[Sylvia]

I have 8 fourteen week old sholts that I can't give away and with the price of feed now, they will have to go off soon. I will, at least, get some meat from them.
Had a 'phone call whilst I was typing this....do I want some weaner pigs, free! It's getting a sad situation

[kja]

I have 8 fourteen week old sholts that I can't give away and with the price of feed now, they will have to go off soon. I will, at least, get some meat from them.
Had a 'phone call whilst I was typing this....do I want some weaner pigs, free! It's getting a sad situation

whats a sholt ?

[twizzel]

I was looking into buying a few weaners to raise on the farm at home, but my local farm butcher sells pigs at 1.30/lb... so I bought half a pig last week for £85, and for the amount of meat we got the price should have been twice what we paid. They raise their own pigs, I spoke to the owner and she said there was just no money in them

[Womble]

 
Some more info on (USA) prices here: http://www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/30475/cme-quantum-changes-in-feed-costs
 
It's hard to get this in context for smallholders though. For example, we are thinking of getting a couple of weaners in the Spring. As such, commercial concerns are definitely not top of the agenda. That said, I don't want to be left with a surplus of sausages that cost us a fortune to rear, yet have to be sold at a loss. Any thoughts folks?
 
{Edit - it seems that Twizzel got there whilst I was typing, LOL!}

[Mrs Snoodles]

I don't understand why you guys aren't able to sell a finished pig products.  Don't mean to jump up and down about it but I don't seem to have much trouble shifting halves at a decent price £120 basic half box (smaller porkers), up to £170 for gammon/smoked products.  Are you fairly isolated where you are located?   I'm not in an affluent area and it has always been fellow villagers that have brought in the past, but people seem to be very supportive of what I do and are prepared to pay for good meat. Very cared for, rare breed or crosses, taken to a small abattoir, outdoor reared etc.  I'm not near that £85 price but I'm selling something different.

[Sylvia]

KJA, sholt is a west country word for a pig bigger than a weaner but smaller than a grower.

[kja]

KJA, sholt is a west country word for a pig bigger than a weaner but smaller than a grower.

thanks we call them small stores around here .......i live and learn 

[Fowgill Farm]

I don't think its just pigs, theres all sorts of livestock around for sale at the moment lots of farmers are offloading stock especially since its been announced that wheat prices are about to reach an all time high pushing animal feed thro the roof. Looks like straw will also be at a premium this winter.I have never seen as many pigs for sale as there is now on this site and on the GOS site. Over the next couple of months i think the markets are going to be full of them.
Mandy

[kja]

i was talking to a guy at our local market last week about how many pigs we out there atm (mostly the ones at market are better off there if you know what i mean) he said he had seen this situation a few times over the years as did my parents in the 80's pig slump they jumped right out never to go back into pigs, but what he said made sense if you can afford to stick with it premiums will be had when the trade runs dry he recons by next summer he will be paying 30-40% more for his pigs he is a butcher that usually buys in40 - 50 pigs a week.

we have just sold a whole litter we were thinking some of them may well end up in the market but they all sold over a weekend  so fingers crossed for the 3 litters due january.

[Sylvia]

I payed £17-50 for two bags of sow rolls this morning. Last week, £16-40, back in the summer £12-80. What can you do?