[Rosemary]

I do understand the idea of supporting traditional and rare breeds, but i'd hardly say that the saddleback, osb etc are endangered! They are under going a massive revival with all of the 'good lifers'.

Not according to RBST they aren't. Attended a very worrying pesentation by our Field Officer last weekend - pig numbers are way, way down.

[SophieLeeds]

I realise you said you are only getting a couple of weaners, and that they are for meat but its also worth considering that the pig market is on its backside and in a terrible state at the moment.

Cross-breed and 'dark haired' weaners are fetching £3-5 a head in auctions- in turn this is affecting the market for smallholders, whilst you might pick up a couple of weaners cheaply, everything about the pig market is devalued and on a slippery downhill slope.

I'm not trying to put you off in any way, but the pig market is not one for profit at the moment! Hopefully Russia will sort itself out pronto & spring will give the market a boost 

HTH 

[Fowgill Farm]

I do understand the idea of supporting traditional and rare breeds, but i'd hardly say that the saddleback, osb etc are endangered! They are under going a massive revival with all of the 'good lifers'.

Not according to RBST they aren't. Attended a very worrying pesentation by our Field Officer last weekend - pig numbers are way, way down.

Confirming what Rosemary posted the annual BPA pig survey of all the modern & traditional breeds is due out at the end of this week and i am led to believe numbers are down and some breeds are now in very poor health.
 
The 'Pietrain' is rightly dubbed the muscles form Brussels as that what it was developed for by the commercial boys to put more lean meat on a carcass. They are nice pigs, i've seen a few at shows. Each to his own, just not for traditonalists like Harmony & myself.
 
Mandy    

[Porterlauren]

Fairplay. . . . that's quite ok.

But it annoys the piss out of me, when folk try to claim they taste worse etc etc etc. . . .

 . . . . when it's based upon absolutely nothing.

[Pundyburn Lynn]

Thanks folks for an interesting response!


To clarify, we'll be starting off with a couple of weaners but hope to develop this into a small-scale commercial venture (once we know what we're doing!). Not looking to be rich, just to sustain our lifestyle...


Porterlauren - I hadn't known where to start with cross breeds, so thank you so much for all the information you've shared!  I'm off to do some more homework now...


Lynn x


PS - don't suppose you have a photo of the pietrain x saddlebacks, do you?

[Clansman]

We are inexperienced pig keepers, and are looking to take on a couple of weaners. 

Is there such a thing as a perfect pig - predictable and good-natured, cost effective to keep, providing good pork AND bacon, and making a reasonable profit?

I don't think with two wearers you can make a profit, or at least one worthy of mention, UNLESS you are selling them as a premium product and charging a healthy price for your produce.

What you can do is save yourself some money over shop bought pork with the added bonus of you knowing exactly whats gone into your food.

We bred and butchered a lot of Kune Kunes last year for the first time, it was a great experience and allowing for the fact we didn't cost in any of our labour/time then we produced pork cheaper than we could have bought it for.

We did however home kill/butcher/cure all of them ourselves which was a large saving.

I must be honest and say taste wise I couldn't say our pork was noticeably better than shop bought although the sausage rolls and burgers made from pure minced pork and nothing else were stand out! 

We went for Kunes due to their grass grazing abilities, their small, easily handled size, the low cost of keeping breeding stock and the fact that I was worried about having so much money invested in two large animals rather than a dozen or so smaller ones.

[hafod]

We fatten 2 weaners at a time. We sell 3 halves and keep a half for ourselves. The money we get from sale covers the purchase cost of the weaners, feed costs and abbatoir/butchery fees (just!) In essence our profit is half a pig (but of course I haven't factored our time into this). Its a hobby that provides us with good quality tasty meet but we couldnt make it work as a business venture.We have tried a number of breeds and so far OSB's suit us and our land best but we will probably experiment with a few more breeds over the next few years.

[Pundyburn Lynn]

The two weaners are to gain experience...  If we get on okay we'll gradually expand...  We're not expecting to make any money from two weaners...

[hughesy]

Roundlaw Lynn we started off with a few weaners about five years ago. Last year we took about 60 porkers to slaughter and this year it'll be about double that. We'll break even this year after two full years of trading properly as a business. The first year we had quite a big loss. Next year will see a profit and me being able to take some wages, albeit small ones for the first time. I sell at two markets a week which will soon be three and later this year probably four. It's hard work and there's little time left to do anything else but I love it and it is coming together according to plan. Don't be put off by all the negative comments that always come on this subject but go into it with your eyes open and don't expect to make money from the offset.

[Womble]

I'm not trying to put you off in any way, but the pig market is not one for profit at the moment! Hopefully Russia will sort itself out pronto & spring will give the market a boost 

Why does Russia have such a big impact on UK pork prices then?

[SophieLeeds]

I'm not trying to put you off in any way, but the pig market is not one for profit at the moment! Hopefully Russia will sort itself out pronto & spring will give the market a boost 

Why does Russia have such a big impact on UK pork prices then?

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28737071

Because they've got in a huff with us  Market has declined even quicker since this all started

[Tiva Diva]

We do make money on our pigs - just - but it has taken a lot of hard work and discipline. If we really wanted to make money, busking outside Asda probably would have been more profitable. But we love keeping pigs. 


If I really, cynically, wanted to make money from pigs, I'd go round all the pig sales at markets and buy up all those cheap "cross breed" weaners and unsold fatteners, bring them on to slaughter weight, and sell that pork. But we love breeding rare breed pigs (OSBs, for the record), and want to do our bit to support rare breeds.


So we sell quite a lot of weaners to people like you, and people who just want to produce meat for their friends and family. The ones we raise ourselves, we get butchered to our spec and sell the meat to customers by advertising and marketing relentlessly and imaginatively. Selling the meat (at a fair price) takes far more effort than raising the pigs - and I find it far less interesting, though I have been surprised to discover what an entrepreneurial streak I have  . I plan to add a farm shop and snack shack selling bacon butties etc. - we're in a good location for that.


So the best of luck to you - enjoy your pig keeping. But the breed (or cross) is far less important than your business plan, if you're serious about trying to make a profit. Go for it! 

[hughesy]

Another point worth mentioning with regard to the Russian situation and the difficulties the big players in the pork industry are facing. None of this is relevant to a small producer who sells their meat direct to the end user. The prices I charge for my pork are not influenced by wholesale prices or by the supermarket buyers. I charge what I want to charge, not any going rate influenced by things I have no control of. My customers could easily go to one of the five supermarkets within a few minutes of here but they realise that what they get from me is not the same as the cheap stuff in the shops, and don't mind paying a bit more for quality. That's not to say I support the high prices charged by some but a fair price for a quality product will always sell.