[tgad2007]

Hi, Im a first timer keeping pigs. 
I have 6 Berkshire gilts and they are now 11 weeks old, its probably a silly question but when will I need to send them to slaughter as I keep reading some conflicting opinions on the ages of some of the pigs that go to slaughter.
In my mind I have been thinking that they will be going to slaughter when they are 8/9 months old at around 85/90kgs. I keep reading on various posts that people are sending theirs to slaughter around 6 months.   
Any advice is greatly appreciated

[pharnorth]

Hi. I've had Saddlebacks and GOSx S&Bs and took both at 6 months.  This year I have had Berkshires and whilst they were ready at 6 months they are slower growing so 8/9 months is reasonable. If you take them early they may be on the low side on weight, but if later it will cost you more in feed. With my 4 I took two at 6 months and the other two will be 9 so I can make bacon.  The meat is fabulous but the yield is a bit less than the other breeds I have kept.

[tgad2007]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply it was the sort of answer i was hoping for.  The pigs i have are at a school and we are rearing for meat but as long as they just pay for themselves thats all we need to happen. So 8/9 months is good for us. 2 for sausages and 4 for joints hopefully dependant on demand

[ladyK]

I think a lot depends on the breed and the individual circumstances.

We had our first pig adventure this summer - 2 Tamworth weaners specifically kept for clearing ground so I was hoping to keep them as long as possible. But they grew really fast, got to just under 90kg at six months so we had to send them off. Carcasses had good fat covering but not too much, butcher was pleased with them, and we love eating the meat!

Now that I have a better 'hands on' understanding on how a 'good' pig looks/feels like I'll be more confident next time to experiment with other breeds and feeding regimes.

Good luck with your weaners!

[pharnorth]

Forgot to mention I also work a day a week on a farm that produces crosses of Saddleback with GOS, S&B, Tamworth and Middle white.  All are ready at 6-7 months. My Berkshires are definitely a little slower so your 8 to 9 months should be good. I feed weight by 'the book' with Marriages pig nuts and supplement with apples in season. The Berkshires that went last month were a bit on the fat side which suggests I tried to finish them a bit quick so the 9 month ones should be a better product.......  At least that's the plan. Like LadyK I would hope to get a better eye for condition in due course but currently go on feed merchants feed to age guidance.   

[kja]

The Berkshire pig is a light weight pork pig they finish early and usually get sent off to reap a 36 - 45kg dw. The Berkshire along with the Middle White both finish wary else they tend to lay down fat. But if they are for your own consumption the extra fat shouldn't be a issue its just when your trying to sell pork the customer doesn't like to think they have paid for a load of excess fat that they cut off.

[pharnorth]

Yes I expect I'll get fatty bacon but I rather like that. Kja is the fat inevitable when we take them through a couple of months longer or will the slower ramp up on feed help get meat rather than fat?  I am getting that the Berkshire is a pork connoisseur pig rather than bacon but I'm kinda interested in what I get on keeping a little longer and curing.

[kja]

Yes I expect I'll get fatty bacon but I rather like that. Kja is the fat inevitable when we take them through a couple of months longer or will the slower ramp up on feed help get meat rather than fat?  I am getting that the Berkshire is a pork connoisseur pig rather than bacon but I'm kinda interested in what I get on keeping a little longer and curing.

As with all breeds they were bred for a purpose some come under the pork some bacon and some duel but having said that the end product is what you want if your doing it for home use so nothing wrong with testing them out its all in the eye and hands on backs to check for the fat. Feed guides are just that a guide and need tweaking to suit individual animals.

[tgad2007]

I am going to go down the route of take longer and increase food up to 20 weeks then cut back down the feed until salughter, im hoping this will help keep too much fat away and hoping the slow growth will give a good product

[pharnorth]

Yes I expect I'll get fatty bacon but I rather like that. Kja is the fat inevitable when we take them through a couple of months longer or will the slower ramp up on feed help get meat rather than fat?  I am getting that the Berkshire is a pork connoisseur pig rather than bacon but I'm kinda interested in what I get on keeping a little longer and curing.

As with all breeds they were bred for a purpose some come under the pork some bacon and some duel but having said that the end product is what you want if your doing it for home use so nothing wrong with testing them out its all in the eye and hands on backs to check for the fat. Feed guides are just that a guide and need tweaking to suit individual animals.

Thanks. I'll step up my sorry attempts at condition scoring. I have found them the most amenable and delightful pigs to keep so far, and the sausages and pork off the first ones is fabulous so if I can get sufficient bacon to keep the family happy I will be very pleased. 

[hughesy]

Rare breed pigs aren't fat because they're rare breed pigs. They're fat because someone fed them too much. Check their condition regularly and you'll soon get the hang of adjusting the feed to give a good carcass.

[Marches Farmer]

Rare breed pigs aren't fat because they're rare breed pigs. They're fat because someone fed them too much.

Oh, I do so agree!  Pigs will eat as much as you can give them, but that doesn't mean you should.

[pharnorth]

Yes I confess the first two ate too much, they were getting to the food quicker than the other two and there were a fair few apples on top of measured ration. Ho hum. But since they went the remaining two have been on a more measured diet and I'll keep practicing the condition scoring.  Anyway i the extra fat on pigs one and two is no big deal tonight's gammon was superb anyway.