I like Bacon & Sausages.....

[Bignor Farmer]

As above , arable and sheep farmer here who wants to do a few piggies for the freezer along with a bit of fun/responsibility for the kids.

Not completely green on the subject, I know about registration & records, plenty of electric fencing and corners to put them in but want a bit of a steer on nutrition, vaccination, worming etc.

Presumably I buy a few weaners (4 weeks?) from my local friendly Pig farmer. Put them on creep for another 10 weeks? Then onto a finishing nut until done. Bacon weight 80kg ish.

Presumably routine worming as per label but will I need to vaccinate or mineral supplement?

Any comments gratefully received....

 

[betternextyear]

My advice is dont get commercial pigs . They are too lean to make good bacon or pork. Traditional breeds are way better for home produced tasty pork. You wouldnt want to embarrass yourself by having roast pork without crackling.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Build a smoker box,,mmm yummy ,love abit of smokey bacon

 

[ollie989898]

My advice is dont get commercial pigs . They are too lean to make good bacon or pork. Traditional breeds are way better for home produced tasty pork. You wouldnt want to embarrass yourself by having roast pork without crackling.

Large blacks. Good pigs for the occasional keeper I am told?

 

[cotswoldcs]

Go for it. We've had a few weaners every year for 5 years now and love them. It's great fun and get the kids involved in farming. We've had Gloucester Old Spots (probably my favourite), Tamworth, Saddleback and a Durok cross Gloucester Old Spots. All have been good althhough Tamworths were least successful and rooted a lot, making a mess of the pig pen.

We've never wormed our pigs or had to give them any antibiotics, vaccines or anything and rest the ground before getting more. I feed ours on sheep food because I have access to it and it's cheaper than pig food. You shoudln't feed pig feed to sheep but the other way around is fine, apparently.

 

[Bignor Farmer]

Go for it. We've had a few weaners every year for 5 years now and love them. It's great fun and get the kids involved in farming. We've had Gloucester Old Spots (probably my favourite), Tamworth, Saddleback and a Durok cross Gloucester Old Spots. All have been good althhough Tamworths were least successful and rooted a lot, making a mess of the pig pen.

We've never wormed our pigs or had to give them any antibiotics, vaccines or anything and rest the ground before getting more. I feed ours on sheep food because I have access to it and it's cheaper than pig food. You shoudln't feed pig feed to sheep but the other way around is fine, apparently.

Thanks, that’s very helpful

 

[Old Boar]

Weaners should be 6 weeks at least. As has been said, avoid commercial breeds, and lop eared pigs are easier to keep in. Hinges on any gates should be pointing to each other or they will lift any gate within minutes. Water bowl in an old tyre stops it walking or getting tipped quite so much.
I found cattle fattening mix the best, peas, beans, maize, all sorts in there, all loose and not pellets, as it takes them a nice while to find it all. I fed by time it takes to clear the food - 7 minutes was about right, any longer and they got fat.
Cattle pour on wormer works a treat, but it is not licenced for pigs, so dont ask how I know it works. I always wormed at around 8 weeks as this will give you a healthy liver you can eat (or make pate).
Pigs are very clean animals and will always pick one spot to dung. If you clean this out, leave a bit, or they will chose a new spot.
Get them tame and friendly, it makes looking after them much easier and if you have to look at a foot or something, a quick scratch behind the shoulder will get them to drop down and as long as you keep rubbing, you can check anything. Easier to load when needed too.
Buy a couple of deck chairs as they are very entertaining to watch, and you may as well do it in comfort. Enjoy!

 

[Bignor Farmer]

Weaners should be 6 weeks at least. As has been said, avoid commercial breeds, and lop eared pigs are easier to keep in. Hinges on any gates should be pointing to each other or they will lift any gate within minutes. Water bowl in an old tyre stops it walking or getting tipped quite so much.
I found cattle fattening mix the best, peas, beans, maize, all sorts in there, all loose and not pellets, as it takes them a nice while to find it all. I fed by time it takes to clear the food - 7 minutes was about right, any longer and they got fat.
Cattle pour on wormer works a treat, but it is not licenced for pigs, so dont ask how I know it works. I always wormed at around 8 weeks as this will give you a healthy liver you can eat (or make pate).
Pigs are very clean animals and will always pick one spot to dung. If you clean this out, leave a bit, or they will chose a new spot.
Get them tame and friendly, it makes looking after them much easier and if you have to look at a foot or something, a quick scratch behind the shoulder will get them to drop down and as long as you keep rubbing, you can check anything. Easier to load when needed too.
Buy a couple of deck chairs as they are very entertaining to watch, and you may as well do it in comfort. Enjoy!

Thank you

 

[Suffolk Serf]

My advice is dont get commercial pigs . They are too lean to make good bacon or pork. Traditional breeds are way better for home produced tasty pork. You wouldnt want to embarrass yourself by having roast pork without crackling.

Not necessarily true. Undoubtedly the worst pork I have ever tasted came from a pure Gloucester Old Spot. Very disappointing. (Not tarring all GOS with the same brush BTW).

 

[Martyn]

We did it first time last year i hardly feed them, just lots of rough grazing to eat through and small amount of crimp oats, let them grow slowly, butcher said they were great to cut. Hardly any fat to cut off buitifal meat. Butcher said most farmers over feed pigs far to much fat. Great fun

 

[delilah]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Local-Business/Trewint-Pedigree-Pigs-361663010551795/

 

[TripleSix]

Shame you're not closer.
We're overrun with squealers

 

[Sharpy]

Shame you're not closer.
We're overrun with squealers

View attachment 902758

They look good, I'm rather envious, looks a handy bit for them too!

 

[TripleSix]

They look good, I'm rather envious, looks a handy bit for them too!

They're on about 10 AC of rough intake, with a river and mud holes, they've huts but prefer to pig outside, they do well.

 

[TripleSix]

Everyone got together for a group photo this morning.

 

[Muddyroads]

Buy a couple of deck chairs as they are very entertaining to watch, and you may as well do it in comfort. Enjoy!

Absolutely right. Very popular with walkers who come through our yard.

 

[Cowlife]

Just reading about Tamworth being worst for rooting. I d like to get a xouple of pigs to roam about but thought they would plough the place. Which breed would root about tge least

 

[Mickstup]

A Woman who lived here 50 or so years ago, always kept a "pig for the house", if the pig was off colour she would go round the local pubs, collect a gallon (about 4.5 litres for you youngsters) of beer slops, feed it to the pig, pig would sleep for 24 hrs, and would be fine when it came round.

 

[Old Boar]

Beer (or cider) is very useful for a gilt who is over anxious after her first litter. A few pints gentles them down for the first few hours, allows the piglets to suckle and get on their feet.
A pig who has had one too many apples is hilarious to watch - full control over their front legs while the back legs are doing a rumba.
@TripleSix - do the sows build huge nests like igloos?

 

[Muddyroads]

Ours run in the orchard near the house. Last year, on our only night away, 1 of them “went missing” and was pretty unresponsive when found. Turned out that the sugar content in the apples had increased quickly and the 4 month olds couldn’t handle it. Shut them out for a couple of days to sober up and they were fine.