what are people feeding there pigs?

[al6517]

Quote:
We paid $ 25.00 kill fee, and $ .35 per lb for processing, and i kept everything. liver and kidneys ( catfish bait ), whole head and rest of the gut's ( dog's loved it, skin ( for making crackling ), feet, ears, snout, tail, everything. if you don't request these they keep it and resell them.

 

[francisfarms]

amen to that greyfields. My boyfriend was shocked at such little fat there was in the bacon. I can't wait til spring again, gonna do it again plus the farmer up the road sells 3 day old baby bull calves for 20 bucks. Mind you that there are dairy calves I don't care. 20 bucks is dam cheap, I might be doing a few of those next year

 

[CHICKENLADY123]

My son just raised and sold his first pig. Initially we fed her fruits and veggies. My dad is a farmer and I always believed that slop was the best. But......we were wrong. I was told that you have to look at it as a person. If I was to eat whatever I wanted all the time, I would be a large percentage of fat. When that pig is hanging, you do not want a large percentage of fat. ewwww. Although, some fat is good for the flavor, it is best to use a series of increased protein based foods. We used Morman's (sp ??). They have a great 60-90 day plan. More costly than slop, but we are getting a better quality of meat with less waste. Good luck. p.s $25 to process and standard .90 cents per pound in our area of California.

 

[greyfields]

Quote:
We've done the same using goats milk. The holsetin/jersey calves will be optimal if you raise them for veal or "baby beef". There's no reason you can't do the same picking up a beef calf for $50 from an auction. It's a cheap way to expand your flock, because cows are in no way "cheap" animals to raise.

Personally, I'm all for fat. My customers are foodies. They want every scrap of fat and bone they can get with their beef, lamb, pork, duck, goose..... they use it and don't waste it.

When you look at the fat content of your meat, you'll find the fat from pastured/grass fed animals to be heart healthy. I know my father's cardiologist is a big proponent of getting people away from grain fed animals. Consider since the big "eat lean meat" recomendations were put out, heart disease and obesity have remained unchecked. Something doesn't add up. It's not that people are eating fat, it's eating it from grain fattened animals causing the problems (in my opinion, which is shared by many researchers on the subject).

 

[MissPrissy]

You can taste a difference in the meat, especially pigs, that have been fed out of a grain lot. Once you have had pork from animals raised on fresh food (not sour old slop but fresh left over foods before they actually become slop), grass, rootings, etc, you will taste a cleaner meat (the only way I know to express it). If you were to eat some of the meat side by side (grain fed vs. fresh food fed) you can taste the undertones of feed in the other meat. I feed my aniamls out to suit my preference and my tastes. No one elses. I LIKE fat pigs. You can't go wrong with good pork fat. Ever heard this slogan - pork fat rules! ??? It does!

 

[Livinzoo]

I'm getting my old spot soon and a few feeder pigs to raise for food. I will be pasture raising and supplying them with dump milk from the dairy I work at. They will also get leftovers, hay and anything else I can find.