[kitchen cottage]

This years Essex Piglets are now 13 weeks old.  According to my rare breed chart they should be between 30 and 37 kilos in order for them to reach kill weight at 22 weights.
 
They are quite a level litter and are between 30 and 33.... they were LOVELY  and large when born so I expected them to get to the top end of the weight chart.
 
They are outdoor, and have scoffed through the paddock but I have an acre of scrub  which they go out on for a few hours a day when I get home from work.
 
They are on 1.5 kilos of sow nuts a day at the moment but run around a lot.
 
I have access to free bread.
 
Will giving them more bread help or just  make them fat?
 
Am I worrying unnecessarily.  The weather I think has held them back.
 
This was the year i was going to do it all properly and get them to weight easily.
 
Any advice would be gratefully received.

[SallyintNorth]

kc, I'm not an expert but if they're on 1.5kgs pellets then I would expect extra bread to make them fat, yes.

You say sow nuts?  I have mine on weaner pellets up to 16 weeks - higher protein, better for early growth, I think.  Then I switch them to sow nuts after that.  No doubt someone considerably more knowledgeable will be along to give us both much better advice soon.

Commercial producers say you can't finish pigs outdoors properly in the UK; they need energy for the running about and a layer of fat to keep them warm... so even organic producers are likely to bring them into strawed yards for the last 4 weeks, unless it's very warm and dry where they are.

[oaklandspigs]

KC,
 
Dpends on why you have piglets.
 
If your aim is to produce food as fast as possible, then you should be (and should have been) feeding grower pellets.  Sow nuts will not get them matching high performance growing charts.
 
If your aim is to enjoy your piglets, clear areas of ground, give your pigs time to develop flavour and muscle definition, the you are fine - stop worrying and enjoy - they should be a pleasure to own not a constant worry !!
 
We feed all our stock on sow nuts.
 
 

[kitchen cottage]

This is the chart I'm using..
 
http://www.berkshirepigs.org.uk/marketing.htm
 
I keep for pleasure (I damn well don't make money on them!) but I don't want to overwinter.  I've always just used sow nuts, which are 17%, weaner nuts aren't any higher are they?
 
I may move onto growers pellets then.....

[robert waddell]

there is a lot that is very missleading with this post    first the breed of pig but will wait for Mr pigs deliberation on it      second charts are only a guide as to what could be or has been achieved  there can be such variations betwean litters    if i were to post my charts on weights you would definitely be worried
bread does layer the fat on try and avoid this if possible     all traditional breeds of pigs will put fat on    if you want fast growing lean pigs get modern breeds of pigs
 
if you are shovelling the concentrates into them and not performing change to a breed that will respond to feeding and leave you in pocket 
just to add to this we feed sow nuts 16%protein  no weaner food no grower pellets and can get 10-14 kilos a week on some of our pigs  that we have had  over the last two years

[Fowgill Farm]

They are saddlebacks for all intent and purposes so as tradional breeds they will lay down fat on a higher protein diet so leave them on the sow nuts but up it to 2kg a day if you want to grow them on quicker, bread is a good filler but has poor nutritional value. They should be ready for pork at around 24 - 26wks old and bacon at about 30wks.
HTH
mandy

[kitchen cottage]

I am not that pleased with being accused of being "misleading".... 
 
I have Essex Pigs, they come from Pets Corner in Harlow, which is a city farm that is striving to keep a strain that they believe in alive. The British Saddleback Society don't believe Essex Saddlebacks are a distinct line, obviously the Essex Pig Society disagree.
 
http://www.netmums.com/southessex/local/view/outdoor-play/farms/pets-corner-in-harlow-town-park
 
I don't see what I have said that is "misleading"
 
I don't honestly care.  What I have is a sow who is friendly, gentle and lovely to handle for a single female for whom its her first pig.
 
As for what else in my thread is misleading.  I am growing piglets outdoors using sow nuts and they are at the middle of a rare breed chart I found on the net, as they were large piglets I wanted to know if they were doing alright.  I intend to cull in October when they will be 26 weeks or thereabouts.  I told people what I was doing and asked for advice
 
I don't see what i have posted thats "misleading"

[robert waddell]

here we go again  people come on here looking for advice and when they get that advice if it does not suit them the giver of the advice is all at fault
 
charts and figures can be manipulated to suit the one that is giving the information or the one that is getting the information
 
 
from your post you have ONE sow
 
down south you should have a better weight gain and faster finish time due to the warmer weather  even outdoors yet in Scotland it has been wet and cold compared to Essex we can Finnish at 120-130 kilos at just under the 26 weeks
 
give the relevant information to Mr pig and he will confirm one way or the other if you have a genuine Essex pig that has not been inbred or a saddelback   or even worse if you have had the urine taken out of you
 
as to doing it properly pigs have a way of leveling things out     you just have to work with what is there and how they perform    you just cannot predict what will happen and when  otherwise you would know all the numbers to the lottery draws

[kitchen cottage]

Robert, I'm sorry it came across like that.
 
I'm trying to improve each year for my own benefit.
 
I'm not sure from the posts whether I should move to growers nuts or not. I do know I shouldn't fill them with bread (so I won't).
 
I measured them Monday when they were 14 weeks old and they are slap in the middle of what I understand is a fairly arbitrary weight guide.
 
Because they were such lovely large piglets when they were born i had expectations they'd be super piglets.... and grow disproportionately, however they were born outside and had to be moved in so I think the absolutely grim weather must hold them back.
 
I'm confused about splitting piglets.  I've split Mum from the piglets, and the guidance then says split gilts and boars at 14 weeks..... and then split large and small piglets!..... I will end up with a chess board of stock fencing with 2 piglets in each divider!
 
If there is anything sensible I can do to help them along, I'd like to do it but otherwise as long as I'm not doing anything too wrong... The piglets are friendly, manageable and relaxing.
 
As for Charlotte, she was bought from the City Farm that I'm the chair of (better than being a stool I suppose!)Pets Corner in Harlow.  We charge £35 a piglet, so there is no premium on a pig being called an Essex!
 
Personally, I believe she is an Essex Pig..... she has had five one night stands and five sets of progeny as a result... what else could she be!!??  But I know there are people who doubt a discrete Glascote herd.....it doesn't matter to me... but we have two selling points at pets corner for the pigs.... first is that they are Essex Pigs and second is that Mr Darcy from TOWIE now lives there.
 
I like Charlotte for her character and the fact that as a first pig she has completely lulled me into a false sense of how easy pigs are, (she hasn't even got saddleback marking but does produce saddlebacks) ..... but I confess i have now strayed.  Having just reared two Tammy Weaners, I'm bowled over by the meat quality and have bought three Essex (saddleback woteva!) Tammy crosses which seem to have long backs but are HOPEFULLY quiet like the Essex's..
 
I do value the advice you give and that you give it so willingly.
 
Thank you
 
 

[princesspiggy]

Personally, I believe she is an Essex Pig..... she has had five one night stands and five sets of progeny as a result... what else could she be!!??

meaoowww   


ul b told off by danny boy now 

[robert waddell]

the main thing is you are happy with your pigs and she is prolific with her breading       imperfect marked and underlines do provide perfect pigs  but they do require a band of white pigmented skin to be classed as Essex Wessex saddelback or Hampshire
 
chunky piglets when born should go on and Finnish earlier than there not so chunky littermates   but unless you have a market for them all at the one time you want a bit of a variance in sizes   some times the weather plays a part in there growth or they could have had an illness that was not detected by you that curtailed there growth even ours can stand at the same weight for a week or two then take a spurt of growth   just because a chart or book says one thing that is not what should be aimed at or for     pigs cant read so they just don't know what is expected from them
 
as to princesses quote from you i would say she had been gouping for it

[princesspiggy]

 

[oaklandspigs]

KC,
 
From your last post, the stuff you're working from does seem to be geared around "speed finishing" your piglets, and if this is your aim, then splitting and splitting again should be the norm, you'll try and get each and every piglet to finished weight ion the quickest time, and with the minimum of food.  this is how the commercial guys do it.
 
If that's not what you're after, then chill, relax and stop worrying.
 
Do you weigh your children's food?  Do you lock away so that they can't have any extra?  Do you ensure that it is perfectly balanced with all the right ingredients? Do you watch them at mealtimes to ensure that each has exactly the right amount?
 
If you kid is Tom Daley 9the Olympic diver) the answer to the above would be yes, and if you're a commercial pig farmer the answer for your pigs is also yes.
 
If you just want to raise a few and enjoy them then stop bearing yourself up !