[Helencus]

I asked for a small deposit. Anyone quibbling paying one may have less than 100% commitment I believe.

[Sylvia]

I've read this with great interest. I didn't go to our local smallholders market last week, worked the night before and couldn't be bothered, had nothing to sell and don't really need anything.
My neighbour tells me that weaner pigs were being offered for £5 a piece and no takers!!
He thinks they were Old Spots.
Pigs, as I remember were always feast or famine and I dare say always will be

[violet]

I've read this thread with interest too.

Last year I sold a litter ( my first) ready mid-October no problem,  my next litter was ready mid-November & though I had alot of interest & ended up spending a small fortune on advertising. A combination of location, timing  & the weather were, I expect, the main reasons for no sale. So I have taken 9 weaners through the winter to fatten on for meat & tbh at this stage in our enterprise the cost has pretty much crippled us financially. We have changed our feed regime and now supplement our organic pig nuts ( I am so grateful that I decided not to get certified - organic that is  )with boiled tatties ( £20 per tonne or 2!), bruised barley ( still cheaper than nuts!) and eggs ( that are too dirty to sell from our hens!). Difficult times mean making compromises & finding ways to get by.
Fortunately I should have no problem selling them on for meat ( which I also hope that I can trade with locally too) and will be able to recooperate the costs eventually. We feel that all we can do is to soldier on as we really believe in what we're doing and that things will balance out in the long run, we only have a very very small herd so we can change & adapt reasonibly easily.
I've been eating my bacon breakfast ( home-grown & made of course) while writing this. And guess what we're having for tea tonight? Yep sausages My daughter is starting to despair that she'll never eat any meat other than pork again & is busy making arrangements to stay at friends houses.........
Most of my current litter is booked, but I've another one arriving soon from a sow that I'm hoping to sell, as I've booked a gilt for later in the year so I can bring in a new bloodline - If I do, this may give me a bit of a weaner break.
Times are hard, but it's reassuring to know that we're not alone 

[Helencus]

You're not alone Violet. I've so far managed to sell 6 gilts from 20 piglets born in Jan. 2 are actually going tonight. I have 14 that I may have to take on to slaughter thankfully I can afford to feed them. I'm currently toying with loaning Boris out and not breeding my girls again until next year..I'm keen to carry on breeding but there really is only so much pork I can sell to friends and family or eat ourselves.
Let's all hope for a good crop this year and lower feed prices.

[TESS1963]

Hooray - I have just had my last three gilts booked from the three litters born beginning of March. I've now got to sale the seven boars and one gilt born end of March and am still waiting for the lady who booked my three gilts from my first litter to tell me when she is coming to collect and then I shall be very happy.

Although it is very slow going, what I have noticed from the small ads in the publications that I advertise in, is the lack of litters. There are only three adverts for pure breeds - two GOS and one Berkshire and two for cross-breeds. This time last year there were many and what I guess is that people got rid of their stock through the winter period when the feed prices started to rise. If that is the case, then surely if feed prices come down, the demand for weaners will be high and if there is a lack of weaners available, due to people selling their breeding stock, the people who have weathered the storm and kept their stock will benefit - she says with fingers crossed!!

[Greenerlife]

Still haven't found any GOS weaners.  Getting bored calling and people not returning calls.  Will now try my last years contact and have more Berkshires.

[littlemisspiggy!]

we've sold all but one piglet from 2 litters born end of jan..all gone apart from the 2 we are keeping and the little guy left to sell..if not he will be fattened also..they are x bred weaners and ive managed to stick with and get £40 each for them so am very happy with that!

I always ask for a deposit of £10 per weaner from people coming before they are 8 weeks at least this secures the ones they want and i feel more secure that they will come back!!

we got our first pork back from the abb 2 weeks ago and sold some to family etc..but my chest freezer is heaving..lol..
we've had roast pork,sausages,pork in pasta,pork curry,pork pie,pork cobs,pork lasagne!!!!pork,pork,pork!

[violet]

What a difference a day makes  

I nearly said earlier something about the rain & the mud and the cost to the land, but I do try to remain optimistic  
Well yesterday it rained & it rained. it varied from showers to torrential but it didn't stop. When I got over to the croft yesterday afternoon, it was flooded - well not all of it. It is bordered by a burn, which when the new road was put through about 50 years ago ( part of my croft is now on the otherside of the road), was diverted. So when it really rains the burn follows it's original route. When we had the land drained we had ponds dug out where the biggest dip was. But the burn was lapping at the edge of the oldest boys pen, the cockeral pen & poor Chester the boar - well at least his house was dry & he had a wee island of land. But when I arrived him & Apple were just stood there looking at the water. I'd seperated Apple and the water was lapping at the edge of her area too, not quite up to her sty. At this point after 5 months of challenging weather I think I could have cried. The last time the croft was that flooded must have been about 40 years ago.
Anyway I went down to see Apple & I noticed her underline was significantly more swollen than the day before so I gave it a squeeze - yep milk. Checked her sty - yep reed & heather nest ( despite the flood - bless her   ). She doesn't show as obviously as my other sow, so I'd got to thinking that she'd had at least another 10 days, though target date was 8th April. My neighbour suggested that I invest in aqualungs   do you think CCAGS would cover that?
I had a couple planning to visit yesterday as they are buying a couple of weaners, they held off due to the weather, but they seem keen. Then I got a phone call from someone looking for 4 ! He's happy to take 2 from each litter. OMG 2 weaners booked before they were born - and no advertising   . So last night I watched ( and tried not to help!) Apple deliver 8 healthy piglets, sadly 1 stillborn but as I was there, I know there was nothing I could have done to change that.
I am just so much happier this morning. And it's stopped raining - it's very nearly sunny
Now all I need to decide is what to do about autumnal litters  

[plt102]

Hi there - we bought our 4 large black x welsh weaner boars at 12 weeks for 50 quid each and the lady kindly delivered them for that price. I thought that was a bargain. They grew to between 70 and 92 kgs and we have made a little bit of money from them. I think 40 - 50 quid is a bargain for any animal, pedigree or not, considering how much pleasure you get from them. One thing is that ours did not eat too much of the bagged food and seemed to get a lot of nourishment from roots and stuff so that probably reduced the feed cost worry. Can't wait to get our next batch!

[Billy Rhomboid]

Well, in the grand tradition of smallholding decisions, given my comments on how cheaply weaners are avaiable and everyone else's on how difficult it is to sell weaners, I bought a Tamworth sow the other day, in-pig. 

[princesspiggy]

and we just got 2 gos weaners today!      so gorgeous,    hopefully market will be better when they are likely to farrow nxt year. 
tammies have smaller litters tho? 8 is less daunting than 13 i think!    still waiting for dorothys...

[Hatty]

May cost a few pounds more, but which ad would you as a newbie respond to?

most defiantly the second as a newbie i have found it quite intimidating answering adverts with no price as I don't know what is expensive and what's not I've been offered weaners at any where from £40 to £75 all unregistered but not all the same breed but all similar types i.e. lop eared

[HappyHippy]

and we just got 2 gos weaners today!      so gorgeous,    hopefully market will be better when they are likely to farrow nxt year. 
tammies have smaller litters tho? 8 is less daunting than 13 i think!    still waiting for dorothys...

And I'm going to pick up 2 OSB's tomorrow  Always feel a bit cheated if I don't get a couple of new arrivals in the spring 
I LOVE Mothers Day, Valentines Day and Christmas now - perfect excuse for piggies
Though I'll have to think of something new for my birthday, think I've got enough breeding stock to keep me going for the foreseeable 

[robert waddell]

what about a hampshire to cover them all

[chickenfeed]

we have just had our first hampshire's killed quiet impressed with the kill out ratio.

trouble is we cant find a breeder local to buy more in