[mwncigirl]

Well, the day finally came. Our first weaners went to slaughter today    It all went surprisingly smoothly. I now feel a little odd. There is definitely a rather large hole in our space here, well, three! I can't say I'm upset as such, I kept finding myself almost saying to my other half, 'I hope they're ok' then realising what a silly thing to say! Hmmm, odd is definitely the word. I was also thinking strange we will never see them again, but we will - Yum 
I am really proud to say we will be eating our home produced meat, and very thankful to our pigs. Really looking forward to appreciating them in a new way very soon. 

[Mammyshaz]

You have reared these with love and care, they had a good life and a dignified end. Congratulations.
One day I hope to be asking questions to help towards such a goal, you can now help me with your experience 

Enjoy the return and let us know how well your home produce fares 

[tizaala]

Now get some more in and start again, I can guarantee the first lot won't last long, especially the bacon , sausages and black pudding. 

[Fowgill Farm]

Well, the day finally came. Our first weaners went to slaughter today    It all went surprisingly smoothly. I now feel a little odd. There is definitely a rather large hole in our space here, well, three! I can't say I'm upset as such, I kept finding myself almost saying to my other half, 'I hope they're ok' then realising what a silly thing to say! Hmmm, odd is definitely the word. I was also thinking strange we will never see them again, but we will - Yum 
I am really proud to say we will be eating our home produced meat, and very thankful to our pigs. Really looking forward to appreciating them in a new way very soon. 

Not odd to feel that way its the empty paddock syndrome!   Well done.
Enjoy your piigylicious goodies
mandy

[Bionic]

Mwncigirl, I will be following in your footsteps next month. 
It will certainly feel strange without the girls around although to be honest I think I will be relieved too.  The mud has been horrible and I have felt so sorry for them at times although the don't seem to mind at all.
Sally

[MrsJ]

It's always odd when any of the livestock go if you have really cared about them.  Just look forward to getting them back - yum!

[otto]

Yep......on the way to the abbatoir with my very first lot (4 years ago) I SERIOUSLY thought about becoming vegetarian! On the way back.....yes, rather hollow feeling, but also felt priviledged to have seen the whole process through. I also vowed never to buy meat unless it was from friends and fellow hobby small holders. I have nearly kept that promise.
On the bright side, I still take the same degree of care and attention to my pigs every year, but now I cant wait for the day to come becuase I'll be eating fresh meat for a few days before having to rely on the frozen stuff!
Happy pigging!

[mwncigirl]

Wow, what a day. We had organised for a local butcher to collect our pigs from the abattoir, and he invited us to be there when he butchered our 'boys'. I was so proud! We were there for the morning and he congratulated us on the quality of our rare breed meat. We chose the cuts, watched him make the sausages, and filled our pick-up with two and a half pigs worth of meat. Not bad for our first go! The rest will go for bacon, ham etc. We spent the rest of the day bagging up and filling the freezer.


It felt so important to be there. What a privilege! We really have been there every step of the way. And we have made sure no scrap is wasted. We were grinning from ear to ear, and finally tearily eating our sausage, which felt extra special as they were made from all three pigs! I know we're soft but hey!


I can honestly say I've never experienced anything like it!


Needless to say, I have ordered our next three weaners! 

[Mammyshaz]

Congratulations   

What a fantastic butcher, glad it went well for you 

[Bionic]

Great experience for you. Well done 
Sally