[Piggingtons]

Can anyone advise about how to go about working out what to charge for a half pig. Our first two boars are going off on 22nd Feb (at 27 weeks) and we know friends will be interested but need to work out a price so we can get some definites asap.  They have cost so far £275 (weaners, feed, straw plus slaughter and butchering costs) plus there will be a few more bags of pig nuts needed and possibly a transport cost. We haven't included the costs of fencing, ark and trough and are happy to provide the labour.
We live in Ceredigion so cannot charge premium prices here and really we are happy just to get some free meat for ourselves but also we don't want to underprice it as hopefully there will be enough interest for us to have some more pigs in the Spring/Summer.  If anyone could say how they go about it that would be really useful.

[Sylvia]

I go to the nearest, really good, butcher and charge the same as him. Ask him how much he would sell a rare breed, free-range pig for

[SallyintNorth]

The going rate around here is £120 to £150 for half a happily farm/smallholding-reared but not pedigree rare breed pig, if that helps.

[Daisys Mum]

I charge £180 for a half and have no problem selling them at that.

[Fowgill Farm]

We charge £140/half (approx 22kg box so approx £6.36/kg i break evenish at this and get half for myself) but given the area you live in and times being what they are you may want to go a bit lower but make sure people who get the meat know they are getting a good deal and hopefully they'll come back for more.
Best of
Mandy 

[FiB]

WOW I had NO idea my little piggies were worth so much (although I have registered that they are COSTING a fortune)  - Its hard to imagine that much meat when you only buy sausages by the few quids worth - I think I am in for a shock when they come back from the buthers!!  Great thread thanks.

[chickenfeed]

i would do a little local research to see whats the going rate around your area, around here the going rate for a butchered rare breed pig is around the £200 mark for a whole pig, one guy sells his for £110 (i have never worked out how he can afford to sell so low but he does).

the same thing arises when it comes to weaners and regional prices so best check out you area, you dont want to be selling to high or too low but you have to go with your areas prices.

[Sudanpan]

i would do a little local research to see whats the going rate around your area, around here the going rate for a butchered rare breed pig is around the £200 mark for a whole pig, one guy sells his for £110 (i have never worked out how he can afford to sell so low but he does).

We have an email network down here and someone is advertising a half pig for £90! I know how much it costs us to raise them and doing all that work and then selling for what would be a major loss seems nuts!
At the beginning of last year I worked out that it cost about £175 per pig to take from 2 months to 7 months (and that did not include time, fencing etc etc) Also those costs were calculated when feed cost about £5.85 per 25kg bag - that cost itself went up to £7.15 a bag by the time the pigs went to slaughter in August so I think the additional cost was probably another £15 or so per pig.
Don't undersell what is a superior product!

[Eve]

We sell half pigs for £175 and whole pigs for £350, we're in Hertfordshire. The price doens't include butchering as everyone's requirements are different and they talk to the butcher directly, but other than that everything's included.

 

[cuckoo]

I have just been costing out my pigs and have come up with a price of my fixed costs of rearing 2 pigs as £167 per pig - they were boar OSB and were killed yesterday at 7 months hanging weight 60kg and 67kg respectively.  This doesn't include the butchery, any costs for my time and all equipment was in place prior to rearing them.

[robert waddell]

interesting everybodys view on this  both pricing and weights
finished pigs can vary drastically in just weight alone  somebody could be selling a 20 kilo half carcass for £x and somebody could also sell a 45 kilo carcass at£y   there is no comparison   once you start talking £ per kilo then a comparison can be made  just for argument sake say £4 per kilo that makes £80 for the light half carcass and £180 for the heavy half carsass  a huge variation  also the breed is very important if kunies they are going to be light at 6 months whereas Hampshire's could be a lot heavier depending on feeding housing and management
it can be confusing to new pig keepers a constant reference to half carcasses and mega prices if they look at price alone the price paid for weaners is also worth considering  why pay over the odds for some piglets when others are available  that will finish quicker and heavier with less cost per kilo to achieve that finished weight it costs the same to transport and kill a small pig as a large one (120 kilos) just my opinion on this

[princesspiggy]

we sell ours for £160 for half, which works out at approx £6.40 a kilo. ours are rare and pedigree and dead weight carcuss of approx 40-50kg.

[digit]

We get £100 for half, thats for GOS about 70kg live wieght, but looking on the internet around my area and found this, cant see how they can do it so cheap
http://www.hmdbutchers.co.uk/boxed_deals_6.html#

[windymiller]

we sell ours for £160 for half, which works out at approx £6.40 a kilo. ours are rare and pedigree and dead weight carcuss of approx 40-50kg.

Ditto here, weve 3 osbs going in on the 31st. probably around the 6.5 kilo. all registered etc...
i've been doing the sums,and recon the break even is around 6.30 excl straw, housing fence etc...

[robert waddell]

digit i think they have special pigs and lambs       one legged pig halfs and two hearted lambs