Hog Raising - Our First Time and What We Learned

Great tips on homesteading, frugal living, and self reliance.	Recipes \| Gardening \| Preparation \| Homemade \| Chickens \| Beekeeping \| The Bartering Corner
	Hog Raising - What We've Learned So Far Hog Raising is a great way to provide great-tasting meat for your freezer at a reasonable cost while utilizing a small amount of space. Overall, it was a positive experience, although there are definitely things we would do differently next time. Schedule a Butcher Date As Soon as You Get Your Pigs What I didn't realize with my first experience at hog raising is that processors have a busy schedule, and if you want a specialized service - such as having the processor come to your place to pick up your hog or two, or even better, have them butchered on your place, you will need to book a date months in advance. The next time we finish hogs, I plan to set a butchering date soon after we purchase our weanling pigs. A helpful resource is Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs Plan on Butchering Your Hog Before it Gets Really Hot With hog raising in areas that get truly hot in July (here in Oklahoma, it can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher), you don't want to have a hog around. They'll be miserable - hogs don't tolerate the heat well - and they'll stink and attract flies which will make you miserable. If possible, get your weanling pigs as early in the spring as possible to reduce the odor. I've also heard of some people getting pigs in the fall and raising their hogs over the winter. I'd recommend it, if you can find them. Add Your Dirty Hay to the Pig Pen on a Regular Basis Not only does this reduce odor with hog raising, but your hogs will trample down the hay and stir it up, turning it into compost much faster. Add some cracked corn to give them sufficient motivation. It's their reward for doing the stirring for you. Hogs Are Fiends For Cracked Corn And as a result, this can be extremely useful with hog raising. Not only can you add it to your compost to get your hogs digging, you can also use it as a diversion tactic. Anytime I wanted to get the empty buckets out of the pen without hogs rubbing their dirty snouts against my pants, I would toss cracked corn over the side of the fence and then go retrieve the buckets. The hogs would ignore me while they devoured their favorite treat. When Hog Raising Wear Good Boots Holistic methods of farming are covered in this book. My hogs weren't mean; they were friendly, sweet fellows, but even a gentle hog can do serious damage if he steps on your foot. Hogs can weigh over 200 pounds and don't care where they rest their hooves, so wear protective footwear. Hogs are Fun They love being sprayed with the hose, and they love to frolic. I now understand the meaning of the term "hog wild" and eating like a pig and even acting like a pig. Still, I wouldn't trade my hog raising experience for anything. Pork You Raise Yourself is Delicious Pork chops from a hog you raised yourself is a delicacy - so tender and succulent, it tastes like a good quality steak. For the taste alone, I definitely recommend hog raising. Terms You Should Know *Farrow* means to give birth. *Barrow* is a male that has been castrated. *Gilt* is a female under 18 months of age that has not given birth. *Shoat* is a recently weaned pig. *Boar* is an intact male. *Sow* is any female that has had a litter of pigs. *Butcher or Market Hog* is one weighing 220 to 260 pounds and ready for sale or butcher. They are between five and seven months of age. *Feeder Pig* generally weighs 40 to 70 pounds and is sold to be fed out to market weight. They are generally between 8 and 12 weeks of age. *Finishing* means raising or feeding a pig to market or butcher weight. Other Helpful Hog Information If you have an acre or two and live out in the country, buying a couple of weanling pigs and finishing them - raising them to at least 200 pounds - then taking them to be butchered is a great way of filling your freezer with meat. Here are some more reasons to buy a couple of pigs every year. Our first experience at raising hogs was a positive one. Here's why New! Comments Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. Return from Hog Raising to the Home Page	Build Your Own Chicken Tractor! *You Can Build a Chicken Tractor* Provides you with step-by-step instructions on how to build a chicken tractor and also provides helpful information on how to get free wood and how your chickens can pay for themselves. Click Here learn more. Search This Site: Subscribe to my free ezine! Successful Homesteading is a bi-weekly e-zine covering everything about self-reliance and the healthy, frugal life. Imagine! Great tips on organic gardening, self reliance, frugal living and frugal recipes on a regular basis and sent straight to your ebox! Click here to subscribe. How I'm Earning an Income at Home with This Website I was determined to stay at home, but also needed a little extra money to make ends meet. Then I learned about Site Build It! When I started this website I had virtually no web building skills. Now I am earning a great part-time income, working from home and having the time of my life. You can too! Site Build It! has an easy to follow, step-by-step program that will show you how to build a successful website that brings in the traffic you need to get the income you want and start living the life you want to lead. Want to learn how? Click here.
Important Information Home Advertise With Us Bulk Herbs What's New? Table of Contents Contact Me My Free Ezine You Can Build a Chicken Tractor About Me Country Critters Goats Chickens Beekeeping Cattle Pigs All Things Frugal Frugal Living Frugal Cooking Make It Yourself Homestead Passions Homesteading Tips Urban Self Reliance Off the Grid Homeschooling Self Reliance Natural Healing Home Business Being Prepared Organic Gardening Hydroponics Woodworking Enjoy This Site? Then why not use the button below, to add us to your favorite bookmarking service? [?] Subscribe To This Site
Return to Top \| Homestead Goats \| Homestead Chickens \| The Homestead Beekeeper \| Frugal Living Tips Frugal Healthy Recipes\| Make It Yourself \| Find Homesteaders \| The Urban Homesteader \| At Home Income Off the Grid \| Natural Healing \| Home Business \| Being Prepared \| Organic Gardening \| Advertising Policy Copyright \| Disclaimer \| Terms Of Use This site is for your information only.
Copyright© 2011.