Owning Pigs for Butchering

[SarahFair]

I was wondering if it is smart $$ wise to get a pig from piglet and raise it for butchering.
How old are they when they go to butcher?
With the price of feed and butchering is it worth it??

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
you can get a "feeder pig" (a weaned pig) for anywhere from 30 - 60 bucks - they go to butcher a LOT sooner than a cow does, so yeah, it's worth it. The price of pork is going up in the stores (like everything else, but pork used to be pretty cheap).

I want to try one, myself, but I have a lot of calves right now, so no time or room

I built a pig corral, then got bottle baby calves in there

, so I'd need to move the calves somewhere else.

meri

 

[corancher]

Your pig should be ready in 5 or so months. Nothing like home raised pork.

 

[al6517]

Yes it is well worth it, we raise pigs every year for our personal use and it works out great. Feed is pretty inexspensive and I feed allot of scraps from the grocery store throw aways, pigs convert feed very well 4lbs of feed per 1lb of meat. you can butcher anywhere between 170lbs and up, I bring mine to about 350lbs before processing because I like bigger bacons and hams,shoulders,roast.
As far as cost go it runs me $.35 per lb for processing a one time $25.00 kill fee and that's it, they cut wrap and package to your spec's, and make sure to save allot of things most people do not. Like Kidneys (fish bait), Liver (cooking or sausage), Save the jowls this what is used for salt pork. save the head and all the byproducts for the dogs love them. Then I have my guy who cures my hams, bacon, salt pork, ham hocks, if you like they can also make sausage for you. with that said and done all of your meat will only average out to about less than $1.50 per lb, now you can't beat that and the meat isn't laiden with growth hormones and chemicals. It may sound daunting but it is not and well worth the money.

AL

 

[SarahFair]

How much room do pigs need to live for 5 - 12 months?
How bad do they smell?

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

 

[MandyH]

I have been wanting to raise a hog to butcher and of course my husband does NOT want one. We just happen to have a meat processor about 4 miles up the road and they make THE best sausage you have ever tasted. I spoke with the man that owns the place about what it would cost me to have a pig processed after I got doen raising it and he told me to just come pick out one of THEIR pigs and that way I wouldn't have to fool with raising one. I didn't know they had their own pigs to sell whole/live. Learn soemthing new everyday.

 

[lorieMN]

Quote:
most butchers can set you up with a seller if you ask,,they usually know someone that will raise them and bring them to the locker then sell by the quarter or half or whole..this will run a little more money as they arent going to give the hog away and just break even,,but on the other hand you dont have the hog at your house with your kids nameing it either..

 

[geepy]

Make sure you get good stock. I have raised wild and domestic. Wild take alot longer to get big enough to butcher, so domestic are the way to go. I have also home butchered (mostly made sausage). They do smell but you get used to it. You can clean their pens to keep the smell down (good fertilizer for the garden). They need a good water supply, I use automatic nipple waters. I'm in florida, so I hose my pigs alot to keep them happy.

There is nothing like home raised pork. Once you have it you can't get enough.

Hope this helps you out.
Oh yeah, We keep our pigs in a 10x20 pen. I don't know what the recommendations are but this works for us. If you go the meat processor route, I recommend the smoke pork chops. They are to die for. mm good.

 

[fowler_chick]

i have 2 pig's i'm raising for meat, we just butcherd a steer yesterday for our family and have about 8 cornish x in the freezer, i find that it is well worth growing your own food that way you know what goes in it... i went to our local once amonth auction in may and bought 4 pig's at $10. a head....sold 2 at $10 right off the back of my stock trailer at the sale, between milo, range pettels and old produce ( i get for free) from the local store there fairley cheep to raise. our butchard charges $20 for a kill fee and $0.40 on hanging weight......compare to the price of the steer i just had to shell out $ 872.15 ... i have some one raise the steer for me