Misadventures in pig farming part 2

[shaz]

Back in may I posted that I was going to raise six pigs for slaughter. It was an experiment and we don't have a steer in the pipeline like we usually do so I needed to ge something in the freezer within a few months. The kids always like getting free meat frm us anyway.

So, here's the rundown.
I got six Yorkshires and raised them in an old barn. They were 30lbs and we raised them to 260-320. Just had them slaughtered last weekend and got all the meat back except for the hams which are still curing.

Numbers:
Pigs were 110 each which is steep but the were the only ones I could find. No big deal.
Feed costs were 150 each. Did everything possible to keep cost down. I fed alot of sack corn, thrift store bred, Shell Mart Deli rejects, stale donuts from a Vietnamese pastry shop and a whole lot of grass clippings.

We weighed all the meat and final production costs was 2.36/lb based on packaged meat.
Don't know if it was worth doing or not. Production cost seemed pretty good for somebody with no grain storage.

I kinda had fun too. :banana:

 

[skyhightree1]

I don't really think the costs and trouble are worth it. I generally buy 1 from the sale barn most of the time lil less than 1.00 per lb for ones 250lbs. I would rather others do the hard work I'll just buy it and then take to processor and pay 150 bucks. if you had fun then its worth it for you.

 

[Nesikep]

I like knowing how my food is raise and what's been fed to it. Around here you can't find weaner pigs for $110 unless you're extremely lucky.
We've been thinking about raising a couple, but we aren't set up for them, and the last thing I want to do is be chasing them around all day!
My friend raises weaners, has about 4 sows.. it is a lot of work, and a lot of feed.. They're smart animals, and he's got a couple pets.. His big boar is about 900 lbs, he's just darned huge, and was raised in the house, when he got bigger he went for truck rides, was litter box trained, and stayed at a couple hotels (the ones that allowed pets).. He's still a big baby who likes breaking out and rooting around the yard.

Oh, and your $2.36 / lb packaged meat isn't a bad price.. you get more than that for a steer on the hoof!

 

[dave_shelby]

I agree that its hard to beat market prices with raising your own. Prices were up on weaners this spring, but they are back down around 40-75 dollars, generally, the usual fall slump. I do it for taste and fun, they are fun animals.

I still am trying to find the best mix for taste. I think soy gives the meat an off taste. I first tried buying soy-free feed from Countryside Organics here in VA, great taste but 2x cost of 50 pound bag feed from the co-op. Now I just have them custom grind from corn, barley, wheat, sunflower and linseed. I mix peas and peanuts or whey in myself. And like everyone whatever good scrap I can find, but am more careful the last 6 weeks for off tastes.

 

[skyhightree1]

I like knowing how my food is raise and what's been fed to it. quote]

You don't ever shop at the grocery store ? :lol2:

 

[shaz]

I agree that its hard to beat market prices with raising your own. Prices were up on weaners this spring, but they are back down around 40-75 dollars, generally, the usual fall slump. I do it for taste and fun, they are fun animals.

I still am trying to find the best mix for taste. I think soy gives the meat an off taste. I first tried buying soy-free feed from Countryside Organics here in VA, great taste but 2x cost of 50 pound bag feed from the co-op. Now I just have them custom grind from corn, barley, wheat, sunflower and linseed. I mix peas and peanuts or whey in myself. And like everyone whatever good scrap I can find, but am more careful the last 6 weeks for off tastes.

Did you ever calculate your costs? My reasearch suggest that 4.10/lb is the average price of pork.

 

[Nesikep]

About the only thing we buy is a bit of specialty cheeses, our pork we get from my friend who raises the pigs... I really can't think of much else we get other than spices and such

 

[skyhightree1]

About the only thing we buy is a bit of specialty cheeses, our pork we get from my friend who raises the pigs... I really can't think of much else we get other than spices and such

Gotcha..

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We raise a pig or two for the freezer each year, but we raise them a little different. The kids want to show one, so we buy a little better quality, and feed it show feed (can we say $$$$), but it tastes great in the freezer!
We pay $300 for a 90 pound piglet (around Feb). I buy from a guy that raises show stock, and has several sales in the winter and spring (http://stevecobbfamily.com/) and he delivers the pigs close to us (part of the deal). I wait until his online sale is over, then pick up on that did not sell for what ever reason.
Then we feed it Mormans show feed, which is pricey, but since my kids like to put the work into trying to win, I like to give them a good chance at doing it without going broke on a $1000 pig! I figure we buy about 9 sacks, and they average $17/50 lbs, so $153.
Our pork is always lean, we know what it ate from the moment it was put in our pen, and the kids get a sense of pride raising a fair animal and eating it themselves. Here is a pic of the pig this year, my son won Reserve Champion Market hog and is standing with the judge, and sold his ribbon earning over $500, so in essence the pig was free, but he kept the money to purchase a heifer. I think the pig weighed 276, if I remember correctly. :tiphat:

It is a win win for us, I get good pork and my kids get the experience they will never forget. Oh, our oldest daughter raised a hamp last year, from the same family, and won Champion Market hog. Our fair is little, only about 40 pigs show up. But they are proud of their market pigs they raise!
This year we are pouring concrete where we put the pig (in the barn, in an 8 x 12 foot area). It will be much easier to keep clean for the 4 months we have the pig.

Oh, and Skyhigh, we do not buy meat either, we raise all our meat. Well, except some chicken.....

 

[Nesikep]

Nice piggie!
We get our chicken from our neighbors

 

[VCC]

Fire Sweep Ranch, from my experience, you may want to consider concrete on one end for their water to drain out and then go with sand (about 6 – 8 inches deep) for the rest of the pen. Hogs and especially show hogs can get a real bad case of arthritis as well as it is just hard on their joints, when housed on concrete. They will also develop thick calluses on their hocks and knees. If you're just eating them it is fine but to show you still want them to get out and move freely, the concrete makes that challenging.

We used the sand and when it gets hot you can wet it down and they will dig in it to cool off. If you have to go with the concrete put stall mats in the pen so they have something a little softer to lay on, not the best but helps.

 

[trappersteve]

I agree that its hard to beat market prices with raising your own. Prices were up on weaners this spring, but they are back down around 40-75 dollars, generally, the usual fall slump. I do it for taste and fun, they are fun animals.

I still am trying to find the best mix for taste. I think soy gives the meat an off taste. I first tried buying soy-free feed from Countryside Organics here in VA, great taste but 2x cost of 50 pound bag feed from the co-op. Now I just have them custom grind from corn, barley, wheat, sunflower and linseed. I mix peas and peanuts or whey in myself. And like everyone whatever good scrap I can find, but am more careful the last 6 weeks for off tastes.

Dave I feed Mine a dairy feed from southern states, 20% protien and $15 a hundred. My pigs love it and is much cheaper than hog feed. I plan on pasturing my sows this spring to also cut on costs I also feedsome produce that I can get for free.

 

[shaz]

I'll give that a try next time trapper steve

 

[trappersteve]

I'll give that a try next time trapper steve

You will like it I think Mine do better on it than they do on hog feed