Posted: 9/3/2010 8:31:02 PM EDT
|
After reading Feral's awesome thread, i decided to share mine. If you are on the fence about raising your own hog, i would highly recommend it. This is my second year of raising a hog and we only do one per year (so far). I got a duroc/berkshire cross this year and i am very happy so far. I really like the red hogs for some reason. This is my first time posting pics, so bear with me.
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2715.jpg I built the lot with used chainlink from a yardsale and landscape timbers. I did bury and concrete about 6" of the wire. I got the gate at tractor supply because the steel to weld one was only a few dollars cheaper minus the work. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2718.jpg I built the house out of a shipping skid/pallet that a machine was delivered on. I will enclose it when it gets colder. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2716.jpg So far i have only bought three bags of pellets and three bags of corn. She gets this mixture for breakfast every morning. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2721.jpg I staggered planting the garden between three dates spaced about 2-3 weeks apart. This kept her in squash, zuchinni and other items all summer. She gets table scraps, fruits and vegetables every evening. Also, a local produce stand keeps old stock for me. Heres a pic of the old produce (left box and bucket) i picked up this particular day. My garden is winding down, but the local apple crops are coming in so i can get plenty of those really cheap. She can eat a five gallon bucket full of produce in about 15 minutes. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2722.jpg Happy pig. As it stands, i have around 100$ in her (not counting the lot). I wish I would have taken pics when i got her. Its unbelieveable how much she has grown over the summer. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2723.jpg We butchered last years in Jan, probably do the same this year. I still have some sausage left, but the chops, ribs, ham and bacon are long gone. Everybody needs at least one pig! GNNC |
|
couple thoughts
1. that's really slow to grow. We typically get ours around labor day as a feeder pig (about 40lbs, 8 to 10 weeks old) and butcher in January at 225 to 275. 2. Get 2. not only will the pig be less bored, but it will grow faster and quicker as they compete with each other. Pigs are eating machines. that's a nice pig. 
|
|
LOL, glad to see another one here!
I picked up a couple mongrel pigs last November, way smaller than I usually get (<20#), and almost got change back from a $20 at a local auction. Fed 10 bags of store bought feed, and a little whole corn, rest was kitchen and garden wastes, a little beaver, and a lot of out of date dog food. Went from this : 
to this: 
Actually, I let this one go a little longer, killed it right before Easter. One UGLY, conformationally poor hog, but ate great! Took some finished pics and butchering series, but can't find the card! |
|
Quoted:
couple thoughts 1. that's really slow to grow. We typically get ours around labor day as a feeder pig (about 40lbs, 8 to 10 weeks old) and butcher in January at 225 to 275. 2. Get 2. not only will the pig be less bored, but it will grow faster and quicker as they compete with each other. Pigs are eating machines. that's a nice pig. Thanks for the feedback. Yes, its a slower grow. We got last years in April, butchered in Jan. She went over 400 pounds though. I will have less table scraps this year (neighbors got their own pig), so i'm curious to see how this affects outcome. I am trying to get fresh pork for the lowest possible output of cash, so I'm not in a huge hurry. Yes, I will probably get two next year. I planted about a 1/2 acre of field corn with this in mind. How do you feed yours? GNNC |
|
Quoted:
LOL, glad to see another one here! I picked up a couple mongrel pigs last November, way smaller than I usually get (<20#), and almost got change back from a $20 at a local auction. Fed 10 bags of store bought feed, and a little whole corn, rest was kitchen and garden wastes, a little beaver, and a lot of out of date dog food. Went from this : http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k249/Dave2006_02/440.jpg to this: http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k249/Dave2006_02/IMG_0989.jpg Actually, I let this one go a little longer, killed it right before Easter. One UGLY, conformationally poor hog, but ate great! Took some finished pics and butchering series, but can't find the card! Nice work Dave! Whats the weight on that last Hog? I am terrible at judging live weight. Dogfood? Beaver? I need to modify my menu! I'll have to say this hog has ate everything i have put in front of her so i have no doubt she would eat that stuff too. Find those pics of the butcher process! I need all the tips i can get. Thanks. GNNC |
|
Quoted:
Nice work Dave! Whats the weight on that last Hog? I am terrible at judging live weight. Dogfood? Beaver? I need to modify my menu! I'll have to say this hog has ate everything i have put in front of her so i have no doubt she would eat that stuff too. Find those pics of the butcher process! I need all the tips i can get. Thanks. GNNC I killed it a few weeks post pic and it taped over 300. I'm not REAL confident in the tapes and my ability to use them  but it was HEAVY!
Year before I had two that broke 250, hanging weight,at a processor,so I think I'm close. I found a source of past date, premium dog food, 20-24% protein, and they love and thrive on it. I've been saving beaver carcasses from my trapline, some for us,(makes GREAT BBQ) some for the dogs, and started cooking down some for the hogs. They LOVE a hot meal, esp with the winter we had last year. We usually get maybe a dusting or two of snow here, but were COVERED up, for weeks,last year! I was afraid they wouldn't gain much, due to the brutal cold, but they really put it on! Seems daughter lost wife's camera case, which we THINK had the memory card. |
|
Quoted:
too big, 400lbs is just all fat lot of wasted food. try like 250/275 or so, much leaner, still lots of good stuff. That's the ticket... lots of wasted food. We had one go over 300 once; I'm sure there was a lot of wasted food, but I'll tell you how we kept her lean (the processor was very impressed with how lean she was). We couldn't get her scheduled in soon enough (have to schedule 2-3 months i advance at the local processor) and we miss-timed when we thought she would be ready. We ran out of feed 3 weeks before her "date" and we just started feeding whole corn only. Just pure whole corn. That leaned her down a bit in the last 3 weeks. The processor couldn't believe the size of the pork chops that were still very lean. Said they'd never seen chops that large & lean before. It's still best to get them at the 250-275 mark though. |
|
Quoted: Pardon the question, but how is the smell when you raise one or two pigs like that? Growing up, I lived a couple of miles away from a huge pig farm and it was terrible. I think how many pigs the farm near you had would be relevant to the discussion and of course how they were raised. There are ways to do that without stinking up the neighborhood. Having said that this is definately not an urban activity. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Pardon the question, but how is the smell when you raise one or two pigs like that? Growing up, I lived a couple of miles away from a huge pig farm and it was terrible. I think how many pigs the farm near you had would be relevant to the discussion and of course how they were raised. There are ways to do that without stinking up the neighborhood. Having said that this is definately not an urban activity. Yes, confinement operations are much different than this. Most confinement operations have several thousand pigs in one location. I know a guy that has 10,000 head of hogs on his farm at a single time. That is where the stink comes from. Just a couple won't stink that bad. You will definitely be able to smell them if you're outside near them, but it won't be overpowering and it won't carry very far. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Pardon the question, but how is the smell when you raise one or two pigs like that? Growing up, I lived a couple of miles away from a huge pig farm and it was terrible. I think how many pigs the farm near you had would be relevant to the discussion and of course how they were raised. There are ways to do that without stinking up the neighborhood. Having said that this is definately not an urban activity. Yes, confinement operations are much different than this. Most confinement operations have several thousand pigs in one location. I know a guy that has 10,000 head of hogs on his farm at a single time. That is where the stink comes from. Just a couple won't stink that bad. You will definitely be able to smell them if you're outside near them, but it won't be overpowering and it won't carry very far. Thanks. I really love the pig threads. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
too big, 400lbs is just all fat lot of wasted food. try like 250/275 or so, much leaner, still lots of good stuff. That's the ticket... lots of wasted food. We had one go over 300 once; I'm sure there was a lot of wasted food, but I'll tell you how we kept her lean (the processor was very impressed with how lean she was). We couldn't get her scheduled in soon enough (have to schedule 2-3 months i advance at the local processor) and we miss-timed when we thought she would be ready. We ran out of feed 3 weeks before her "date" and we just started feeding whole corn only. Just pure whole corn. That leaned her down a bit in the last 3 weeks. The processor couldn't believe the size of the pork chops that were still very lean. Said they'd never seen chops that large & lean before. It's still best to get them at the 250-275 mark though. Thanks for the input guys. Would the breed of hog have anything to do with the weight? I am far from an expert, but this 400 pound hog wasn't that fat. She was very long on the body. When we scrapped her, we could barely get 1/2 of the carcass in a 55 gallon drum of boiling water. Then we had to re-rig and dip the other half. We split the carcass and the halves ran from the cab to the tailgate of a f-150. I wish I would have taken pics. I will this year! 
|
|
Quoted:
LOL, glad to see another one here! I picked up a couple mongrel pigs last November, way smaller than I usually get (<20#), and almost got change back from a $20 at a local auction. Fed 10 bags of store bought feed, and a little whole corn, rest was kitchen and garden wastes, a little beaver, and a lot of out of date dog food. Went from this : http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k249/Dave2006_02/440.jpg to this: http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k249/Dave2006_02/IMG_0989.jpg Actually, I let this one go a little longer, killed it right before Easter. One UGLY, conformationally poor hog, but ate great! Took some finished pics and butchering series, but can't find the card! Were you the poster who named his hogs H1 and N1...these are them, correct? |
|
Mine are about 100 yds from the house and NO ODOR, but I raise fall-early spring.
2-3 at a time, on dirt/grass. I believe that alot of the fat has been bred out of today's hog. My Dad is in his mid 80s, and says that they wanted all the fat when he was young. A friend is in his 70s and still raises his to 350-400#, cause when he wants a ham, he wants a HAM! Told me he buys his feeders from an old black family, who still breed fat hogs. Mine,even at 300# are VERY lean, almost too lean, but could be the dog food based diet on the last few batches. Or that they get PLENTY of exercise. 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
LOL, glad to see another one here! I picked up a couple mongrel pigs last November, way smaller than I usually get (<20#), and almost got change back from a $20 at a local auction. Fed 10 bags of store bought feed, and a little whole corn, rest was kitchen and garden wastes, a little beaver, and a lot of out of date dog food. Went from this : http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k249/Dave2006_02/440.jpg to this: http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k249/Dave2006_02/IMG_0989.jpg Actually, I let this one go a little longer, killed it right before Easter. One UGLY, conformationally poor hog, but ate great! Took some finished pics and butchering series, but can't find the card! Were you the poster who named his hogs H1 and N1...these are them, correct? Kids named them ,but yup! |
|
Quoted:
Pardon the question, but how is the smell when you raise one or two pigs like that? Growing up, I lived a couple of miles away from a huge pig farm and it was terrible. Hey, This pig is about 75-80 yards from my back deck. No odor at all, even in the yard and much closer to her. I have a small patch of woods on my property and she stays in the shade most of the time. She has a good sized lot, but she always poops in the same spot opposite of her house. Pigs are smart!
GNNC |
|
Quoted:
Would the breed of hog have anything to do with the weight? I think the genetics matter in terms of how fast a pig gets to market weight and how much feed it takes to get him there. For the backyard pig grower, I think all that really means is that you should give your return business to somebody who has provided you with feeders that perform well. |
|
Update: Sorry for the delay, I've been covered up with school and kids activities. Macy (kids named her) is filling out nicely. She is getting very "round" , which means its getting closer to "time".
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2783.jpg http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2781.jpg My sons "beapoo" for size comparison. Shes a hunting machine! http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2779.jpg Newest members to the family. I had to patch up the stall to keep the little bastards in. I think they could climb a tree. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2784.jpg Backyard view. I should have taken a pic two weeks ago, the colors came and went quick this year. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2776.jpg GNNC |
|
Quoted:
awesome pics. more infor on the goats please, type, feed you use, and space they have to "run"/play. and what you plan to do to them. thanks Sorry about the delay. These are pygmy goats twin sisters and they will be family pets. My wife has already joined the pygmy goat association, lol. Their outside lot is 20'x20', but we can go bigger if they need more space later on. We are feeding dumor pellets and whatever browse i can gather. They are about 9-10 months old and we plan on breeding them next year. I may try milking them at that point. They are escape artists, but very little trouble after they are secure. I havn't had time to build them a house but i put up a pallet on legs and thet love that thing. Yes, I need to work on the barn! GNNC http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2789.jpg http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2788.jpg |
Merry Christmas everyone! Wife and kids are off to bed, so i have some time to finish this thread. My brother and i finished the job on Thursday. I got a few pics of the process that i will share. One shot with a 22 magnum, a quick stick and it was over in 10 seconds. Then the work began. This is my bro in the pics, I'm a hell of a lot better looking!
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2812.jpg The tractor makes a difference. It was about 25 degrees and the wind was ripping, so we took it to the shop. A small heater and protection from the wind was nice. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2814.jpg About an hour and a half later in the shop, we have two hams, shoulders, backstraps and bellys.(bacon). Colt 6721 for reference.
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2818.jpg Here is the ribcage, shoulders, bellys and some trimmings going to the butcher for ribs, sausage and sliced bacon. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2820.jpg Got to try out my new 25$ foodsaver on the tenderloins and boneless chops. It works a hell of a lot better than my old one. Thanks decypher!!!! I also boned out the ham into several roasts. My bro took the heart, liver, jaws, and other goodies i gave him. http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy121/gnnc/100_2821.jpg Some observations: Since we were in the shop, i got some weights. (hide,head,feet)=110 lbs, (ribs,shoulders,bacon,trimmings)=100 lbs, (hams, backstraps)=60 lbs. With the guts and items i gave my bro, I would estimate total live weight at around 350. The skinning didn't seem like much more work than a deer after hanging, but the weight is a game changer. The tractor saved us a hell of a lot of work. The butcher quoted me 0.45 per pound to process the sausage, ribs and bacon. I will have about 265$ total in this hog. GNNC |
|
I'm a little late, or early if planning for next year Could you elaborate a bit on the pen you built for him/them? How big is it (sq ft)? How high is the fence, and burried how deep? it looks like it's all / mostly shadey and pretty much dirt/mud. Do the need sun or grass? Is the area predominately wet or dry? What are the watering needs? How do you handle winter? Any links you could provide where I can go read about this stuff? Thanks a bunch, -Slice |
|
Quoted:
<snip> Some observations: Since we were in the shop, i got some weights. (hide,head,feet)=110 lbs, (ribs,shoulders,bacon,trimmings)=100 lbs, (hams, backstraps)=60 lbs. With the guts and items i gave my bro, I would estimate total live weight at around 350. The skinning didn't seem like much more work than a deer after hanging, but the weight is a game changer. The tractor saved us a hell of a lot of work. The butcher quoted me 0.45 per pound to process the sausage, ribs and bacon. I will have about 265$ total in this hog. GNNC Great pics! 
One of these years I have to work up the gumption to process ours here at home. 
|
|
Quoted:
Any links you could provide where I can go read about this stuff? There's a lot of good info and discussion in the posts I've put up over the years. I certainly learned a bunch from what others had to say.
2008, part1 2008, part 2 2009 2010 |
|
Our hogs are all Ferals that we shoot. We go through about 3 a year, give away at least that many. Seems that "waste" is about 50% of live weight, blood, hide, head, guts etc.....Our "eating hogs" are usually in the 200lb or less size, any bigger and I have had mixed results on how they taste, some good, some horrible so we stay under 250 at most. That just means we need to shoot more of them, hence the number of 3.
Skinning them is a hell of alot easier when they are warm! Once they get cold- frozen over night etc....not so much fun.... Having a tractor or "skinning pole"- how we do it at our place, makes the work go alot faster and cleaner. Cleaner is important. We grind all of ours into loose sausage, fast, and we have the most recipes for that type of meat. We eat alot of wild hog, once or twice a week at least. Wife has many excellent recipes, my favorites are Lasagna or Burritos. We also eat our ground pork (we never cut it out into chops etc...) with Nachos, Spaghetti and homemade Pizza among others. |
|
Quoted:
I'm a little late, or early if planning for next year
Could you elaborate a bit on the pen you built for him/them? How big is it (sq ft)? How high is the fence, and burried how deep? it looks like it's all / mostly shadey and pretty much dirt/mud. Do the need sun or grass? Is the area predominately wet or dry? What are the watering needs? How do you handle winter? Any links you could provide where I can go read about this stuff? Thanks a bunch, -Slice Hello, The pen is about 275 square feet and the fence is 4' high. I buried and concreted about 4" deep. The lot is shaded in a small patch of oaks.The area stays dry most of the time, unless we get a hard rain. I don't know if they need grass, but this hog loved it. I would pull new rye from the hay field and she loved it. I watered twice a day, and thats a real PITA during winter. If her water froze, she would get pissed off and rip down the container. She also ripped down the container in summer to make her a mud hole, go figure. Read Feral's threads for all the info you could ever need. GNNC |