Hello
Welcome to pig adventures and mud.
[size=78%] I've been keeping pigs for about five years now and don't come on here as often as I used to. I am not an expert but can deffo say that AS and the lovely members were great to me when I first started keeping pigs. Mandy from Fordhall Farm was a superstar and I am eternally grateful to her for her kind and oh so wise words when I first started to keep pigs. So I thought I would pass on some of what I have learned so far in no particular order...[/size]I have a couple of small herds, I used to just have Mangalitza pigs, (unusual curly coated, fun natured, a bit fiesty but not fierce and they make fab tasting pork sausages). but since then we have tried a range of pigs breeds for personality and taste. My pigs live outdoors naturally all year. As the other AS members have said all pigs dig and rub and most are clever and have excellent memories - they are like dogs in that they need a pecking order and like to be part of the herd/pack so definitely get more than one as they can get depressed on their own - they need to know you are boss just as a puppy does - no biting etc. They are social creatures and yes they are farm animals so must be treated with care and respect, but love to play so footballs / large rubber tyres in the field a mound of woodchip to run up and down etc all add interest to their day.
Vets - its hard to find a good pig vet, fortunately I have only ever needed one twice - once for advice and once to help my struggling sow give birth. I have made some great friends and now have a group of friends and we all help out depending on what is going on - lambing / escaped pig/broken fences etc
I use a small family owned abbatoir and I go with my pigs - they have a good life and a stress free humane end too. We have tried bacon but you need to find a good butcher and you are risking a big part of your pig to bacon you may not like. The same with sausages, try the sausages the butcher makes and if you like them great or if you want a different texture, meat content etc ask .. most good butchers will be happy to do you a sample first.We tried two or three butchers until we got the taste, content and texture we wanted for our sausages. We decided not to do bacon to sell just occasionally for our family and we prefer dry cure but again you need to find a butcher who can do it well and it still be cost effective to do it. It's your hard work and care that has gone into rearing your pigs so don't be afraid to search for a good butcher, the last thing you want is a bad batch of sausages you don't really enjoy. We put all our pig into our sausage, fillet, shoulder, leg meat etc and have a very high meat content. My friend does the opposite and makes about double the amount of sausages to us as there is a lot more filler in, but again each to their own.. she loves hers, we love ours.
We have tried breeding and still do about once or twice a year but generally I now have a couple of good breeders/farmers who I get my weaners from. I also have four 'rescued' weaners in my outhouse at the moment that I went to look at as I could not leave them in the hell hole they were in (not wise and I did what I have advised others not to do but I could not leave them) I would advise to never buy a pig that looks skinny, is scratching a lot, has runny eyes or nose, isscaly, smells bad etc).. it will take ages to get them back on track (if at all) and they will rarely reach their full potential after a bad start. Read up on here about what to look for - there is loads of good advice. Unhealthy piglets also may affect your existing pigs and you may have vets bill. In my experience some people breed pigs as they think they can make a quick easy buck - that is not the case and as a result some are housed in the most terrible shacks, fed rubbish, treated badly and have unhappy lives and produce scrawny piglets. Healthy pigs smell lovely - a bit like celery and straw and earth and a healthy weaner should be chunky/chubby and frisky and running and playing. If bred inside they will still look healthy if they have been well bred, treated and weaned. They will probably scream the place down when picked up so be prepared. Someone who cares about their pigs and are proud of what they have produced should be more than happy to answer any questions you have, give advice etc.. so if in doubt ask or don't buy - go away and think about it.
My favourite breeds are GOS, Mangalitza's, followed by Large White and Sandy and Blacks and all crosses of those..
I think you reap what you sow, if you treat animals well but carefully and they trust you - they are settled and okay. We have NEVER had a problem with boar taint or a nasty pig and we have made sausages out of both sexes and taste tested and NEVER been able to tell the difference.. If your pigs are happy and have a good non intensive natural life and end - they are fine. I believe boar taint can occur but in intensively reared and killed pigs who have got really stressed and were probably very unhappy too.We have tried Large Blacks and found them (two sisters) the worst mixers and nippers/trouble causes of all the pigs we have had..
Plus they were a slimmer less haunchy shape so we got less sausage from them than the other breeds I mentioned. But each to thier own. GOS tend to be generally very sweet natured but I had a friend who had a bolshy GOS (Doris) who used to beat all her other pigs up!
Definitely get two of the same sex - and don't name them - it just makes it harder when you take them to the abbatoir
Hope that is helpful - good luck and keep in touch.