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Raising PigsRaising pigs is an essential part of self reliant living.If you have an acre or two and live outside the city limits, a couple of pigs are a must have for both meat and land management. Here are some reasons why: A Kinder Growing EnvironmentA large majority of the hogs raised in this country are kept in large warehouses where they never see the light of day and have little freedom of movement. It's an unhealthy, miserable existence for any critter, and if you buy pork at the grocery store, you are contributing to that misery.By raising pigs yourself, you are providing your pigs greater freedom of movement, fresh air and sunshine and the opportunity to do what they love most - rooting about in the dirt, searching for grubs, roots and other tasties. Delicious MeatBy raising pigs yourself, you are producing pigs in a much healthier environment and that shows in the look and taste of the meat you get. Plus, you control the feed your pig gets, so you can serve meat to your family that is free of hormones.
Terms You Should KnowFarrow 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. Low CostRaising pigs in pairs or more leads to more content pigs and better growth. So why not raise two pigs. When they are ready to be butchered, sell one and keep the meat of the other. The profits you make from selling the one pig will help cover the expenses of purchasing and feeding your pigs. Therefore, you get high quality meat at a much lower cost.Land ImprovementPile all your extra leaves, dirty straw and other compost materials in area where you are raising pigs, and then toss in some cracked corn. Your pigs will enjoy rooting through the compost in search of the corn, and your compost gets stirred and aerated without you having to do the work.Better still, keep your pigs on land you need tilled. They'll pull out all the roots and work your soil for you - and have a blast doing it. Waste ManagementHave leftovers in the fridge that are staring at you and riddling you with guilt? Freeze them and save them for when you are raising pigs. Pigs are omnivores and will eat anything. And while you still need to provide grower ration to your pigs, you can also give them table scraps. They love them!What You Will NeedYou will need a sturdy fence for raising pigs. Goat panels work well, as long as they are enforced. Or you can contain your pigs with electric fencing.Also when raising pigs, you will need to feed your pigs with hog finisher that is at least 14 percent protein. When To BuyThe easiest time to purchase your pigs is in the spring, when there are more available for sale, usually around March or April. Feeder pigs are also more plentily available in the fall.
Warning!Pigs can be dangerous. Unless you have a lot of experience working with hogs, do not consider breeding pigs or keeping a sow and boar and living off the pigs they produce each year. Pigs are not gentle, like goats and chickens. A full grown pig - especially a mama pig - can bite off your fingers, eat small animals (including her own piglets sometimes) and potentially harm or even kill a child. I can't emphasize this enough. If you have no experience with hogs, you have no business breeding them.Other Helpful Hog InformationIf 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 |
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