Author Topic: Help.... (Read 3807 times)

pigs in space · « **on:** March 23, 2011, 05:02:14 pm »

Im at a point where fairly soon I will be looking to start my own "SmallHolding".
Can anyone suggest a good starting point with regards to keeping a pig or three. Cost of purchase, feeding, slaughter, etc.

Thanks.

ambriel · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2011, 05:38:57 pm »

Do you want to go straight into the whole slaughter thing right off?

We got three lovely Kune Kune pigs which we're keeping as family pets and using as lovely living learning tools. They're supposed to be a good introduction to pigs because they're smaller and are very good natured.

For what it's worth, I paid £100 per piglet. They're pedigree but because we didn't want to get involved with breeding (at this stage anyway) had them castrated.

oaklandspigs · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2011, 05:59:18 pm »

Good starting point would be...

1. Our book
or...
2. Our course

www.oaklandspigs.co.uk

Both will tell you all you need to set up, and include costs, and what meat you get.

Ok - advert over!

Taking on weaners (typically 6-8 week old piglets "weaned" from their mother) through to pork is relatively easy, but you need to consider a few things, such as where to get them from (finding good breeders), how much to pay (varies from £30-£100 for weaners dependent on what you are buying and for what) , where to locate them (giving shade and shelter, as well as rooting ability), how much space to give them (space to eat inc. rooting, space to sleep, space to dung), fencing (typically stock and/or electric), housing (typically a pig ark, either bought or home made, but you can use budilings and brick built sheds), feeding (typically a pig "nut" plus extras that are legal to feed), water (both to drink and to wallow in), how to transport (collect in dog crate?, to slaughter in a legal trailer), where to find an abattoir and a good butcher, and know and keep records for the many regulations.

Now this may look a daunting list, but tackle each item, and plenty on here will tell you that it is both fun, and produces fantastic meat. Done right you can make a little money, or get your own meat free by selling enough to pay your costs with meat left for you.

Good luck !

supplies for smallholders · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2011, 06:59:13 pm »

As usual a comprehensive list from Oakland Pigs

But before any of those things get a CPH Number and Pig Herd Number from DEFRA / Animal Health.

Thanks

Sudanpan · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2011, 07:10:33 pm »

We did the course at Oaklands

Last year we had 4 GOS weaners as our intro into pig keeping, bought them at 3 months old, and kept them for 4 months when they turned into the best pork, ham, sausages and bacon we have ever had

I costed out what it cost us in terms of purchase, feed, slaughter and butchery - it came out at about £175 per pig, but this did NOT include costs of the initial setup, ie:
Fencing, ark, water and feed troughs and of course our own time.
Go for it

Tish

Womble · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2011, 07:23:19 pm »

Quote from: oaklandspigs on March 23, 2011, 05:59:18 pm

Good starting point would be...

1. Our book

Shameless advertising it may be

, but also absolutely sound advice. I'd read a couple of pig 'picture books' before I bought the Oaklands book, and there really was no comparison. Highly recommended

.

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2011, 08:46:20 am »

Agree if you can get on a course do. If you can find people with pigs who will let you be hands on with theirs as well.

Before you embark on pigs please research the costs. A pig will typically eat 2/3 kilos pig nuts a day. Will need straw, fresh water (a cost if you are on metred water). It is frightening the number of people here in our area who buy pigs and think they will live on weeds and fresh air, and the awful results when they try this.

Of course if reared properly you will have the absolutely best pork and bacon ever. Well worth the costs, plus the joy of keeping the pigs.

loosey · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2011, 09:16:13 am »

We paid anywhere from £35 to £45 for our weaners and even had a couple given to us for free from a contact through my OH's work! We had 9 weaners last year and they were getting through a ton of food a month - over £250

Our slaughter house charges around £45 for slaughter, butchering and labelling ... curing for bacon and ham and sausages are extra.

Pig feed seems to keep getting more expensive but you can supplement their diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg (we have a veg store that gives us all their slightly bendy carrots etc!) and we also have a local bakery who give us all their surplus bread for free which helps a lot!

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2011, 09:29:29 am »

Again shameful advert but try reading 'Starting with Pigs' on the GOS forum. It a free resource for all pigkeepers regardless of breed.
Contact local piggy keepers and go round for a chat. Read up as much as you can there are several very good books available for a few pounds.
Don't underestimate how much it will cost. I have had a nasty huge vets bill last month and its really knocked the most humumgous hole in my budget, also rising costs, last year £150 bought me 12 huge heston bales this year it bought 7!!!!
HTH
Mandy

Eve · « **Reply #9 on:** March 25, 2011, 07:37:11 pm »

Quote

Please keep the replies coming

We're only warming up yet!

Have a trawl around this forum, it's full of very useful advice. Visit some pigkeepers, too - always interesting to see other people's set-up.
And welcome to the forum!

Beewyched · « **Reply #10 on:** March 25, 2011, 08:00:50 pm »

Quote from: pigs in space on March 23, 2011, 05:02:14 pm

Im at a point where fairly soon I will be looking to start my own "SmallHolding".
Can anyone suggest a good starting point with regards to keeping a pig or three. Cost of purchase, feeding, slaughter, etc.

Thanks.

Hiya Steve

welcome

What region are you in? There's loads of really experienced piggy peops

on here & it's a great way of getting support. Read books, look at the threads on here, go on a Pig Keeping course & get to know the folks on here - you can arrange to go & see other's set-ups & maybe they can visit you & help/advise you with your holding, point you in the direction of good stock & suppliers.

If you think it's for you, sort out the Regulations first - CPH no etc.

Tudful Tamworths · « **Reply #11 on:** March 28, 2011, 11:15:47 pm »

Just make sure you know how many pigs you really need/want, and what you will do with the surplus meat. I've had some people (fortunately, not many) contacting me after buying weaners, asking if I want to buy meat from them. Don't take on more than you can handle (both in terms of using/selling meat and in terms of how many your land can take).
As others have said, it's really important to visit other pig keepers and see what's involved. If you can do a course, great, but if there's nothing suitable within easy reach, offer to go and "help" for a day or so with a local breeder. Find out the pros and cons of pig keeping before making your decision on what you buy.
Good luck
Liz
PS. I've got a book out, too - but feel free to ask as many questions as you like here. If you prefer, send me a PM.

Beewyched · « **Reply #12 on:** March 29, 2011, 08:30:03 pm »

Wow, folks food bills scare the life out of me

- if you get a couple of Kune Kune weaners now, you will only have to supplement feed them for a few months & the summer grass will do the rest - depending on how much land you've got of course (KKs - 6 to an acre for rotating paddocks every 3/4 months). You will need to raise them for about 10 months, as they take longer to mature, but they are amazingly easy to keep - just don't fall in love with them too much!!!