Large Blacks (or another heritage hog?)

[yankeehill]

I'm in Maine....thinking of getting some Large Blacks next year, if hubby will let me...I see they'll forage well, and don't do too well on grain. This year we've got mixed pink pigs - no idea what all they are...they are pork.

WHAT do I feed these Large Black's come winter?

How do I house them...I hope to have a barn built, but may not...will a lean to with lots of hay be enough in the winter to keep them warm?

What age can they be slaughtered at?

Anyone have a feed ratio for them? Will it be pretty much grazing all summer, grain in winter?

I read somewhere that Large Black's can't be shown for 4H or something like that? Why not? (Maybe 4H should start a Heritage Breed club?)

I'm sure I'll have MANY more questions...I'm really new to this...thanks so much!

What other Heritage Hogs would be suited to Maine winters?

Which Heritage hog grows off the fastest? (I realize most heritage breeds are slower growers...but is there a quicker one?)

And is there really a market for such animals? Many of my friends have said they'd love to raise Large Blacks...but what price can they pay/are they willing to pay for these?

 

[fair weather chicken]

great questions we are looking to do the same except in Michigan will be watching for advice.

 

[Teeah3612]

I just ask a lot of the same questions and got great answers.

Here is the link to the thread... http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=21096

The subject line is "What Breed?"

 

[Royd Wood]

Yankeehill
Its good you already have pigs so if you can get some LBs then go for it.
Your winter is no probs for them outside providing they can get into some dry bedding in a shelter, feed em pretty much anything but the secret is do it slowly otherwise on a commercial feed they tend to put too much fat on. Summertime - good pasture is fine but will still need grain, fruit, veg, dairy products and whatever you can scrounge - same in winter.
4H - Think there is age limits on pigs so a LB would not fare well against a pinkie loaded on commercial feed - thats why they are now rare
slaughter 9 to 12 months
most heritige hogs would breeze a Mich / Maine winter - my North Manitoba friend would confirm that
No market ready made - you have to do that, your product will back you up though as the pork from old breeds is just amazing
Good Luck and ask away on here as Animalfarm and Cornish have LBs with lots of good advice

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Royd has already given you some good answers but I will do may best to chip in here too

WHAT do I feed these Large Black's come winter?

We pretty much feed ours the same year round, the only difference is in that winter when they pasture is gone, or in a drought like we have now, they are also on free choice hay. Due to the number of Large Blacks that we have here (24 mature breeding stock plus piglets) we do feed commercial feed. HOWEVER they do not get or need anywhere near as much as a commercial pig. Ours get 3-4 lbs of 15% pig pellet each day plus scraps, milk & eggs etc. Hoping to add more milk in the future so will then cut down the grain.

How do I house them...I hope to have a barn built, but may not...will a lean to with lots of hay be enough in the winter to keep them warm?

Large Blacks are raised from Alaska, northern Canada to Florida & are very versatile. Some of ours have access to the barn but others have PortaHuts. As long as you have two or more so they can cuddle up to each other you will not need a huge amount of hay, just some to help with the warmth. They will eat it so you will need to keep it replenished.

What age can they be slaughtered at?

10-14mths

Anyone have a feed ratio for them? Will it be pretty much grazing all summer, grain in winter?

They will need supplemental feed all year round. When it really gets cold up there you may need to give a little more as they will be using more energy to keep warm.

I read somewhere that Large Black's can't be shown for 4H or something like that? Why not? (Maybe 4H should start a Heritage Breed club?)

Royd's answer was correct in this. Unfortunately 4H pigs are grown as fast as possible & not for quality of meat. The timelines are totally unrealistic for heritage breeds.

I'm sure I'll have MANY more questions...I'm really new to this...thanks so much!

What other Heritage Hogs would be suited to Maine winters?

Most heritage breeds will adapt - you just need to make sure that wherever you purchase your pigs they are being raised as you would raise them. If the breeder has them all confined in pens & you want to pasture them then go somewhere else. You want those good pasturing genetics still intact!

Which Heritage hog grows off the fastest? (I realize most heritage breeds are slower growers...but is there a quicker one?)

I think they are all pretty much the same - have been in our experience anyways.

And is there really a market for such animals? Many of my friends have said they'd love to raise Large Blacks...but what price can they pay/are they willing to pay for these?

There is a market but like Royd said you have to build it. It is HARD work. We very rarely sell a pig locally. Most of our pigs are shipped all over the USA from the west coast to the east coast & into Canada. BUT that market did not happen overnight.

Research your market. Are you going to be selling piglets or pork, maybe some of both. We focus on breeding stock here, that is our market & we sell off our feeders at 8 weeks old only keeping enough for feeding ourselves. Other breeders are in the pork market - they get a premium price for this meat. Never ever try & compete with your regular commercial breeder, you will lose before you even start. Create your niche market whatever that is but don't expect it to happen overnight.

All the best,

Liz

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

And is there really a market for such animals? Many of my friends have said they'd love to raise Large Blacks...but what price can they pay/are they willing to pay for these?


From one Mainah to another...

I think if you did a good job "educating" people in the benefits of heritage breeds, you could build a sucessful desire for them.

There are some who will always, "just want a pig". That is where we were this year. We wanted a couple of pigs so that we could learn about them, see if we thought we would like to do it in the future and get some home raised pork. So we got Yorkshires from Penn and honestly it wouldn't have really mattered what breed they were.

Now that we know we really enjoy raising them, we will in the future, most likely seek out a heritage breed. So you have those folks.

Then you have folks that like the idea of "heritage breed" anythings. So easy enough.

I think even in Maine you could build a market. Best wishes!

 

[yankeehill]

Thank you all! I THINK there is a market here...but I don't know if people are willing or able to pay the prices I am seeing large blacks selling for. I guess in theory, once you have invested in your breeding stock, and sold a litter, I think you'd break even...but, I don't know it's the whole 'walmart syndrome' I call it - people are so used to paying very little for things, that they can't see paying more...little white piggies here run $85 to $100....I'm seeing some heritage mixes selling for $125, and $200 for the purebreds.

Ya'll have done a great job answering my questions...thank you....I LOVE the idea of the heritage breeds, and if I had the money now, I'd totally be buying a few...but, this is going to be a slower project I think....

And I wonder if it would be easier to sell the pork, as opposed to selling piglets. Most people are raising their own pigs for one of two reasons it seems - #1, the cost of it and #2, the health of it...so I think these are the people who are looking to buy the cheaper piglets. BUT, if I could break into the market of those who want the pork for the third reason - preservation of the heritage breed, that would help for sure.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

.little white piggies here run $85 to $100....I'm seeing some heritage mixes selling for $125, and $200 for the purebreds.

That is exactly why I said do not even try to compete with the commercial guy - you will never make it. Once you figure how much pigs really cost to raise & feed and remember it is not just the 8 weeks that they are raising the piglets but the 4mths before that then you will soon realize that folks selling cheap are not making any money. No offense but most of them have day jobs that are supplementing their farms so they do not care.

We make no secret of what we charge for piglets & neither do we drop our prices when folks ask. Our registered breeding stock starts at $350 & goes as high as $600. Yes that is for an 8 week old piglet. HOWEVER neither do we try & sell all our piglets as registered but only sell as registered the ones that are the absolute best. The rest get sold off as feeders & our feeders start at $150. If people call us wanting a $30 feeder pig we politely tell them that we are not the right place.

If you are marketing a quality animal you are marketing to a completely different set of people who expect to pay more to get quality. Just like if you wanted to purchase a quality show dog. You would search far & wide to get what you wanted & you would be happy to pay a premium price for it.

SO what am I saying? Your mindset has to be different - think outside the box. If you go the pork way don't sell it cheap - you have a premium product so market it that way.

Liz

 

[yankeehill]

Thank you Liz. This is a TOTALLY new venture for me, but something I have ALWAYS wanted to do....

Another option I'm thinking of, MAYBE is to raise the pigs and sell them by the pound, dropping them off at the butchers....not sure how that would hash out, but it is an idea...if I can get my dear sweet hubby on board...he's a work in progress. He's all for farm animals, but he's of the mindset that a pig...is a pig...is a pig....perhaps I should get a hold of some heritage meat to compare to our hog this fall....he certainly knows that a dairy cow is a dairy cow, and a beef cow is a beef cow. Not sure why it is hard to see the difference in things like this sometimes.

I have all winter to work on him...and gather finances together for a breeder....I assume sows could also be inseminated? I have a friend who has all the supplies for cows and has offered assistance before...that might appeal to him as well..having just a few sows around....

Maybe I'll ask for a breeder piglet for Christmas.

 

[fair weather chicken]

really great posts. we do pastured poultry and we stress the difference in treatment in raising and processing.with the jump in feed costs we are looking for animals that will ease the feed bill/ if they take longer but don't raise the feed bill that will be our route. 14 months on pork will just take planning. we definitely will sell by the package as most people will probably not afford a whole hog. now we just have to find a breeder close enough to us. again thanks for all the info and support.