For the freezer

grazeaway · 30-09-2013 7:34pm #1

We have been keeping a heifer for the freezer for a few years now and OH was thinking of doing the same with a lamb and pig. How hard would it be to leave a lamb with the cattle? What kinda of run would be needed for a pig? She was thinking would it make more sense to buy a couple between a few family's?

lakill Farm · 30-09-2013 7:37pm

I bought 3 ewes in lamb at xmass. Lambed in Feb and sold in May. They had my heart broke, and all my beech hedging ate.

You be better buying a few lambs off a sheep farmer and getting them killed. The pig is different but my uncle says it costs as much to rear a pig as buy a pig almost. He just keeps 2 or 3 and fattens them as a hobby

grazeaway · 30-09-2013 7:40pm

lakill Farm wrote: »

I bought 3 ewes in lamb at xmass. Lambed in Feb and sold in May. They had my heart broke, and all my beech hedging ate.

You be better buying a few lambs off a sheep farmer and getting them killed. The pig is different but my uncle says it costs as much to rear a pig as buy a pig almost. He just keeps 2 or 3 and fattens them as a hobby

Yeah I was thinking that it might be better getting a lamb from neighbour.

lakill Farm · 30-09-2013 7:42pm

grazeaway wrote: »

Yeah I was thinking that it might be better getting a lamb from neighbour.

Its what I will do from now on.

. You buy a nioce 50kg butcher lamb around now for right money

Sharpshooter82 · 30-09-2013 8:34pm

lakill Farm wrote: »

Its what I will do from now on. . You buy a nioce 50kg butcher lamb around now for right money

accountants!!!!!

:D

whelan1 · 30-09-2013 8:55pm

got 2 pet lambs the year before last , had them in garden and then put them in paddock where i calve cows- this has sheep wire all round it. they never broke out , they where also very tasty:D

Sharpshooter82 · 30-09-2013 9:00pm

whelan1 wrote: »

they where also very tasty:D

what lies did ya spin the kids about the disappearance of the pets

whelan1 · 30-09-2013 9:01pm

Sharpshooter82 wrote: »

what lies did ya spin the kids about the disappearance of the pets

the novelty of pet lambs had well worn off at that stage

Sharpshooter82 · 30-09-2013 9:01pm

whelan1 wrote: »

the novelty of pet lambs had well worn off at that stage

lucky you

aujopimur · 30-09-2013 9:03pm

I new a guy who fattened a pig, he said the pig died in debt.

fredweena · 30-09-2013 11:16pm

My friend was buying a horse and was haggling about the price. Neither would budge so he threw in a pig he had. She got fond of the pig and couldn't kill it. She reckons it's the best guard "dog" she ever had around the place. Makes some amount of noise if someone comes in. She has one of these places that does riding for the disabled and things like that and all the kids love it.

iverjohnston · 01-10-2013 6:49am

well ewe lambs about 55 kg were making 96 euro last night in Carrigallen mart. Rams the same weight or even a few kilo heavier about the 90 euro mark. That was for pens of six.
If you had to start buying sheep wire to fence for them, you would be better buying a fattened one.
Add 25 euro to butcher them, and do your sums from there .

lakill Farm · 01-10-2013 8:15am

iverjohnston wrote: »

well ewe lambs about 55 kg were making 96 euro last night in Carrigallen mart. Rams the same weight or even a few kilo heavier about the 90 euro mark. That was for pens of six.
If you had to start buying sheep wire to fence for them, you would be better buying a fattened one.
Add 25 euro to butcher them, and do your sums from there .

They sell sheep in carrigallen? i thought it was only open on a saturday

bbam · 01-10-2013 8:22am

aujopimur wrote: »

I new a guy who fattened a pig, he said the pig died in debt.

For the last few years we've been killing two or three pigs for the freezer.
I'd say you can definitely buy pork & bacon cheaper off the shelf. But it's great crack, the kids love watching them grow and feeding them. And then you have the best bacon I've ever tasted at the end.
We don't do it to save money, but what you get at the end is savage.

Ours are out in the open rooting in the ground. They get a decent supply of veg and household scraps. And a mix of meals.

Dont be daft · 01-10-2013 10:17am

bbam wrote: »

And then you have the best bacon I've ever tasted at the end.
We don't do it to save money, but what you get at the end is savage.

Ours are out in the open rooting in the ground. They get a decent supply of veg and household scraps. And a mix of meals.

Get half a pig of the Uncle. Your after hitting the nail on the head. There's no comparison with taste.
Even the smell when your cooking them is different. If your into food at all you'd find it hard to go back to piggery pork.

Only problem is the state of the place after them. If you had a bit of woodland to fence them into it'd be ideal but any were else they just turn into Flanders.

bob charles · 01-10-2013 10:21am

no way would I put a heifer in the freezer anymore as they are worth too much. Much cheaper to buy off cuts for the family

bbam · 01-10-2013 10:28am

Dont be daft wrote: »

Get half a pig of the Uncle. Your after hitting the nail on the head. There's no comparison with taste.
Even the smell when your cooking them is different. If your into food at all you'd find it hard to go back to piggery pork.

Only problem is the state of the place after them. If you had a bit of woodland to fence them into it'd be ideal but any were else they just turn into Flanders.

We ran a fence around a dead corner that backed onto an old shed. They can go in and out at their leisure and have a fenced run to root round in. This contains their antics and damage in one place. It's a dry area so it doesn't muck up too much.
It's not pretty but practical.

Dunedin · 01-10-2013 1:13pm

grazeaway wrote: »

We have been keeping a heifer for the freezer for a few years now and OH was thinking of doing the same with a lamb and pig. How hard would it be to leave a lamb with the cattle? What kinda of run would be needed for a pig? She was thinking would it make more sense to buy a couple between a few family's?

just kill your heifer as normal but tell the butcher you want a mix of pork, lamb and beef in the mix.

if you trust your local butcher then there's no problem. I have being doing this for years.

it makes no sense to me that farmers are complaining about no money in farming and yet the only product they produce, they don't keep for themselves - if you owned a shoe shop, would you buy off a lad next door.

Dunedin · 01-10-2013 1:18pm

bob charles wrote: »

no way would I put a heifer in the freezer anymore as they are worth too much. Much cheaper to buy off cuts for the family

i bought a small Angus heifer in february last year (2012) for 600e, ran her for the grass for 7 months, let her ate nuts with the bullocks for 3 weeks and sold half of her to the local butcher in Sept for 1000e i.e. he gave me 500e and half of the heifer for the freezer.

still have a small bit left so worked out roughly 100e plus maybe 20e in nuts and the grass for the cost of meat for a year...... and we eat our fair share of meat.

iverjohnston · 01-10-2013 1:29pm

lakill Farm wrote: »

They sell sheep in carrigallen? i thought it was only open on a saturday

Sheep sale on Monday nights, after the cows . Butchers buy there , plus factory agents farmers etc. You can book in on Friday morning.
Dept. lads these last night , checking sales books properly filled in, animal welfare,etc.

grazeaway · 01-10-2013 2:13pm

bbam wrote: »

We ran a fence around a dead corner that backed onto an old shed. They can go in and out at their leisure and have a fenced run to root round in. This contains their antics and damage in one place. It's a dry area so it doesn't muck up too much.
It's not pretty but practical.

yeah its something like that we are thinking. would you need to get two in case one on thier own decides they want to get out?

have an area in mind alright but would need to do a bit of fencing off. how do you keep them in? would a few lines of the electric fence do or would you need soemthing more sturdy?

For the freezer

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