[JulieWall]

  Hi to all you guys in the-know about pig matters, I'm hoping for some sound advice please.
I may need to sell the sow we were intending to keep and breed meat pigs from, I have absolutely no clue as to her value and what would be a fair price to ask for her - placement is more important to us than profit ie; in that we want to attract someone who would want her for the right reasons and not to just ship her off to the slaughterhouse as cheap meat - I can do that myself.
She is a GOS x large black so obviously not pedigree, 13 months old, seriously good natured fun loving pig. She has 15 teats at least, and her conformation is closer to that of the Lge black in that she is long and muscly although in all other respects she looks like an old spot; down ears, nice spot markings over white hair, digs enthusiastically etc..
If anyone wants to see a photo before suggesting prices I can upload one later.
If we did sell her the balance of the dozen bags of feed I bought recently would be going with her so maybe that is a factor to include in her value, or would it be simply a selling point/bonus?

[TonyG]

The fact that there would be £100 worth of feed is significant and I'd suggest a price of £200 - £250 would be about right, at least that's what I'd be prepared to pay if I was in the market for a sow.

[Marches Farmer]

Mmm, seems a bit expensive. No doubt she's a fine pig but a crossbreed of unproven worth as a breeding animal ....?

[shygirl]

why is she for sale?

[HappyHippy]

If she was in-pig, you'd probably be looking at around £200-£250 top value (because she's unregistered, registered pigs tend to be slightly better placed in that respect)
She's not yet had a litter I assume, so there's absolutely no guarantee she'll be fertile and selling her without being in pig you'd not get much more than meat value for her and she's getting to the point where she needs to be in-pig or risk losing the fertility 'window'.

Photo's would be good, though - helps to get a look 

[shygirl]

Polly-men was looking, maybe a perfect match...
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=47675.0

[hughesy]

If she was sent to auction she'd fetch about 80 quid. Trouble is she's not really what a lot of people would consider for breeding, and she's very big for a meat pig as by that age there's usually a lot of fat going on. It's unlikely that you'll find a buyer among people who are in pigs as a business but a hobby keeper will probably fall in love with her at first sight if you can get them round to have a look and therefore give you a good price. She really does need to be got in pig ASAP though or it won't happen.

[polly_men]

Hi there
 I would be interested in your gilt if you do decide to sell her,we are near Fyvie and she would have a really good forever home at our family 10 acre croft
Best Regards
Neil

[JulieWall]

I won't know for a few weeks as selling her at this minute would be a knee-jerk reaction to current circumstances. It's great to know that you might be interested though.
 I know it's not very smart to say this but I'd sooner let her go cheap than put her in the freezer, she's a fantastic character and showing all the signs of being ready for motherhood since her second season .... building nests etc. I know the proven fertility argument but I think it's more likely that any animal will be fertile than not.
I'll message you before I put her up for sale if we decide to do so.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful replies. Any other input is still very welcome by the way 

[shygirl]

ref the fertilty, what people mean is that she needs to get pregnant in the next 9 mths if she is to have a useful breeding life ahead of her. after that it will be much harder for her to conceive.
so dont delay if you want her to be a breeder, have you considered ai-ing her whilst she is still with you? (its about £25 for 3 attempts.)

[JulieWall]

AI was what we had planned to do in the autumn so that her litter was ready to go in early spring. I won't put her in pig until she has a proper sty and run and that isn't going to be ready now...... well not as far as I can predict anyway. Overwintering a pregnant pig in an outside arc isn't acceptable to me, if she has any problems you can't be crawling into a dark pig arc to assist - possibly in dodgy weather to boot. If I put her in pig now, I'm committed to a course of action I can't stop.
She's a nice long bodied pig, probably a good layer of lard on there but nothing I can't deal with (lard is healthier to cook with than transfats). I'd love to see her go to a home and be useful but £80 would be an insult considering what she has cost to raise. If someone only wanted to pay that, well frankly, I wouldn't trust them to spend money on welfare matters either - or decent housing...... she'd be better of in the freezer than living under poor conditions.
Perhaps I need to rethink this...... Is that really all she is worth to someone who wants to raise their own non-pedigree meat like us?

[JulieWall]

Maybe I'll just keep her as a pet and to use as a ground clearer 
Too much brain fry to think clearly to be honest.

[HappyHippy]

I feel your despair Julie 
You find the same situation with pedigree sows - they've had hundreds and hundreds of pounds invested in them but they're only ever worth what someone's prepared to pay unfortunately 

I had some old pedigree sows a couple of years ago, Large Blacks, very valuable in terms of bloodline and breeding but coming to the end of their breeding life. They weren't worth much in cash terms and I worried about where they might potentially end up if I sold them, having had a very relaxed and pampered life here. In the end I took them to slaughter myself. Not because I'm a heartless witch, but because it was the only way I could guarantee they'd have a stress free death and not be mistreated.
It sounds like you might be quite stressed (coming from someone who knows the signs!) and this isn't the time to make big decisions.
If you want to sell weaners in March / April time you'll need to get her to the boar in Sep/Oct for Jan/Feb farrowing but if you don't have anywhere for her to farrow (you could make a pen in an existing shed with just a couple of field gates  ) you've answered your own question.
If you do decide to sell her you'll have to accept that she's not worth what you've spent on her and you'll not be able to control where she ends up or how she's treated.
I know it's a hard choice, but you might be best to send her off, get a pork market established and spend time getting accommodation sorted for your next pigs. Ideally I'd suggest buying a pedigree in-pig sow or gilt (a young sow is generally a better choice for a novice breeder, as they've done it before) and starting over when you're under less pressure.
Karen x

[shygirl]

thats really good advice from HH. definitely consider pedigree/registered pigs next time as youl find it so much easier to sell them when they are adults, and they cost the same to feed.
if you are breeding in the winter you really need a shed with electric, lights and heat lamps etc.

i feel your pain, there is something about pigs that breaks your heart if you cant keep them. from experience, id say sent her to slaughter now so you know she has had a happy life, and give yourself time to breathe and think after a steep learning curve. then maybe start again when you are ready. i know its not what you want to hear though.
 

[Berkshire Boy]

Is she the only pig that you have because you shouldn't keep a pig on its own.