Advice on rearing pigs

gerzilla

Hi
I am rearing two pigs for the freezer .
I have a bore and a female , there about 4 months old ,
Will I need to castrate the bore ? Incase he gets the other pig pregnant.or is he too young for that carry on.
They will be slaughtered when there around 6months old .

Thanks G :rolleyes:

CJhaughey

You should be fine at 6mths old, did you get them at 8weeks of age?
I kill mine at 6mths and have never had any hassle from boar taint.

marizpan

We have two 14wk old weaners also. We were thinking of finishing them at 8mths. Is there much difference weight wise between 6-8mths or would they be just putting on fat stores and no more actual meat?
Our are outdoors and feed on barley, and our own eggs,milk & veg. We calculate that they are costing €3 a week in feed, which we are delighted about. Finished, they will be super cheap yet high quality meat. Total cost finished about €250 for both. I doubt the supermarkets could beat that

CJhaughey

Feck all difference between 6 and 8 mths in meat weight, lots more back fat especially as the weather cools off.
We learnt this on our first pigs, after 8 mths we had two big pigs with a lot of fat on them. The last ones were much leaner and the same meat.

Rujib1

CJhaughey wrote: »

Feck all difference between 6 and 8 mths in meat weight, lots more back fat especially as the weather cools off.
We learnt this on our first pigs, after 8 mths we had two big pigs with a lot of fat on them. The last ones were much leaner and the same meat.

Do you mind me asking how much it costs you to have them killed?
Do you do it at an abbatoir and how is the meat packed?
Do you get meat cut for bacon for home curing, or is it all just pork?
What about sausages and blood pudding :p ?

R1

CJhaughey

Do you mind me asking how much it costs you to have them killed?

I paid €30 for kill dress and chill.

Do you do it at an abbatoir and how is the meat packed?

I got it done at an abbatoir but the pig was cut into 5 pieces for easy carriage, I then gave it to a friend of mine who is a Butcher. I paid him €110 to make it into roasts,chops,Sausages, Black Pudding, Terrines and Paté.

Do you get meat cut for bacon for home curing, or is it all just pork?
As above.
I used the belly from the last pigs to make streaky bacon myself.
Bacon is good but Terrines and Paté are something else.

marizpan

We are doing home kill ourselves. Priced butchers at €30 a head for kill and €100 a head for cuts,sausages etc
So we decided to save the 260, we clarified with dept of agri. and no problems there, along as for home use.
Fortunately both my parents are experts at this, using old fashioned ways of curing and smoking and we will make a wkend of it.
The butcher explained that the pigs would have to be sent away to the abbotoir to be killed and then returned to him to be processed, and that he couldnt say for sure that we would get our own pigs back.
Not much having rarebreeds, outdoors etc and not get your own pig back!
Thanks for the advice re. weights, i think we might finish ours a bit earlier, Not much point feeding just to add on fat, however tasty it might be:rolleyes:

CJhaughey

Pigs can still be killed at home, I wouldn't mind but you have to get rid of the guts and associated detritus, I have kids as well and they would have to be away for that part of the process.

gerzilla

CJhaughey wrote: »

You should be fine at 6mths old, did you get them at 8weeks of age?
I kill mine at 6mths and have never had any hassle from boar taint.

Great Info guys .
Cheers for that Cj , yes they were 8wks old when I got them ..

danzdan

I know this is an old post, but any info in how to rear pigs, cost of vet fees, housing and feed...... I can get the pigs slaughtered at an abattoir and butcher them myself. Any help, much appreciated guys. Thanks. I'm even willing to work at a free range pig farm for free just to Learn about the whole process.

bbam

danzdan wrote: »

I know this is an old post, but any info in how to rear pigs, cost of vet fees, housing and feed...... I can get the pigs slaughtered at an abattoir and butcher them myself. Any help, much appreciated guys. Thanks. I'm even willing to work at a free range pig farm for free just to Learn about the whole process.

We're on our second year keeping a few for the table..
Vet fees have been zero, if they are healthy coming and in good conditions they thrive well and are healthy..

Feed costs are becoming an issue though..
I was looking back through dockets and back in 2009 (when the thread started) rolled barley was €145 a ton, now its nearing €290.

dzer2

We have being doing it for years, We buy the bonn at 10 weeks and give them a bag of pig weaner at 10euro per bag after that the pig gets all the skins and table waste. We are lucky as the restrauant in the town gives us their waste. We also rear chickens so when we kill and clean out them we use the offal for the pigs also we rear 3 pigs at a time and the cost stands at 50 eur per pig. We have a raised bed with a plywood roof over it and a pen made from discarded gates collected over time. As for vet bills we have never had to call him. The pigs are killed whenthey weigh 100kgs. We pay 20 euro to have them killed and a FRIEND butchers them for 30 euro which includes the sausages and rashers. There is no question about the origin of the pig because we slap them before slaughter. Recently we have developed a market for the meat and the next 3 are sold at 160 euro per half pig. The OH has started to sell the chickens as well, this as well as the sale of free range eggs is providing an income of 70 euro a week for her.

maxxuumman

dzer2 wrote: »

There is no question about the origin of the pig because we slap them before slaughter. .

Slap them??.?
What is the best breed for self rearing?

dzer2

maxxuumman wrote: »

Slap them??.?
What is the best breed for self rearing?

To have pigs legally you need a hed no. you can order a imprint of this number and ink and slap or brand both sides of the pig this ensures that you get the right pig back after slaughter. We rear all breds but mostly land race

DK man

Hi folks. Does the meat keep well in the freezer? Or does it lose flavour or go sour over a number of months?

What do people think about getting the pig hers number? Is it an absolute must?

I have been thinking about it for a while now - I need my veg patch cleaned up too so it would be like killing two pigs with the one garden thing.....

Another issue that is I'm afraid that ill get a but too attached to the al buggers as pigs are smart animals and feeding them every day they will get use to me and me to them..

Ta

bbam

dzer2 wrote: »

use the offal for the pigs

maybe its just me but I don't like the idea of that at all...

Markcheese

Well pigs are omnivores.. As long as it's fresh and from his own birds I wouldn't have a prob.... Doubt if yr supposed to do it though...

danzdan

So of I buy a pig from such and such. I need a head no.. Now it's getting complicated. I was hoping to do some urban rearing. I have a huge garden with room for a pen and housing.

dzer2

danzdan wrote: »

So of I buy a pig from such and such. I need a head no.. Now it's getting complicated. I was hoping to do some urban rearing. I have a huge garden with room for a pen and housing.

It depends on who you buy the pig from for a start and also where you can get it processed. Also they smell abit so the neighbours might report it.

dzer2

bbam wrote: »

maybe its just me but I don't like the idea of that at all...

Didnt pigs eat their owner a few weeks back in England only left his watch.:D

danzdan

That was in the states and those pigs were bigger than most. Apparently the owner who was very old, most of fell and died or had heart attack. The pigs helped themselves after that. It was on sky news. Under strange news.

bbam

danzdan wrote: »

So of I buy a pig from such and such. I need a head no.. Now it's getting complicated. I was hoping to do some urban rearing. I have a huge garden with room for a pen and housing.

Getting a "back yard" pig herd number is a simple process. You apply to your local DVO, they make an appointment to come out and inspect the facilities...It covers for up to 5 pigs.
Check for housing, how much area they have to roam, water supply, feed storage to be vermin proof, your knowledge of a local vet to call if you have a problem..
It really is a simple process and is designed that the pigs are to be kept in a proper environment and that the country has a record of pigs in the event of a disease outbreak.

Its also completly free! And only took 20 minutes.

It will often save the money as "lads" who will slaughter a pig for you will often charge more than a certified slaughtering plant.

trixyben

bbam wrote: »

Getting a "back yard" pig herd number is a simple process. You apply to your local DVO, they make an appointment to come out and inspect the facilities...It covers for up to 5 pigs.
Check for housing, how much area they have to roam, water supply, feed storage to be vermin proof, your knowledge of a local vet to call if you have a problem..
It really is a simple process and is designed that the pigs are to be kept in a proper environment and that the country has a record of pigs in the event of a disease outbreak.

Its also completly free! And only took 20 minutes.

It will often save the money as "lads" who will slaughter a pig for you will often charge more than a certified slaughtering plant.

Been looking into getting a couple pigs myself, would you recommend getting the herd number or it it as handy to plough on yourself?

With regards slaughtering will any factory take them if they are numbered and how much do they charge roughly?

bbam

trixyben wrote: »

Been looking into getting a couple pigs myself, would you recommend getting the herd number or it it as handy to plough on yourself?

With regards slaughtering will any factory take them if they are numbered and how much do they charge roughly?

I think the herd number is a must, as there are more and more unregistered pigs in the country its endangering the integrity of the pork industury. Its easy and free so I'd be worried about anyone not getting it, what have they to hide, what conditions are the pigs going to be kept in..

Last year we paid €20 for liscenced slaughter and then another €70 to have the full pigs cured into bacon, dry cured, vac packed and blast chilled. I think it would have been €50 if I'd wanted half and half.

marizpan

I'd agree with getting a herd number also. One less thing to worry about and so important if there is a disease outbreak or if you decide to sell meat down the road.

dzer2

trixyben wrote: »

Been looking into getting a couple pigs myself, would you recommend getting the herd number or it it as handy to plough on yourself?

With regards slaughtering will any factory take them if they are numbered and how much do they charge roughly?

I would advise getting the herd number that way if you ever keep a sow you can sell bonns and get the going rate for them. When you register you will get a list of factories that slaughter pigs.

Askim

bbam wrote: »

I think the herd number is a must, as there are more and more unregistered pigs in the country its endangering the integrity of the pork industury. Its easy and free so I'd be worried about anyone not getting it, what have they to hide, what conditions are the pigs going to be kept in..

Last year we paid €20 for liscenced slaughter and then another €70 to have the full pigs cured into bacon, dry cured, vac packed and blast chilled. I think it would have been €50 if I'd wanted half and half.

Where kills for €20 ? tis €30 in castledermot

Agree on herd number, no hassel at all

bbam

Askim wrote: »

Where kills for €20 ? tis €30 in castledermot

Agree on herd number, no hassel at all

Mullagh, Cavan

dzer2

Askim wrote: »

Where kills for €20 ? tis €30 in castledermot

Agree on herd number, no hassel at all

Ballon meats