The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Wethers66 on November 14, 2009, 10:57:35 am

Title: good morning
Post by: Wethers66 on November 14, 2009, 10:57:35 am

Hello new to the forum, I am a realtively inexperieced small holder, we have been keeping animals for about 5 years and have sheep, horses, chickens and have recently got back into pigs having had kune kune's before. Have reasonable experince with sheep am a novice with pigs. Looking for advice on what age to slaughter our GOS boars. also we are getting 4 OSB shortly and had heard that these can go longer before slaughter is this correct.

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: ukag0972 on November 14, 2009, 11:27:50 am

I usually slaughter boars at around 6 months, but I don't castrate!
You can keep them longer but slaughter them around the 100 kg weight.

You can put your new pigs in with your other ones but if there is a big age difference then you may encounter bullying amongst them. They have to fight for "pecking order". The larger ones may also dominate the feeding and sleeping areas.

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: gavo on November 14, 2009, 11:55:02 am

Welcome we don't slaughter our boars tams and osbs until 11 months they stay in a group away from females we have never had boar taint. They are both slower to mature and gain size than some of the other traditional breeds especially if reared outside[ the only way in our opinion].

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: sandy on November 14, 2009, 12:07:08 pm

Hello!!! Welcome from Central Scotland (loads of us on here!) No pig's, only Chickens a Duck and a Drake as I just have a garden although I do like pig's!!!
P.S Most things I post contain deliberate spelling mistakes ;) ;) ;)

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: little blue on November 14, 2009, 12:20:57 pm

hello and welcome from Derbyshire.
We have kunes... getting v exciting about piglets... but they're not even mated yet, need a few more weeks!!

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: JulieS on November 14, 2009, 01:37:49 pm

Hello and welcome from North Devon  :)

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: Rosemary on November 14, 2009, 04:28:31 pm

Hi and welcome!

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: marigold on November 14, 2009, 08:40:00 pm

Hello and welcome. You don't sound inexperienced to me.
Many of us here are keen but haven't quite fulfilled our smallholding potential yet.
I am looking forward to getting my first pigs in December. Stuck on the lack of fencing and funds to get fencing at present. Just got a variety of lovely poultry just now. hens, ducks and geese.
not to mention the veg.
 :)

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: confusedwhippet on November 14, 2009, 08:57:59 pm

A big hello from Caithness

Title: Re: good morning
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on November 15, 2009, 10:59:48 am

hiya yet another from central but a different side of clacks to sandy, At 5 years of smallholder your not inexperienced :). No animals here except the family but i do have a bit of a garden to grow veg and aspire to have chickens one day.