[Ash Field Farm]

iam tryign to get an average for slaugter wwight or what the idea new weight would be as mentioned before they tamworth cross
iam trying to work out a costing per pig as these would be the first to slaughter for me and what price to charge if aim selling some on  iam happy as long as it covers the pigs  i dont want to be to expensive as some places are iam happy just selling at a good fair price so all can enerfit as i know money it tight for eveyone

 how much do u charge and what weights do u get them to

the last time i measure the sows in dec before they where any where near farrowing they worked out to be 23 stone each aout 150kg

so dead weight is 50% aprox  about 75 kg would that be a fair estimate

[MrRee]

Kill out weight is roughly closer to 25% not 50%. @ 150kilos each,I'd say they're ready for the chop now. Depending on whether you're aiming for porkers or bacon will determine what weight to aim for. An average of 120kg live weight would give you the best of both worlds.

It took 600lbs of farine d'orge to raise one weaner (2 months old) for 5 months,that gave me a live weight of 112kg,total cost of food was just under 80 euros,plus any kitchen scraps,spare veg from the plot and grazing in their pens and apples. Add in the cost of buying the weaners in the first place and I could sell the meat for 2 euros a kilo and make a meagre profit ........ Ree

[carl]

i think your pork is very well priced mr ree, a bargain. i have just processed three this week. live weight@115 kg at 28 weeks. have had them professionally butchered and packed, sausages too. 1/2 pig packages @ 30 - 35 kg prime cuts and bangers £140 each. to friend and neighbours. Plus some bacon when it has cured as a freebie. I noticed at the abattoir my pigs were by far the biggest going in, an coming back out next day. being old trad, outdoor , spoiled pigs, they had a good thick layer of back fat. possibley not to all modern tastes, but delicious pork. I know someone who sells tamworths @ £5 per kilo, per 1/2 pig, and all is sold. I sell at a lower price than the local trendy farm shops, and everyone seems happy with the deal.good luck with your first slaughter, i was very nervous, but felt elated when all went well. There is no stopping me now, third lot of weaners arrive next week. just ten feet away from me on the cold stone floor, packed in cool boxes are two halves going to eager folk in the morning.

[Hilarysmum]

Ree 2 euros a kilo is very cheap, its actually far under decent supermarket prices (I dont include the promos).  Were you selling to friends?  We sell ours at 8 euros a kilo for meat and 12 for bacon.  Admittedly with the pound/euro etc. we are not selling a lot, (unlike previous years).  However pricing the cost of the pigs from birth to slaughter, butchering (and the dreaded cotisations) we were not overcharging.  We still have a few loyal customers who are happy to pay a premium for quality pork.

This is an observation not a criticism.  HM

[MrRee]

I didn't sell any,I ate it all!!!  ( icon for "rubs tummy" )  We only raised for home kill,and so wouldn't be allowed to sell any of the meat.
Oh,and I didn't add in the cost of slaughter,40 euros per pig,the butchery Carly and I did.

8 and 12 euros a kilo sounds a fair price ,my figure of 2 euros a kilo was just to demonstrate the math for breaking even...... Ree   

[Hilarysmum]

Sorry I mis read.  Not that it matters if you did sell it, only that you would have been cheating yourself. 

[Dan]

I didn't sell any,I ate it all!!!  ( icon for "rubs tummy" ) 

Now available:  

[Hilarysmum]

Please can I have an envious smiley for all the people who have beautiful pigs that I want....

[Ash Field Farm]

the rason y iam asking to to do a costing
how far away would u say to keep the boars form the sows

[Hilarysmum]

If at all possible out of "smelling" distance.  Our Hilary has been known to go through full bore electric fencing when the 'mood' takes her.

[The Relic]

Carl where did you get your pigs slaughtered

[gavo]

Hello,

You have two choices in NI. Stevensons in Cullybackey (nr Int Airport) or William Grants up near the Foyle bridge. Neither will take anything over 100kg liveweight. We export ours to Donegal for slaughter (the abattoir is EEC licenced to export back to NI) where there is no weight limit and far less stressful than the places in NI - it's basically a farm that has evolved into an abattoir.

Cheers

Gavin

[Hilarysmum]

You should take in to account the cost of keeping a boar and of keeping the sows as well as the cost of raising the weaners when costing your meat.  I recently costed keeping a boar at 1.70 euros per day.  At which point sold boar, now either hiring or using AI.  Far more cost effective with 5 sows.  HM

[carl]

Relic, I am in south yorks, near sheffield . I used n bramhall and sons at oxspring. Very pleased with them. However they don't do a full butchery service, so I found someone else to do that. There are other sluaghter places, but I found these to suit my needs better. I think they only do pigs on monday mornings though. pm me if you need any details.