The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Pigglewiggle on March 17, 2009, 09:09:49 pm
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Hello,
We have 2 OSB boys, now aged 3 months, we are just wondering at what age they are best ( shh make sure they aren't listening) taken to the abattoir. We were originally told 26-30 weeks, but I have been reading on here and have seen someone say 11 months ?
What seems to be the normal age for pork ? is there a definate time scale
Thanks
Debbie
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Are the boars entire? How well grown are they at present?
I would be hesitant to run entire boars on past 6 months. You should be aiming to get them to 65-75kg by or before 6 months.
You should be able to get osbs up to weight at around 22 weeks.
BB
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If they are neutered then 11 months for bacon is fine. Otherwise as Billy says around 6 months.
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Mine is about to go off he is 13 months GOS, he should be okay shouldn't he? We kept hanging on to him hoping he would perform with the sow but not to be...
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Hello,
We've never slaughtered before 11 months, all our boars remain intact and we've never had any taint (Tams & OSB's). I'd certainly take the view to slaughter at 6 months with commercial breeds but not rare breeds who mature a lot slower. Sure you could get the pigs to slaughter weight at 6 months but you'd have to be very careful not to be rearing a big lump of lard.
Cheers
Gavin
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We find seven months is the max for entire boars - otherwise it's virtually impossible to sell. Boar taint is very rare, but nobody wants to take the risk.
Just as a precaution, take the boars as far away from any female pigs as possible.
Sizewise, our Saddlebacks are usually ready for pork at about seven or eight months.
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Hello,
We've never slaughtered before 11 months, all our boars remain intact and we've never had any taint (Tams & OSB's). I'd certainly take the view to slaughter at 6 months with commercial breeds but not rare breeds who mature a lot slower. Sure you could get the pigs to slaughter weight at 6 months but you'd have to be very careful not to be rearing a big lump of lard.
Cheers
Gavin
We are the same, our boars are entire and we seldom slaughter before 12 months, we have never had the "taint" either.
We have six about ready to go, their bacon is brilliant and the sausages, out of this world.
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We too have gone to 12 months with an entire boar with no problems, The oldest we have slaughtered was a Tamworth/Saddleback cross at eighteen months. Slow grown and maximum size, she was georgous and tender. Wonderful joints, bacon and gammons.
Kate :pig:
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I know boar taint is uncommon in tradtional breeds however is it really worth risking of you on have a few pigs? not for me!
Also with regards to age, if a boar is 11 or even 12 months old surley their too big to be a porker! At that age you've got too be looking at baconer size?
BB
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sent ours at 7 months both were old spot cross berkshire, meat was excellent very lean, 78 & 79 kilos dead weight................neil
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Just add to my last post, for the benefit of those who arnt sure, a porker should be around 65kg 80ish kg live weight.
A baconer is a pig that weigh's in excess of 100kg live weight.
Also if you are going to keep them to baconer size check with your chosen abattoir that they have the facility's to cope with such a big pig. Not all do!
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The rare breeds are different in every conceivable way,
commercial pigs are just that, they do not experience compansionship from others of their breed,
they are artificially inseminated, whether they want it or not, this is not life but hell for an animal whose social life is
it's basic pig instinct.
I think it all depends on the particular farmer's relationship with the pig,
Our rare breeds, enjoy life to the full, we cater for all of their needs and in return after a reasonably long life
they give us good food in return.
The less trauma to the pig the better the taste at the end of the day.
I could go on, but I won't.
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I agree the majority of rare breed pig's are lucky enough to be kept by people like us who care for, nurture and provide them with a life a commercial pig would never be allowed to enjoy.
Buts where's the sence in growing a pig on past its optimum weight for pork if its a porker you looking for in the first place?
BB
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Hello,
These age and weights posts are always a good source of discussion ! I guess it all down to preference. Our boars & gilts are all dual purpose pork & bacon pigs dependent of what is selling in our farm shop. Our abattoir has no weight limit either so whatever size we get them to is irrelevant for us.
We've always thought it a shame to curtail their lives unnecessarily early.
Cheers
Gavin
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I think its all in what your plans are. If you can sell 100lbs. of meat for $300 or you can sell 200lbs of meat for $600 why grow until they are 200lbs? they definatly eat more in the second half of their life than they do in the first half. (those big porkers can eat and eat and eat) your getting the same price per lb but your saving on the feed cost.
I ran into a situation recently selling roasting pigs. I keep them 4-5 months and have them slaughtered and sold as a roasting pig. works out good for all
Now if you are keeping a pig for yourself. then thats a different story becuase I want as much meat in the freezer as possible. 250-300lbs is a good weight after that they get fatty i've found (how ever long it takes you to get this weight is the age you kill)
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Until fairly recently, many of our pigs were sold through our guest house with the surplus being sold on.
Now we have a situation whereby, we cannot give away our pigs live, we are having to look at other ways of selling them.
Our location although lovely, does not help.
We are now looking at the possibility of a small on farm processing unit, ultimately our pigs would be taken to the abattoir for slaughter
and returned to our farm for butchering and resale, can anyone advise, have they experience of doing this sort of thing, and has it been successful?
Does anyone know, the legal requirements for such an enterprise?
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Hello,
A lot depends of your local EHS. As we do not have a licensed cutter within 90 miles we have been allowed to use the services of a local butcher. We take the pigs to the abattoir, the abattoir delivers the pigs to the butcher and the butcher then delivers the end product back to us.
We then subsequently sell the frozen product from our farm shop. In terms of outlay the cost thus far has been minimal (under £6K). As we are also selling frozen the rules & regs are also a lot less. At the moment the additional cost of running a cold room, a blast freezer and a fresh meat prep area simply wouldn't be worth it the outlay for the amount of pigs we put into the shop.
Cheers
Gavin
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Hi Gavo,
This information is very much appreciated and useful to us, we thank you.
Where are you Gavo? in Scotland?
We until fairly recently lived on an island and even in saying that, our problems with marketing were significantly less than those we are
facing now, even though slaughter had to take place some few hundred miles away, which of course, is traumatic for the pig.
Our nearest abattoir is in Wick, at 40 miles away.
Or Dingwall, which is 100 miles away.
Neither will guarentee taking our surplus pigs.
We believe, our situation demands that we sell meat as opposed to live animals.
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Hello,
We live in Northern Ireland on the border (a little place called Belcoo) with Southern Ireland and about 110miles from Belfast. Our nearest abattoir in NI is 100 miles away and they operate a strict 100kg liveweight limit and are only open for deliveries 10am to 4pm Mon-Thurs. As such we export all our pigs to an abattoir in Co. Donegal (in the South) who have no weight limit and you can drop the pigs off 7am to 11pm Mon-Thurs. This incurs an export charge of £40 but this is more than saved in terms of aggro and diesel (it's 16 miles away). The cutting plants in NI just haven't cottoned onto the fact that there are people rearing pigs extensively and in lower numbers so they only deal with the "factory" farmers.
Cheers
Gavin
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"This incurs an export charge of £40 "
Why? I thought UK and Ireland were both in EU. (Genuinely confused)
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Hello,
We refer to it as an export charge but it's the cost of the vet certifying them fit for export. There is no charge levied on us by DARD (Ag Dept in NI).
Cheers
Gavin
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Ah yes I understand, its very expensive to bring in a pig from Uk to here now.