[lill]

]thought you may be interested to see the back fat from my ped hampshire that was 7 months old too dam late to try to do anything about it if it was too fat. 12mm fat coverage, just right

[Rosemary]

Hope ours are like that 

[Tamsaddle]

Wow, lucky you, that is extraordinary.  I wonder why they are so different from Saddlebacks who are well known for having far too much back fat despite looking remarkably similar to Hampshires apart from the prick ears - Tamsaddle

[Sylvia]

That looks lovely, Lill

[robert waddell]

i got it in the neck when i said saddelbacks were fat  already
the Hampshire's are an American pig    at one time there pigs were produced for the lard production and the Hampshire's are a swing in the other direction
anyway they get there quicker and just as tasty

[Tamsaddle]

Well our Saddlebacks always have too much fat at slaughter even though they dont look it just before going (but certainly less fat than Tamworths).   Robert and Lill - do you underfeed your pigs before slaughter, as many have recommended here, if so for how long and how much is it reduced per day, or are Hampshires just not fat pigs anyway?    Particularly as this one was 7 months old - Tamsaddle

[robert waddell]

traditional pigs are and were a duel purpose  animal to produce meat and fat for cooking and other uses that is how they have fallen out of favour in comparison to the commercially bred white pigs
no we do not underfeed them before slaughter
Hampshire's are just not a fat pig
once a pig gets fat starvation is the only way to get it lean or a squater of piglets to draw it down then fatten it back up (the best bacon is produced this way)
we have had experience of kunnies sadelbacks Tamworth's Hampshire and lops  and crosses of them our opinion is just that      our opinion   based on the end product and the time to get them there this does not suit everybody 

[arl]

lLooking good robert,I have just about got my osb"s looking like that, its just a slow process and even though i would never dream of starving them i just dont up the feed rate too much and give them extra fodder beet cabbage leaves and spuds, They allways seem content and are never screaming to be fed like on some places iv been. I do feed by eye though and not what the books say
Arl

[Billy Rhomboid]

Out of interest what do people use pork with no back fat for?

[robert waddell]

why is there no backfat

[Billy Rhomboid]

yes, that is the question.

[robert waddell]

all pork has backfat it is just the depth that is the hard part to get right