# Can u raise potbelly for meat



## k_long (Jan 16, 2010)

Just that can I raise a potbelly pig for meat. I have limited space so it seems logical. How much meat do you get, and is it worth it. Just a thought thxs


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## DonnaBelle (Jan 16, 2010)

I don't know about eating a potbelly, kinda like eating your dog?
Hmmmm.  Why not just get a regular pig??  You can get a really small one for about $25.00 here.  We did that and raised 2 of them to about 180 lbs each.  But you don't save any money, by the time you feed them.

Donna


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## freemotion (Jan 16, 2010)

Depends on whether you buy manufactured feed exclusively, or if you have sources of free food for them.  Think in terms of a five gallon pail per day of veggies and such when they are bigger, less when they are smaller.

Pork is pork.  If you have a free or cheap source of potbelly pigs and cheap or free food, sure, it's worth it.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Jan 16, 2010)

sure you can! i'm looking for a guy who farms them - i had his website somewhere....  has a nice little business doing it. he says they are an easy way to store meat 'on the hoof' and that they are pretty good free rangers. 

i think someone else already said that they are used in asia as they have a smaller space requirements. 

feed is important to how your pork is going to turn out. we raise our standard size pigs on range, and finish them on corn, milk, and veggies. i know folks who have fed bagged feed exclusively and the quality of their pork was not as good. 

and no matter what anyone else tells you ... pigs are NOT dogs!

good luck!


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## Beekissed (Jan 16, 2010)

Yep....I'm eyeballing an ad in the locals for a potbelly for $35.  The small size would be a bonus and I would just pasture him right along with the sheep, use him to dispose of garden excess, to root up matted down bedding, to prepare plots for plowing, etc.  

If my dogs tasted like pork, I would be looking at them with that gleam in my eye as well......


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## foxywench (Jan 17, 2010)

ive tried it...it tends to be a LITTLE fattier and has a slightly milder flavor, the texture and flavor was lovely though, and i enjoyed it.  I do enjoy a milder pork though!

i plan on having potbellies when i have my farm, ill keep a couple of breeders, and of their litters ill keep a couple back for meat and the rest can be sold.

Definatly worth it if you need a smaller pig for whatever reason.
there also not as destructive as larger pigs, but just as good as a garden disposal unit as my grandad used to call his potbelly.  he used to put him out in the orchard for a few hours a day, long enough to clean up the rotting fallens but not long enough to root and damage the trees


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Jan 18, 2010)

DonnaBelle said:
			
		

> I don't know about eating a potbelly, kinda like eating your dog?
> Hmmmm.  Why not just get a regular pig??  You can get a really small one for about $25.00 here.  We did that and raised 2 of them to about 180 lbs each.  But you don't save any money, by the time you feed them.
> 
> Donna


How do you make a distinction between pets and meat animals when it's the same species?  Is there something intrinsically less valuable about a "regular" pig?  I was under the impression that the psychology of a pig is basically the same regardless of breed.  It's certainly a personal choice to view a small pig as pet and a large pig as food, but I would NOT liken it to eating a dog.


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## jhm47 (Jan 18, 2010)

A potbelly pig can certainly be eaten, just as any pig (or even dog LOL) can be eaten.  However, potbelly pigs have been bred totally differently than the regular commercial pigs.  Potbelly pigs originated in the Eastern countries, like China and Vietnam.  The populace there is mostly interested in pigs that will require little or no care and feeding.  They are also wanting a pig that has a large amount of fat, along with the muscle, so the potbellies they raise tend to be fatter, grow much slower, and are more docile.  

The pigs that are raised commercially in the USA are much leaner, have tremendous amounts of muscle, and likely are more aggressive than the potbelly pigs.  It all depends on what the person raising them wants.  If you want a pig that will grow out on little or no commercial feed, and if you don't mind a lot of fat, then a potbelly will do just fine for you.  If you want a pig that is lean and has lots of muscle, then you will need to manage it differently.  You most likely will need to buy quite a bit of feed for either in order for them to grow sufficiently, although the potbelly will likely require less than the other.  

When we raised quite a few pigs (around 20 years ago), we routinely had them to market (birth to slaughter weight) in around 5 months.  We managed them well, controlled parasites, and fed them a well balanced diet.  I really liked the Yorkshire sows for their mothering ability, and crossed them with either Duroc or Hampshire boars.  They were allowed a small amount of pasture, but a couple acres of pasture quickly became a total mudhole with several hundred pigs rooting around in it.  We also did not use crates of any kind.  We did lose quite a few baby pigs to crushing by their mothers, although we had very large litters, and the loss of one or two was generally a good thing.  Most of our sows had 14 nipples, and if they had 15 - 16 babies, some would starve out anyway.  We did try to foster any excess ones to other sows that had fewer babies, but the sows often would reject the newcomers because of their smell.

I always enjoyed raising pigs, but when the big commercial farms came along, the margins became very tight, and I got tired of working for nothing.  Today, it's either raise thousands, or do it for the love of it.  Guess I didn't love it that much.


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## k_long (Jan 18, 2010)

Very good info everyone thxs. I was thinking the potbelly because i would want to buy less feed and feed of pasture as much as possible however I do not have a lot of land at all. My goal would be to eventually have a couple of sheep chicken rabbit and pig or two to rotate throughout. I am very interested in letting the land provide for its self though I know some supplemental feed will be neccessary the goal is to have better cheaper meat. That being said it seems that the best method may be to cross potbelly with meat hog through several generation to see if a small meat hog could be aquired for large back yard living and raising. Thx once again, I have a lot of research left to do, but this site makes it much quicker and easier with all the helpful people.


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## jhm47 (Jan 18, 2010)

One other thing---where you live makes a tremendous difference.  I happen to live where the temps vary a great deal from summer to winter.  It is not unusual for our summer temps to get to 100+ with high humidity for a few days, and winter temps to get to -35 for several nights.  Obviously, we need some pretty substantial shelter, or our livestock does not survive.  We also must change our feed rations to compensate for these extremes.


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## spegalminifarm (Feb 6, 2010)

k_long said:
			
		

> Just that can I raise a potbelly pig for meat. I have limited space so it seems logical. How much meat do you get, and is it worth it. Just a thought thxs


You can but they taste funny, are extremely greasy, and kind of tough.  Meat tends to not taste to good. BUT it can be done.


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## chunkydunk (Feb 15, 2010)

I use them as sausage. It comes out good but the other cuts arent too wonderfull and are small. But the hams are great country cured.small but really good.


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## Calliopia (Jan 16, 2011)

I know this is an older post but just throwing my .02 on it. 

We butchered 2 pot bellies this summer and had fantastic sausage and the fat was amazingly high quality.  It just melted in your hand. 

Recently just butchered a smaller wild style back yard pig on Saturday and again it was SO much easier to be butchering a smaller animal then a huge 300lb beast. 

For back yard animals.. you can't beat a smaller critter in my opinion.


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## sevenmile (Jan 18, 2011)

Interesting observations -- results may vary it sounds like.

Since potbellies have not been bred with meat quality in mind in the US, there wouldn't be much predictability between genetic lines.

All other breeds have been developed by patient observation and careful breeding.  So maybe there is a project for someone......younger than me....
A smaller framed, well muscled with decent marbleing, efficient feeding, easy to handle breed.  Throw in a unique coloration, and name it for yourself!

But here is a question: Is it really any cheaper/better in the long run?
A pound of meat takes "X" amount of energy to make. 
butchering takes a certain minimum amount of work and time no matter what the animal's size.

So what do folks out there prefer?   To butcher 5 chickens, or one turkey?


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## jason_mazzy (Jan 19, 2011)

I was thinking about doing something like this myself. If I could let them free range and forage on the property which is only a couple acres. Then have supplemental feedings like I do with the goat, I was thinking it would be a more cost effective and sustainable farm. Add that to the value of teaching your children about nature and living off the land (education), and breeding a sow once before slaughter you could sustain yourself and possibly profit.


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## Calliopia (Jan 19, 2011)

My husband and I are talking about actually developing something like this. 

The pig we butchered on Saturday was low, long and lean.  I've already got an email out the the guy that raises them.  It also had a fantastic hide with thick long hair and had crazy spots. (it's flensed and in the freezer for processing this spring) 

I want to cross these with a leaner pot belly (still plenty of fat) and hopefully, eventually, get a long haired small, but stocky pig with high quality fat. 

Personally I want to stick with animals that I can take from yard to freezer BY MYSELF.  A 300+ lb animal, I can't do that.  And beef is right out.  

The PBs were fatties. A bit overweight when we got them. We put them on a fruit and veggie diet for about 45 days and they were in much better shape upon butchering.


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## Frugal Que (Feb 27, 2011)

We want to do the same as Calliopia.  Be able to raise animals for meat and slaughter them ourselves.

We do it quite successfully with our other animals but have not done pigs.  

Calliopia, do you have a method of slaughtering the pot bellies that you prefer?  

We know a guy that will sell us 1/2 his slaughtered pig (regular size) and it is just too expensive once you figure in the butcher shop costs.  We want to do everything ourselves.


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## jason_mazzy (Mar 5, 2011)

The thing about this pork is it is nearly edible from snout to rump. You can build a flat pit or rotissire and have lil to no waste out of a pig. I would like to find a good forager with high quality meat turnaround for survival reasons.


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## jason_mazzy (Mar 5, 2011)

sevenmile said:
			
		

> Interesting observations -- results may vary it sounds like.
> 
> Since potbellies have not been bred with meat quality in mind in the US, there wouldn't be much predictability between genetic lines.
> 
> ...


If you are working in a family situation the buthchering of a pig is easy. You gut it and roast it. if you want smaller portions you can quarter it, and boil/roast the skull. Much easier than a cow.


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