[Barrett]

Hi Guys, I am in the process of selling all my stock and my Barn due to financial reasons, I am finding the whole process heart renching as  I love my barn, pigs and chickens.  I have my Bob who is 17months old GOS, If I can sell him privately then grate, not keen on market as you don't know who is going to buy him, I know that boar meat taints after 9 months, so what happens to all the working boars once they have retired is there anything I can do with Bob i.e Sausages or something or will the taint come through whatever I do.

[Fowgill Farm]

Hi Amanda
Really sorry to hear this is happening to you, if Bob is registered get him on the GOS website sharpish, if you offer a negoitable price for him he should sell, you'll need to say what line he is and his reg number so people can look up his pedigree and don't frget to say where you are located. Put him on here and cards in your local ag merchants etc.
If he's not pedigree i think you will struggle, if you send him to market chances are he'll end up on a wagon to a processing plant which i don't think you would want. You could send him to a more specialised market not the usual 'fatstock' one that they have everyweek for cull pigs and have a better chance of getting a buyer.
Boars are usually used for charcuterie making salamis, chorizio and strongly spiced meats.
Wish i could help but am already overstocked myself.
Take care hugs mandy 

[Barrett]

Hi Mandy, no Bob is not registered, I could try one of these touchy feely farm things were city kids go to pet animals, I'm not really interested in money for him just to know he gone somewhere were he will get his daily hugs and cake.

[Fowgill Farm]

I would think they'd be unwilling to take a boar without a ladyfriend at a city farm but no harm in trying. Good luck thinking of you.
best mandy 

[robert waddell]

not a lot of choice for you     if you sell at  the market you are just making money for the buyers      if it is going to go cull  you are better getting the price for him    sorry hard decisions have to be made by you

[oaklandspigs]

Think i will end up echoing the others here.

As unregistered he might sell on say "pre-loved", but most likely he should go into the cull market, where you'd get around £100 in the south east, don't know if sedgemoor market takes culls.

As far as taint is concerned, if he has been working hard, then he may well have it.  But it is quite possible that he would be ok.  We have not seen taint in boars we have taken off at a year old, and it is far rarer in outdoor pigs than indoor.  An interesting denate on taint is at http://flashweb.com/blog/2005/11/to-cut-or-not.html.
You could certainly try sausaging him - depends if you can get rid of it if it does taste! 

[HappyHippy]

This probably isn't going to help in your decision making Barrett, but here's my thoughts (and I don't want to upset or offend anyone - it's just my opinion and we've all got to do what's right for our individual situations)

A breeding boar, without a lady for company (regarless of the amount of belly rubs he gets) is going to end up frustrated & bored, and with boredom & frustration comes the risk of 'antisocial' behaviour  You don't want 200Kg plus of hormone driven boar anywhere near the general public, definately not a kiddies petting farm
I think, if you weren't finding a breeding home for him (which hopefully you'll get  put adverts eveywhere you can locally  ) you owe it to him to at least make sure the remainder of his life (however short) is not filled with stress, anxiousness or upset. I think the only way to guarentee that would be to take him to slaughter yourself 
On the taint issue - there is an injection (aimed at commercial producers who don't castrate) which you can give to shrink the testicles and reduce any taint which may (or may not) be present. I'll try looking for the name of it, but maybe someone on here will know more........Robin ?  I've not used it myself, but plan on finding out a bit more (when I finally manage to get some spare time  )
HTH
Karen 

[Bioman]

Hi Guys, I am in the process of selling all my stock and my Barn due to financial reasons, I am finding the whole process heart renching as  I love my barn, pigs and chickens.  I have my Bob who is 17months old GOS, If I can sell him privately then grate, not keen on market as you don't know who is going to buy him, I know that boar meat taints after 9 months, so what happens to all the working boars once they have retired is there anything I can do with Bob i.e Sausages or something or will the taint come through whatever I do.

There are a lot of GOS keepers in west devon more than worth a shout! Try the GOS website. I would have him myself if I wasn't off to Uni next year (fingers crossed that is.)

I hope you can sell Bob

Best of luck!

[arl]

Hi i have had pigs for over 20 years and at 9 months old an outside kept boar will have no taint. Its sad but if you want to know where he ends up and that his life has been worthwhile sausage and bacon him. the processing factories get all the old boars and disguise the taste with seasoning and will pay very little for them.If we lived near i would do it  for you .The boar taint is more what it has been fed on and an old butchers fallacy untill they are over a year old at least. I do feel for you and hope you get through this
Arl

[arl]

P.S. i have at the moment  a herd of over 80 osb pigs so i might know a little of what i am talking about.Used to have over 3000 commercial pigs, wasnt for me to do it like that!!!!!!Big change i know ,profits much smaller but feel better vabout what im doing
Forever skint
Arl

[Barrett]

Thanks everybody, Bob is going to his new home tomorrow me and OH are taking him there, the farm sounds pleasant, he has some TamworthX GOS sows that he wants Bob for have nothing to worry about the sows were bought for Pork and he couldn't do it in the end so I think Bob will be fine there.

[Bionic]

Glad to hear that Bob is sorted 
Sally

[SallyintNorth]

Oh that is good news.  You'll be so sad to be giving him up but at least you know he's gone on to a nice life.

[jaykay]

Glad you've found him a good place 

[Miss Piggy]

Pleased to here he will be going to pastures new tht you are happy with.