pig for the freezer

pat25c

i am getting a pig for the freezer and a bloke not far from me has a saddle back, having no experience with pigs , am wondering are they any good for fating , its going to be kept indoors

CJhaughey

Saddlebacks are good pigs, better as an outdoor pig though, if you want to fatten one indoors get a landrace, they are more suited to indoor rearing.
Saddlebacks will develop a lot of fat if they are not let loose to root and run.

LostCovey

CJhaughey wrote: »

Saddlebacks are good pigs, better as an outdoor pig though, if you want to fatten one indoors get a landrace, they are more suited to indoor rearing.
Saddlebacks will develop a lot of fat if they are not let loose to root and run.

Agreed, excellent advice from the Boss.

This is especially true if you are feeding it commercial rations indoors. The landrace have been reared like that for generations, and they grow very fast, you will struggle to rear it on spuds and scraps unless you have a huge family and an acre of spuds.

I think that no matter how you rear them, even outdoors, the Saddlebacks have a tendency to get overfat, but they are lovely pigs.

LostCovey

Grecco

Ive never heard of frozen Bacon, is this common??

LostCovey

Grecco wrote: »

Ive never heard of frozen Bacon, is this common??

Well the way I cure bacon I am fairly sparing with the salt and the nitrate so there's plenty of colour and taste, but its not loaded with salt or chemicals. A light cure I suppose you'd call it. I would not depend on it to keep the bacon from going off, so I always freeze home cured bacon. It tastes fantastic.

There's so little waste with pigs compared to a lamb or a heifer.

LC

CJhaughey

I have had a good few saddlebacks and I really like them as a breed. The last two I had were Saddleback X Duroc and they were a great pig.
They can run to fat but if you buy them at 7-8 weeks and keep them for another 12 weeks they turn out pretty good with not too much excess fat.
I prefer to free range them, the meat texture is much better than indoor reared pigs IME.

newholland

CJhaughey wrote: »

I have had a good few saddlebacks and I really like them as a breed. The last two I had were Saddleback X Duroc and they were a great pig.
They can run to fat but if you buy them at 7-8 weeks and keep them for another 12 weeks they turn out pretty good with not too much excess fat.
I prefer to free range them, the meat texture is much better than indoor reared pigs IME.

What would be a good diet for an saddleback pig? How much should they be given? How much would it cost to get one killed? And how much butchered?

Butcher Boy

70 yoyo killed and packed .

CJhaughey

newholland wrote: »

What would be a good diet for an saddleback pig? How much should they be given? How much would it cost to get one killed? And how much butchered?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055893235
70 sounds about right for butchering.

Askim

€32 to have killed & split in castledermot, i cut up, easy do just need saw & good knife.

pat25c

whats the story with paper work, tags etc

Askim

i have herd number & i slap mark them, too make sure i get mine back, butcher didn't need tags

jay gatsby

Askim wrote: »

i have herd number & i slap mark them, too make sure i get mine back, butcher didn't need tags

Hi Askim, is that Gormans you use? Are they happy enough to slaughter and butcher a pig for you or would you need to be a regular supplier to them. Price sounds very reasonable.

Thinking of going down this route myself, maybe a lamb and a porker or two and I'm not too far from Castledermot.

Thanks in advance.

Askim

hi jay, it is o'gormans, no prob with 2 pigs, they kill on a wednesday & you collect on friday, i think.

2 pigs are better, sociable animals, i just got them killed & split. the guy i got them off last year is in castledermot & was to have some born in the last few weeks, pm me & i'll send you his number.

Have you got a herd number yet ?

bbam

Hi folks, hope you don't mind me jumping in on this...
Have the form filled in and ready to post off...

We're planning on getting 3-4 pigs to divide between a few houses but we've never kept pigs before...

Is it much of an inspection for the number and is it the local Vet or who does it..
We have a large walled area 80ft X 30ft, (unfinished poorly planned shed from the 70's) It's well overgrown with nettles and thistles but I've been told that the pigs will clear it themselves...should I clear it first??

For the €70 mentioned above what are you getting... is this all pork or a mix of pork and bacon..

Anyone know where in Cavan/Meath area butchering pigs..

jay gatsby

Askim wrote: »

hi jay, it is o'gormans, no prob with 2 pigs, they kill on a wednesday & you collect on friday, i think.

2 pigs are better, sociable animals, i just got them killed & split. the guy i got them off last year is in castledermot & was to have some born in the last few weeks, pm me & i'll send you his number.

Have you got a herd number yet ?

Hey Askim, thanks very much for the info. Have the herd number but just have a few cattle at the moment. This would really be an experiment and hobby as much as anything.

I have a friend who is in to them and is looking to offload a couple but thanks for the offer. Appreciate it.

Cavanjack

bbam wrote: »

Hi folks, hope you don't mind me jumping in on this...
Have the form filled in and ready to post off...

We're planning on getting 3-4 pigs to divide between a few houses but we've never kept pigs before...

Is it much of an inspection for the number and is it the local Vet or who does it..
We have a large walled area 80ft X 30ft, (unfinished poorly planned shed from the 70's) It's well overgrown with nettles and thistles but I've been told that the pigs will clear it themselves...should I clear it first??

For the €70 mentioned above what are you getting... is this all pork or a mix of pork and bacon..

Anyone know where in Cavan/Meath area butchering pigs..

Andersons slaughterhouse in Mullagh kills pigs

crackcrack30

Hi Guys,
What would be the cost of bonovs (babys) and what would be the cost and type of rations (bought) per pig over a twelve week period?, and finally male or female? sorry for all the q's...........................cc30

Askim

Last year €50 to buy, €70 to feed (Pellets €11 & Barley €4.25 per 25kg) & €30 to kill, Total €150.
It was my 1st year to keep them, whole aim was to keep them alive & healthy

This year got 4 pigs €50 each & 600kg meal for €156, hope to fatten a bit cheaper this year. ( wheat, barley,soya, molasses & minerals). also feeding veg etc

The rashers alone made it all worth while, but the leg roasted whole :):)

mikeoh

is a pig number the same as a regular herdbook number for cattle as I live beside my parents farm do I still need to get a pig no. or can they be kept in parents no.[Q9 ON APPLICATION FORM ASKS DOES ANYONE AT HOME HAVE A HERD NO.]

blue5000

Anyone on here know how to fence pigs into an orchard?

bbam

blue5000 wrote: »

Anyone on here know how to fence pigs into an orchard?

We found white plastic posts and an electric fence very effective... Only saw them touch it once on the first evening and they keep well back now, fast learners, I find the sucks go back a few times in a row before learning:rolleyes:...


Sorry to ask again folks... I see prices for processing from €70 to €200 can anyone tell me is it curing to bacon rather than all pork that makes the price difference??

mjcom4d

Would the cattle herd number do for the pigs

bbam

mjcom4d wrote: »

Would the cattle herd number do for the pigs

No its a separate number and your facilities need to be inspected for suitability for pigs.. We have our application in the post but went ahead and got the pigs, hopefully the man from the department will be ok with this..

Bald? er, dash!

What sort of space would be required for "free-range" pig fattening?

Askim

depends on what you mean by "free range" ?? me i have 4 fattening on 25m x 25m, house in the middle & shade in one corner

Username John

I was planning on putting two pigs into a small triangle of ground I have - maybe 15m long each side...

I assume that'd be big enough?

lar203

im about to find out i'll keep you posted

lar203

im about to find out ill keep you posted

lakill Farm

bbam wrote: »

We found white plastic posts and an electric fence very effective... Only saw them touch it once on the first evening and they keep well back now, fast learners, I find the sucks go back a few times in a row before learning:rolleyes:...


Sorry to ask again folks... I see prices for processing from €70 to €200 can anyone tell me is it curing to bacon rather than all pork that makes the price difference??

Hi bbam, there is a pig slaughter house in oldcastle (i think) or if not there is defo one in dromone.

Curing is best done with a salt water solution and it then left in the brime for 5 - 8 days. 2 of the 3 salts are very expensive. Oh my past butchering days:D

ddogsbollix

The saddleback are very gentle, quiet breed but in my experience for lovely tasteing bacon/pork the breed DUROC is your man. they have the nicest tasting bacon. well suited to outdoors as well but they wont grow as fast as a landrace... thats just my 2 cents worth anyways... :cool:

lar203

just got my pigs back off the butcher ,im smileing from ear to ear class .

Askim

lar203 wrote: »

just got my pigs back off the butcher ,im smileing from ear to ear class .

Got 1 back last thursday, ham & 2 bits of streaky bacon already cured, got head back too & made Brawn for 1st time, really lovely, had roast chump/loin, what flavour, last bit for sangwich tomorrow

3 of his sisters comings along nicely

A

lar203

bib you have to send the male for the chop frist due to boar taint or was it choice. i have avoided males because of this

Askim

lar203 wrote: »

bib you have to send the male for the chop frist due to boar taint or was it choice. i have avoided males because of this

by choice, wanted 1 for christmas, had 2 hoarse last year killed @ 7mts got no taint, wouldn't like to eat an old boar

do you cure yourself or the butcher ?

A

lar203

The butcher ,im lookin to do a course if u know any.i'd love to learn the cuts

bbam

we got our two pigs back from the butcher on Saturday, all cured no pork..
very nice job and the bacon is excellent..

YouBuyLocal

Is this cheaper than buying the equivalent amount of meat from the supermarket? (Forgetting about quality for a minute - just pure euro per kg)

lar203

Yes a lot cheaper.i was feeding the spuds at barley super cheap stuff.

YouBuyLocal

Ok, so if my neighbour had a pig, I could buy the whole thing off him for the freezer and he could send it to be processed and deliver it to me at cheaper than supermarket prices?

If I have a freezer big enough, is that possible?

Askim

lar203 wrote: »

The butcher ,im lookin to do a course if u know any.i'd love to learn the cuts

I did the 1 day course in ballymaloe cooking school, was good learnt a bit, i also watched river cottage pig Dvd.

you can't really go wrong, it's all pork, my cuts aren't the best but they cook fine, you basically, remove the fillets, cut the ham off, split him down the middle, remove loin from shoulder & hand (front leg) from the belly. then decide if you want chops, roast rasher etc.

just have a go, all you need is a good boning knife & a saw

A

Askim

YouBuyLocal wrote: »

Ok, so if my neighbour had a pig, I could buy the whole thing off him for the freezer and he could send it to be processed and deliver it to me at cheaper than supermarket prices?

If I have a freezer big enough, is that possible?

depends what profit, your neighbor wants

my total cost this year is about €150, that is to buy weaner, feed & kill.
butcher wanted €100 for 1/2 factory pig cut up

i wouldn't do it for €50, you would have to take a portion of capital cost

don't think anyone small-scale can complete on price

A

bbam

We worked it out at just under €300 for our two porkers into the freezer...
I couldn't see the attraction in getting a commercial pig from the butcher..

For us any financial saving is secondary... We wanted home reared pig, killed and cured the way we wanted... that was the attraction..

Personally I think I'd want about €100 a pig to rear/kill/butcher for someone else..

fodda

Askim wrote: »

my total cost this year is about €150,

Also add cost of housing (spread over lifetime of pig keeping)

Straw bedding, electric, buckets and other containers, and all other tools and things used to rear your pigs.

YouBuyLocal

And how much meat is it? At €250 per pig would that be cheaper per pound than the equivalent weight of meat in a supermarket (taking account of the different cuts and all)?

Askim

fodda wrote: »

Also add cost of housing (spread over lifetime of pig keeping)

Straw bedding, electric, buckets and other containers, and all other tools and things used to rear your pigs.

that is why i would add a portion of capital cost if selling, it's more of a pasttime so i don't add that cost or labour to my pig

Askim

bbam wrote: »

Personally I think I'd want about €100 a pig to rear/kill/butcher for someone else..

i agree, donedeal has full pigs for about €300

cherryboom

I have an organic farm and am thinking about buying some pigs but i have no experience with them, what breed is most suitable for outdoor rearing that will still be fairly easy to handle and raise a good price when i go to kill them? is there a butcher in the meath area that will kill the pigs and buy the meat?