Author Topic: Kune Kunes (Read 5339 times)

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **on:** July 06, 2015, 09:57:58 am »

hi there kune kune lovers/breeder

after alot of consideration i am going to go for some kune kune, i would love OSBs but i have 1 acre and i feel the ground would just get trashed

what i would like to know is

how many kune kunes would manage on 1 acre

being grazers how would i keep the grass good to last longer ( i am looking at spring to autum and then slaughter around 6-8 months old, or what would be best weight to send them and can they have hay and haylage

feeding do they require as much hard feed than OSB or other rare breeds (the 1LB/KG PER month of age, i will also suppliment with fruit and veg

what what would be the best cuts of meat from the 6-8 months pig i would be looking at a couple of joints chops and sausages ]

thanks in advance im sure there will be more questions

if anyone sells there meat (family and friends) how much do you charge for sausages or joints

verdifish · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2015, 01:53:57 pm »

We have had 5 on 1/4 acre for almost a year and the ground isnt turned over, only bare where they get fed . So in theory 20 ! We still have them on this strip and the grass at the mo is knee high.

Keeping the grass good is down to regular ( every 2nd day ) poo picking and if you can changing where they get fed regularly. We havnt done anything else !

We feed ours 2llb each per day we feed twice a day enmasse
Any more they will get fat when grazing as well with fruit/ veg .and there is nothing worse than a fat kune!

We send ours away at about the 12-14 month point depending on there growth any earlier with kunes and you are missing out . Kunes taste so good because of there slow growth so be patient !

We turn ours into sausages unless someone specifically wants joints/ chops. you really do get more bang from your buck with sausages

£10 per kilo or £5 per pack of sausages at half a kilo packs

verdifish · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2015, 01:55:29 pm »

Ps .try to source your kunes from good meat lines rather than show types as they always seem to be a bit smaller in my opinion!

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2015, 03:50:40 pm »

thanks for the reply
some good info

thats a great number for the size of land, i may section some off and use the rotation and also breeding

whats the best length for the grass or doesnt it matter for pigs, and i also heard that seeding with clover helps the grass grow quicker but i suppose it doesnt really matter for the number of pigs i want

could you rereccomend any decent meat lines

thanks

verdifish · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2015, 04:00:46 pm »

Happy hippy has some of the best meat lines ,where abouts are you

Grass length hasnt been and issue here and yes clover helps and the pigs love it and it seems to flush as well with pigs as it does with sheep our last litter was 15 !!!

HappyHippy · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2015, 06:35:36 pm »

Hello

The official stocking recommendation is 6 pigs per acre.....with Kunekune you might get away with a couple more, but equally if your land isn't the best, you might find 6 is plenty.
I feed 1 pound per pig per day with lots of grazing and hay/haylege in the winter and a bit fruit and veg.
I'd split your acre (electric fence would be fine) and rotate them this lets one side grow and recover as the other is used.
Mine tend to be bigger and quicker growing than a lot of kunekune (especially those in the south of England) but I'd say they're likely to be 10 months or so before they're ready to go - and at least a year if you want decent sized bacon. I sell sausages at £10 a kilo and pork tends to go in mixed boxes (quarter/half pig @ £9 per kilo - minimum 5 kilos) otherwise it's priced on the individual cut.
Let me know where you are, because there are some of my pigs down south and the genetics are slowly spreading so if you're too far from me I can point you in the right direction (am secretary to the BKKPS

)
HTH
Karen

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2015, 07:09:19 pm »

Hi there I am in Leeds
And thanks for the advice
You will probably be hearing a lot from me ha

HappyHippy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 06, 2015, 08:26:57 pm »

Okay, a wee bit far from me sadly but leave it with me and I'll ask around for you. Should be some bigger ones in Shropshire, but I'll try and find some closer

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #8 on:** July 06, 2015, 08:31:52 pm »

Dont mind travelling a little bit!

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #9 on:** July 12, 2015, 08:42:48 am »

Do you make your own sausages guys?

fsmnutter · « **Reply #10 on:** July 12, 2015, 09:07:14 am »

The last few batches we have had a butcher do them for us, but we hope to move to another farm soon where we can set up our own butchery room and do them ourselves, experimenting with new flavours.