My hogs are on death row

[cluckychick]

Just out of curiousity...how much did you spend getting them to butcher weight and how much for butchering? Is it economical? I know it surely taste better than store bought but is it affordable. You don't have to answer if you feel I'm being to personal with my questions.

Thank You

 

[ginbart]

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Mine all have one simple rule. We can't eat anything that they pet. Once it gets pet its hand off.


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So I'd have to say, keeps your hands off the pigs?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Can you share your experiences raising hogs? We are considering one or two in the spring, but we still have to set up a pen for them. Any recommendations, thoughts, hindsights? I was planning on making them a small house with a small yard, with electric wire surrounding it.

I realize it would hafta be strong, and I know they root. I have read up on it, but it would be nice to hear from someone who has already experienced it. Also I;m curious to know how much meat one hog can produce--not just lbs., but how many roasts, how much bacon, hams, chops etc.

Did you slop them or did you just feed them commercial feed.......

ANY info would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[greyfields]

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I, too, always seem to prefer black pigs or saddlebacks over the pink ones.

 

[greyfields]

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It costs me $0.82 per pound to get mine processed under USDA inspection. Last year, I was $620 into each pig. It's probably worse this year as feed didn't get cheaper.

 

[greyfields]

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You're not a farm unless you have pigs.

They're pretty easy to raise. We get weaners at around 7-8 weeks and 35#. They're typically ready at 6 months of age. They make farming guilt-free, as all your garden and vegetable culls go to them. Forgot to weed the cabbage patch? It's fine, the pigs won't care. Have extra milk from the goats? The pigs will eat it.

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Regardless of what we do, pigs always find a way out of their pen to explore. The best you can do is keep them well fed and entertained, which means don't rasie them on concrete where they cannot root.

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We put our pigs where the tractor can't go.. into blackberries and lump ground. They plow the whole thing for you. I let the goats in with the pigs, too, and they pull the higher stuff down to where the piggies can finish it off.

A 300 lb pig (which is a bit on the large side) yields around 100 lbs of meat. That's two 20-25# hams and about 12 pounds of bacon. How much of hte other meat, though, varies entirely how you want it cut & wrapped.

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We use commercial feed, rye grain which we grew here this year and our compost bucket. "Slop" has a bad connotation. I make sure that whatever we are giving them from kitchen waste is clean and contains no meat. We don't want pigs eating pigs, sorry. I'd imagine it would be very difficult to raise pigs on just kitchen/garden waste. It would probably slow their growth extensively.

 

[LoneCowboy]

The kill truck comes right to our house. They kill and clean them right here so they don't get stressed from the trip. However, I was really stressed. I just stayed in the house and bawled. We only had 2 then, Jimmy and Dean. We sold ours for $300 a half and I think we at least paid for our half. We have 4 now and I staying away from them. They don't get ugly and disgusting like everybody said they would. They were still cute.

But OH BOY, did they ever taste good!

 

[miss_thenorth]

thanks Greyfields! I think we would have to have stationary hogs though. We only have 3 acres, and most of that is dedicated to the horses. By slop--I meant veggies etc. I realize they shouldn't have meat, and I realize they should still have feed.

I guess I will just have to try it and find out from my own experience. but I agree, you need pigs to really be a farm.

 

[hatchaholic]

Ours will be ready to go in 2 more weeks. Only problem, we don't have the trailer thing worked out yet. Not sure what we are going to do!! But, that is typical of DH. Always waits til the last minute then pulls something wonderful together!!

 

[Wildsky]

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Put em in the back-seat of the family car!