The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: egglady on May 03, 2011, 09:41:24 pm
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does anyone have any or know of anyone with some?
maybe 4.
Fife, but can travel a bit for them.
thanks
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What breed you are looking for?
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not decided yet. we've had berkshires (loved them) and tammies (fatty), maybe GOS or something like that next time round - open to offers and prices!
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Have you ever considered Kunekunes - they will need to be kept until about 10 months of age to reach a decent weight (just about ready for Christmas ;) ) but, this time of year will require very little feed if you've got grazing. Sorry can't resist plugging Kunes ;D
If you're looking for different breeds - try the SPKA website www.scottishpigs.co.uk (http://www.scottishpigs.co.uk) & you can see the different breed specialists in Scotland.
:love: :pig: :love:
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do you have kunes then? i do like the sound of them but not sure how big they get to? and never realised that grass would be enough - no concentrates?
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You've guessed it ;)
They grow to about 24-30 inches in height - the average of mine is about 25 inches though & my heaviest gilt is about 105 kilos - well, she was until she went down to Happy Hippy to meet her boyfriend in March ;) ;D she'll be coming back with a new "slimline & fit mummy to be" look ;) She was too tall for my young stud boars at the time, but they've been busy on the girls back at home :D
I also have an older castrate who keeps one of the stud boars company, he's fully grown at 29 inches & 108 kilos.
So they don't get HUGE, but they are so easy to keep - they are really friendly & docile - love tummy tickes (roll over & go to sleep - useful if you need to inject/trim feet/ear tag etc), you can make real "pets" out of them - teach them to sit for a treat. But yes, while the grass is growing during the spring/summer/early autumn the adults don't need concentrates - unless they are in the last stages of pregnancy & lactating. I do give mine a couple of handfuls a day or the odd bit of veg/fruit or a couple of slices of bread, but that is more to encourage them to come "to call" so they can be checked-over every day. They also get their wormer powders in a jam sandwich (no waste, no mess & they each get the correct dosage).
Even the boars are easy to handle - aggression is not tolerated in the breed (sausages for ANYONE showing that trait ;) ) They need about an acre of grazing to 6 Kunes, so you can divide it up (we use electric horse tape on a battery powered energiser) so you can rest the grazing on rotation if you are relying on grass only, obviously less if your going to feed them.
As you can tell - I :love: my KKs
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Must agree Kunekunes are definitely a breed to keep! And very cheap!
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I'll add another vote for the KK's ;) ;D ;D ;D
I'd always say to give a wee bit of hard feed (about 1lb per day) just to make sure they're getting all the vitamins and minerals for growth, but other than that plenty of grass and a bit of fruit & veg and they'll do great.
I'm down Lanark way, don't have any for sale at the moment (unless you want a couple of halfway grown ones - should be ready for slaughter late summer/early Autum ?) but you're more than welcome to come and visit and see them from piglet size (7 weeks old) right up to 3 years old (fully grown) and find out a wee bit more about them.
Just pm me if you're interested and I can give you directions.
Karen x
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Happy Anniversay Karen & Bruce :bouquet:
Gotcha ;)
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Thank you :-* :-* :-*
Had a lovely dinner and a wee glass of vino, all is well in Happy Hippy's world ;) ;D
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I have some saddleback's not weaned yet but will be fairly soon.
I am needing to get some away as I need the space.
They are pedigree and nice strong piglets that in the past produce great pork and bacon.
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There seems to be a bit of a red herring going on here. If you're not keeping pigs for breeding but fattening, then - Kune Kune's notwithstanding - they will all be around the same size when you send them to slaughter at 65-75kg l/w anyway so the potential size seems to be irrelevant!
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Yes, my KK gilts/uncastrated boars would probably reach 70Kg + by around 8 months, so a wee bit longer than the standard 6 months, but with the savings on hard feeding it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, as they say ;) Plus you have the added advantage of incredibly friendly and easily managed piggies with KK's. (Not that other breeds aren't friendly and okay to keep too ;) obviously - you get back what you put in to them :) but there's none with as nice a character as a Kune Kune. Biased ? Me ? Never ::) ;D ;D ;D
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Asif ;) ;D
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folks this is a HUGELY helpful thread so I thank you all very much indeed for it.
Not that it helps with my decisions as to what is the best for us :(
can anyone PM with prices please as I have a sneaky suspicion that that, more than what are best, might be the deciding factor.
thanks again
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if you want cheep piglets take a visit to lanark at the next poultry/pig sale and take a chance :wave:
or buy from a dedicated breeder and see the rest of there pigs and conditions that they are reared in then factor in traveling distance breed age and what lenght of time you are likely to keep them to your desired weight the decision is yours :wave: