[welshlass181]

Since i have 10 piglets that are obviously going to be with us over winter i thought i'd try cooking a whole one for xmas day.  Has anybody done this before?  Is there a certain age that is ok to slaughter them?  There is 3 adults and 1 child to feed so i don't need a massive piglet.  They'll be about 20 weeks (ish) old the week before xmas.  These guys have been and will be free range out on the field with hard feed and as much haylage as they can eat.  Is there anything else i could/should do to prepare such a young animal?

[princesspiggy]

i dont think its that young, ours are away at 24 weeks this year. i saw a programme on suckling pigs (french, i think) - now thats young!

[robert waddell]

second princess on this one  your pig could be from 20 kilos to 80 kilos depending on breed and feeding 

[welshlass181]

They are 3/4 kk and 1/4 gos so they'll still be small enough to put in the oven ( i hope)

[chickenfeed]

  i could not fit one of my 20wk old kk's in the oven.

[HappyHippy]

Nope, mine either 
You'll be surprised how fast they grow and how big they are once they're lying on your work surface 
No suggestions as to how to cook it though, sorry ! The only whole pigs I've seen cooked have been on a spit.
Karen 

[bloomer]

i can see someone having to get the barbeque out on xmas day to cook a 20 week old piggy!!!

still probably nicer than turkey!!!

[Hannes]

In Germany, my Origin, a spit roast (or hog roast) is called Spanferkel. That means as much as "milk piglet" or "teat piglet". Traditionally they get roasted and eaten at the age of six weeks with a weight of 12 to 20 kg.
So there You go, its not that uncommon, even the funny Germans do that like that.
Having such little piglets on a spit is rather found in the south of Germany, I am from the north and we would choose a bigger one around 40-60 kg, like what we do here as well.

[Barrett]

Hi all, if it look like it getting to big you could slaughter it before and in freezer (if freezer large enough) , can pigs eat haylage? I know they can't eat hay, mine are not KK they are GOS.  I would try the piglet, have a look on ebay see if you can pick up a spit roaster from somewhere, we had a BBQ new years eve once it was fab.

[welshlass181]

Mine prefer haylage to hay they trampled the hay into the ground where with the haylage they'll lay down and chew it to death (kinda like cows chewing cud) they're still very small and haven't grown much at all.  If they did have a growth spurt i'd take 2 or 3 (promised our local farmer one as he said if we get stuck over winter he'd feed and water them for us) to be killed and dressed then freeze them.  Still got a 4ft chest freezer and a 5ft upright freezer to play with so freezer space isn't an issue.

These ones are 3/4 kk and 1/4 gos and i'm still very new to all this and have no real idea at what rate they should be growing lol they're nice and round and scruffy but i'm putting that fown to winter coats coming in.  We've got a 45gl drum that has been cut in half and if said weaner gets to big i can always cook it in there.

Thank you for your thoughts it is very helpful. 

[SallyintNorth]

can pigs eat haylage? I know they can't eat hay, mine are not KK they are GOS. 

Can't speak for other breeds, but my OSB sow loves hay.  She eats a lot of grass, too.

[Barrett]

Mine will eat grass and freshley cut grass they go mad for that but I am sure I read or heard somewhere that hay is the only thing that pigs can't digest properly, they are like people though what one person likes another doesn't, I just didn't want to give them something that they shouldn't have.

[welshlass181]

Mine have a big bale of haylage that they help themselves to and i used to feed on a bed of hay/haylage and they'd gobble it up. 

[Blonde]

Since i have 10 piglets that are obviously going to be with us over winter i thought i'd try cooking a whole one for xmas day.  Has anybody done this before?  Is there a certain age that is ok to slaughter them?  There is 3 adults and 1 child to feed so i don't need a massive piglet.  They'll be about 20 weeks (ish) old the week before xmas.  These guys have been and will be free range out on the field with hard feed and as much haylage as they can eat.  Is there anything else i could/should do to prepare such a young animal?

We take pigs at 20kg dress weight and cook them in an oven, kthat is around 5 foot long.    It has a gas burner running along the bottom of the oven and to the back.  It has a grill on top of the over, and the containers that are used are also a wire rack.  The pigs is prepared by filling it with whole onions, garlic, salt and pepper, chicken stock, lemon grass, a few bay leaves, and some rose mary twigs.    The flaps are sown together with string and the whole pigs is covered in oil that has special herbs in it....... I dont know what they are though.  The oil is quite fellow. The pig is put in a heated oven, and is turned every 1/2 hour for a total of 5 hours.   The meat is cooked through and the skin  is so crisp......... pity i cannot put the smell of this pig on this site....... this would make your all druell!!!!!  It might be a case of do  one yourself.........

[welshlass181]

Yummy we seperated the weaners today cos they keep escaping grrrr so now they're in piggy alcatraz with lots of tin sheets and electric fencing lol phoning the local slaughter house tomorrow to find out how much it is to kill and dress them and i might get a couple done to keep frozen and have mini hog roasts next spring.