Pigs

pat_cork

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a pig or two and I have a few questions.

1.Would they be alright in the slatted shed if there were a few mats put down so they wouldn't get stuck in the slats?
2.Would I have to get a herd number for them?
3.How old should they be killed at?
4.What breed would be best?
5.How much pig ration would it roughly take from start to finish for a weaner?

Many thanks
Pat

DAZP93

Well first things first Pat..you have to call your first pig Babe

bbam

We keep a few pigs for the freezer.

Personally I wouldn't bother if they couldn't be roaming on some bit of ground outside. Ours have a shed and a run to be outside whenever they want. Just a bit of ground that was sitting idle behind an old byre from the 60's.

I can't answer you question on the meal as ours get allot of waste from veg shops. Again it adds to the wild nature of the meat. We feed rolled barley and only occasionally weaner pellets.

Yes get a herd number. Its free, no hassle to get and widens up the options for buying and slaughtering.

Pigs are far more interesting than cattle to be honest, closer to pets really. Much hardier too. We slaughtered three before Christmas, seven months old and about 85kg. We tagged them when they arrived at 10 weeks and then never again until they went up on the trailer.

pat_cork

bbam wrote: »

We keep a few pigs for the freezer.

Personally I wouldn't bother if they couldn't be roaming on some bit of ground outside. Ours have a shed and a run to be outside whenever they want. Just a bit of ground that was sitting idle behind an old byre from the 60's.

I can't answer you question on the meal as ours get allot of waste from veg shops. Again it adds to the wild nature of the meat. We feed rolled barley and only occasionally weaner pellets.

Yes get a herd number. Its free, no hassle to get and widens up the options for buying and slaughtering.

Pigs are far more interesting than cattle to be honest, closer to pets really. Much hardier too. We slaughtered three before Christmas, seven months old and about 85kg. We tagged them when they arrived at 10 weeks and then never again until they went up on the trailer.

Thanks for the reply.

I could fence off a bit of idle ground and put a plastic calf hutch in there. Would sheep wire do to keep them in?

What breed were the ones you had? I thought they'd be heavier than 85 kg at 7 months?

How long roughly every day did you have to spend looking after them?

bbam

I'd say the hutch would be good.
We had chicken wire as a backup but really it was the electric fence that kept them in, it was off one might and they near burrowed under the chicken wire.

Gloustersher Old Spot and great white cross.

Last year we had saddleback great white crosses.

Research what your buying. Some breeds can't be kept outside as they are too soft for the elements.

I'd honestly say 10-15 minutes took care of them. That would feed them, top up drinker, mix and soak food for next day. But you'd easily stand watching them root and mess round.

80k at six months is what the butcher said to aim for to get the best flavour. You could blow them on with intensive meal feeding, but then they would be no better than shop bought pork.

lakill Farm

pat_cork wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.

I could fence off a bit of idle ground and put a plastic calf hutch in there. Would sheep wire do to keep them in?

What breed were the ones you had? I thought they'd be heavier than 85 kg at 7 months?

How long roughly every day did you have to spend looking after them?

Your better to go for the commercial breed than the 'rare breed' if your looking for kg weight and meat. The rare breeds have a high fat %. So big whites and lanchaster.

Get a herd number. Its free and they do an inspection. That way its easlier to buy them and alot easier to get someone to kill them.

I dropped off a pig last week to get killed for my uncle. Uncle reckoned pig was 17-18 stone weight at about 6.5 months. However this one was 4 weeks later that its friends as it got a slight viruse when a few weeks old and knocked it back. Or new money 110kg plus . A butcher pig is 85kg.

Feed costs - well depends what you plan on feeding them. call your local co-op and check meal prices. If you can feed them a high maize feed for last few weeks, it turns them inside out im told.

1chippy

seen a lad make rebar frames that dropped into the spaces in the slats. he then used the sheds for rearing pigs when the cattle were out.

Odelay

1chippy wrote: »

seen a lad make rebar frames that dropped into the spaces in the slats. he then used the sheds for rearing pigs when the cattle were out.

That is really "sweating the assets", what a simple idea.

pat_cork

Thanks for the replies but unfortunately the plan is on hold for the time being

smg2013

A pig will eat a pound a day per month of age, so if your killing your pig at 6-7 months u can average it out prob around 4lb a day, roughly,

hillviewfarm

I want to get pigs this year. I have a few chicks and find pigs so interesting.
Anyway, I haven't a clue about them. I don't have any housing for them so what could or would I use? How quick is the process to get the herd number? Is it worth
rearing pigs for your own use? How much land should I set aside for them? Are they expensive to feed, most of our scraps go to the chickens, dogs or compost heap.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

iverjohnston

I would advise you try and always buy your weaners from the same farmers unit. It will avoid the problems of one bunch not having immunity to the various germs from the previous bunch. Dont go to a market and buy an unknown quality amimal, as these can have been very stressed being hawked around different marts/markets, and will easily lie down and die on you. Or ay least require costly vets visits, or medicines.

hillviewfarm

Thanks, excuse my ignorance but when you say 'same farmers unit', what does that mean? From the same farmer?

iverjohnston

Yes, from the same piggery. Also keep a look on donedeal for a second hand "wet and dry" feeder. This is basically a rectangular box, usually made from heavy PVC, into which you can throw 50 kg of "finisher" ration. There is a little slide at the bottom of the hopper to regulate the amount trickles out into a basin type compartment built into the base of the unit. Then there is a "nipple" drinker also built in, and this is connected to a water supply( not mains pressure, use a header tank) The pigs can then drink ad lib from this nipple, and it dosent overflow, making a mess. They can mix the meal with the water into a kind of porridge and all gets eaten. The Dept. are very kean on these nipple drinkers. Have a look at the web site of a guy in leitrim www.jetwash.ie and look at the PP feeders. If you get a second hand one, disinfect the brains out of it. You don;t want to get whatever dose the last fellows pigs had! Its very handy if you work away from home, as a fill will ensure the pigs always have food in front of them.

vwnan

haha

User2611

As a matter of interest, how much do pigs make at 5-6mths in the factory?

gazahayes

User2611 wrote: »

As a matter of interest, how much do pigs make at 5-6mths in the factory?

Not very much 1.75 I think per kilo deadweight plus bonus when they're within a certain weight.
Kill around 100-110 live is around 80-90 dead so 85 *1.75 =€148
It all depends on the contract and the amount they can supply usually by the artic full around 225 pigs in an artic trailer.

Insp. Harry Callahan

Hi, I was gonna get a couple of pigs aswell, got a pig number and have a bit of land and shed fenced off for them already. Was just wondering about the water supply. Would 1 of those JFC type 25 gallon sheep drinkers do or do pigs need a nipple type drinker?. Or would a couple of buckets filled with water do?.

gazahayes

Insp. Harry Callahan wrote: »

Hi, I was gonna get a couple of pigs aswell, got a pig number and have a bit of land and shed fenced off for them already. Was just wondering about the water supply. Would 1 of those JFC type 25 gallon sheep drinkers do or do pigs need a nipple type drinker?. Or would a couple of buckets filled with water do?.

A nipple drinker onthe bottom of a 5 gallon drum would be the easiest most nipple drinkers only take gravity feed.

bbam

We use a bottom of a barrel, it's about 8 inches deep.
They get into it on hot days to cool down.

We make their feed up as "slop" so they drink very little along with it.

Was just looking at their empty pen yesterday thinking I'll get some very soon.

dzer2

I have a drinking bowl bolted to the wall about 18 inches up. When the pigs are small I stick a couple of blocks under it and as the grow just take them out. We have a few tanks of old aquadair water pumps cut in half to feed them works a treat.

Markcheese

Insp. Harry Callahan wrote: »

Hi, I was gonna get a couple of pigs aswell, got a pig number and have a bit of land and shed fenced off for them already. Was just wondering about the water supply. Would 1 of those JFC type 25 gallon sheep drinkers do or do pigs need a nipple type drinker?. Or would a couple of buckets filled with water do?.

Plastic drinker or buckets will be turned over in no time , have seen the concrete ones used , if you use a nipple type make sure the pipe to it is secure or they'll pull it out ....
Saw a nifty feeder made out or a blue plastic barrel with a load of concrete in the bottom(to stop it being knocked over , a slot for the head cut out and a heavy plastic flap on that to keep rain and crows out ... Screw on lid made it easy to fill with pellet

rule supreme

Hi sorry about bringing up an old thread , does anyone know the cost of getting a pig killed , and cured and cut up in a butchers .

Askim

€30 to have killed & split in South kildare

A

Willfarman

Would a single pig be happy enough on its lonesome? Be a lot of meat in 2.

Base price

rule supreme wrote: »

Hi sorry about bringing up an old thread , does anyone know the cost of getting a pig killed , and cured and cut up in a butchers .

Got 3 slaughtered last year in Meath. Initial cost of €15 thereafter €15 per pig quartered.

Willfarman wrote: »

Would a single pig be happy enough on its lonesome? Be a lot of meat in 2.

No.
1)because they are gregarious animals and 2) cause you will be more attached to a single.
Better off having 2. Could share the meat out between family members?

Willfarman

Base price wrote: »

Got 3 slaughtered last year in Meath. Initial cost of €15 thereafter €15 per pig quartered.


No.
1)because they are gregarious animals and 2) cause you will be more attached to a single.
Better off having 2. Could share the meat out between family members?

Be an huge amount of meat?

Base price

Willfarman wrote: »

Be an huge amount of meat?

Find a local butcher who will butcher and cure your pigs when slaughtered. Most local (non city) butchers will accommodate you as long as the pigs have been slaughtered and stamped in an official facility. Some butchers can offer an inclusive package - slaughter, pork, bacon, sausages, and white pudding plus head, trotters and tail. There is an issue about black pudding as it has something to do with fresh blood.

Conor556

€100 each killed and fully cut up sausages ect in cork

_Brian

€20 slaughtered in registered abattoir.
€70 all cured into bacon/ham/sausages- no pork cuts.

Local butcher will kill and cut into pork for €70, but nothing cured.

lakill Farm

_Brian wrote: »

€20 slaughtered in registered abattoir.
€70 all cured into bacon/ham/sausages- no pork cuts.

Local butcher will kill and cut into pork for €70, but nothing cured.

that abattoir in Mullagh?

who are the butchers?

jimini0

I got 2 killed last year.
120 slaughtered and butchered. We got pork bacon hams sausages and all the bits an pieces.

timjack

Where did you get your pig killed