Rearing Own Pigs - Actually Cheaper?

[Eolas Álainn]

My partner used to raise own pigs for slaughter while growing up and we've been looking at the pros and cons of rearing of own pigs for slaughter vs buying own pork products at the shop.

Here's what I found out! https://oinksandbots.com/pros-and-cons-of-rearing-own-pigs-actually-cheaper/ Full disclosure, all prices are in $ as partner is American. But it should still give you a good idea if it's worth your time or not.

As usual, open to feedback!

 

[Highland Mule]

not just costs in american, but all the language is too. I got to "the math" and grimaced. Sorry, but I don't believe you wrote that article yourself, or if you did you're no Scot.

Edit:
Actually, you didn't write it, did you? You plagiarised it from this article.

How Much Does it Cost to Raise a Pig?

While there are lots of reasons to raise your own meat beyond cutting costs, it's still nice to know if all that effort actually saved any money in the end. We tracked our costs

practicalselfreliance.com

Poor show, and especially so when you didn't even fact check - care to tell me which abattoir in Scotland will do private kill of pigs for $50 and butchery for $100?

 

[Eolas Álainn]

not just costs in american, but all the language is too. I got to "the math" and grimaced. Sorry, but I don't believe you wrote that article yourself, or if you did you're no Scot.

Yup! Most of my readers are from the US so it's why I have it written in US English. Though I may need to rethink my strategy if I get more traffic from the UK And no I'm not Scottish, I'm Irish but living in Scotland.

 

[Highland Mule]

Yup!

See my update

 

[Eolas Álainn]

See my update

That's not plagiarism? I prefaced the whole article saying that this was research into the feasibility of raising our own pigs. So of course I was going to use someone else's figures since I don't have any of my own. We farm sheep so pigs are not our usual animals, hence why I was doing some digging into it. I've noticed a few people asking questions in this specific thread/forum about pigs and thought to look into it

With regards your question about butchering, I've only got anecdotal evidence but I've heard of a lot of farms butcher and hang for between £100-£150 for about 3 weeks in the UK. But truthfully I didn't look too much into that element of it, I was more concerned with how much it costs to feed a pig and rear it to a proper size and whether or not that would be more expensive than just buying your own pig products at the shop.

Thanks for your feedback, I'll be sure to tackle that part of the topic more thoroughly next time!

 

[Old Boar]

Pigs do not hang for any time at all. We hung for 24 hours otherwise cutting was hard going. Pigs do not need to hang, it does not improve the meat at all.

Slaughter costs around £30 a head depending on weight, and I could cut out a pig fully in a couple of hours, so I wish I could have charged £100!

Where the value is is in what you do with the pork. Sausages and burgers increase butchery costs but also the value of the meat. Bacon is even better. Smoking can increase the value even more. Proper charcuterie makes the most of the pork, but is time and labour intensive.

The easy bit is rearing the pig. The biggest pro is an outdoor reared pig has more flavour, and better muscle tone, and they are fun (apart from when they are out!).

 

[Eolas Álainn]

Pigs do not hang for any time at all. We hung for 24 hours otherwise cutting was hard going. Pigs do not need to hang, it does not improve the meat at all.

Slaughter costs around £30 a head depending on weight, and I could cut out a pig fully in a couple of hours, so I wish I could have charged £100!

Where the value is is in what you do with the pork. Sausages and burgers increase butchery costs but also the value of the meat. Bacon is even better. Smoking can increase the value even more. Proper charcuterie makes the most of the pork, but is time and labour intensive.

The easy bit is rearing the pig. The biggest pro is an outdoor reared pig has more flavour, and better muscle tone, and they are fun (apart from when they are out!).

My partner is from the Southern States so smoking is an absolute must. Hickory smoking being a fave. Hey if you're close by I'd take you up on that £30! I have no experience with butchering tbh so that would be great for some tips and tricks.

I did figure it would taste better and would be a peace of mind knowing that there are no extra chemicals being injected into the meat.

 

[bitwrx]

Which chemicals are you worried about? Who's injecting them?

 

[Eolas Álainn]

Which chemicals are you worried about? Who's injecting them?

Anything synthetic really. I've got colitis and so I can't digest anything "complex". Makes cooking irritating to say the least! I'm at the point that I'm looking to grow pretty much all of my own food since the cramping can get bad if I eat something that has inorganic or unnatural chemicals in it. At least if I'm feeding the pigs I know what is being put into them

 

[bitwrx]

Oh right. Sorry to hear about your gut issues. Thanks for sharing.

What synthetic chemicals do people inject exactly? Are we talking on the hoof (trotter?), or on the hook?

You say you struggle with inorganic chemicals. Presumably a bit of sodium chloride and acetic acid is ok on your chips though?

 

[Eolas Álainn]

I actually don't take vinegar or salt on my chips Though I do like home made ketchup, yum!

By synthetic chemicals I am talking growth hormones, anti biotics and the like. Probably fine for most people but the doc said my gut won't be able to handle it and who am I to go against the doc?!

When you mean trotter you mean while they are literally trotting around? The honest answer is that I'm not sure. Just that if I eat pork I get at the shop/butchers, it's a lottery if I get a reaction or not. So something must be happening at some point! Hence why I am looking at the possibility of rearing my own pigs

 

[mo!]

Colitis is not affected by diet.

Hormones in farming are banned in the UK.

 

[bitwrx]

I actually don't take vinegar or salt on my chips Though I do like home made ketchup, yum!

By synthetic chemicals I am talking growth hormones, anti biotics and the like. Probably fine for most people but the doc said my gut won't be able to handle it and who am I to go against the doc?!

When you mean trotter you mean while they are literally trotting around? The honest answer is that I'm not sure. Just that if I eat pork I get at the shop/butchers, it's a lottery if I get a reaction or not. So something must be happening at some point! Hence why I am looking at the possibility of rearing my own pigs

Fair dos.

By 'on the hoof' I mean 'alive', as opposed to 'on the hook' meaning 'dead and hanging up, ready to be butchered'. Pigs don't have hooves, so I don't know if the phrase applies.

As @mo! says, the use of growth promoting hormones has been illegal in the EU since before you and I were born. That ban also applies to meat imported from countries where the use of hormonal growth promoters is permitted. There is no hormone 'treated' meat for sale legally anywhere in the UK.

Hormones in meat

In 1981, with Directive 81/602/EEC, the EU prohibited the use of substances having a hormonal action for growth promotion in farm animals. Examples...

ec.europa.eu

If you do decide to keep your own pigs, I'd recommend you read the code of practice for the welfare of pigs (https://assets.publishing.service.g...ta/file/869140/code-practice-welfare-pigs.pdf).
In there you will read that pig keepers, nay all animal keepers, must ensure freedom from pain, injury and disease in their animals, by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment. This includes the use of antibiotics, where necessary. You'll need to use the antibiotics responsibly, which means adhering to withdrawal periods (amongst other things), ensuring that there will be no detectible residue of the active ingredients in the meat. Just like the meat you get at the butcher's, or supermarket. (Abattoirs screen for antibiotic residue BTW. This is all quite heavily regulated.)

That's antibiotics and hormones covered. By 'and the like', I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but the only other things we use are vaccines (salmonella, erysipelas, parvovirus and porcine circovirus), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (you know, like ibuprofen for humans). While there is an economic case for using these products, the overwhelming driver is to ensure the pigs' freedom from pain and disease (see code of practice above).

If you're going to keep your own pigs, it's worth getting across the legal requirements.
Surprisingly, the gov site has a good page on small scale pigkeeping (although they target it at pet pig keepers, it applies equally to anyone doing it domestically)

Keeping a pet pig or 'micropig'

Find out what you must do before you get a pet pig, how to register as a keeper and get a pig walking licence and what you can feed pet pigs.

www.gov.uk

Please pay particular attention to the rules around feed. African swine fever and/or foot and mouth reaching the UK pig population would spell the end of many businesses and, more importantly, result in the avoidable suffering and disease of hundreds of thousands of animals. Domestic pig keepers are seen by many (myself included) as the most likely source.

Once you've got your pigs, it's worth acknowledging that sometimes things don't work out right. If an animal is injured or subject to illness giving rise to significant pain that cannot be alleviated, it will need to be killed. Paragraphs 62 to 66 of the code of practice have all the info you need. If you keep pigs, you will need to plan for this eventuality, just in case like. Our assurance scheme requires that once a decision is made to kill a pig on welfare grounds, it _must_ be done within 1hour. No exceptions, 24hrs a day, 365 days a year. This is not a legal requirement (that I know of), but is a good guide as to what is expected.

I guess what I'm getting at is that keeping pigs is great - they're wonderful animals - but it does come with a whole heap of responsibilities, both to the pig, and your fellow pigkeepers. And in the end, you may end up with something completely indistinguishable from the meat you can buy cheaper and easier in the shop. Not knocking it. I keep hens for eggs. Their eggs are really good. And completely indistinguishable from those sold in shops.

 

[Eolas Álainn]

Fair dos.

By 'on the hoof' I mean 'alive', as opposed to 'on the hook' meaning 'dead and hanging up, ready to be butchered'. Pigs don't have hooves, so I don't know if the phrase applies.

As @mo! says, the use of growth promoting hormones has been illegal in the EU since before you and I were born. That ban also applies to meat imported from countries where the use of hormonal growth promoters is permitted. There is no hormone 'treated' meat for sale legally anywhere in the UK.

Hormones in meat

In 1981, with Directive 81/602/EEC, the EU prohibited the use of substances having a hormonal action for growth promotion in farm animals. Examples...

ec.europa.eu

If you do decide to keep your own pigs, I'd recommend you read the code of practice for the welfare of pigs (https://assets.publishing.service.g...ta/file/869140/code-practice-welfare-pigs.pdf).
In there you will read that pig keepers, nay all animal keepers, must ensure freedom from pain, injury and disease in their animals, by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment. This includes the use of antibiotics, where necessary. You'll need to use the antibiotics responsibly, which means adhering to withdrawal periods (amongst other things), ensuring that there will be no detectible residue of the active ingredients in the meat. Just like the meat you get at the butcher's, or supermarket. (Abattoirs screen for antibiotic residue BTW. This is all quite heavily regulated.)

That's antibiotics and hormones covered. By 'and the like', I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but the only other things we use are vaccines (salmonella, erysipelas, parvovirus and porcine circovirus), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (you know, like ibuprofen for humans). While there is an economic case for using these products, the overwhelming driver is to ensure the pigs' freedom from pain and disease (see code of practice above).

If you're going to keep your own pigs, it's worth getting across the legal requirements.
Surprisingly, the gov site has a good page on small scale pigkeeping (although they target it at pet pig keepers, it applies equally to anyone doing it domestically)

Keeping a pet pig or 'micropig'

Find out what you must do before you get a pet pig, how to register as a keeper and get a pig walking licence and what you can feed pet pigs.

www.gov.uk

Please pay particular attention to the rules around feed. African swine fever and/or foot and mouth reaching the UK pig population would spell the end of many businesses and, more importantly, result in the avoidable suffering and disease of hundreds of thousands of animals. Domestic pig keepers are seen by many (myself included) as the most likely source.

Once you've got your pigs, it's worth acknowledging that sometimes things don't work out right. If an animal is injured or subject to illness giving rise to significant pain that cannot be alleviated, it will need to be killed. Paragraphs 62 to 66 of the code of practice have all the info you need. If you keep pigs, you will need to plan for this eventuality, just in case like. Our assurance scheme requires that once a decision is made to kill a pig on welfare grounds, it _must_ be done within 1hour. No exceptions, 24hrs a day, 365 days a year. This is not a legal requirement (that I know of), but is a good guide as to what is expected.

I guess what I'm getting at is that keeping pigs is great - they're wonderful animals - but it does come with a whole heap of responsibilities, both to the pig, and your fellow pigkeepers. And in the end, you may end up with something completely indistinguishable from the meat you can buy cheaper and easier in the shop. Not knocking it. I keep hens for eggs. Their eggs are really good. And completely indistinguishable from those sold in shops.

Thank you That was very helpful! I'll go through that. I still have a lot to research before making any decision on pigs.

 

[PaulNix]

Thank you That was very helpful! I'll go through that. I still have a lot to research before making any decision on pigs.

I'd say you also got a lot of research to do before writing any more "guides" on it, not to mention real life experience.

 

[Al R]

Sam, before you start trying to give people advice I’d do it yourself first, some of the breeds of sheep you have listed are wrong or I definitely would never recommend to the most experienced shepherd let alone a beginner......
Also I briefly scanned your lambing guide and you failed to put in the most basic technique there ever is when assisting...