# Raising a pig for meat?  First timer!



## Jenny28 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hi all!  We are thinking about getting a pig in the spring and raising it for slaughter.  Is there a sticky thread anywhere that I'm missing that covers alot of this?  I have tons of questions!!!  Thanks!


----------



## Hickoryneck (Sep 14, 2011)

We got a pig this spring to raise up it is a very interesting project I don't know enough to offer lots of advice but will say Do Not Hand Feed the pig it makes them want to bite any hand they see . We now know so the next pig will be strictly pan fed


----------



## Jenny28 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hickoryneck said:
			
		

> We got a pig this spring to raise up it is a very interesting project I don't know enough to offer lots of advice but will say Do Not Hand Feed the pig it makes them want to bite any hand they see . We now know so the next pig will be strictly pan fed


Thanks for the tip!  It's a start!  I want to get lots of info before we dive into this!


----------



## SuburbanFarmChic (Sep 14, 2011)

Pigs pick fences. Quite easily actually. You will need some type of fencing that is strongest at the bottom and a strand or two of electric at pushing height may not be a bad idea.


----------



## redfarmhouse (Sep 28, 2011)

Our son raised three pigs for slaughter last year and is raising 6 this winter.  I will tell you this, raising pigs through the winter is better than in the spring!  Our temps get quite hot in spring and summer and the pig smell increase with the temps.    We will only raise them through the winter now.  It only takes 6 months if you are feeding out to butcher.  So this batch of piglet we got last week will be ready in Feb or March depending on size. 

We feed a mix made by a local mill and plenty of vegetatarian scraps.  They are easy to please and will eat most anything.  No meat for ours though.

Fencing is the biggest issue.  Pretend you need to contain a wild bull and build a fence accordingly.  Then they probably won't get out.  For ours we concreted wood posts every 8 feet.  Attached 1x6s with 1 inch gaps on the bottom half.  We then added hog paneling on the inside burying it about 1 foot underground.  The gate is 4 feet but has boards running behind it to step over so they won't charge out when it is opened.
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/3338_img_6648.jpg[/img

The pigs were very entertaining and loved scratches on the back.  They are just so cute when they are little.  They were so big by butcher time though, we were all ready for them to go.  The pork is the best we have ever had by far!  Very rewarding.  As long as we have our farm, we will raise a few pigs each year.:thumbsup


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Sep 28, 2011)

redfarmhouse said:
			
		

> Fencing is the biggest issue.  Pretend you need to contain a wild bull and build a fence accordingly.  Then they probably won't get out.  For ours we concreted wood posts every 8 feet.  Attached 1x6s with 1 inch gaps on the bottom half.  We then added hog paneling on the inside burying it about 1 foot underground.  The gate is 4 feet but has boards running behind it to step over so they won't charge out when it is opened.
> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/...guys do a great job with your livestock pens!


----------



## laughing man (Oct 3, 2011)

buy pigs and build a fence and dive in... a world of fun and rewards :bun


----------



## Truscifi (Oct 4, 2011)

Our first pig is almost ready for freezer camp.  She is a bit over 150lbs, and we are hoping to get her up to 200lbs.  It is slower going than we expected - maybe because we let her free range on a half acre.  On the other hand, she's very happy.


----------



## Roll farms (Oct 4, 2011)

If you're planning on having it butchered somewhere....make your appt. in advance by several months.  Summer is 4-H time.  So when I called in July to have my Feb. pig butchered, they said, "Sorry, we're booked through Oct.".

He was 320# by the time he got in there.  WAYYY bigger than we intended.


----------



## daniel-delarosa (Oct 6, 2011)

Cost wise, do you come out ahead if you raise your own pig or is it worth just buying one off the butcher?  I have been talking about getting a pig and everyone says you cant feed one that long for what you can just buy a grown one for.


----------



## freemotion (Oct 7, 2011)

It depends on what your goals are and what you have available to you.  I jumped right in because knowing what is in my food is very important to me and commercial pork is one of the....if not THE...."dirtiest" animal foods out there, with all the antibiotics and overcrowding and such.  Pastured pork is amazingly healthy and so is the lard from it, which is fantastic for cooking.  

I managed to raise mine for a fraction of the cost of buying by being creative and doing a bit of extra work.  I finish them for free by gleaning from local farms and getting leftovers from local restaurants.  I've also fed hundreds of pounds of acorns picked up in suburban neighborhoods via a craigslist ad.  And the lawn clippings from two rather large untreated lawns.  Mine are raised on pasture, so they do a bit of foraging, especially in the beginning.  They tear up the pasture quite a bit, though.  But also improving it by plowing in enormous amounts of organic material in the form of corn cobs and husks (free corn from fall decorating stalks), acorn shells, grass, leaves, and anything they don't eat.


----------

