# Thoughts needed on PotBelly pigs as a multi-purpose type thing...



## EggsForIHOP (Dec 5, 2011)

Hey ya'll...it's been ages...lots happening 'round here 

We have been tossing around the idea of raising pot belly pigs, we have several reasons behind it, and I would love more input from anyone who has any thoughts or ideas. just follow me here a minute and tell me if you think I have lost my mind or have had a bright idea...

First...we have raised pigs strictly for the purpose of eating...and we loved it!  the meat was superb, the hogs themselves were wonderful, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Now of course, we are having a hard time finding new little "feeder hogs" that would even be worth bringing home - I have made 2 trips only to find sickly, or questionably ready for weaning pigs, and opted out with a polite "Thanks but no thanks"...I'm not bringing home anything sickly...just not doing it...

BUT...I have actually come across some pot belly pigs that I would bring home - they are all healthy, in fact everything on their property is healthy as heck...and it got me thinking...

Since we have NEVER BRED HOGS...pot belly hogs would be GREAT practice...I think anyways but I could be wrong...as they are smaller, it would be nice to be able to practice on them the whole breeding scene.  Start small and work up right?

Then...it's a pig...although a much smaller pig, it's still a pig...so any babies we don't sell we could easily eat...and it is just my husband and myself...we don't really NEED 250 lbs of pork at once...50 would be plenty for a while...

Really, we want to get more proficient at processing - specifically the brine/curing/smoking part...to me, that would be SO much easier to do in little chunks then a whole giant pig...it was AWFUL when we did our own hog this summer!  My mother had 4 children to help with things...I was alone...making sausage...and tamales...and that's a LOT of sausage and tamales at ONE TIME!!  But I wouldn't mind so much doing small batches...

Here's the kicker - I know NOTHING about the breed per se!...compared to a yorkshire or hampshire or anything else "normal sized" what are you up against with a pot belly pig that would be different?  The obvious to me is housing - escape proof takes on a more "mini" sized level with different requirements...but what about feeding, how fast do they grow, etc?

And, is it even worth it?  

Please, chime in with all thoughts, etc....I would love to have something easily sustainable and not have to do too much "outsourcing" for future hogs...I know...there's the year long up keep on the sow/boar...but that's another plus to me...a smaller pig has smaller up keep and smaller poopies to scoopie!

A thank you in advance for all information and thoughts provided...and I hope no one is mad or offended that I would consider eating a pot bellied pig...but I REALLY want to get the practice in with hog breeding and I REALLY would like to know that any babies that aren't rehomed would not be a 'forever feed bill" before I start making plans and plotting away at tiny hams!


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## elevan (Dec 5, 2011)

Worth it?  That depends on you.

PBP definitely grow slower than your feeder hogs and you don't want to feed them for fast growth or they'll be much too fatty.

Good eating?  Yes, I think so.  But it's my opinion and everyone's taste is different.

A pig is a pig.  PBPs are simply a small version.  Perfectly edible.  Perfectly delectable.

Housing is easier because you don't need so much space.  But they are still strong, so be prepared for that.  I had a sow that was able to rip gates right off the hinges so that she could escape.  Boars can also be nasty tempered and shouldn't be kept around any other type of animal.

If you already know pigs then you can handle PBPs without problem.


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## EggsForIHOP (Dec 5, 2011)

So tell me this on the feeding schedule...with our other hogs we didn't push for fast growth really anyways...I followed a "what they could clean up in 15 minutes twice a day" rule...would a PBP be the same do you think? 

As for fatty...that's kinda our favorite part...think VERY southern home...all fat and drippings are turned into gumbos and gravies    Living with a half cajun husband (actually his dad's family refers to themselves as something I can't type), one can never have too much bacon grease waiting to become the base for a roux for gumbo! Seriously, the first ingredient in the "family gumbo recipe" is ONE CUP OF BACON GREASE! The trick is getting just enough fat and meat perfectly balanced I suppose...so towards the end a little extra fat on a hog is a REALLY good thing here!

thank you for the response...and any other thoughts or suggestions even random ones are appreciated! I know I am missing something crucial I should be asking...but at this point it's just a planning/thinking thing...

OH!  how much space?  Do you know?  What are the requirements of a PBP?  because I was thinking still going with full sized accomodations...but if it is enough less that it would make a difference, then I wouldn't mind that at all!


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## EggsForIHOP (Dec 6, 2011)

Well...went ahead and brought home 2 pot belly pigs...going to use an existing "barn" that the previous property owners had built for their hogs (they thought they had a little farm running here...it was more of a hot mess with the skeleton of a farm when we got it).

SO....once day light is here, I am going to move the girls out to their new home, a 10 x 10 ish run with a small maybe 4 x4 covered shed...I spent the day super securing it, it was still pretty sturdy and fairly hog proof...but I cut loose my Nigerian Dwarf buck goat in there (he thinks he is Houdini) and watched his attempts at escape and just shored it up really well and made sure nothing sharp or dangerous was there...if Edan cannot escape then nothing can escape!  that goat could get out of chains in a pad locked trunk under water!

Hopefully, that will be enough room?  Right?

I also ran the extension cord WAY WAY up out of little piggy reach and set up a heat lamp...and then I realized the lights were out and it is SO very dark over there at night!  Gotta change those bulbs first thing in the a.m....because I was NOT going out there in the dark..nope...no way no how!

Now...all I have to do is stop checking on the girls!  No names yet...gonna see where tomorrow leads us...Right now I just call them "Don't You Bite Me" and "If You Bite Me I'll Bite Back!"  I wish the family I got them from spoke more english...I know they are probably a wealth of information...but I was doing good to communicate the last few days with them, and I don't usually jump into things like this, but I just knew if I didn't go ahead and get them now then by the time I was ready I'd be hard pressed to find any more "good pigs"....it's just seemed to go that way this year with our big move and all...great opportunity but I waited...and lost out...several times...

Here's to another round of pig raisin' I really have missed out on having pigs around these last few months, their antics amuse me and they have such a tasty outcome!


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## Chickie2378 (Dec 7, 2011)

never eaten a pot belly pig.

let us know how it goes in the taste dept. and amt. of meat you acquire when dressed.


You are right tho with only 2 people to feed the bigger hogs are alot of meat at one time, BUT if you have a local processer you can raise the bigger hog, and sell 1/2 the meat to a customer of his.

We did this a few times.  Hubbys best friend is a custom slaughterhouse (of course it is wonderful having this type of friend )
We raised hogs for income sales from the farm...but if we needed meat in the freezer and I didn't have alot of room at that point, I would contact Kev and tell him I want to process one for me, but sell the other 1/2 of the carcass.   Worked very well for us.

just a suggestion if you can ever make that happen.



Pork is just a fab meal!


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Dec 7, 2011)

We have butchered pot bellies before and a friend is now raising some of the ones that were dropped in the yard as meat pigs.   They just had their first litter right around Thanksgiving. 

If you can pasture them, feed hay, house scraps, waste veggies and garden plant matter, other similar lower cost sources of food and the cheaper feeding helps make up for the slower growth.  Also they are a much more manageable  size.


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## EggsForIHOP (Dec 7, 2011)

SuburbanFarmChic said:
			
		

> We have butchered pot bellies before and a friend is now raising some of the ones that were dropped in the yard as meat pigs.   They just had their first litter right around Thanksgiving.
> 
> If you can pasture them, feed hay, house scraps, waste veggies and garden plant matter, other similar lower cost sources of food and the cheaper feeding helps make up for the slower growth.  Also they are a much more manageable  size.


So, do clarify for me...by butchered do you mean you ate them as well? Or just did the deed for others?  If you ate them, how did you find it to taste?  Just curious, I like first hand reports 

Right now they are going to be stationary out in the little "barn"...but hopefully this spring once they are a tad bit bigger and the weather is warmer I can get the garden area fenced so it is deer, rabbit, poultry AND hog proof from the inside and out and get them out there to do some MAJOR tilling and rooting for me...but I still (though no longer employed there) have friends that have access to LOVELY buckets of IHOP left overs topped off full of pancakes, blueberries, strawberries, broccoli, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and all the left over eggs anyone could want!  My sidekick will be bringing me one to two 5 gallon buckets each week, and while they are tiny I will portion it out in small bits and freeze the rest labeled "SLOP" for later use...it makes a handy treat and the chickens LOVE it TOO!

I am curious about possibly fermenting or sprouting something and adding it to their diet...I know from lurking around here someone does that and has lovely success...I'm gonna have to research it a bit.  I mix up a specific feed for the dairy goats, and don't mind doing so as they seem to thrive and be SO much healthier that way...I would not mind at all getting a good little diet going for these pigs that is a bit different from the norm as well, as long as it turns out somewhat balanced and appropriate for them.

I am just THRILLED they pulled through the night well and seem to be enjoying their new piggy pen...complete with heat lamp and no more worries about the cold!  

Oh - and as a note - yes, I guess I could sell half the meat through the processor, but we only sent one in, the other we did ourselves, and while it was hard work, it was SO worth the savings (though really, if I see another tamale or any chorizo for a while...I may scream...100 pounds of tamales and 60 pounds of chorizo in one week will do that to you I think).  I don't know that I would ever take another hog in to be processed - I REALLY want my husband to learn to smoke the meat and he is willing to give it a go...he already does so well smoking things like turkeys and chickens, I KNOW he could master the techniques needed for bacon/ham type stuff...just takes a little practice! It really is an art to him, to cook and to smoke meat and all that...he LOVES it...so i know one day he will get it.  It's just so nice to be able to do so much for ourselves, it really makes things worth it and if I can avoid outsourcing my baby hog funds to others and instead breed for my own here, that would be just awesome to me!

Now...the beef calf we are splitting with a friend...that's another story...THAT has "off to the processor not doing this at home" written ALL over it!


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## Chickie2378 (Dec 7, 2011)

I hear you on the 'do it yourself'

We sell to the public.  I must go thru a USDA certified processer to handle our meats for public sale.  So I default and use Kev for everythign I do....but yes I can butcher and have.


It is a great skill to learn how to preserve and make great meats!    Cause if you ever need to, you are way up on anyone else in the 'old neighborhood'


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Dec 7, 2011)

We processed them and had a sausage making party.   It was 2 adult sows about 4-5 yrs old each.  I bought them and a friend penned them for a month to diet down some off the fat and make sure their systems were clean.  (by bought I mean traded for)   

 I don't know how much they weighed but ended up with 50something lbs of sausage and about 10-15lbs of chunked stew type meats. 

We should have set more of the fat aside to mix in with the sausage. While they are a "fat" animal they do not have marbled meat in my experience. 

I found the flavor to be fine. Tasted like pork.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 7, 2011)

I don't have pigs but like you, it is just my husband and I. We are tired of getting the huge amounts of meat that last for over 2 years so I think the Pot Belly Pig idea is a good one. We have stopped getting beef and are now putting alpaca in the freezer. Much smaller amount and we can eat one in a year. I'm sure others may not like the idea of raising something smaller but you have to look at how it will work for your personal life. Sounds like a very good option for you.


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## Chickie2378 (Dec 7, 2011)

Ks....never tasted alpaca.  not a clue.

what is it 'close to' in taste to give me an idea?


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## ksalvagno (Dec 7, 2011)

Probably the closest thing is goat but it isn't quite like goat. We have both in the freezer. It is a red meat so you can still have steaks and everything. We actually like it better than beef. You do have to be very careful cooking it though. You can't cook it well done. It is very lean. It took me a while to get the cooking down so it wasn't tough to eat. Once you figure out how to cook it, it is wonderful!


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## Chickie2378 (Dec 7, 2011)

is a marinading a good thing.  to help the cooking process?
goat was hard for me to learn to cook but if I went by my game recipes for deer I kinda figured it out.

sounds good to me.  I will 'try' to search it out in my area and eat.  I love trying new things.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Dec 7, 2011)

I put a post on CL for problem llamas and alpaca because it's an animal I haven't yet tried/butchered. Haven't had any takers yet but I've seen them posted over the years.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 7, 2011)

I'm sure marinating would be good. I use my Cuisanart grill and my chops and steaks come out great. I just add some salt and pepper or some seasoning.

I bet you will see more and more on Craigslist. At least in Ohio there are quite a few on there. Not necessarily problems but people just wanting to move them.


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## EggsForIHOP (Dec 8, 2011)

Alpacas huh?  Never tried it, but does sound ALMOST like a good idea...I don't think my horses would ever get over it if I brought any home alive though...we saw some out riding one day, and could NEVER go back down that trail!  My gelding would turn around and head for the opposite direction...he is not afraid of ANYTHING, we hunt off of him...but he is NOT going to go NEAR an alpaca!  Cows, goats, pigs, dogs, don't bother him...those alpacas however...he remained calm and would NOT budge one bit closer to them!  I even went back later on foot and the owners came out and I talked to them for a while - nice people, just not my geldings cup of tea....it was funny, he doesn't mind anything else...but those REALLY had him worked up!  And he leads the girls to behave the same way...my mares would have none of this alpaca nonsense either!


You're right though, we all have to do what works for us.  Smaller amounts sounds better all around at our place.  My friend found me 2 young males the same age...she brought them over yesterday...merry Christmas   They are all together right now...at 9 and 10 weeks old, I hope they will be fine, though I do plan to separate soon...but for now they are all cozy together.  One of the boys will be castrated, and will be the first taste test, as will probably one of the girls.  They are now named Nugget and McRib...the other 2 are as of yet nameless...but everyone is fine, no scouring, eating, drinking, cozy in their home.

Now all I have to do is get back into the swing of all things pig   We don't vaccinate, but we do worm...castrate...UGH not my favorite...and I think on the "keepers"  teeth will be clipped....though that is new to me...so I am waiting on hubby to get back...this weekend will be a pig festival I am sure....

I do admit, I was missing having little oinkers around!  Their antics crack me up! i just can't get over it no matter how many young piggies I see, they are all so fun to watch to me!  Once they get bigger, all I see is sausage and bacon...but now I will enjoy them for what they are...cuteness in the pig pen!


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