How long to harvest?

[ChrisM]

Hi folks.
I'm rather new to this and am trying to find info on expected time to harvest.
I see a bunch of info for project and commercial hogs but nothing for the backyard guy NOT feeding specially formulated feed.
Is there a chart that I can follow that will help me plan on harvest date?

 

[OneFineAcre]

Doesn't matter if you are commercial or backyard

Depends on the breed of pig and how you feed the pig and the weight you want to harvest

A pure breed heritage big will not grow as fast as a commercial type hybrid

If they are on pasture and you want to raise them more off of the land and things from your garden and acorns and such they are not going to grow as fast as in a pen with pig
Feed

Doesnt matter if it's a specially formulated feed or just a pig feed from your local mill

 

[ChrisM]

Thank you for the reply.
I'm trying to figure out my timing so that I can finish in Sept.- Oct. each year.
I plan on slaughtering at 250-300 lbs.
I plan on starting each grow with heritage cross gilt shoats.
They will be wooded in Oak forest and feed complete pellet ration, corn and barley.
Please advise on what month I should begin each grow.

 

[SheepGirl]

How much feed are you planning on giving them? The pellet is complete--which means it is properly balanced to provide the hog with all the nutrition it needs...no need to dilute it with corn or barley. Pigs need the right amounts of amino acids, particularly lysine (and I believe methionine as well but I may be mixing them up with chickens)... if you were to add corn and barley you would reduce the amino acids in the ration and they would become deficient and would grow even slower.

 

[Baymule]

I raised 3 pigs last fall and slaughtered in March of this year. I fed them pecans, acorns and pumpkins along with their pig feed. It didn't seem to hurt them and they sure enjoyed their treats. If you are worried about the lysine, boil them some eggs and give them, shell and all. Here's a link to my pig adventure, hope it helps you figure out your time line.

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/feeder-pigs.32154/

 

[ChrisM]

Again... I'm looking for info on accepted growth/weight progress estimates for non-commercial/non project hogs.

There are charts all over that specify this info for hogs that are practically force-fed super high density and expensive science diet designed for the show ring. This won't help me.

I feed them ad lib with a mix of complete pellets, various grains, yard clippings, garden waste and kitchen scraps.
My goal with this info is the ability to begin each round at the right time so that I can butcher on schedule.

The best that I've come up with so far is that starting in March/April with 80 lb growers will allow me to finish on acorns and slaughter in Oct./Nov.
Does this sound reasonable?

 

[Baymule]

It sure does. I got mine in November, they were ready in October, but we didn't have the fence finished. We slaughtered in March, could've kept them a little longer, but I needed the space for my garden.