To get a pig or not to get a pig...

[misfitmorgan]

Good luck!!

Even if you find a mill that is kinda far away, the tri pwould be worth it for cheaper feed, just buy more feed at once if possible.

I assume they likely also have sheep feed for cheaper then your getting it now.

 

[mystang89]

This'll probably be a couple days searching but I've contacted a few of them. One was 13.50 for a50lb bag of sow and pig with sheep being 18% 50lb bag sweet feed for 13.20. A bit expensive but the protein is higher than I'm getting.

Another place was private and said they couldn't sell to others.i didn't really understand that but said ok.
Another place is open 2 days a week, from 8-12pm sooo, yeah I'll call next they're open.
I'll be sure to update when I find something though!

 

[OneFineAcre]

I raised a couple of feeder pigs last spring/summer. I paid $9.00 for a 50lb bag of pig feed from a local mill. That was out the door, no sales tax.

 

[mystang89]

Thanks for the info again. I was able to find a Mill about 30 min from me. It wasn't listed in Google maps unfortunately but I visited a local breeder and he told me about them.

I do now think that raising lambs would be best in my situation, however I am probably going to get a feeder and butcher it. Quick question about that if I may, how much meat will I get from a 250lb pig. I was told I would only get something like 80lbs out of that. It seems so little for such a big pig.

 

[Baymule]

That math is WAY off! One of the first pigs we raised, live weight was 204 pounds, hanging weight was 159 pounds. Pigs have VERY GOOD meat ratios. I think you will be very happy with the results of raising a pig.

 

[mystang89]

Did that hanging weight of the meat include head and hooves? I don't think I'll be able to bribe my wife into eating the head or feet of the pig lol.

 

[misfitmorgan]

General rule of thumb is 30% loss from live weight to hanging weight. Hanging weight can be with head and feet or without depends who is doing the weghing but most generally it is without head and hooves. So a 250lb pig should leave you with approx 175lbs of pork.....which does still have the bones of course and skin. If you looking to get a bit more out of the pig you can let it go to 275lbs if your feed conversion is still good it wont take long to put on the extra weight. The fat/meat ratio will be a little higher with a bit more fat then a 250lb pig but hang weight would be approx 193lbs.

 

[Latestarter]

Either way, IMHO, that's quite a bit of meat. 175 pounds of meat would cover me for most of a year. Butcher two and I could eat pork every night for a year with ease.

 

[Baymule]

Did that hanging weight of the meat include head and hooves? I don't think I'll be able to bribe my wife into eating the head or feet of the pig lol.

that was skinned, minus the head and feet. Pigs are fairly easy to raise and have lots of meat. I say go for it.

 

[mystang89]

Thanks a lot for the info. This is definitely the route we will take for sure. Now I just need to figure the best time to do this. A friend said he was wanting to go in on it as well and his father has experience in butchering, which neither of us have. YouTube is great and all but I learn much more from a person whom I can all questions to lol.