My Pigs

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise · My Pigs

Late last year I got two weaners to put in a small area of ground between my field and my neighbours. My son Sam was the instigator of the idea although I have raised a pig before. I can't keep livestock in my field as I only rent it and the owner says not...........So it was a shared job with my neighbour, I supplied the pigs, he supplied the land and we fed them between us.

Sunday they went on a long trip......................

On Wednesday they came back as 4 halves. Me & the neighbour and his wife set to and jointed them up. Altogether we had 128lbs in joints each in the freezer. I had all the liver, kidneys, heads and feet and we both have a slab of belly in the fridge turning itself slowly into bacon.

An effort well worth the time methinks

Itsyray

Nannyp

I am envious...Mark will not let me have pigs q10

I love pork q11

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise

Oh - why not?

So far we've eaten some streaky slices from the shoulder end, I've boiled up two of the half heads for brawn. I gave another half to my mother and the final one to my ex husband.........all for brawn making I hasten to add

Last night I roasted 4 of the hock/leg ends and tonight had the meat chopped and in barbeque sauce.

Because I am always on dairy farms these pigs have had a serious amount of waste milk. Classified as such because it's either from a freshly calved cow or it has antibiotic residue or the cow has mastitis too badly for the milk to go in the tank - whatever they loved the milk and the meat is rather nice.

Itsyray

Nannyp

I think if I really pushed it he would let me, it would be brilliant, as they could eat loads of chestnuts in the autumn. We don't have the money to put in good fencing, and his lovely park would become a churned up field.
Maybe one day, we'll see how things go. My friend Kathy is going to be keeping pigs, so we'll be visiting there and seeing how it works out. I'm sure that'll be the turning point if there's going to be one.

Problem is, pork is fattening

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise

It would be true to say that I've had more than my fair share of bread and dripping this last few days. But now I've stopped.

The legs and shoulders are very lean and I don't see why it's any worse than say beef in fact good beef should be marbled with fat, that is one of the breeders aims (I went on a backfat scanning course once and you also had to measure the amount of marbling in the sirloin). I let them get a bit heavy so there is a good covering of fat on the chops, but as my son's girlfriend regularly demonstrates - it can be cut off and pushed to the side of the plate............though why anyone would want to is beyond me

These two were in a restricted pen and they did root a fair bit, if they have more ground to go at they tend to keep to areas, I had one on it's own once and she never rooted at all.

Itsyray

ps - single strand electric fence works very well with pigs

Nannyp

Thanks for the electric fence tip

I shall tell Mark you're egging me on

If I had my own pork in the freezer, I would be eating it more than once a week....at the moment we probably have a shoulder chop each once a fortnight.

But please, keep encouraging me

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise

If you got one weaner, when it finally goes in the feezer you would probably be able to sell some and would be eating the leaner stuff once a week, and then when it's three quarters gone, get another weaner

Selling some (if you were able) would pay a lot of your costs

We didn't pay for ours.........my son Sam scans pigs and he bartered them. We fed them on rolled barley, potatoes, sugar beet (the pony eats it in winter so there was some spare) carrots, apples and lots of milk (also free) and any suitable household waste. I scanned some cows for the slaughter costs, then we cut them up ourselves. As I said we got 128lbs which didn't include the head, feet, or offal. I think 100lbs would have been less fatty. You could keep the legs and loins and sell the shoulders and streaky (know any Brits? - bacon is so easy to make) I think they got through 1 bag of barley (£5) every 2 weeks average. We got them at the beginning of December and they probably should've gone at the beginning of April. Knowing what I know now If I couldn't get waste milk I would probably get them powdered, available from ag merchants for lamb and calf feeding.

Itsyray

Nannyp

I would definitely have to consider the cost of feeding, as that I am sure would be the greater of all costs. Once you'd outlayed on fencing and field shelter (which of course are there for years to come), food will be the greater cost. In October they could eat chestnuts! Can they eat conkers?

I shouldn't be discussing this with you

He says, you're on your own

to me, when I mention pigs. Wouldn't just one be lonely?

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise

Pigs won't eat conkers, but they will eat your sweet chestnuts.

q41

I don't know about lonely. The first pig I ever kept was an only pig

called by the children - Rosemary Roger Trotter (don't ask) she had a lot of fuss and was very friendly and sociable. These two were mates with each other and relished outside attention especially if food was involved. I think one would be okay on it's own if you were prepared to befriend it, but could you then cope with it's departure?

If you had two, you would have a lot more pig meat for sale. Ours arrived on the 7th December and went on the 19th April - 18 weeks, a bag of barley probably easily lasted a month in December and January. The slaughter costs were £18.50 per pig.

Itsyray
q58

Nannyp

I like this q41

, you're obviously feeling that we may be progressing here

Food costs sounds manageable, and I would have to buy powdered milk.

So, is over winter a good time to be raising them, are they not using more energy for warmth than growth?

Oh dear, this is really naughty

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise

I thought it looked quite naughty q41

I think winter was a good time for the set up we had, although there was a lot of rain and at one time the mud was so bad in the pen your wellies got stuck in it

Summer wouldn't be good in there..........my neighbour - Tim, set his potatoes as soon as they had gone and he got sunstroke q20

pigs do too so, winter suits us all better. depends where you would put them and what shade they may have.

I don't think powdered milk is a necessity, but they did do well on it, it would make the food mare palateable (as did the sugar beet) I would look at their mix and think I wouldn't mind eating that myself

I'm not very good with extruded feeds.

Well now I've sown the seeds I think I'll creep away and let you think about it

Itsyray

Nannyp

I am thinking about it....even decided where they'd go, whilst I was putting the hens away. Just really need to think carefully though, as Mark is not with me, at all...so it would be all down to me

They'd have the other half of this
[img]http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/download/file.php?id=90&t=1[/img]

double garage for shelter, with loads of straw at the back. It's south facing, so should be warmest in winter. I could put a fence through the garage, and out along the midline and past the chicken coop.

Oh dear, this isn't looking good at all...I think you should go away quietly now

Nannyp

I am thinking about it....even decided where they'd go, whilst I was putting the hens away. Just really need to think carefully though, as Mark is not with me, at all...so it would be all down to me

They'd have the other half of this
http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=22166

double garage for shelter, with loads of straw at the back. It's south facing, so should be warmest in winter. I could put a fence through the garage, and out along the midline and past the chicken coop.

Oh dear, this isn't looking good at all...I think you should go away quietly now

dingsy

Go on Kathy...sorry Mark! If you've got the space and interest to do it, I think it would be great for you. How about a few lambs....... q12