[kja]

our local auction mart held its anual native breed sale along side it usual sale

on  offer
1 x GOS gilt in pig (4 weeks to go) £40
1 x saddleback sow £85
11 GOS x OSB 11 week old £1 each
4 x large black 8 week olds £14 each
10 GOS 8 week old £6 each
6 tamworth x GOS 11 week old £24

the tamworth x sold 1st imo they were not worth the money as they were not as bright as i would have liked to seen then it all went down hill. its usually the same around here as soon as coloured pigs go up the prices go down white and blues hold their own, anyone else noticed this trend with coloured pigs ?

[MAK]

Wow - those poor people selling their stock. Silly prices.
I am so glad that I am a hobby pig keeper and just keep two for the frezer. Tough if you are trying to make a living out of pig rearing.

[Tamsaddle]

Which market was that at?   Tamsaddle

[kja]

thrapston

[Daisys Mum]

 
Thats terrible but you have to ask why are these people breeding these pigs when no one wants them? It must cost more than they can possibly get back.
That is one of the reasons why I am not going down that road. I know so many nice people with well bred healthy weaners.

[rispainfarm]

This is so depressing, why won't people learn that when you are breeding willy nilly with no name or reputation behind you or you are overbreeding, in this financial climate you are going to end up with stock that you can't shift unless it is for silly money. People who have been breeding for years and have a good reputation even struggle in these times.

[Mrs Snoodles]

I don't get it why these people are not keeping for meat sales. Yes feed prices have gone up a bit, but not so much that really if you sold in halves that it would impact that massively and not be good for sale.  People are still eating pork.

[kja]

I don't get it why these people are not keeping for meat sales. Yes feed prices have gone up a bit, but not so much that really if you sold in halves that it would impact that massively and not be good for sale.  People are still eating pork.

not everyone wants to rear for meat my parents used to send 10-20 pigs in every week then the bottom fell over night so everyone got out of pigs that was in the 80's we started doing pigs again a good few years back what started off small ended up with a 6 month waiting list then every one and his monkey started doing pigs customers got to be a pain in the rear deposits paid but then they wanted us to keep it until they had freezer space, they wanted to change their order dates then on a couple of occasions they changed the cutting list after the pigs had been cut so after a few years of being messed about  we decided wcba with that side so we breed to show and sell breeding stock and weaners. feed prices have not peaked yet the futures market is showing peak prices will not hit until later we have been told to expect upto £100 per ton increase.

strange as it seems i have just brought a live rare breed pig from a breeder to take to slaughter on monday for 2 reasons 1 i have nothing to send myself and 2 i cant rear them for the price he is charging me 100% registered SB 180lb LW £80 its a no brainer really £40 K&C = £120 sell 1/2 a pig for £90 1/4 for £45 = £15 profit & 1/4 pig for the freezer he will take it in monday i will collect it does not get easier than that 

[sabrina]

I have put my reply to this in the wrong thread, sorry fokes.

[Sylvia]

I don't get it why these people are not keeping for meat sales. Yes feed prices have gone up a bit, but not so much that really if you sold in halves that it would impact that massively and not be good for sale.  People are still eating pork.

Some folk, Mrs.S. bank on selling their weaners to pay for the feed for ones they keep. If they can't afford to feed them then the only sensible and kind thing is to let them go even if you have to give them away

[Mrs Snoodles]

.....but you can make more money selling through halves, then weaners.  If I sell weaners, then (admittedly taking risk and assuming that I am going to sell all halves etc) then selling weaners, a) doesn't make alot of money b) represents a lost opportunity to make better money.   

[deepinthewoods]

thats great if you have the market mrs s, and i agree with you totally, but it only works if you have the market.

[kja]

its all down to the area you live in etc etc around here everyone and his dog keep pigs for meat selling 1/2 a pig for £90 - £100 tops one guy i know sells 1/2 a GOS for £55 and thats hard going for him.

the other thing is not everyone wants the hastle of AHO and registration of a food outlet, transporting 1/2 pigs around to customers not easy if you send a litter off all at once.

i know when we were selling whole and half pigs by the time you took your weaners, feed, transporting too and from slaughter transport for delivering and thats without factoring in your time. i can make more money selling weaners & pedigree breeding stock than i can pork, i know this because  i keept very careful records and have done so since starting out with pigs along with growth charts of each breed we have kept.

we all have different take on how we want to go which is good imo without wanting to sound offensive mrs s you seem to think everyone wants to do as you do which would not be a good thing to you or others like you as we would all runout of customers.

i dont see selling weaners as a lost opportunity i see selling weaners as a gateway to breed more pedigree registered animals to sell as breeders and show animals much less stress too.

[Mrs Snoodles]

No offence taken kja.  Not telling anyone else what to do, just discovering differences.  Good luck to you selling your pedigree weaners. I need about £60-75  for my LB's to make it worth my while...that ain't going to happen easily, but if I can breed for meat and keep a few good sows and boars in existence, then it's all good.

I'm in Suffok, there are very few small holdings as it is all arable.   Livestock wise.... massive pig and chicken farms.  We have the 'sandy triangle' which is ideal for large outdoor units.

[Sylvia]

thats great if you have the market mrs s, and i agree with you totally, but it only works if you have the market.

And enough dosh to buy their feed in the first place. I have a market for my slaughtered pigs but can't afford to buy so much feed. My little pigs are going off next Monday.