Pig rearing

lenny1020

I am thinking of buying two pigs to eat my waste and to then kill.
I am in a position to provide porter each day as well as household waste to feed my pigs.I have heard that a diet of porter and food leftovers make the pork really tasty.
I have a suitable garden with small shed for shelter.
However there seems to be a herd number needed .Is this necessary for just two Pigs.
What are slaughtering costs I wonder.
Do they create much of a smell as I live in a built up area.
Thanks Guys.

marizpan

You will need a pig no. even if you only have one as a pet.
I have no experience of feeding pigs on porter, dont imagine this would be viewed upon kindly by depart. There is very strict guidelines on feedings kitchen waste. Pigs take a lot of feeding as they get maturer.
There is a lot of regulation of 'pig farming' in built up areas, and they can smell and by very noisy at feeding times.
Kill fee is usually about 30e plus butcher costs which vary a lot depending on pork/bacon, which cuts etc.
Hope this helps.

lenny1020

Thanks very much for your reply.
Actually in times past, pretty much every pub in Ireland used to keep a pig or two and actually reared it on waste Porter.
These pigs were in huge demand because of the unique taste of the meat .
While there is a lot of fat content in the meat the taste is delicious.
Usually these pigs reached over 30 stone before slaughter .
Usually the killing took place in the bottle store of the bar and was performed by the local Pig Killer.
Most of the locals would attend this ritual and usually go home drunk with a little parcel of pig meat to passify their spouses.
I would hope to recreate this scenario in the near future.
Thanks Guys.

marizpan

I think its a great idea, but the regulation is tough and strict!
All you can do is get an agri inspector out and have a chat to him about it.
Interesting to find out how you get on, but i find in general that all this regulation just pushes out the small home rearing further

DagneyTaggart

I think this is a great idea too.

Am interested to know how this works when it comes to the killing end? Where and how would they be killed and can you then send them to the butchers?

How old are the pigs you are looking to buy lenny?

From what I know feeding porter to pigs is fine. However, to the best of my knowledge pigs over 40 kilos do best on it and also I think you have to mix up the porter with something else; I'm not sure if you can keep the pig healthy feeding it 100% porter? 25% would be no problem, something to double check at least.

marizpan

The liver pate mightn't be the best:D

lenny1020

Some wonderful reply s.Thanks Guys.
Most of the Pig Killers have passed on now so would need to get a butcher to come in .
Our bottle store usually became a slaughter house for the day .
We just moved all the stock out of the way of blood splashes when the pig would be trashing around after getting its throat cut.
The killing process is usually pretty quick.
Basically what happens is the pig is hit on the head with a hammer and then the throat is cut and in a matter of minutes the pig is dead.
All blood is captured and the butchering process begins.
There is not one bit of waste in a Pig.Even the bladder can be left out to dry and when inflated became a football.
We always bought our piglets at around eight weeks and from day one they got porter .Usually mixed with waste food .
At a month away from slaughter we would feed some barley to firm them up .
Thanks Guys,

DagneyTaggart

A handier way for you and the animal is to use a humane killer ( http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/humane+killer).

The herd number comes from the Department and are they the only group who regulated you lenny? Would you have to have to inform the local district vetinary office? There's also bord bia too but you might not be on their radar as it's for your own consumption.

How do you capture the blood? Would be interested to hear that one.

An eight week old pig would usually be around the 20 kilo mark all going well. What weight would you be slaughtering at ideally?

Wouldn't mind trying some to this pork actually.

lenny1020

A Porter Pig can be up to 30 Stone and more .
There is a high fat content in the meat but the taste is unreal.
We usually always had two Pigs .We sold one and ate the other.
There was always huge demand for the pig we sold.
No idea what it would be like now as when I got married 20 years ago my wife put a ban on the pig rearing ,Now finally she seems to be relenting and just might don the wellies and become immerced in the joys or Pig rearing.
Not so sure she will be at the slaughter though.
Going down the fully regulated route seems like a lot of trouble so just might be tempted to do it the traditional way .
There are lots of piglets for sale on Done Deal and sellers do not look for herd Numbers.
The blood is captured in a big bath or basin and let flow from the table into the bath.
Thanks Folks

Dusty87

What breed of pig are you getting?

lenny1020

Saddleback or Landrace Hopefully.
Cheers.

CJhaughey

I have had a few pigs over the last few years, nothing commercial just some here in the backyard.
Saddlebacks are good IMO for outdoor rearing, hardier than the landrace by a long way.
You will need an electric fence to keep them in, anything else is a waste of time, they will break out and probably cause damage.
You will never fatten a pig properly on food scraps and porter, it will take too long and the pig will be aways ravenous. We fed ours with a pound of pig ration per month of age per day, I found that organic stuff was much nicer especially considering that you are eating them.
We bought them at 7weeks and killed them at 5mths, keeping them longer is a waste as they start to fatten along the back and not produce meat.
You apply to the Dept for a Herd # the vet comes along inspects your area and then issues it as appropriate.
Pigs can still be homekilled legally but if you need to take it to an abbatoir you will need to notify the the pig movement number that you are moving them.

lenny1020

I have a guy who says he will kill the pigs for me .Thanks for the feed back about the feeding .
Cheers.