon" packets when I'm at the shoe store. (remember I have girls) or from items bought and put them in with my tools or right now my incu when I pack it up so they don't rust.

I store my things in plastic bins and toss the "free" silicon packets in when ever I get them.

Good tip. Thanks!

I'm not a big fan of goat meat or rabbit so it limits our sources. We eat a lot of chicken though so that's what we plan to do. We are considering a dairy goat so I think we'll use any bucks for animal feed. We like to do a raw diet for the dogs and cat so it would be great to have a source of meat. Rabbits would work for this too but my daughter gets too attached to furry things.
We haven't decided on pig yet. I think one pig would keep us stocked with pork for quite some time.

 

[Raech]

Does anybody know if a dwarf potbelly pig counts as a pig in city limits? I tried to find it in my local listing and I can't seem to find it; my son is saying he wants one when we get a house. And I know this is completely off topic but I have finally started putting the baby to sleep in the crib at night, for the majority of the night! I am excited and sleeping just a little bit better, and instead of only sleeping for 2-3 hours at a time in bed with us he is now sleeping 4-5 hours straight. Plus I found out that my oldest, who's 5 years old, really will sleep through everything, including his brother waking up in the middle of the night, and the cat throwing socks on him while she hunts them off the top of the dresser. Which means that when the time comes to get them sleeping in the same room it won't be a big deal if he wakes up at night. Little man is just shy of 2 years old, and medicine is ok if Mom and Dad "try" it too.

Also just planted our carrots, figured 3 rows of 10 should be a good first try. We planted the little 4" carrots, since I plan on just freezing them when they are ready. If I can manage to not kill these I will plant more of them next year. Read somewhere that I should have planted them this fall to get an earlier start on this years crop. We figured out that we really need more room for all the tomatoes we have planned, I guess that we will have to plant a portion of them at Grandpas. Figure 10 plants here, and 10 plants over there should be enough for fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, and canned tomatoes.

 

[boskelli1571]

I'm jealous!! Planting already?? We still have several inches of ice/snow and temps in the teens so far today

Anyway Raech, I'm thinking a pig is a pig is a pig. If the ordinances says no pigs, it's likely they won't bend for a 'pet' pig. Although I would think they are no more trouble than a large dog, but you know how officials can be.........
Well done on getting the baby out of the bedroom, everyone always seems to sleep better when they have their own space. Keep up the good work.

 

[Anna6]

DS has several raised beds ready and he planted red potatoes and 4 pepper plants some one gave us. We bought some seeds at Walmart, most of them trusted bystanders like Kentucky Pole bean and beets. We just could not wait to order some and now I can't decide between all the choices. We want to order the rest of the seeds but do not want to over buy. I found a place online that sells seeds for 99 cents. They are more like sample packs but I figure I rather have variety this year to try out some different things.DH also put in some rhubarb under the faucet in the front yard. We made inventory of what is on the property to see what is available to make 4 more raised beds, 3x12 ft for in the vegetable garden. It looks like pellet wood will be the most likely material. I found some ideas online late last night and send them by email to DS and see what he thinks but I think he will go for it. I anticipate pulling nails from pellets soon.