The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Connor on February 16, 2014, 06:18:36 pm
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I am thinking of getting a sow which has piglets at foot or is in pig.... would i make more money selling the piglets or fattening them up an bringing them to the factory?
also would things will i need for a sow and her piglets?
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i read in a pig husbandry book " the first profit is the best profit" ie sell them as weaners if you can, as the profit / labour is better than fattening them etc.
you do need to have enough money available to finish/kill/butcher the weaners before you receive any money in sales.
theres not alot of money in pigs but im guessing you have friends and family who will buy pork from you. even if you dont make alot of pennies, the experience will teach you alot. especially in marketing - make a (free) website so you have a waiting list for the weaners.
what breed are you going for?
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I am thinking of getting a sow which has piglets at foot or is in pig.... would i make more money selling the piglets or fattening them up an bringing them to the factory?
also would things will i need for a sow and her piglets?
These very sentences put the fear of GOD into me! ::) YOU need to do some serious research before embarking on such an enterprise. See www.gospbc.co.uk (http://www.gospbc.co.uk) pig mangement tab. YOU need your eyes opening to what its all about. YOU will not make money at selling piglets or pork you will at the very least break even and have your freezer full of pork. It is a very foolish person who thinks they can make profit without cutting corners or quality. So do your reading first and think very carefully before you go into this.
Mandy :pig:
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To sell weaners succesfully and consistently you need to spend some serious time gaining a reputation as a breeder of quality stock. It ain't easy and pigs you haven't sold are very expensive to feed. To raise pigs for meat and then sell that meat is a whole different ball game. You need to do some serious research into your potential markets and have a plan for what you'll do if plan A goes tits up, which it invariably will. The livestock markets are full of pigs that fetch peanuts and hoping to offload your pork to butchers etc is a great way to make a loss.
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Great comments Fowgill and Hughesy,
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Please do your research before getting any class of livestock - talk to other keepers, help them out to gain experience if you can and read, read, read. Pigs are intelligent, funny and characterful and deserve the very best of care - which is also a legal requirement.
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If you want to sell for pork, I think the worst thing to do is start with a sow and piglets. There's so much more work and uncertainty. Much better to get in four weaners in spring which will go off in early autumn and see how you go. You will need to build a market for the pork and that's much easier to do if you grow slowly from small numbers. You'll then have the benefit of experience come this time next year and you'll know if you can shift the end product and are ready to take on the extra challenges of farrowing and keeping the breeding stock in condition over winter.
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If you're doing it purely as a way to make money, DON'T, for all the reasons listed above !
Keeping pigs is a BIG undertaking, breeding even more so - it's not the money that has you sitting with a sow as she farrows in the middle of the night, in the midst of a storm in the winter time ;)
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"Is there money in pigs."? Mmmmm yes it goes in one end and we all know what comes out the other :innocent:
I know youu are a bit far from Lanark but I have seen weaners going there for a fiver!
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I reckon it costs me a bit over 100 quid to raise a pig to slaughter weight. That doesn't take into account the cost of transport, housing or any unforseeable stuff like vet's bills, just the feeding really. If you buy a sow with say 10 piglets at foot, you're looking at substantial costs from the word go. It really is not easy to make any money from pigs and even if you find a ready market for your meat it's very seasonal there are times when it's very hard to sell much at all but the pigs still need feeding. Do your homework. Start off very slowly and learn all you can along the way. Don't be put off by all the negative advice but you can't just dive in and expect to make money at it.
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i read in a pig husbandry book " the first profit is the best profit" ie sell them as weaners if you can, as the profit / labour is better than fattening them etc.
you do need to have enough money available to finish/kill/butcher the weaners before you receive any money in sales.
I'd echo what others have said. The weaner market is relatively small compared to how many weaners you might produce in a year - most smallholders want weaners in spring. But to make money, you have to have your sow producing as often as possible (you're feeding her anyway) so you will inevitably have autumn / winter litters.
You can't rely on selling all piglets as weaners - if you can, at a reasonable price, fine - but you have to have a Plan B which involves taking them through to killing and selling the pork / bacon / sausages. Otherwise, you end up selling them for a fiver at the market. Someone might make money, but it won't be you.
Adding value - ie processing - makes more money BUT if you have to pay a butcher to make your bacon and sausages, that eats into the profit big time.
Not very positive, I'm afraid :-(
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for a 16 yr old boy though, i think it would be a fantastic learning curve. i presume connor has a good network of family and friends behind him to help him along his way. and be there to pay the feed bill if required. :innocent:
its good to see enthusiasm in farming at such a young age.
but i agree, start with a few weaners.
what are the selling prices in n,ireland for weaners and pork, connor?
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for a 16 yr old boy though, i think it would be a fantastic learning curve. i presume connor has a good network of family and friends behind him to help him along his way. and be there to pay the feed bill if required. :innocent:
its good to see enthusiasm in farming at such a young age.
but i agree, start with a few weaners.
what are the selling prices in n,ireland for weaners and pork, connor?
Ah didn't know OP was a youngster, explains it a little but agree if he's going into it he needs the support of a parent especially on the costs front (I have an eversuffering OH :innocent: who bails out the piggy account when cash flow drys up! :-[) there are quite a few good rare breed herds in NI and the BPA would be a good place make enquiries, there are GOS pigs in NI and their contact details can be found on the GOS website, members directory.
We don't mean to be negative just making you see the pitfalls, best of luck whatever you decide.
mandy :pig:
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By the look of it the message is clear by now. I agree completely. If we get a clear run with no unforeseen costs then we might almost break even as long as we don't include set up costs. We dont make much on our sheep either. Too many costs per head at our small scale. I was once told on here by some clever soul that the best way to make a bit of money from your land was to let it grow and sell the hay. We made more from selling half our hay we made last year than the previous 3 years sheep and pig's income put together. Our heart not in watching grass grow so we'll keep losing on the animals. Still cheaper than some hobbies though. Good luck with whatever you decide
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There would be money in pigs if I got a pound everytime someone asked me if there is money in pigs :-J
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I still feel the need to temper all the downsides. It's not that there's no money in pigs it's just that it's very difficult to hang on to any of it. There's an awful lot of paying out to be done but there are also some profitable ways to sell your pigs or pork. I don't think anyone's methods are necessarily suitable for anyone else to follow because we all have different pigs, different situations, different costs and different outlets. You've got to find a way that works for you and it isn't easy.
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I think you summed it up nicely Hughesy. Building your market and client-al is also critical, build slowly and not get too adventurous because as we all know pig feed bills is what ends many a plan. I've not even gone the breeding route yet myself and only fatten a few weaners each year. If i cover my costs and fill the freezer i'm happy, forget about the hours i put in :innocent:
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Is there money in pigs?
Only if you dropped some in front of their noses ;)
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Which they would promptly eat up, I expect!
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Connor i'm just a little bit in front of you in the pig keeping process.
I've been researching it heavily for months now and have decided to go with the small Kune Kune as a first step into pigs.
They don't eat much compared to large breeds so our food bills won't be huge and we won't get as much meat from them but we've bought them very cheaply and also got a load of food with them so can't complain.
It's more a learning process for us just now rather than a pork producing exercise.
We also plan on killing and butchering at home for personal consumption which saves abattoir and butcher costs although it sounds like you are out to sell your pork so that wouldn't be an option for you.
anyone near you keep pigs that you could maybe keep one alongside theirs with and learn the process?
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Is there money in pigs?
Only if you dropped some in front of their noses ;)
Reminds me of when my daughter was very little and she thought you just 'put your hand in and pulled out the bacon' leaving the pig alive presumably. Now that pig would be a good investment. ;D
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We are just at the point where we have kept our first sow for breeding. I have an idea that timing is probably crucial if we want to sell all the piglets and not get stuck with any of them. I reckon that from April to July is probably the best time for selling weaners. I can't see many people wanting to overwinter a piglet as they cost more to keep in winter; eat more to keep warm, spend less time outside so need more bedding etc
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I had my first pigs last year, the easiest animal I have ever kept. I got them at 4 months from a good breeder the beginning of April and they were booked in the butchers for the end of September and I took them my self. If you had your own food, perhaps there is money in it but with feed at £7.50 a bag I can not see it. I am glad I had the experience but I am still weighing up whether I will have anymore and that's without any problems.
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with feed at £7.50 a bag
our feed store was selling at £10 plus a bag. though we could get it else for £270 a ton.
was is the price of pignuts in your area connor?
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We find it most cost effective to buy a mixed ton of feed at a time. Also, by buying a whole ton of bagged ewe nuts, layers pellets and sow rolls we get the ton price on each feed and free delivery. We empty the bags into dead chest freezers which keeps it safe from vermin but easier to store and make a saving of over £2 a bag.
The recycling centre will usually let you have any old chest freezers they get in but do check them first in case, like me, you take one home that some idle slob has left rotten meat inside, that was an evil job to clean out.
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There are people on here with much more experience than me but i thought id share my thoughts as well
The pork is you money at the end. i raised 8 weaners and after you take into account all the expense and selling 6 of the 8 we (Me and three mates) ended up with half a pig each for free and about £80 to split. Its all about being imaginative.
Pig feed is expensive for the amount they eat. We mixed ours with plenty of fruit and veg from my mates shop. Speak to your greengrocers and ask if they can save you the older stuff. You can give that to pigs easy as long as it hasnt been processed in any way.
Think of ways to add value to your produce. Hams, bacon and sausages are more attractive for people to buy and you can increase your profit margins here easilly. Dont bother paying a butcher to do this for you. Its surprising how easy it is to do and there are lots of guides out there to help you.
Pay attention to the advice you get on this forum, i listened and im glad i did.!!
Best of luck
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Think of ways to add value to your produce. Hams, bacon and sausages are more attractive for people to buy and you can increase your profit margins here easilly. Dont bother paying a butcher to do this for you. Its surprising how easy it is to do and there are lots of guides out there to help you.
That's fine as long as you're selling to 'friends & family' (which is a fairly loose description ;)) but if you want to go to a farmers market or sell to the general public (either direct or indirect) you should have your product packed in an approved premises and labelled appropriately just to keep on the right side of the law and keep the environmental health officers off your back :innocent:
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we self butcher for our own use, if its for someone else then we use a proper butcher.
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Good point Happy Hippy
An important one i missed.