rachels.haven's Journal

[Baymule]

Hog lard, slowly melted over low heat, pour it off as it melts. This keeps the lard basically tasteless and white. When it gets down to the cracklins, the lard will have a strong taste, that’s why to keep pouring it off. Then heat that lard and pour in quart jars, lid and ring, it will seal.

 

[Ridgetop]

Gotta remember that. Pie crust made with lard is the best! Lard can be hard to find n the grocery store - or maybe that is just in California.

 

[Mini Horses]

AGHs don't carry taint. My breeding boars went to butcher right from the field. Sweet tasting!

Lard was excellent. And no preservatives like store bought.

 

[Ridgetop]

Rachel's gonna be eating pork soon!

 

[rachels.haven]

Started today off by feeding the poultry, baby goats, bucks and discovering I had to glove up and pull a dead, distended piglet from mom hog's daughter (fed the others first). Two newborns running around, two other dead piglets to throw out. Mom hog's survivor appears to be gone (erm... Bailey the pig hater, perhaps?) Or maybe one of the ones I threw out. They get too close to mom especially at night when it's chilly and get squished. I'm not sure if the daughter is done. I might need to build a shed of some sort with a divided corner or and a heat lamp or farrowing crate if I wanted to keep breeding...that or only keep very lean sows. Too much belly fat to lay with piglets.

 

[farmerjan]

I am not a fan of farrowing crates... but at this point it might be your only alternative. And at the risk of sounding rather crass, but in the temps we are having, they are not crowding close to the sow for heat so much as for familiarity... but I agree that a corner with a raised board to where she cannot lay against the side and the pigs can get away from her, may be a very necessary addition.
Are these Guinea Hogs? I was not aware that they were so fatty. The pot belly pigs are fat and actually are pretty useless for normal consumption since we do not use so terribly much fat in this country.
It also could be the "family genes".... I had 400 lb big hogs having pigs and not lay on any... literally, one of the things I was very particular about.... They had to have a minimum 8 pigs for the first litter... 10 or more for the 2nd... and they had to raise all live born pigs. I started with a sow that was out of a litter of 7 and only ever had 9 pigs.... but she raised every live pig she had and I only kept females from her to develop my line.. yet every daughter I kept had 10-134 everytime...
And they had to NOT be aggressive to me, even if the pigs were squealing, they had to accept my voice as "OKAY"..... disposition was as important as anything else. I had one that got aggressive towards me and as soon as the pigs were weaned, she went on a one way trip to town... NO SECOND CHANCES on attitude.
But I was not tolerant of "careless sows".... I had sows that would start to lay down and they literally did it in "slow motion".... and if a pig squealed they would get right back up to check things....
I think that is bred into them...

I feel bad for your hog breeding problems.

 

[rachels.haven]

My pigs have never checked if a piglet squealed. You could castrate them next to the pen and mom would be unperturbed. The deaths stop when the piglets learn to run away.

So the pigs are listed on CL. DH is being stubborn about getting a truck or trailer so I can not take anyone to processing so listed they are.

I have to remember, I can raise meat wethers great! And chicken and duck and goose too! We don't need pork.

 

[Baymule]

You might think about raisins a couple of feeder pigs. Buy pigs from somebody else, and raise to butcher size. Make arrangements with someone with truck and trailer and take to slaughter.

 

[farmerjan]

If you cannot move the pigs quickly enough... I know several people in SW Va... and parts of TN... and one guy does alot of buying and selling of cattle and such... PM me and I will get you hooked up with someone who can maybe haul something for you... Also... ask at a slaughter house nearby, they know people with trucks and trailers and I am sure you would be able to find someone to do a haul for you. There is also a new slaughter facility being built in TN and I can find out where and they are going to do cattle and are already looking for sources... I am thinking they will be doing at least hogs also... I don't know alot about it but know people who do and can get you info....

 

[SageHill]

My pigs have never checked if a piglet squealed. You could castrate them next to the pen and mom would be unperturbed. The deaths stop when the piglets learn to run away.

So the pigs are listed on CL. DH is being stubborn about getting a truck or trailer so I can not take anyone to processing so listed they are.

I have to remember, I can raise meat wethers great! And chicken and duck and goose too! We don't need pork.

There’s at least one mobile processor here. Not sure if you’ve got them out there. Just something to keep in mind. We drove by the cattle ranch here the other week and he was there working. Saw 3 hanging just like in a butcher shop (kicking myself for not getting a pic).