Getting a pig butchered/processed

galway111

Anybody have any ideas on butchers/processors who butcher and process pigs in the Galway area. But willing to travel a bit with the pigs too.
I have 2 Old Spots which are due to be killed in the next month or so. I got them done before by a processor in Tullamore but he didn't do bacon/ham or sausages . So ended up with a load of tasty pork but you get tired of it after a while.

So really looking for someone who will do more bacon, ham, rashers etc.
Am willing to bring carcasse from butcher to a processor if necessary.

And for the new pigs I will get what would people recommend as opposed to Old spots. Someone told me Landraces would be perfect but are they not suited to indoors only. I found the Old Spots very fatty.

Aghoney

Our butcher is a member of the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland. He processed three Old Spots for us last April. He did hams, bacon and sausages for us. If there is a similar butcher in your area, they may be able to help you. The ACBI web site has a map of its members (http://www.craftbutchers.ie/localbutcher/), and there are several in Galway.

iverjohnston

And for the new pigs I will get what would people recommend as opposed to Old spots. Someone told me Landraces would be perfect but are they not suited to indoors only. I found the Old Spots very fatty.[/QUOTE]

Did you mean to say "not suited to outdoor only"? Cause they will be perfect indoors.

Cran

iverjohnston wrote: »

And for the new pigs I will get what would people recommend as opposed to Old spots. Someone told me Landraces would be perfect but are they not suited to indoors only. I found the Old Spots very fatty.

Did you mean to say "not suited to outdoor only"? Cause they will be perfect indoors.[/QUOTE]



We had two Saddleback Duroc crosses this year were nice and lean when killed, try get a modern breed crossed with old breed best of both

Askim

Am getting 2 white York x old spot killed tomorrow & am butchering on Monday, they look really long, am expecting a bit of fat, but hopefully good meat to fat ratio, were fed rolled barley/wheat mix with soya to bring protein to 18%, with waste potatoes & fodder beet for last 2 months.

I will let ye know

Can't wait for ribs & a good rasher

A

patjack

glad to see a few of ye rearing and killing your own pigs. My brother reared a few broilers last year, now they were scrumptious. Obviously they cost him more to feed and get to oven ready than it would to buy one off the shelf. Other than knowing where your food had come from and what food your food ate, are pigs the same as broilers in that by the time they are fed and processed is it just as cheap to buy to meat over the counter. We used rear pigs at home and kill them and cut them up at home when times allowed, simple times! There was always someone in the family or locality adept at "sticking" the pig and a few lads well capable of doing the butchering. Different times now I suppose, it was cruel to experience when your young but a you get older funny how you reminisce the killing of the pig at home.
Anyways back to my question is it purely for the traceability rather than the cost savings people now rear livestock for meat?

Rho b

I have bred and reared GOS, Saddleback, Tamworth and also reared Landrace outdoors with access to a bedded shed.
From my experience if the traditional breeds are slaughtered at about 55kgs liveweight then you should have no problems with too much fat. That is assuming that they are not fattened solely on bread. You can push Landrace to 80kgs liveweight before they get excess fat cover.
Maybe other people have different experiences.

jimini0

patjack wrote: »

glad to see a few of ye rearing and killing your own pigs. My brother reared a few broilers last year, now they were scrumptious. Obviously they cost him more to feed and get to oven ready than it would to buy one off the shelf. Other than knowing where your food had come from and what food your food ate, are pigs the same as broilers in that by the time they are fed and processed is it just as cheap to buy to meat over the counter. We used rear pigs at home and kill them and cut them up at home when times allowed, simple times! There was always someone in the family or locality adept at "sticking" the pig and a few lads well capable of doing the butchering. Different times now I suppose, it was cruel to experience when your young but a you get older funny how you reminisce the killing of the pig at home.
Anyways back to my question is it purely for the traceability rather than the cost savings people now rear livestock for meat?

Was not a money saving venture for me. It was about seeing the difference in the quality of pork and bacon compared to super market stuff. Its my first year doing it. I got all the fruit and veg from supermarket in town and also fed them barley and some pig meal. I must admit I have got very fond of the two piggys I will be sad to see them go on Monday. It was a very good experience. I will definently be doing it again next year. I hope all the fruit I have been feeding them makes them tasty.

Askim

It is cheaper to get a Half pig from a butcher. I do it for hobby, home grown pork & flavour, last batch of broilers were €9 to buy & feed, a bit cheaper than free range butcher ones.
Turkeys had a way better flavour last year & are growing better this year

It is still Legal to kill a pig at home for your own consumption

A

galway111

I meant to say in the OP that it was were Landraces suited to outdoor life as I heard that they weren't.
The reason I kept pigs was not for any cost savings as there were none but just for the difference in pork quality. Free range pork\bacon is completly different to that raised via more intensive methods.

Just found it hard to track down someone who would butcher and process the pigs without trucking the pigs a long way in a trailer.

Askim

Pigs butchered, really happy with them, both 100kg, should have killed a few weeks ago, 1 a bit too fatty, but good size loin eye, chopped most of her, except belly & leg, the other is cut up for bacon & roast, all in the freezer as pork, i will cure as rasher or bacon as i need, great to have the freezer stocked again.

Few chops & a couple of bags of potatoes, to a neighbour for helping plant the potatoes

A

iverjohnston

Great stuff. Who done them for you in the end, and for how much?

Askim

iverjohnston wrote: »

Great stuff. Who done them for you in the end, and for how much?

O'Gorman killed for €30 each & I butchered at home

A

bbam

Have two booked in for slaughter on Thursday, to the butcher on Friday.
€25 to kill and deliver to the butcher.

We'll be going all cured as we're not big pork eaters.

Ours are a little small at ~75-80kg each. One looks very fatty.

bbam

patjack wrote: »

glad to see a few of ye rearing and killing your own pigs. My brother reared a few broilers last year, now they were scrumptious. Obviously they cost him more to feed and get to oven ready than it would to buy one off the shelf. Other than knowing where your food had come from and what food your food ate, are pigs the same as broilers in that by the time they are fed and processed is it just as cheap to buy to meat over the counter. We used rear pigs at home and kill them and cut them up at home when times allowed, simple times! There was always someone in the family or locality adept at "sticking" the pig and a few lads well capable of doing the butchering. Different times now I suppose, it was cruel to experience when your young but a you get older funny how you reminisce the killing of the pig at home.
Anyways back to my question is it purely for the traceability rather than the cost savings people now rear livestock for meat?

An the crack. The kids love feeding the pigs over the summer.
We have beef cattle but the pigs are far better crack.

We keep 4 chickens for eggs and the kids love them too.

hexosan

Is there an profit to be made from rearing a few pigs or do they cost as much to feed as buying the meat. Have a small parcel of land approx 2 acres and was looking to do something with it any suggestions.

jimini0

hexosan wrote: »

Is there an profit to be made from rearing a few pigs or do they cost as much to feed as buying the meat. Have a small parcel of land approx 2 acres and was looking to do something with it any suggestions.

NO
My 2 pigs cost me 220 each. 70 to buy piglet 30 on pig meal and 120 to butcher.
I got all fruit and veg free from local supermarket. If I didn't the cost of feeding would be a couple of hundred euros easy
If you had a 100 pigs you might make some profit

bbam

Hi guys..
We've butchered pigs for the last three years.. Definitely no profit to be made here...

I've wondered if your land suited would it pay to do pig B & B for people, bit like allotments... You provide the space and housing and they come and feed them, but it could be a problem with the herd number... just a thought

randomperson12

WHATS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THEM IN ENGLAND ABOUT PIGS THERES PEOPLE KEEPING THEM IN BACKGARDENS IN TOWNS IN ENGLAND oops sorry for caps

bbam

randomperson12 wrote: »

WHATS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THEM IN ENGLAND ABOUT PIGS THERES PEOPLE KEEPING THEM IN BACKGARDENS IN TOWNS IN ENGLAND oops sorry for caps

Oh my god there's nothing worse than jumping into topic banging on about how good things are over in England... Surely a person whop loves England sooo much would go over there and find a forum for English lovers !

Pigs are controlled here to aid the national herd health. Small pig holders are facilitated with a "back yard herd number" allowing them to keep up to five pigs on small non commercial plots. Its a brilliant system of traceability if good firbid there were another disease outbreak.

randomperson12

im irish im just comparing the two countrys big deal.... irish people cant agree if its land or if its pigs or anything

hexosan

randomperson12 wrote: »

im irish im just comparing the two countrys big deal.... irish people cant agree if its land or if its pigs or anything

What relevance has this got to do with the thread ??
You seem up just pop in and out of the forum complaining about how ****ty a place Ireland is and how amazing the UK is.

Rho b

hexosan wrote: »

Is there an profit to be made from rearing a few pigs or do they cost as much to feed as buying the meat. Have a small parcel of land approx 2 acres and was looking to do something with it any suggestions.

No profit to be made and you can buy pork from your local supermarket at a hell of a lot less compared to the cost of rearing your own. However the taste/flavour of home ranging reared pork/bacon is far superior to anything that you will buy in a supermarket.
Maybe you could consider planting some of your 2 acres with spuds, veg etc. You could still parcel off half an acre with accommodation for two weaners.

bbam

Rho b wrote: »

No profit to be made and you can buy pork from your local supermarket at a hell of a lot less compared to the cost of rearing your own. However the taste/flavour of home ranging reared pork/bacon is far superior to anything that you will buy in a supermarket.
Maybe you could consider planting some of your 2 acres with spuds, veg etc. You could still parcel off half an acre with accommodation for two weaners.

the taste is the real deal..
We get ours all cured into bacon/hams and its unreal the difference..

If you can get "feeding potatoes" their great value to bulk up the feeding.. My brother got a 600kg load for €25 and our girls just loved them..