[smudger]

Do they really eat less than British pigs, allowing for size differences?

[robert waddell]

has anybody ever done a scientific experiment to compare feed intake and the growth of all variety's of pig


i think the answer is no  it is only owners or more importantly breeders that have  come up with this idea
the name kunnie kunnie is fat and round  restrictive feeding could prevent them getting over fat but that applies to any breed of pig    nobody has quantified what and how much protein they get from free ranging and any surplus protein that happens to be available    that could be fruit dead animals snails
a starving pig will be constantly on the rake looking to end its hunger    as opposed to a well fed pig (not overfeed ) that will sleep and sunbathe
the whole point of feeding pigs is to convert one type of food into food that we can eat   some hottels in the far east have pigs in the basement as s**t removers

[HappyHippy]

Do they really eat less than British pigs, allowing for size differences?

Yes 
Providing you can give them plenty of pasture you'll be able to raise them for pork with the addition of around 1-2lbs of pig nuts per day - it'll take longer (around 10-12 months) but the pork is great 
Here's a good link about diet for Kunekunes http://www.kunekune.co.nz/article-diet.html
HTH
Karen 

[Billy Rhomboid]

  How many threads does this argument run on?

My kunes have cost a fraction in feed costs compared to any other pig I have reared.

[harry]

i think i will cancell my hotel holiday booking in the far east

[HappyHippy]

How many threads does this argument run on?

My kunes have cost a fraction in feed costs compared to any other pig I have reared.

The answer to your question Billy is "every one that Robert says yuk, they're no good" and I come along to be the fly in the oinkment    Robert has kept Kunekunes himself, but found they were too fat to eat and too fat to breed - henceforth Kunekunes are crap (nothing to do with the fact he fed them barley  ) Ain't that right Mr W   
 
I agree on the cost side of things - it's my Kunekune herd that pays the way for my 'big' pigs and now we've had Kunekune bacon........well, let's just say it's hard to beat IMHO 

[harry]

my 7 are at the butchers now he tells me that only one is fat, it was fat when given to me at 5 months  old they went at 10 months , butcher said they could have gone another month without being fat but they seemed to have stopped growing so they went.............. but my son wants the fatty one to smoke, it stops them drying out...... followed HHs advise 1lb sow rolls a day plus free range, loads of  free windfall apples, then after that carrots and free brewers spent grain.

[robert waddell]

i just wish Karen you would tell the full story  on my keeping kunnies
at that time we had 125 pigs in total and the feedbill was horrendous  a cheaper alternative had to be sourced not only that the time and fuel involved in carting potatoes and grain then the milling of the grain
we tried them and glad to get rid of them small litters could not get them in pig and no REAL market for them and before you say it was the feeding the Tamworth's produced big litters and they finished alright and back in pig on time
are you criticising cherelyan Pieter's for feeding barley and potatoes as well
my opinion is there are better breeds out there and others have the same opinion  if they were that good the country would be flooded with them(well they are that is why they are giving them away)
very good on you if you are making money from your kunnies you must be the only one in the UK that is making enough to support something else from a pig enterprise
nobody has mentioned carcase weight of these fantastic pigs to do a comparison with
 
 

[sabrina]

My first pigs were bought from Cherelyan Pieters, they were the all black and I was given all the help and advice I needed. The girls were fed pig nuts but due to OH not being able to get time off work when needed they were a month late going to slaughter. They were a bit on the fat side but we still thought the pork was wonderful. This time We tried the Kune-Kune, I did find them cheaper to feed but I would have expected this anyway as they are a smaller pig. When they went to slaughter in March I put on the forum all the information we got back from Millers of Speyside. Not that I understood what it all meant. Once more we think the pork is wonderful. As we do not sell the meat the smaller pig does suit us better, I found them a joy to have, even the ponies liked them. For me it is not about cost but knowing where my meat comes from and how it was produced.

[harry]

for the back yard type keeper like me kune kunes seem a good bet as has been said they are available if you look free of charge, i could have had 12 in the last month free but have offered them to others on this forum as i had no room untill next week.. when you can pick up kks at 5-6 months old free thats a hell of a bargain as you just have to feed them for another 5-6 months to get them in good shape, no initial puchase price and have been fed for 5 months, 3 of mine had even been castraited.... BARGAIN.... Why are they free, well people seem to buy them like puppies then they get big and strong and wreck the garden.

[robert waddell]

yes harry people do buy  them as pets or are mistaken that they will be a substitute for micro pigs also a lot of people wont eat something that they have fed and watched grow  or circumstances change and just want rid  even the pigs coming through the market are basically given away the sellers thinking they are going to a forever home  aye right    they double there value in a few days  either going to the roast pig trade or cast sow market   yes bargains to be had at others expense

[deepinthewoods]

if someones bought some micropigs, without doing the research and cant cope with the resulting pig then surely they deserve what they get
.its the same as with the rescue dog issue, except at least you can eat pigs.

[HappyHippy]

i just wish Karen you would tell the full story  on my keeping kunnies
at that time we had 125 pigs in total and the feedbill was horrendous  a cheaper alternative had to be sourced not only that the time and fuel involved in carting potatoes and grain then the milling of the grain
we tried them and glad to get rid of them small litters could not get them in pig and no REAL market for them and before you say it was the feeding the Tamworth's produced big litters and they finished alright and back in pig on time
are you criticising cherelyan Pieter's for feeding barley and potatoes as well
my opinion is there are better breeds out there and others have the same opinion  if they were that good the country would be flooded with them(well they are that is why they are giving them away)
very good on you if you are making money from your kunnies you must be the only one in the UK that is making enough to support something else from a pig enterprise
nobody has mentioned carcase weight of these fantastic pigs to do a comparison with

I'm not critizing anyone for feeding whatever they want to feed Robert - each to their own. 
And I really don't see what Chel's feeding has got to do with anything    she kept Managalitza's and Large Blacks - we're talking about Kunekunes here   
 
What I'm trying to point out (and getting ever so slightly sick of having this conversation with you AGAIN  ) is that Kunekune's do differ from 'big' pigs and don't do well with too much grain, small spaces or large quantities of pig nuts - they get fat, don't get to full fertility and yes, probably wouldn't be as rewarding to keep as when kept in the manner they need, in order to flourish.
 
We raise ours on 1lb of nuts per day (except when approaching farrowing or when nursing, or when the goodness in the grass starts to go) we get carcass weights of anything from 40Kg @ 10 months and the last ones @ 18 months gave carcass weights of 99 and 104Kg after skinning.
Our last litter was 12 piglets, the one before that 10 and the one before that 9.......could it be that maybe, just maybe, we're getting better results because of the different approach to feeding that we take ? That good enough on the carcass weights of them for you ? Just let me know if you need it made any simpler, won't you    (Sorry, verging on being just a tad on the cheeky side but OH MY GOD You do my head in sometimes Robert  )
 
I dare say there are people out there who don't do their research and end up dissappointed with their Kunekunes, but I can say, honestly - hand on heart, that no-one who's bought any from me have at any time, had any problems or been under any illusions as to what to expect. Maybe it's because I go to great lengths to explain what new owners need to do to get the best from them and make sure I'm not selling into unsuitable homes (either as outdoor pets or pork producers) rather than just taking their cash and sending them on their way ?
 
Karen 

[harry]

i tell my free pig donars they will free range and have access to woods and a stream for 6 - 12 months a happy life in a good home then they will go to the butcher,to make room for the new, i tell them its out with the old in with the new if they are not happy with that then they keep them but everyone so far is just happy to get rid and dont want to know, i dont tell them unless they ask.

[robert waddell]

the last time i did ask you to point out what the difference was as you inferred that kunnies differed from other pigs  so what you are saying  is restrict there daily input and they grow and develop better and is the reason for them having litters that are 100% bigger
you can be as cheeky as you like it does not bother me
it is this grazing part i find the hardest  to digest the two sows and boar that we had did graze but only because there noses were wired the piglets were not and  they did root  but if you have pasture and want to preserve it you have to wire them otherwise they will root and that pasture is lost or costs to reseed
just look at Adam hensons pigs and his policy's and the stushie it caused on here when it was revealed that his pigs were wired
now on my venture to hatfield last year i DID take note of the kunnies on show and observed that there are  or appears to be two different lines or ideas on there breeding  one exhibitor had small breed kunnies while the other had very much larger kunnies the large one were winning all the prizes and that i believe was with a dedicated judge or at least one brought in for them
it looks like i could be successful in getting a carcase competition back in central southern Scotland get your kunnies in that and get somebody that is not as biased as you think i am to judge them
yes a pound of nuts a day is very appealing but when you factor in all the other costs involved for the return of pork that you are getting it is very expensive  do come to the pig ring at the gow and see the Hampshire's at 21 weeks old and weighing 81 kilos last week and it not just me David with his Duroc xgos is achieving just as good weight gains