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Author Topic: Please recommend me a breed :)  (Read 3595 times)

tinytribe

  • Joined May 2012
Please recommend me a breed :)
« on: May 04, 2012, 03:12:58 pm »
 :thumbsup:

Hey All.

We are looking at some land at the moment, its covered in brambles mostly, and some nettles. We would like to use pigs to clear this land. Can you recommend a breed of pig to do this? We would like a meat pig too, Can is there a breed that would cover all that, or are we looking at two seperate breeds?

How much do these piglets cost? Where do you get them from?

Thanks
Beanie and Ben




robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #1 on: May 04, 2012, 03:26:49 pm »
where abouts are you
all pigs forrage and can be eaten
how much     ah the old Indian rope trick  (how long is a piece of string)   it depends on who is selling and what is available    tell us your location and somebody will point you in the right direction :farmer:

tinytribe

  • Joined May 2012
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2012, 04:05:01 pm »
We are in north east Leicestershire :)

Also can any one recommend any pig keeping books? We are tottaly new to all of this!

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2012, 04:11:25 pm »
There's a lot of information about raising weaners for the freezer on the main TAS website. Click on LIVESTOCK in the top bar, then pigs. We know it's all true, 'cos we did it and we wrote it  :pig: :pig:

oaklandspigs

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • East Sussex
    • OaklandsPigs
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2012, 05:59:01 pm »
We are in north east Leicestershire :)

Also can any one recommend any pig keeping books? We are tottaly new to all of this!

[Advert on]   Yes I can recommend ours!! 

The book covers :

Creating the environment – fencing, water, food, wallows, shade, arks
 • Buying weaners – pedigree or crossbred; buying for meat or breeding
 • Feed – what you can feed, how much and when, artificial feed vs natural
 • Regulations – a comprehensive guide to complying with the rules !
 • When will your pigs be ready–  estimating weight, time of year and impact on pig.
 • Slaughter – planning ahead, transporting, who does what between abattoir & butcher
 • Finding an abattoir, what to ask and what to do when you go there
 • Finding a good butcher – and what they and you need to talk about
 • What you get from a pig – examples and photos of what cuts you get and how much
 • Breeding – creating your breeding herd, how many, which breeds
 • What about a boar : Boar Hire or buying boars or AI; pedigree stock
 • The birth process – what happens and what do you need to do
 • Weaning piglets – when to wean, and how
 • Selling weaners – advertising, what to do when people visit.
 • Pig Health – looking after your pigs, and knowing when and when not to call the vet
 • Pedigree pigs – registering and marking   

You can purchsae from our website

http://www.oaklandspigs.co.uk/perfect-pigs-book/

[advert off]

On breeds of pig, every breed club will tell you that their breed is best for clearing land, meat, mothering, and everything else including making coffee for you in the morning!! 

All of the "rare breeds" and rare breed crosses will be hardy, clear your land, and produce great tasting meat.  All of the lop eared breeds (eg Large black, saddleback, GOS, Large White, Oxford Sadny & Black) are doclie and with the ears coming accross the face tend (but not always) to be easier for a first timer.  The prick eared breeds ( eg Middlewhite, Berkshire, Tamworth) have better sight, and can (but not will!) be more naughty.  But many people start with these and get on fine, so this is a guide not a rule !  Kune Kune's will take longer, but Happy hippy will come on in a minute and tell you they're great, and we love Wilmur our liitle KK, but she would take longer to clear your ground and mature for meat - but then again are you in a race?

Overall go for what you like the look of !

Expect to pay anything from £30 to £50 ish for a good meat pig, more for a pedigree that you night want to keep for breeding (if later on you go down that route).  You can pick them up really cheap at a market, but you'll have no idea what you are buying and not the experience to see any faults - bit like a 17 year old buying his first car in an auction, he might do ok, but probably will get a lemon with loads of prolems.  Better to go to a breeder and get something that will have some reputation behind it.  The breed societies will have a list of breeders in your area, and these are normally a good source.

Whatever you choose, enjoy them, they are great workers, great to have around, and good to eat !


www.Oaklandspigs.co.uk
"Perfect Pigs" the complete guide to keeping pigs; One Day Pig Courses in South East;
Weaners for sale - Visit our site for details

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #5 on: May 04, 2012, 06:48:15 pm »
Kune Kune's will take longer, but Happy hippy will come on in a minute and tell you they're great, and we love Wilmur our liitle KK, but she would take longer to clear your ground and mature for meat - but then again are you in a race?

Here I am  :wave: and yes, Kunekunes are great - but they're not everybodies first choice, it really depends what you're looking for from your pigs.
If you want something that will turn over rough ground, clear weeds and be ready for the freezer in 4 months then Kunekunes shouldn't be your first choice, however if you're looking for a pig that's nice and friendly to have around, cheaper to raise to slaughter (even though it does take longer) and less damaging to land than a big breed then you won't go far wrong with them  ;)

I'd echo Oaklands - go for what you like the look of and try something different next time  ;)

Books - I have Andy Case's "Starting with pigs" (amongst many others) and it's a good quick guide, Oaklands' (for the very quick look I had at it) seems very comprehensive and would cover pretty much everything you'll ever need to know  ;)
I'd really recommend going on a course if there's somewhere local to you that runs them - that way you'll get to see a selection of pigs up close and learn about them before you part with any cash  :thumbsup:
Good luck and keep us posted
Karen

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #6 on: May 04, 2012, 07:16:33 pm »
now that kunnies have been mentioned       you may strike it lucky with them a lot of people are left with them and you may get them for nothing      there have been some on here free to good home   but check at the slaughter house if they will take them  to hairy

raindogs

  • Joined May 2012
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2012, 11:08:17 pm »
I've had Old Spots, Lops, Whites and now Saddlebacks - they all do a fantastic job. I've found GOSs a bit fatty, but all are delicious. Of them all, the Saddlebacks have settled into their rooting the quickest.

Books, there are a good few - I would alway supplement anything with a question on this forum - you get such a range of very good, experienced advice.

chickenfeed

  • Guest
Re: Please recommend me a breed :)
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2012, 06:28:04 am »
 :wave:newark show is next weekend may be worth a look you can see the different breeds and talk to the breeders.

you are better off buying from a breeder they will give lots of advise and should be on the end aof a phone should you need help too rather than buying from a market you dont know what trouble you could be buying being a novice.

 

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