[craiglockwood]

Having recently acquired my first pigs (2 male saddlebacks), my mind is now focussing on the meat they will provide.  Looking around the web I have seen wildly different statements made leaving me with a few questions.

Ideally, I would like bacon & sausages as well as the standard cuts: chops, shoulders etc.

Is it possible to have edible standard cuts AND bacon from one pig, I was under the impression that to have bacon the pig needs to be larger (possibly upto 8 months old) - would this mean that my 2 males could suffer from boar taint, or even worse would become aggressive with each other?

If the above is true, is it feasible to slaughter one at 6 months for standard cuts and the second at 8 months for bacon & mince (for sausages). The problem I foresee is introducing new weaners to a 6 month old male - as I am aware of the law in keeping a solitary pig.

All a bit confusing...     what do you guys do with just 2 pigs?

[loosey]

Our boars went off at about 7 1/2 months old. We had one whole to ourselves as the others went to friends. We had half made into chops/belly/roasting joints and sausagemeat for making sausage rolls and scotch eggs and the other half cured for Gammon steaks, hams for raosting, bacon and sausages.

The only downside was there was not much meat on the bacon ... everyone loves it all the same and we got A LOT of it back.

We are sending off an 11 month old Gilt for Bacon at the end of the month ... can't wait!

ps ... Our one baor filled out small freezer so make sure you have lots of space!

[shetlandpaul]

it would be better to keep them for another month or so than bring new weaners in.

[HappyHippy]

First thing to say here is IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO KEEP A SINGLE PIG - not advised or recommended, but most definately NOT illegal. I have checked with my animal health officer, vet and the police - so can be 100% certain that this is the case (in Scotland at least, but I really can't see that it would be different for England).
Secondly, you can get perfectly good bacon from a 6 month old pig. Granted, the 'eye' of the bacon is not quite as big, but it tastes every bit as good 
Bacon can be made from the belly (streaky) or further up to give standard bacon (where you would normally get pork steaks/boneless chops from)
I'd be tempted to send them both off at the same time (leave them to 7 months if you want, just to let them get a wee bit bigger) and cut one for pork and use the appropriate cuts from the other for bacon and cured pork then make sausages from all the bits left over.
HTH
Karen x
Edit - me and Oaklands have agreed to disagree and for the sake of peace and harmony (and not getting chucked off TAS) will say no more about "it".     

[Hilarysmum]

We like the shoulders boned out and cut into steaks/boneless chops.  Virtually always use the back for bacon now.  Belly for bacon for cooking in recipes rather than as rashers.  Dont forget to boil the trotters for hours and hours for the gelatine to make pork pies.  Liver makes great pate, head if you dont use the whole thing then at least take off the cheeks as chaps (cant remember the English) ears for sweet and sour pig ears and shove the tongue in with the sausage meat, unless you put it whole in the pate. 

[oaklandspigs]

HH- won't start that argument again, but still my view that keeping a single pig is contrary to the Welfare of Farmed Animals Acts in both Scotland and England. However am not starting this debate again, just stating that people should judge for themselves.

In any event the code of recommendations for the welfare of pigs states in their 5 freedoms :
"Freedom to express most normal behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animals’ own kind"  and I hope we all agree that it is not kind to keep a pig on its own.

On introducing new weaners to old - no problem.  It is actually easier to introduce pigs of different ages than ones of the same age.  The new weaners will look at at the big pig and not want to challenge, and the big pig looks down at the weaners and sees them as no competition.  The only caveat is that it can take a day or two for them to fully integrate, and you should allow some additional sleeping accomodation for the new comers for the first night or so.  A temporary shelter can be made from lots of things.

Have just put an eight month old into a pen with a 8 week old weaner that has not done so well so we haven't sold him (and I'm hoping will be bacon for me!) - put together this morning, sleeping together tonight !
 

[darkbrowneggs]

I have always kept 2 or more together, though in the old days people would have only had one pig in their sty, but it would have been near the house and had a lot of human companionship.  Apparently soldiers writing home in the 1st World often enquired about the health and welfare of the pig before their family!!!

I have always sent mine for slaughter at the same as it saves on time trouble and transport costs.  Then I made bacon or ham or used as pork as I felt like it.  I have to own up here about sometimes not being sufficiently brave about my bacon curing skills, and although I have made LOTS and all of it delicious including Black Forest type hams if I am worried that it is not going to keep in any way I just slice it, and freeze in convenient sized packets.

I have always found the knuckle bone the weakest point, and therefore bone it out and pack the pocket with cure.  I use wet or dry cures depending on what I want.  Just go for it, you might make mistakes, but they will be unlikely to be irretrievable and you will learn by your mistakes and do better next time   

All the best
Sue

[Hilarysmum]

You have plenty of time to source cheap supermarket pork to practice on.  Then when the recipe is to your taste, imagine the results with real pork.