I want a pig! Any breed suggestions?

zahboo

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:idunno I am in NC, so the weather isn't too drastic. I want it to stay under 200 pounds and wanted to see if my fellow BYHers had suggestions
 

wynedot55

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alot depends on what you want todo with the pig.if you want 1 to eat any pig will work.if you want 1 as a pet potbelly pigs are ok.but no pig stays under 200lbs.
 

potbellymom

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if the pig will be for a pet, there are smaller potbellies, you might want to look on petfinder.com in your area. We have some adult potbellies that max out at about 50 pounds.
 

Bil

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If you are wanting it for meat and not just a pet you should look at the American Guinea Hog .

A full size American Guinea Hog will weigh between 150-250 pounds. A boar may weigh up to 300 pounds but that would be a large Guinea hog.

American Guinea Hogs are great for meat and live well off of pasture. They are very docile and with their size, very managable.

Bil
 

miron28

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zahboo said:
:idunno I am in NC, so the weather isn't too drastic. I want it to stay under 200 pounds and wanted to see if my fellow BYHers had suggestions
hey zahboo i have a baby male pig that you can have he is still young very small. and i still have his mother but for the daddy. well he is in the freezer! but i have no need for him and i will give him to you for free i live in north Carolina too.

127_chicken_coop_038.jpg
 

gaited horse

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zahboo said:
:idunno I am in NC, so the weather isn't too drastic. I want it to stay under 200 pounds and wanted to see if my fellow BYHers had suggestions
do you want it for a pet or the freezer
 

Poupoulles

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Well maybe he didnt post a reply but I will: I am thinking about raising a couple of feeder pigs for our family to eat

what breed (never raised pigs before)
what kind of fencing/enclosure?
how much room per pig? what kind of house do they need? Could use suggestions for something small, moveable...
what about transport to the processor (about an hour away by slow back country roads)
Any advice, suggestions etc...
 

ohiofarmgirl

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hey Poupoulles!

once you have feeder pigs you'll never go back!

what breed (never raised pigs before)
- we had blue butts last year, this year we have a tamworth and a herford cross... but unless you breed i'm not entirely sure it makes a huge difference. most of the feeder pigs seem to be about the same


what kind of fencing/enclosure?
- last year we had hog panels on tposts - which they got out of. this year we have electric and no one's getting out of that

how much room per pig?
- i'm pretty sure there are specs somewhere. we have ours out there 'free ranging' - and they are hogging down a big patch of poison ivy and underbrush. so we have a pretty big area. contrast this with the neighbors who are raising their 3 show pigs in an 8x8 shed on concrete. so it depends on what farming theory you subscribe to. if you are in a hot region they will need a lot of water and will make their own wallow - we just wet down a low spot and they did the rest. they now have a pig swimming pool which we keep filled. on the hottest days we spray them down with the hose at midday.

what kind of house do they need?
- we built the 'hog hut 2008' with 3 pallets for sides and a hillbillied together roof with asphalt tiles i dug out of the ground.. despite the teasing, disbelief, and mocking from my hubby - its bone dry and we are using it again. they really just need shelter from the rain and sun - a 3 sided shed is fine. remember that you will probably slaughter in the fall so it doesnt need to be perfect.

what about transport to the processor (about an hour away by slow back country roads)
- we got ours home in the back of a crappy ford ranger with the cap on. when they were little we used the "ham in a can" method and transported them in a big garbage can down to their area. ours have a one way trip as we slaughter on site. a lot of people just use stock trailers.


Any advice, suggestions etc..
- the storey's book on hog raising is a great reference but my biggest advice is dont over think it - just go and get them pigs and prepare for the best bacon of your life!
- my second piece of advice is - unlike what everyone warned me about falling in love with them... i did not. not even remotely. pigs are not like dogs..i guess, unless you snuggle them but we dont. i hated those stupid pigs all summer. they got out a couple times, they blew snot all over me every day, they were stinky... but man.. the ham is so darn good and once they are in the freezer they are no trouble at all!
- and last, in all seriousness, they are big and incredibly strong and can be dangerous. as a not-big-person, i never go near them without a stock cane and 2 big dogs. it was not funny at all when one of them started coming over the fence at me when i was bringing their feed. many old school farmers would never let their kids near them unsupervised.

good luck!
and pm me if you have specific q's
:)
 

CCCChickenman

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Hey,
Just to a trip over to BYH from BYC because my
grandson, who lives with me since birth, wants a pig soooooo!! bad.
We live in Southern Colorado about 1 hr. from Colo.Springs.
We have a flock of 17-pullets DOB 05/01/09
Where to buy our first pig? How much to pay?
We have a fenced clover field about 150' south x 350' west in back of house, that seems to be perfect to free range our chix. Can we add a pig?
Thanks,
CCCManure Spreader :thumbsup
 

ohiofarmgirl

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happy pigging!

if its for a pet i cant help you but i will provide a warning that putting hogs and chix together is not a good idea:

* there will be a brawl for the food
* eventually the pig/s will figure out that they can eat the chickens. yikes!

we have our behind electric fence near the hens and will have to move them soon - our chix have been popping over the fence into the hog lot.

check craigslist - i think people like the pot bellied pigs for pets.

good luck!
 

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