[Roxy]

Do you always manage to sell all the litters you rear?

I notice that some people who have just moved near us, have gone in for pigs in a big way.  I get the impression they have just started out with pigs.  They have Kune Kune pigs and quite a few commercial breeds too.  They have adverts in various places for their litters, and then you notice the price has been dropped considerably.  As they have a lot of sows, they will have a lot of piglets, and have to sell pretty quick as they will not have the room ..... Another pig breeder says timing is crucial i.e.  you need to have pigs ready round Christmas time, as thats when people will buy more pork.


I would like to breed from my two pigs in the future, and obviously we can keep some ourselves for pork, but there is only so much pork we can eat!!!
I would not want dozens of pigs running round because there is no market for them .....its not like having puppies and kittens - not everyone has room for a pig, do they!!!

[robert waddell]

this is one of the problems that new breeders encounter start with 2 get them in pig farrow them and they have 22 if they keep them to killing the sows have farrowed again and they have42 plus the feeding for 42 easy two tons of feed a month
it is a difficult winter this year financially what looked like a good idea 4 months ago has changed  weaner's being sold for £1  lanark had them for £5 and the buyer bought the remainder of them even on here weaner's for£25 plus a bag of feeding
pedigree pigs should sell dolly mixtures are harder to move but you can always eat them

[HappyHippy]

It's a chance you take when it comes to breeding. I know I've done lots of thinking about it and will only breed if I'm not left with more piglets left than I can afford to feed.
Bad planning/timing can account for piglets left - nobody really wants to buy weaners at the end of the year and raise them during the winter, similarly if the breeder isn't experienced or well known people may be wary of buying from them. Dropping prices in an attempt to shift them just makes people wary
I go on the saying "If you can't afford to keep it, don't breed it" - but that's just me 

[Hilarysmum]

Although its probably different here :  I find spring piglets always oversell.  I breed for meat and sell the excess.  For later piglets I often sell them to people with no land, keep them here rear to killing weight, take to abattoir and owner (who pays monthly for the feed so as not to be landed with a big bill at the end) pays for and collects the carcass.  I find this moves on a lot more piglets.  People do like to visit their pigs too.

[Fowgill Farm]

It always worries me when i see people leap straight into breeding and i always advise starting with a couple of fatteners to see how you go. Pig keeping is not for everyone!
Saying that i agree that it is jolly difficult to shift piglets born September onwards thro to end of January. Piglets born end of Jan thro to mid june go like hotcakes as people want summer pork for BBQ's and may -june piglets make Xmas pork. Because of the age of my two newest gilts it looks like i'm going to end up with two autumn litters but i'm loath to hold the girls back until a more suitable time as i now have a 2yr old gilt who i put off breeding from because the time wasn't right unable to be got in pig and sadly it looks like she'll have to go for sausages!
Roxy i would be tempted to keep an eye on these people welfarewise they may be tempted to cut corners as it sounds from your comments as though they are getting desperate to shift stock and when people get desparado sadly there's always a price to pay and its usually the animals that suffer as a consequence!!.
Sorry to sound a doom & gloom merchant but 'fraid have seen it happen all too often!!
Mandy 

[Blinkers]

I'd second everything Fowgill has said above      Its another reason we only breed one litter a year from each of our 4 sows as we aim for Spring/Summer weaners and those that'll finish for Xmas and sometimes for Easter.

M

[Eve]

A lady we bought our weaners from last year had a litter in spring (which we bought half of), but also in winter and late summer. She's given up breeding now, as she couldn't sell the other litters. Such a shame, she looked so well after her pigs!

[violet]

I'm really glad to see this post & agree with the majority of what has been said.

I was told by a pig breeder with over 30 years experience, that if you don't get a pig 'in-pig' soon after she matures - I'm under the impression that is before she is a year old - that she will start to lay fat down on her ovaries and go infertile. The same can occur if you leave it too long between pregnancies too.

So I was in a rush to get my 2 gilts serviced ( long story), but I currently have 9, 4-5 month old weaners running round! I had plenty of enquiries & my first litter weaned mid October sold without a problem. It is expensive to feed them, but bit by bit I seem to be getting bookings for the meat. Usually, including our own requirements I should be able to grow on for meat about half of the weaners my sows ( now), produce. I was partially prepared for this, but the cost of raising my gilt from weaner to breeding age, meant that in the long term her fertility was more important.
But I am now in the process of adapting my sows cycles to times that are more suitable to selling weaners. So if you are buying weaners to breed from, the time of year they were born is really quite important for any breeding plans you may have.

Personally I have found that time of year for meat sales, makes little difference to my customers. Many buy a half pig - which is a big expense before Christmas, so they may prefer to buy during the year & hold back a leg for a special occasion if they want. I've tried Hilaries Mum idea, but have had no takers yet, though people are interested in the thought they can pay monthly. So it will happen one day!

Good Luck 

Time is everything. The longer you are around the more confidence people will have in you and gradually it will fall into place.

[Roxy]

Thank you all for your detailed and informative replies.  I have a while to go before my two piglets are ready to breed from.  I
have time to think about things, and see which is the best way forward.  Your good advice will be very useful to refer to - so thanks again.  I am not one of these people who go headlong into something, ......and certainly not something which leaves me with lots of unwanted piglets running round the place

[Hilarysmum]

At least with pigs as opposed to kittens and puppies, you can have meat in the freezer.

[princesspiggy]

  For later piglets I often sell them to people with no land, keep them here rear to killing weight, take to abattoir and owner (who pays monthly for the feed so as not to be landed with a big bill at the end) pays for and collects the carcass.  I find this moves on a lot more piglets.  People do like to visit their pigs too.

thats such a great idea. 2 friends asked me bout that last year, never crossed my mind that people did that and it would work. worth considering again maybe!!
wev done a 2nd attempt at AI, another week to wait... so no hurry then!!

[chickenfeed]

it is something we thought about and then steered away from after hearing about a guy that decided he could keep whole litters and let people pay monthly, trouble was he was let down by a number of people they paid for a couple of weeks/months then nothing so ended up having to feed more pigs than he usually would and ended up taking some to market at a loss. he now just rears a few at a time that he sells with ease and sells the weaners on through smallholders mags etc.

[Hilarysmum]

That is the risk. 

[robert waddell]

i have never tried this idea BUT if the weaner's are sold (for whatever price) then monthly acc for feeding even if they dissapear like snow of a Dyke (the buyers) in the end you are not out pocket even if you are left to eat them yourself       it must be like selling homing pigeons??

[blonde]

I sell all my pigs  to an abattoir. I breed the  large sows and they have their babies and I grow them on to finisher and then sell them on to the abattoir who kills and  markets  the meat.   I get  paid according to the rate and as long as my weight and back fat fill in with their schedule I get full price. If it is outside their rate then I get penalized and paid less per kg.