It wouldn't hurt to give Bacon a 6 pack to drink before the kill , also it may make you feel better about the kill. Feeding them till they can't fold any more just makes for a harder job of cleaning the carcass. To remove the hair from the skin, one can always burn it off with a torch or propane burner.
a probably 3 month old pig walked into my yard..now what?
- Thread starter heckerdy
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Glad all is well with you. Thanks for stopping by w/an update! If you want to sedate the pig 
why not? Better YOU take the zanax and drink a beer though! 
Why "waste" it on the pig? Normally a single shot to the head (bullet or needle gun) and the animal feels nothing. He will be dead before he hits the floor. Think of it the same as killing a deer (or other wild animal for the table) with a rifle. Though in those cases I aim for the center of mass (chest) rather than head, so death normally isn't instantaneous...
Sorry if I'm not as "sentimental" as some... I see it as the natural way of existence... life. Every living thing in nature has to consume something in order to exist/live. We can feed ourselves humanely... we don't have to consume another animal while it's still alive and kicking, ala African plains - think lions... Additionally, Bacon has had an exceptional, carefree, happy life! Not like the typical slaughter hog from corporate farms.
I'd heard about scalding but have exactly zero knowledge about "harvesting" raised pork. I've shot/had wild hog, and didn't keep the skin. Don't know if it has to do with age/size or what? I do like the looks of a roasted whole piglet, skin on, on a platter
Never had, but looking forward to at some point!
why not? Better YOU take the zanax and drink a beer though! Why "waste" it on the pig? Normally a single shot to the head (bullet or needle gun) and the animal feels nothing. He will be dead before he hits the floor. Think of it the same as killing a deer (or other wild animal for the table) with a rifle. Though in those cases I aim for the center of mass (chest) rather than head, so death normally isn't instantaneous...Sorry if I'm not as "sentimental" as some... I see it as the natural way of existence... life. Every living thing in nature has to consume something in order to exist/live. We can feed ourselves humanely... we don't have to consume another animal while it's still alive and kicking, ala African plains - think lions... Additionally, Bacon has had an exceptional, carefree, happy life! Not like the typical slaughter hog from corporate farms.
I'd heard about scalding but have exactly zero knowledge about "harvesting" raised pork. I've shot/had wild hog, and didn't keep the skin. Don't know if it has to do with age/size or what? I do like the looks of a roasted whole piglet, skin on, on a platter
Never had, but looking forward to at some point!- Thread starter
- #103
heckerdy
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thanks you guys! ok I am not going to stress over this ..but I was let me tell you he is really a cool pig this guy! …if only we could have the passing our animals get huh? you know I was so sad the day my dog died but thought "**** if my vet was my doctor this is the way I want to go " she just melted away in my arms my dear girl .. ..oy I miss her she was my first rescue pitty and was a beer thief she would tip them gently at parties if we were out by the fire and just quietly finish beers off people thought they were a lot more drunk than they were when she was around LOL thank you! I will try to post more pics of Bacon he is a big boy now and ..ahem no doubt about the fact he has a pair under his tail! LOL that was so funny I did not know where pigs kept the boy balls!
sadieml
True BYH Addict
Lots of people cook chickens on beer cans (steams the meat with the beer flavor). It was a real fad for a while there. I think giving Bacon a 6-pack send-off is a great idea. I would go cheap on the brand, but by all means let him get a happy buzz. I'm sure it won't affect the meat, but it'll make you feel better. Hey, throw back a couple yourself while you're at it. We don't drink (lots of alcoholism in DH's family), but I would do the same thing. Let him have a snout full! (Sorry for the lame pun, I just couldn't resist.
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goatgurl
Herd Master
when i started this self sufficient journey some 40 years ago i had a small herd of mixed breed beef cattle and i purchased an absolutely gorgeous herford bull who i promptly named bill aka bill the bull. we had him for almost 2 years and i loved that stupid, sweet, gentle guy. i took it hard when the x butchered him and hauled him off to be processed but i was handling it until i came in one day and opened the fridge. there in a clear plastic bag was the heart that loved me, the tongue that licked my pants leg and the other parts. i lost it and demanded the x take it out of my house so he took it up to the café and gave it to the cook and waitress. they were thrilled to have it and i was equally thrilled to get rid of it. we had over 700 pounds of prime beef to eat and i didn't enjoy one bite. the moral of the story is , don't play with your food. that taught me a valuable lesson. now i try really hard to give whatever is going to feed me the best, happiest life i can as well as the least traumatic death. i hope for your sake bacon gets big and obnoxious so it will be easier for you. Latestarter may have a good plan, you take the valium and wash it down with the beer. and to answer your question about size and skinning vs scalding, we butchered hogs in the 250 to 300# range and scalded and scraped them all. I'm thinking they don't get to big for that.
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heckerdy
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thanks ! Sadiemi! you are right LOL
Goatgurl the story helps and that is why the ducks are so easy for me ..they are dumb as rocks and while I love seeing them in the yard and enjoy them they are always potental food and workers in my yard ..
I will be honest if he turns out to be a mellow beast he may not be killed !
I have a back up plan and a place to let him go live if we bail on killing him
but that is not very likely I am emotional but not silly my Lithuanian husband's favorite meat is pork! he has all kinds of memories of his grammas dishes from fresh pork they raised before they moved to the city so ..he will eat it if I do not my son is actually and strangely allergic to pork but the kids and DIL adore it as well
but I think i would be like you in this if he gets too lovable I will not be able to eat him ..
and I "GET" what you felt seeing the heart and tongue but good for you just passing them on to someone who would really enjoy it
this isn't nor should it be "easy" don't you agree? we need to "feel" for our animals that is part of doing this at home ..the mass production lost the "feeling" for animals hence we have the cruelty we see in mass production. I really believe in small farming on a grand scale instead of the other way around ..makes sense I hope
Goatgurl the story helps and that is why the ducks are so easy for me ..they are dumb as rocks and while I love seeing them in the yard and enjoy them they are always potental food and workers in my yard ..
I will be honest if he turns out to be a mellow beast he may not be killed !
I have a back up plan and a place to let him go live if we bail on killing him
but that is not very likely I am emotional but not silly my Lithuanian husband's favorite meat is pork! he has all kinds of memories of his grammas dishes from fresh pork they raised before they moved to the city so ..he will eat it if I do not my son is actually and strangely allergic to pork but the kids and DIL adore it as well
but I think i would be like you in this if he gets too lovable I will not be able to eat him ..
and I "GET" what you felt seeing the heart and tongue but good for you just passing them on to someone who would really enjoy it
this isn't nor should it be "easy" don't you agree? we need to "feel" for our animals that is part of doing this at home ..the mass production lost the "feeling" for animals hence we have the cruelty we see in mass production. I really believe in small farming on a grand scale instead of the other way around ..makes sense I hope
goatgurl
Herd Master
herkerdy I totally get what you are saying. it is never easy for me to butcher anything that i raise be it rabbit, chicken, duck, goat, sheep, pig or cow. i just try to keep my distance from the ones destined for the dinner table. bill taught me that. i make sure they have the best life they can have, the easiest death possible and thank them for giving their life for my gain. it also helps that i keep the mamas and have them to love on and baby. that way i don't have that empty nest syndrome when the time comes. just enjoy him while he is young but keep in the back of your mind that he will be pork chops and bacon someday. if it got to where i didn't care one way or the other about their death I'd just quit raising them. you have to have respect for them, their lives have a purpose and i so understand that.
on a side note, has anyone but me noticed how many old nurses there on this site? hmmm
on a side note, has anyone but me noticed how many old nurses there on this site? hmmm
frustratedearthmother
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I noticed! Even though I'm not a nurse, I'm married to an old nurse, lol! Shhhh, don't tell anyone that I called him old!
The part where large hog farmers not "feeling" for animals is a myth perpetrated by the animal rights activists. My wife's cousin owns a large hog operation ( 800 acres and leases another 640 acres) and he takes great pride of his pigs and of his operation which is very safe and tidy ( with biosecurity in place ) not only for his pigs but for his family as well as their house is just 50 yards from the farrowing barn. Also, I know several large hog operations that I visited quite often when I was working at a University Veterinary Pathology Department. Hey, the truth is these folks and their families livelyhoods depend on the well being of their charges so when they sell the animals, they can glean a profit if all of them are healthy and happy, the healtheir they are, the better they look and bring a higher price at auction. Then they have to pass a USDA veterinary inspection of their carcassses and when they are sold to the public, they are NOT sued do to someone coming down with a desease.
