Processing a culled sow

Oaktree herd

New Member
During November we tried to find out if we could make good use of our sow. Having searched the internet we got good and bad info. We decided we would find out for ourselves. After she was slaughtered she went on the hook at 430 dressed. We collected her from the abertoir and couldn’t believe how good the carcass was. She had hardly any back fat from top to bottom. We let her hang for 4 days and butchered her for the next 3 days. It was a pleasure to do this. She had a fantastic carcass. The following is a list of what we recovered after completely boning out the carcass.

120lbs of sausage
80lbs streaky and best bacon
70lbs gammon slices
40lbs spare ribs
A 50lb Parma ham
20 haslet’s at 1.5lbs each
3 x 2lb joints
10 x 2lb browns
Offal ie tongue, heart, liver, kidneys, fry fat

We worked all this out against supermarket prices which would have cost us approx £1500.

A value to the sow market had we had sold her would have been about £100.

It cost from weaning to culling to bring her into good condition - £100.
We have since tried the bacon, sausages, offal and a joint all has been the best pork meat we have ever eaten.

We thought we would put this on a forum as we couldn’t find anything constructive on the internet.

Anyone interested in getting in touch for further info please reply to this post
 
During November we tried to find out if we could make good use of our sow. Having searched the internet we got good and bad info. We decided we would find out for ourselves. After she was slaughtered she went on the hook at 430 dressed. We collected her from the abertoir and couldn’t believe how good the carcass was. She had hardly any back fat from top to bottom. We let her hang for 4 days and butchered her for the next 3 days. It was a pleasure to do this. She had a fantastic carcass. The following is a list of what we recovered after completely boning out the carcass.

120lbs of sausage
80lbs streaky and best bacon
70lbs gammon slices
40lbs spare ribs
A 50lb Parma ham
20 haslet’s at 1.5lbs each
3 x 2lb joints
10 x 2lb browns
Offal ie tongue, heart, liver, kidneys, fry fat

We worked all this out against supermarket prices which would have cost us approx £1500.

A value to the sow market had we had sold her would have been about £100.

It cost from weaning to culling to bring her into good condition - £100.
We have since tried the bacon, sausages, offal and a joint all has been the best pork meat we have ever eaten.

We thought we would put this on a forum as we couldn’t find anything constructive on the internet.

Anyone interested in getting in touch for further info please reply to this post


You might well be ahead of the game, we're going to need people to process cull sows in the UK after 29th March. Currently they're all processed abroad.
 

Oaktree herd

New Member
When we process a large pig for home use only, we do it to maximise the value of the animal. If we had sold the sow we would have probably only got £100 however once we had processed her, based on supermarket prices, she achieved approx £1500.
That would have been for standard meat. What we achieved was specialist meat with no medicines and no additives. Therefore as a retired couple cost doesn’t come into our equation.
If we had asked a butcher to produce the same meat from our sow, the sausages and bacon alone would have cost £300 without the culling and cutting costs. We made many more products ie haslets, pigs fries, a few joints, gammon slices and joints, brawns, a huge Parma ham etc.
To process a large pig that weighs in at over 400lbs has to be a specialist butchering job. It took us 4 days.
A normal porker pig we would have done it in much less time.
Therefore it would be cost prohibitive unless you do it yourselves. Having good meat knowing where it comes from and don’t count in your own time.
Sorry this is rather long winded but there is no real answer to your question apart from very expensive.
It has to be because you want to produce something special and more importantly enjoy doing it.
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
When we process a large pig for home use only, we do it to maximise the value of the animal. If we had sold the sow we would have probably only got £100 however once we had processed her, based on supermarket prices, she achieved approx £1500.
That would have been for standard meat. What we achieved was specialist meat with no medicines and no additives. Therefore as a retired couple cost doesn’t come into our equation.
If we had asked a butcher to produce the same meat from our sow, the sausages and bacon alone would have cost £300 without the culling and cutting costs. We made many more products ie haslets, pigs fries, a few joints, gammon slices and joints, brawns, a huge Parma ham etc.
To process a large pig that weighs in at over 400lbs has to be a specialist butchering job. It took us 4 days.
A normal porker pig we would have done it in much less time.
Therefore it would be cost prohibitive unless you do it yourselves. Having good meat knowing where it comes from and don’t count in your own time.
Sorry this is rather long winded but there is no real answer to your question apart from very expensive.
It has to be because you want to produce something special and more importantly enjoy doing it.
Thankyou.
I asked from the point of view of commercial viability rather than thinking you should cost it for yourself.
We put a young sow all into sausages and could have sold them (90kgs worth) twice over. My daughter just has a few pigs for "pocket money" but would be interested in scaling up just a little.
Direct marketing is quite a lot of work though and it's quite a step to go from supplying a few friends and family to making it commercially viable.
 

Oaktree herd

New Member
Thankyou.
I asked from the point of view of commercial viability rather than thinking you should cost it for yourself.
We put a young sow all into sausages and could have sold them (90kgs worth) twice over. My daughter just has a few pigs for "pocket money" but would be interested in scaling up just a little.
Direct marketing is quite a lot of work though and it's quite a step to go from supplying a few friends and family to making it commercially viable.
Did you make your own sausages or did butcher do them?
 

Wolds Beef

Member
That reminds me of when we were old boys, we used to help mum and dad do the odd pig in a little slaughterhouse on the farm. This was in the 60/70 and father knew a retired slaughterman/butcher. I have spent a while with an old copper boiling water and taking the hair with old tools to scuff the hair of!! Super meat though, flitches hung on the hooks in the kitchen!
WB
 
Thankyou.
I asked from the point of view of commercial viability rather than thinking you should cost it for yourself.
We put a young sow all into sausages and could have sold them (90kgs worth) twice over. My daughter just has a few pigs for "pocket money" but would be interested in scaling up just a little.
Direct marketing is quite a lot of work though and it's quite a step to go from supplying a few friends and family to making it commercially viable.
I've had sow sausages before. They were excellent.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,289
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top