"It must have had a lot of hormones!"...

[greathorse]

Quote:
No matter how much some would like to villify the meat producers the truth is that pork and poultry get no hormones either fed or injected. Cattle are another matter but not legal in pork or poultry. Hogs may be given a product call paylean I think is the brand name but is not a hormone but does help them muscle up pretty good. some of the feed experts here can tell us more about that.

 

[dancingbear]

Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay :

Quote:
Actually the targeted market weight for market hogs in the USA is now in the 250 to 300 lb range, depending on the packer. One packer in Ohio prefers pigs in the 200 to 240 range, but they are the only one. The modern genetics allows us to feed to higher weights without the dramatic fat accretion typical of pigs fed in the not too distant past.

Jim

Thanks for the updated info. I wasn't raising mine for market, so was just going by what everybody around here told me, some of whom do or have in the past, raised pigs for market.

Also, that higher weight limit may only apply to the more highly bred modern pig breeds. Most of what people raise around here is pretty random. Bear in mind I'm not speaking of huge commercial operations, but smaller farms, some of which may sometimes raise what they want for their own use, and a few extra to sell to help with the costs.

But my point, is that pigs grow really fast, with just good feed, they don't require anything weird or artificial to get to a very large size very quickly. Neither do broiler-type chickens. Nor do BB turkeys. Or Pekins, or Muscovies. All very fast growers, just as they are, with proper feeding.​

 

[wcbpolish]

Quote:
Hogs may be given a product call paylean... some of the feed experts here can tell us more about that.

Paylean is a trade name for ractopamine
I inherited some feed with this stuff incorporated (about 30 pounds). I didn't want to throw it out. I feed it to my ducks over a timer period of 6 months with no adverse affects. I just wanted it gone and couldn't fathom just dumping it.

 

[oldrooster]

Paylean is a trade name for ractopamine
I inherited some feed with this stuff incorporated (about 30 pounds). I didn't want to throw it out. I feed it to my ducks over a timer period of 6 months with no adverse affects. I just wanted it gone and couldn't fathom just dumping it.

You just made a ZOMBIE thread this is an 8 year old thread and the opining poster hasn't been on BYC in 7 years.....