The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: HappyHippy on February 14, 2011, 06:48:18 pm
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I've posted this as an answer on another thread, so apologies if you've already read it ! But I thought it was worth a seperate thread ;D
A lot of people write off Kune Kune's as 'pets' - way to cute, couldn't possibly eat that and oh my - expensive bacon
Can I put forward a case FOR keeping Kunes for meat (okay, so I know I'm biased, since I have them - but hear me out ;))
1) They don't tend to root up the land as much as a 'standard' pig.
2) They do not require the same amount of feed as 'standard' pigs.
In fact standard pig feed has too high a protien level and is inclined to make then run to fat. I feed mine on wheat feed pellets (which are cheaper than pig nuts) at half the amount for 'standard' pigs (ie. half a pound for each month of age) only when there is no grass or supply of fruit and veg. They will grow well on good grass and a suppliment of fruit and veg during most of the year.
3) They can be housed in a smaller area and with a smaller house than 'standard' pigs (meaning you can fit more in ;) ;D)
4) They're REALLY hardy ! My adults have been out ALL winter and up here in Scotland there's been a few -20 C nights and deep snow - they cope brilliantly with it, being so hairy.
The meat is wonderfull - full of flavour and well worth sampling. So although it's a slightly higher outlay and they take longer to reach slaughter size (10 months onwards) there are big savings to be made in terms of feeding and butchering charges - I've not worked out exactly how the numbers stack up - but I'm sure they won't work out any more expensive than 'standard' pigs.
So c'mon guys, give the little guys good consideration when buying your next weaners !
(Just as a matter of coincidence, I've got a litter due soon ;) ::) :love: :pig:)
Karen
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HH-
Totally agree that the KK is written off by many people as just a pet pig, when it can be a great meat pig !
Hope your litter sells !
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Hi
Cannot comment on pure KK but our first pig that we bought reared and ate was a KK x with Pietrain - and it was extremely rich and yummy. :yum:
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posted a reply ... but its got lost!
I'll give you a taste-verdict in the summer, when our two-plus-one for a friend Kunes go as sausages....
but they are lovely "little" things, really good natured and less destructive than great big porkers.
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Karen,
I posted the original post, thanks for a concise update. What do you think the final kill weight is with your feeding programme. Can't do anything at the moment as my partner has not yet moved up full time, however should this happen do you take orders, would probably look for a breeding pair/trio or do you know off anyone in the highlands also.
Many thanks
Lee
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I have been thinking on getting a couple of Kune Kunes for pork but did not know if they made good meat pigs. We went for the Large Black as our first venture into having our own pork and enjoyed having them so much. due to my inexperience I let them get a bit on the fat size having them slaughtered at 24 weeks. My 2 weaners cost £120 to buy and quite a bit to feed, they wrecked the paddock which did not bother us as it is one we only use when we need a pony to be off good grass. Cost wise what do Kune Kunes cost as weaners, I am near Banff which is North of Aberdeen and do not know if anyone up here breeds them. I have planned to plant more pig friendly veg in my plot this year, quick growing stuff if possible rather than buying so much in to help with cost. :pig:
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we are about to have our first kk go to slaughter 1/2 for us and 1/2 for a guy that wants to make italian sausages after hearing great things about them we decided to take the plunge and got ourselfs 3 for the freezer and a breeding pair so i will let you know how we get on in a few weeks.
we weighed them at the weekend and was pleased to see they were now 130lb and all the feed has been free mostly mango's and kiwi along with the hay the goats leave.
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how old are yours chickenfeed?
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Okay - to try and answer some of the questions ;)
My 5 month weaners are all approx 50Kg at the moment, by the time they get to 10 months I'm easily expecting them to reach 85Kg liveweight (same as 'standard' ones)
Floyd - there are people up North with them (check the KK society website for details) - but I'd prefer it if you bought mine, obviously ! We do have family in Aberdeen and could always arrange a delivery to fit in with a visit ;D Can/will take orders, I can provide you with a couple of gilts or a boar but don't have a completely unrelated boar for sale (just my wee ginger newbie- who's services are available for stud ;))
Prices, ooooo everybody gets nervous and a bit iffy discussing this publicly - I don't ;D In an effort to get everyone finding a space for some eating KK's I'm thinking along the lines of £80 per non-breeding pig and £125-150 for breeding quality ones (I'm really fussy what one's I register though and only had 3 that were good enough from my last litter) But, as always I love a good haggle and am quite prepared to barter - chickens, other breeds of pigs, fence posts, manual labour :o Always open to suggestions ;) ;D ;D ;D
I'll sit down and do 'the maths' as soon as I get a minute (lol! in this house that could be about a week on Tuesday ;))
HTH and any questions - ask away ;D
Karen x
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;)little blue they were born june 2010
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I found my VPBP's great to eat provided they were not allowed to get "pet" fat ;)
The only thing I thought was KK's are very expensive for the size and still cost the same as an ordainary pig to slaughter
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I got banished to the office for shouting at the TV when the mini-pig guy was on ::) So here's the sums (they do look very good ;))
Based on 1 pig (but only cos it's easier to work out - always get at least 2 ;D)
Purchase price (from me, anyway) £80
Feed to take them to 10 months old, which is probably going to give a liveweight of over 85Kg so being a bit generous(assuming wheat feed pellets for 4 months at half standard rations and grass & fruit and veg only for 4 summer months)
6 x 25Kg bags @ £5.50 each £33
Fruit & veg (it's personal choice how much you feed and how much you pay for it - or grow it, or get waste from shops etc) could be as little as free or as much as you want, but as an example £40
Total (not including bedding etc) £153
Let's compare that to a 'standard' pig
Purchase price (for a pedigree) £60
Feed (1lb per month of age, per day for 5 months, assuming April purchase & September slaughter)
14 x 20Kg bags @ £6.97 each £97.98
Total for 'standard' pig at approx the same weight £157.98
So, there you go - better than I thought ! And if you're growing fruit and veg or have a free supply there's the potential for even more savings to be made ;)
Only one question remaining now - who wants some Kunes ? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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happy hippy just a few questions
you do you not indicate any weights for killing
why the difference in the bag weight and price
and no fruit for the pedigree ones >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :o :o :o :o :o :o
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Sorry, didn't make myself clear..............Robert ? ;D
Kill weights - don't have any as I've not slaughterd any..........yet ! Will be able to give you exact details (and a few chops) come June ;)
Liveweight @ 5 months for mine are 50Kg and Chickenfeed's ones are 7 months and 130lbs (60Kg) so assuming that continued growth, 85Kg @ 10 months is not unfeasible ?
The difference in bag weight and price is because I feed wheat feed pellets to the KK's (lower protien levels, hence less fat) - it comes in 25Kg sacks and costs less than the 20Kg sacks of farmgate grower/finisher/sow & weaner nuts which is what I'd feed a 'standard' pig.
You can add in fruit for the pedigrees too - but it would mean that instead of KK's being £4 cheaper to raise, they'd be £44 cheaper :o :o :o ;) ;D ;D ;D
Does that help ;) ;D
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well im sold on the plan,
now i just need my masterplan to work to get me some land in scotland and im sorted...
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Have pm'd you Bloomer :wave:
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happy hippy yes you are right it is Robert
i thought it was the low protein feed that you were quoting
as it happens we weighed the two tamworths at the weekend (born 4th of July) and weighing Alice 100k butch 106k(on the 6th of January they weighed Alice 85k butch 79k) butch will be going in the next week we have not been overindulgent with the feed to keep them lean
now with the kk when you kill them if you can get the same aphrodisiac flavour as cocked ham from mangolitsas you have a winner(forget wine/roses/Viagra or expensive holidays )cooked hamflavoured with herbs spices and honey thinly sliced with horseradish sauce that is the way to go
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stop all of you
im sat here dribbling just at the thought of all these lovely pork products!!!
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As concise answers goes, THAT was a real concise answer. Many thanks for the time put into it. KK looks like being part of the master plan once my partner moves up full time. She had seen a programme about them being trained, me I only think of what I can eat!
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Yeah, I didn't mention the one MAJOR drawback with Kunes :-\
They find their way into your heart VERY quickly, if you buy them for meat just remember why they're there ! ;) :wave:
Karen x
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I'd never thought of them for meat either - always planned to have real pigs (sorry, Karen, but you know what I mean). I'll have to think again. We have an awful nice wee bit of woodland - dappled shade, lots of grass - that might do them nicely. :pig:
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That sounds absolutely ideal for them tbh Rosemary :D what are you waiting for ? lol! I know what you mean about 'real' pigs too - these one's might be smaller, cuter and take a bit longer to get to slaughter weight but they're still made of pork :yum: ;)
Tell you what, when I get mine away later this year I will offer a free (yes, FREE) taste of Kune Kune pork to anyone who wants to come and visit me and meet these wonderful little pigs but is unsure whether or not they're worth it - how's that for a deal ?
But just bring your dog cage in the back of the car so you don't need to do a return trip to collect weaners ;)
Seriously though - the offer stands
Karen x
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Sabrina, we got our Kunes from a breeder in Huntly. I can give you their details if you like.
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Very interested indeed Ambriel, sounds much cheaper to raise and Huntly is near enough for us. I cannot have bacon made the normal way, but my OH did do some in salt which was very good but just a small batch so we would want most of the meat for pork, at 10 months are they still not too fat. I have to say I fell in love with my large blacks and spent most days giving them a brush and a chat but I did keep in my mind that they were going into the freezer. Its upsetting but the pork was wonderful . ;D :pig:
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Its the fat that gives the flavour. My mouth is watering now.
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Sabrina - just remember to give them the wheat feed pellets (lower protien) and they won't get as fat. And don't try to rush them to slaughter weight - 10 months is a good age, but you can judge it by how they look and if in doubt - get the tape out ;)
They are a wee bit fattier, but as HM says - it all adds to the flavour and if you're making sausages with off cuts a lot of the fat can be used in them :yum:
Oh and it's just worth mentioning - the prices I've quoted for weaners are my prices, I don't know whether others will sell happily at that price - but it's worth asking.
Good luck with them - you'll not be dissapointed ;D
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Happy Hippy what a great topic you have started. A few years ago at our last house we were set on getting some KK to rear for the freezer.................We decided they would be a good choice for us and liked the fact they were both a manageble size and good grazers. At the ninth hour we were put off from some of our farmer freinds who said they neither made good pork and wouldnt do well in the Scottish climate :(...........We should have stuck to our guns and just gone ahead with our plans but we didnt and took the advice :-\.
After reading all the information from you and other posters we will definately give the breed some seriouse thought......So glad we found this forum :)
Dave
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I've been looking for a couple of Kune Kune sows or gilts for ages! If anyone in the West Country has any for sale, please get in touch.
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we have 3 kk's and a mangalitza going for slaughter in 3 weeks,they are 9 months give or take and i cant wait to have a taste! ;D
we have just had a litter out of a kk x gos sow and will be growing some of them on for ourselves and family so they should be a little bigger than these ones!the sausage machine is standing ready!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D :pig: :pig: :pig:
we are selling the other weaners 7 of them at £40 each ready 19th march ;) ;) ;)
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we are collecting the first of our kk's from the butcher this afternoon so will let you know how he killed out. hopefully he has plenty of fat as we have a guy wanting 1/2 for italian sausages.
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got ours back friday.......made 160 sausages! and have filled my freezer aswell as friends and family sales!!they covered the cost of slaughter and butchering and a bit more ;)
ours were 9 months old...kk's dead weight were..39.6,43.7 and 49.6kg's....the mangalitza was 50.8kg at 7 months
we've had some chops and a joint over the weekend and a sausage sarnie aswell..
they taste looooovely.... ;D ;D ;D ;D
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hello, not wanting to step on anyones toes but we have had a litter of Kune Kune piglets, 5 days old and we are Aberdeenshire, at the moment hoping to sell as pets but got to have my "farmer head" on too just in case we dont sell them they would be potential sausages!
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Hello :wave:
Please, PLEASE get your wee boars castrated before selling them to 'pet' homes and be sure to tell everyone that they will root as youngsters and show them the size of fully grown adults so they are aware of this. The 'micro' pig craze has led to all sorts of people wanting a single Kune as a house pet >:( As breeders, we've got to make sure we are responsible with who we sell to. Are yours registered ? If so, they'll be advertised on the KK society website once you send in your birth notification form and you should get interest from there.
HTH
Karen
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castration is booked, im a member of the BKKS, will have mum and dad on show, and definately nobody with a "street" address will be considered!
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sorry, i should say when i say pet i mean kept as a farm animal but got a name ;) and not for eating
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I knew what you meant though - outside pets ;) ;D
Sounds like you've got it all covered ;D Have you heard of the SPKA http://scottishpigs.co.uk (http://scottishpigs.co.uk) (gotta get a plug in ;)) You should join up and get ready to show 'em off ;D It's all in the name of promoting pigs & pork in Scotland ;D :pig: :yum: :pig: :love:
Karen x
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the first KK came back today weighing in at 46kg the meat looks great, will be taste testing over the weekend.
we will be taking 2 more in the next few weeks and have them sausaged.
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Hi Chickenfeed & Littlemisspiggy :wave:
I think it would be usefull (for everyone and not just me being nosey) if, as long as you don't mind, you were to post-
1) what age they were (and if male were they castrated ?)
2) what you fed them on a daily basis,
3) how much of an area they had to forrage in
4) how much fat they have (just roughly)
and most importantly
5) how good do they taste :yum:
Got to try and convince more people to keep 'em ;) ;D ;D ;D
Thanks,
Karen x
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Karen :wave:
Will there be any KK products available :yum: at Lillian's on the 17th?
:love: :pig: :love: x
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ours were uncut boars june 2010 born and fed on mango's and vegatables with a daily helping of hay and barley straw, each pig would be fed about 1/2 a bucket of fruit and veg twice a day. the fat is a tad over 1" so much less than we thought.
atm the only downside i can see is the slaughter cost remains the same despite the kk's being smaller but we put up with that with the dexters.
we will be breeding our own asap as a addition to the traditional pigs we keep.
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Thank you Chickenfeed :wave:
Can you just confirm whether you did or didn't feed pig nuts ?
Where my pigs go for slaughter the kill fee is a flat charge and the butchery costs go by weight, so I'm a bit luckier in that respect.
Kunes are great little pigs and I just love mine..........just got to convince everyone else now ;D ;D ;D
Beewyched - mine aren't going to be ready to go til the late summer :( But as soon as they are you're very welcome to come and taste it ;) :yum:
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not one pig nut, we dont feed nuts to any of our pigs we mill our own but the kk's only every had wheat meal if we were short of fruit and veg but never more than 1lb per pig per day of meal with pleanty of hay. they are the most cheap pigs to feed we have ever had we are pleased we gave them ago.
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That's a shame Karen - but will definately take you up on the offer :yum: :pig: :love:
From what Chickenfeed's just posted it sounds like I'm way overfeeding :o
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some days they choose not to eat up kk's dont need large ammounts and over feeding will just make fat as with most pigs the extra fat is caused by overfeeding. having said that they soon eat away at the straw beds ;)
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I wondered where their bedding was disappearing to ;D
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kk's are fibre eaters so grass, hay & straw seem to be a first choice of feed.
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Lillian, oh Lillian........... where are you ? ;) ;D ;D ;D
See - told you barley would make them too fat :P ;D
THANK YOU CHICKENFEED ;D
Beewyched - yeah, I've cut mine right back too. The boar was getting a bit too porky ;D and the castrates were positively barrel shaped :o :o :o
So conclusive proof (well I think so anyway) that Kune Kunes for pork make good financial sense in these lean times. ;D Unfortunately I don't have any piglets left for sale at the moment :( but should hopefully (providing Red does what he's supposed to) have some towards the end of the year which will be ideal for early spring pork next year ;) :wave:
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Oh dear, no wonder ours are soooo porky ::)
They've got to be in the running for the "Best Fed Kune Kune 2010" Award :-[ :-[ :-[
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Ah but now that the grass is starting to come up you'll be able to cut right back on the hard feeds and just up the fruit and veg - that'll sort them out pretty quick.
Oor Sydney has been on what he considers starvation rations (you can see those puppy dog eyes begging for more) for the last couple of weeks and I see a pretty big difference already - a wee bit extra 'insulation' in the winter's not a bad thing for man or beast ;) ;D ;D ;D
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at that time happy hippy i was in my bed after digesting some facts figures(no not that ) i will print my findings in due course :wave:
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Well the ERY has finally arrived! so they can get their 2nd jab, the 1st arc is up & the electric fencing is in place so the little :pig: barrels :pig: are going across to their field tomorrow - there's only a couple of scoups of barley left = diet time ;D ;)
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Oh, & I don't mean they've only had barley all winter ::)
Pot Bellie mix, barley, sugar beet, grass nuts, silage, hay, straw, veg, fruit, bread - hey these little barrels have been eating better than me this winter ;D ;D ;D
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Lucky, lucky piggies ;D
Better tell Portia she'll not get barley here ;) See you soon :wave:
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Poor Portia ;D she'll think mummy doesn't love her anymore :'(
Just thinking ahead - we'll have some lovely pork next spring :yum: :yum: & at the price of NOT feeding them so much over next winter, will work out sooooo cheap ;D
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Oh yeh & - Lillian my OH is still nagging about your beautiful puppies ::) - better count them after the 17th ;D
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I have been thinking about trying some Kune Kunes for a while and nearly bought three a few weeks ago, until I mentioned to the breeder that I had read a lot of good things about the flavour of their meat... at which poiint her face dropped and she went pale and made it quite clear that her pigs were not bred foor meat purposes... and that was the end of that.
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That's a real shame Billy :(
With all the carry-on with "micro-pigs" (see other threads on here etc) & SOME people jumping on the bandwagon trying to make a quick buck ending up with SOME pigs leading an unhappy, lonely & unhealthy life, poor examples of the breed ... rant, rant,rant >:(
Just have a quick look online for people GIVING them away down south ::)
Yes, they're cute, friendly, sooo easy to keep ...
BUT THEY ARE PIGS!!!
Not every piglet in every litter will be of breeding quality, ok can be kept as FARMYARD/HOLDING "pets" or companions for other PIGS, but what is wrong with giving them a good, quality life & a good, quality ending :yum: :yum: :yum:
:love: my KK :pig: :pig: :pig:
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Couldn't have put it better myself ;D
Kunes really are an option worth considering for their meat - that's why I started the thread after all ;)
Karen x
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Unless the lady was at least vegetarian and at best vegan I find her attitude rather hypocritical .... (rant over sorry)
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That was a "micro rant" HM ;D ...
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What a great topic….. We have never kept pigs but wanted to rear our own for the freezer, did a bit of research and decided to go for Kune Kunes, they appear to meet our needs on size and temperament.
Thanks to Karen (happy hippy) we are looking forward to our first two additions shortly, once they are weaned.
Now reading all your posts on feeding techniques due to my own inexperience I’m now embarrassingly confused :-[…. …..I thought pig nuts, fruit and veg and access to good grass would be OK.Now worried that will make them too fatty?
Question…. Should I be feeding hay and straw as part of a staple diet?
Question…. Free ranging on ample grass, just how much pig nuts if any according to previous post should I be feeding to provide a quality carcass?
Thanks
Dave
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Hiya Dave :wave:
So you did it then ;) good on you. Karen has some lovely KKs, we have one of her young boars she breed last year as stud for our gilts - Sos (Son of Syd) has the most amazing temperament, even though he is now a fully functioning lad he still rolls over for his tummy tickles & he is so gentle with the girls. He even shares his food trough with our castrate!
Don't get in a panic about the feeding, while the grass is plentiful & growing they will only need a little in the way of nuts & veg - think "treats" to keep them tame (though I advise you to feed them from a trough/bucket not by hand, as they will very quickly learn to expect it all the time & may become "nippy"). They could easily survive with only grass as adults through the spring/summer, though need the extra whilst they are very young.
:love: :pig: :love:
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;)mum has had roast kk for dinner the crackling was to die for the meat so tender and full of flavour and the dripping will keep dad happy this week, so they are both sold on kk's and we have had home made kk sausages for tea tonight they were fantastic.
we will be booking in the next 2 very very soon.
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My Kune Kune crosses were bought with the intention of slaughter. I'll be taking 2 weaner boars and 4 adult gilts for meat then breeding the 3 remaining females and the cycle will continue. Never done this before so don't know if it'll work out but then again i am not overly bothered if i only do 1 at a time and keep the meat. They don't take much looking after and are rly happy where they are
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Welshlass :wave:
What are your KKs crossed with? & why not purebred KKs - is it a question of cost/availability or taste/finishing?