[colliewobbles]

Hi there - our first GOS is about ready to make his final journey (the girlie has a reprieve as we are going to breed her).  He currently weighs roughly 57kg  so should we be sending him now or waiting a little longer?

Thanks in advance 

Donna

[Sudanpan]

Sounds a bit light to me. As a guide our slaughter house have 3 bands for pigs - up to 68kg, 68kg to 90kg and then 90kg plus.
Our first pigs were GOS boars - we took them through to about 75kg (dead weight) so approx 90kg live (weight difference is the blood, intestine removal etc)
Have a quick search on the forum and you will find several threads about kill weights - a quick check is when the girth measurement (tape just behind the forelegs) is greater than 40 inches then you are good to go.
It also depends on what you want, the older the pig the longer the back therefore the more bacon - the term behind 'baconer'
How old are your GOS now?

[Hassle]

I recommend about 75Kg live weight for pork

[Fowgill Farm]

Sound advice from Sudanpan on the 40 inches rule of thumb 
 
I'm sure you've done your research and know all this but remember that if you've decided to keep the gilt for breeding she will need some company of the piggy kind, pigs are sociable animals also think about getting her and any companion(s) getting thro the coming winter. Depending on her age i'd be aiming for her farrowing early next March.
Theres lots of info on the GOS website under 'Pig Management' which again i'm sure you've read.
www.gospbc.co.uk
HTH
all the best
Mandy

[colliewobbles]

Thanks for all the advice - we are planning on getting a pedigree boar who should become mature at the right time to 'do the deed' with our girl.

We have read advice that said slaughter from 55kg onwards which is why I asked now.  We will hang on for a little while longer though.

Donna

[shygirl]

porkers do go at 55kg as the size or joints/chops are dictated by supermarkets etc. we saw loads of smaller porkers at the abattoir which must have been that size, they seem so small but i think its down to feed per kg of meat ratio ie money.
smallholders normally people wait til they are a bit bigger as then it will fill the freezer for longer. personally we waited til 85kg then got 45-50kg of meat back. we still chowed thought that in 6 mths as we have a big family.

it depends what other meat you have available aswell. when we had a surplus of stores, we sent them in early and the abattoir man said we should have waited longer to get a bigger carcus. as we self-butcher we realised that ourselves at the time but had to fit them in our freezers.
generally traditional breeds need a bit longer to grow than the hybrids.

[colliewobbles]

How old are your GOS now?

They are 6 months old - we measured them tonight - 33.5 inches so a little way to go yet

[Fowgill Farm]

They're way underweight for their age by that measure.  I would expect them to be a good 4 inches bigger at the very least, get them on 6lb of feed a day and they'll catch up. Also have they been wormed? Pigs don't put on weight if they have worms.
HTh
mandy

[hughesy]

I'd be quite wary of upping their feed significantly when they're that age. They could well just pile on the fat. Condition is more important than size in my book. Being 40 inches around the chest doesn't mean much if the pig is carrying two inches of back fat.

[colliewobbles]

hhmmm - OK this is new news to me.  They look and act very healthy and muscular - we measured immediately behind the front legs, could that have been a bit too far forward?

Yes, they have been wormed but are due for a second worming in the next couple of weeks.

Donna

[shygirl]

i find you can judge the amount of back fat by feeling them on the spine/ribs, with a bit of practise and self-butchering its not difficult. you cant beat cutting them open to see whats what. feed has a big impact on how they grow. we fed our earlier pigs well and they grew in size/length - not just fat - much more than the ones we brought on slower with less feed over a longer time.
also different brands have different effects, we used harbros/east viners but brands like D&H are more wheat based for slower growth. it all adds up but i dont think theres any right or wrong as long as you are aware.

[colliewobbles]

What am I expecting to feel when checking the spine/ribs for best meat?

[shygirl]

its down to how easy you can feel the bones, as it helps you judge the backfat/condition.
if you cant feel any spine at all then you will have loads of back fat and therefore need to adjust their diets before slaughter and any extra feed you may give them before slaughter wont make them grow anymore - just adds to the fat level. if the ribs are quite prominent then any feed they get should result in growth of their carcuss.
the ribs are harder to feel in a good condition pig but you should be able to feel them with a firm touch.
if the ribs and spine are easy to feel then the chance is there isnt enough backfat which means maybe there diet isnt making them grow to their potential. also cutting/cooking the meat is a bit more tricky without enough fat between the skin and the meat. (a spine in a thin pig isnt dissimilar in feel to a thin chickens breastbone, a bit like a razor blade, so they less sharp it is the more conditon they have.)
if you think they are growing slowly, just check their spine/ribs. if they are a bit too prominent then you can increase the feed to get them to grow more. increasing the feed so close to finishing can result in laying on the fat so you need to check them every week or every few days to check the feed you are giving them isnt going straight to fat (thats a waste of money unless you are wanting lots of lard for soap etc). iif they are small for their age but not thin then just give them more time to grow. we have had big tamworths and small ones - alot depends on bloodlines.
we aimed for 3.5cm backfat on our pigs or less as that suited us fine - you will get it printed out on their carcuss tag by the abattoir.
too much fat wastes the butchers time as he has to trim alot off, and he may charge you for extra time. or phone you up and moan (like he did to us  :innocent)
too thinner pigs gives a smaller carcuss and less flavour of the meat as you need a big of fat for juicy meat.

professional pig keepers can measure the backfat with a machine (infrared/scan??) as its important for supermarkets premium to get it spot on, but it is possible to feel approximately by hand. you learn so much once you see the meat cut up into chops. but its not the end of the world either way unless you are selling the meat on.