Author Topic: Thinking of getting pigs (Read 6648 times)

pjbsparky · « **on:** September 18, 2011, 03:29:52 pm »

Hi there, we have just moved our horse onto some land that we are renting, we have around 15 acres to play with, mainly for the horses but I would love to get some pigs, mostly for meat, also I love pigs ( might be a problem when I come to slaughter them )
We have plenty of space for them so that wont be a problem but what I have read on feeding them it seems not to be commercially viable as the cost of the pigs over the six months could far outweigh the ammount I could get for the meat produced, is this the case??? I wouldnt want to get 2 pigs, feed them up and have them butchered and be down a couple of hundred pounds and still not have any meat!!! I may have this completely wrong!!!! Also the kitchen waste thing, is this for commercial kitchens only? If I had some potato peal or carrot ends from doing a sunday dinner, is it illegal for me to take it to the pigs as a tasty treat?

Any advice would be welcome

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2011, 04:04:01 pm »

Quote from: pjbsparky on September 18, 2011, 03:29:52 pm

We have plenty of space for them so that wont be a problem but what I have read on feeding them it seems not to be commercially viable as the cost of the pigs over the six months could far outweigh the ammount I could get for the meat produced, is this the case???

You probably won't make money selling the porkers at the mart or to your local butcher. You would want to be looking at rearing pigs to pork / bacon weight, getting them slaughtered and butchered and selling direct to the consumer. Here, half-pigs sell for £120 to £150, freezer-ready.

HappyHippy did some good analysis on the economics of pigs - can anyone supply a link to it? I had a look but couldn't find it.

Quote from: pjbsparky on September 18, 2011, 03:29:52 pm

Also the kitchen waste thing, is this for commercial kitchens only? If I had some potato peal or carrot ends from doing a sunday dinner, is it illegal for me to take it to the pigs as a tasty treat?

Yes, that is illegal. If it's been in any kind of kitchen (except one purely for the preparation of pigs' meals) it is illegal. You'll have to start peeling and topping your carrots in the veg plot.

pjbsparky · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2011, 06:16:27 pm »

Obviously there is a good reason for the kitchen waste thing so if i peeled my potatos in the car on the way back from tescos I should be ok ha

Is it because they may be eaten? would it be the same if the pig was purely a pet? as i feed the dog allsorts ha

So it can be commercially viable if you sell the produce yourself and keep some good bits for personal use, if you have a source for waste veg or bread etc is that ok to use? is the commercial feed the best thing to use?

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** September 18, 2011, 06:30:21 pm »

the good reason is because the kitchen waste may have come into contact with meat or meat products
the same rules apply to either pet or for meat
once friends and family know you have pigs they will be wanting to buy especially if you can market it to them
waste veg is better bread is to starchy if you feed a lot commercial feed has the correct balance for your pigs
nothing wrong with a mixture of commercial feed veg waste and some bread
if you are intending to produce for sale to others you will have to be very carefull as costs will exceed income especially if you are selling through a market your best outlet for the meat is yourself

oaklandspigs · « **Reply #4 on:** September 18, 2011, 06:50:00 pm »

If you sell to burchers then you'll not be making a profit. If you sell to family & friends, and don't count your set up costs, you should be able to sell half the pig to pay all the feed costs, so giving you half a pig free. But include all your costs, and making a large profit will not be your goal. There are no rich pig farmers!

The main reasons smallholders keep pigs are for the pleasure, knowing where your food comes from, and great tasting food (makes supermarket pork taste like cardboard).

Grow for these reasons, and you will be happy !

robert waddell · « **Reply #5 on:** September 18, 2011, 07:18:43 pm »

if there is one thing that gets right up my nose it is the posters that come on this forum and lambast the products of British farming
it is of little wonder that the big pig producers distance themselves from rare and minority pig breeders and we will never get a better market share other than to friends and family
the butcher is not going to buy whole pigs if he cannot sell all the pig the vast majority of butchers pigs are supplied from these commercial farmers that are lambasted when was the last time you saw a 30 ft pig to supply the chop market and if it is chops that is being bought there is no bacon that day
not all butchers are skinflints some do pay a reasonable price(you still wont make a fortune)

pjbsparky · « **Reply #6 on:** September 18, 2011, 08:12:42 pm »

Thanks everyone, im definately not after making millions ha, I just dont want to be massively out of pocket after 6 months, obviously I dont mind being slightly out of pocket as I will be getting my own free range pork that I have hand reared.
This is definately not a business venture more because I have this land and want to use it, I have always loved pigs especially eating them he he so I think giving a couple of them a good home for 6 months and feeding me, my family and friends is really what im after, unless its going to cost me hundreds of pounds by buying commercial feed and paying for slaughter, butchery etc etc.

HappyHippy · « **Reply #7 on:** September 18, 2011, 10:07:54 pm »

I'd echo everyone else - you 'll never get rich doing it, but you'll have greta fun, learn loads and have the bonus of the best pork you've ever tasted

I can't remember the exact costings off the top of my head and the forum's all changed but for a rough calculation
Pigs - £50 each
Food to get to 85Kg liveweight each £150 (approximately, these costs vary hugely !)
Kill & butchery £50 (varies from area to area)
You'll get around 50Kg of pork products from an 85Kg liveweight pig.
You should break even with 2, make a slight profit with 3 (especially if you can find a good, legal source of supplimentary feeding for cheap or free) I wouldn't go for many more than 6 for your first attempt, smaller numbers are easier to manage and easier to spot problems with

Try, if possible to get all the same sex too

Butchers - most butchers aren't interested in 'home reared' pigs as generally they have too much fat on the carcass for their liking, but then again, I've had butchers tell me they've never seen a carcass that looked as good as mine from a commercial grower - the colour of the meat, the condition of the carcass etc - it all depends how well you raise your pigs and how much learning you do throughout the process.
HTH
Karen

gavo · « **Reply #8 on:** September 18, 2011, 10:53:37 pm »

Robert,
Can you honestly say that commercial pork( as bought in a supermarket) has any taste or texture worth bragging about whether it is British or otherwise. Now don't get me wrong i buy British products whenever i can but not if it is tasteless.It is NOT the producers fault but these animals are produced for quick growth and conformity of carcase to feed a nations (perceived) need for "cheap" food.It is like many mass produced products something gets lost .

oaklandspigs · « **Reply #9 on:** September 19, 2011, 08:58:31 am »

I think it is a perfectly reasonable view that indoor reared pork does not taste like outdoor reared pork - that is hardly "lambasting the products of british farming" - I am a keen supporter of the current NPA campaign, and the recent protests outside Tesco are a demonstarion of how pig farmers are feeling about the power of the supermarkets.

It would be impossible to move the UK herd outdoors, both in welfare and practical terms, and the UK has the highest welfare standards in Europe, so I advocate buying British to ensure these standards (which the UK unilaterally opted for many years ago) are maintained, and that derogations for things such as sow stalls are not permitted in Europe.

I also don't share Robert's view that most butchers are skinflints - all the butchers I know are really good guys, but they compete with the supermarkets so can't afford to pay the price, so come on Robert, stop dissing British butchers !! - that could get right up some people's noses

No you're right Robert -"Cardboard" was a bit rude, and apologies to anyone commercial people offended by it !

Rosemary · « **Reply #10 on:** September 19, 2011, 12:54:24 pm »

It's so hard to know what to buy. Now we've run out of our own bacon, I buy Co-op outdoor reared British bacon, which is the best I can find locally. I now buy British over organic imported, but if there is no British that's outdoor bred / reared, I simply don't buy any.

Still, there's a farm shop opening in Carnoustie apparently, so we'll see what they have in stock.

I don't have a problem with indoor reared pigs, so long as they are in good straw bedded yards and so on. Much better that swimming through belly deep mud for sure.

Pheasant pharmer · « **Reply #11 on:** September 19, 2011, 01:58:36 pm »

Hi Pjbsparky,

We have just reared and had killed our first two pigs and the costs have worked out at about £260 per pig (including butchering).
Our pigs were 80kg and 90kg dead weight, which by my rough calculations works out at £1.50 per lb. Clearly this isn't totally accurate as I haven't deducted the weight if discarded bones - but as much wasn't wasted then it's not a bad guide.

This combined with the pleasure of having them around makes it terrific value in my opinion.

Good luck.

PP

pjbsparky · « **Reply #12 on:** September 19, 2011, 09:53:11 pm »

Quote from: HappyHippy on September 18, 2011, 10:07:54 pm

I've had butchers tell me they've never seen a carcass that looked as good as mine

Hmmm is that so Karen? I think your butcher may be after a bit more than your pigs

Thanks everyone, thats some good reading, definately gonna get more info and possibly a course under my belt, but as long as im not going to be shelling out with no return (like I am with her bloody horse!!!) then im looking forward to getting started. Also i seem to keep reading conflicting reports on the ammount of land required for 2 pigs up to 6 months, I assume more is better but what is a minimum? Also could I use a stream bank as a boundry or would that be a waste of time?