# Breeding stock vs show stock vs freezer stock?



## Dino (Feb 10, 2013)

I'm trying to make some sense of the huge variance in prices of pigs.  I can see breedind stock command a higher price due to pedigree etc.  Show stock seems like it would be a one time thing if it is a cross.  Freezer pigs should just be efficient as possible imo.

Another thing I guess I don't understand... breeds on the critical list... why not lower the price on these breeds until they are off the critical list?  To me these critical breeds just seem to be high dollar items that by all rights would otherwise should be extinct due to their lack of efficiency.


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## ourflockof4 (Feb 11, 2013)

Dino said:
			
		

> I'm trying to make some sense of the huge variance in prices of pigs.  I can see breedind stock command a higher price due to pedigree etc.  Show stock seems like it would be a one time thing if it is a cross.  Freezer pigs should just be efficient as possible imo.
> 
> Another thing I guess I don't understand... breeds on the critical list... why not lower the price on these breeds until they are off the critical list?  To me these critical breeds just seem to be high dollar items that by all rights would otherwise should be extinct due to their lack of efficiency.


I'm with you on the price difference. I called the other day about a boar, the guy wanted $400 for a 200 lb cross bred boar. I don't understand how you can justify that cost for a cross when most of them locally are less then half that. I guess you put a sign on the barn that says show pigs and your price is supposed to just double even if you quality doesn't.

I think the rare breeds can get stuck in a revolving cycle. Someone charges $$$ for something they have (may or may not be worth it) and that just sets the bar for eveyone else thinking they can do the same. Eventually someone pays that price and they need to charge more to recoop their cost then, and the cycle repeats. I mean I know they cost more to raise, but come on, let's be realistic.


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## Cornish Heritage (Feb 11, 2013)

I think we need to back up a little & actually look at the cost of raising pigs. Most hobby farmers & sorry if I offend anyone here, are absolutely clueless as to what it costs to raise pigs. They keep throwing money in, sell their pigs cheap & because they have an external wage coming in really don't care. Sit down & actually be realistic for a while. Raising pigs is EXPENSIVE as you need to feed the boar & sow for 6mths plus piglets for 2 months. 

The prices you see in the store are not realistic at all - that pork all comes from confinement pork where the huge companies are buying their feed at rock bottom prices & can sell the pork cheap due to the quantity they sell. Not to mention it doesn't taste of anything!



> Freezer pigs should just be efficient as possible imo.


All pigs should be efficient but stuff happens & it all depends on how you want to raise those pigs for the freezer. If you want the regular commercial breed that eats way more grain than a heritage pig then but is ready for the freezer in a shorter space of time then go for it. BUT if you want a healthier meat that gets a lot of calories on pasture but can take 12-14mths to raise - won't cost you any more - then got for it. It is your choice. Try a few different breeds, figure out which ones you like best for temperament & taste. 

No matter what you choose, folks selling their piglets for $20 for example are not making any money. There is absolutely no way! Also make sure you know where your pigs are coming from - have they been wormed? Well looked after? OR are you going to be bringing home a 'headache' covered in mange, lice & riddled with worms so you start off with a vet bill. Many times you will get what you pay for. Now I know that is not always the case - there are breeders out there charging ridiculous prices for poor quality animals. 

Liz


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## Dino (Feb 11, 2013)

Okay, first let me apologize if I offended anyone.  My remark about some slower growing breeds is in the context of cost and effectiveness in conjunction with a quick turn around on money spent.  While heritage breeds may have better taste,  cost of feed may be prohibitive for the average family, in this economy anyway.

Believe me, I would have every breed of pig if I had the amenities and could afford them!  I am working toward having all registered stock and will cross as I feel or need.  Pigs like any livestock these days are costly, especially if you intend on doing it right, worming, vaccinating, socializing, etc. Etc.

Good gracious!  $20.00 pigs?!  OMG!  Each adult pig requires one Ton of feed per year on average, lactating sows get up to five times their regular feed while nursing.  I let my sows dictate when to wean the pigs or sell them off while they are still nursing until there are only a few left and then wean those.  Then vaccines etc.  In winter we give iron shots but not summer.  $75 is break even per piglet at best.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Feb 12, 2013)

The benefit to heritage breeds is that they do better on pasture and so you can put less of the more expensive feed into them to reach the same weight. It takes longer but they'll get there.  Someone we know feeds her pigs nothing but pasture, hay, and a cup of grain per pig per day. They are lean and rangy but not scrawny and she butchers at 150lbs with almost no cost in them.  She keeps a sow and borrows a boar. Every 3-4 years just holds back one of the piglets and uses it as a replacement. Only overwinters the sow. Mostly pasture. Small amounts of grain. Oh and she does toss garden/house scraps to the pigs too.


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