Five Things: Feeder Pigs

We receive a lot of questions about raising pigs.  It's become popular for folks to raise their own hog for meat.  Feeder pigs are pigs that you buy as weaned piglets and then raise to slaughter weight (around 200lbs). There are plenty of things you'll need to know before you undertake pig raising, but if you're searching for a quick list of essential info to break the ice, keep reading.

You'll fall in love!

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise; pigs are sweeties. When you buy a feeder pig, it comes home in an adorable 30 or 40lb package that makes the most endearing grunts and squeals.  It will surprise you with its agility and playfulness, and like any dog, the more time you spend with it, the more accustomed it will grow to your presence and touch. It will cherish a good scratch on the back.  Hogs are rumored to be angry and violent, but, again, as with any dog, that is either the result of neglect or poor breeding.

All of this is to say that slaughtering an animal that behaves so much like a family pet will be difficult. I name all of my pigs, and sending Big Red or Lonestar off to the butcher isn't the easiest part of my job. Granted, I am not slaughtering or butchering the animal myself. That helps with the emotional turmoil. But you need to be prepared to hate to see them go.

What goes in will come out.

This is not what it sounds like. While it is true that pigs produce a substantial amount of manure, I am talking about the feed to meat relationship. We have all heard about farmers to feed their hogs solely on what stale leftovers the local bakery is willing to donate. I have heard tell of a man who loads a dump trunk with stale donuts and simply dumps them into his pig run and watches the pigs gorge themselves. That is certainly not a style of hog raising we advocate for two primary reasons.

A) It is not kind to the animal.  How do you feel after consuming a meal of sugar and fat? Slow, bloated, tired, cranky. Same goes for a hog. It is not a recipe for a healthy or a happy animal.

B) It shows in the meat. Feed an animal fat, your meat will be fatty. The more nutrients your pig has access to, the more nutritious and flavorful the meat will be. It seems obvious, so why do so many pig owners rely on bakery or restaurant scraps? Well, because...

Feed ain't cheap. 

If you want to raise a pig to a healthy slaughter weight of 200lbs, you are looking at roughly 1,000lbs of grain. Where we live, a 50lb bag of conventional (non-organic) grain is about $12. So a pig will cost about $240 to feed from weaning to finishing weights. There are ways to reduce the cost. You can buy grain in bulk, either by the pallet or by the truck load. You can also substitute some of the pig's feed with spent grain from or brewery or whey from a dairy. But it will never be free to feed a pig in a manner that is healthy and humane.

Nothing else is cheap, either.

The cost of butchering, specifically, is a shock to some. Where we have our animals processed, it costs $65 per head to slaughter, but an additional $0.75 per pound for butchering.  Add $1 per pound for smoked portions ans you're easily looking at $250 or $300 per hog. This is a reasonable fee for professional, humane processing. Side note: if you research anything, make sure you research meat processors. Not all slaughter houses or butchers are alike. It is so important to ask around, visit the facilities, do some serious Googling. Make sure you choose a processor that has a good reputation regarding cleanliness and humane treatment.

While these numbers may seem deterring, when you compare them go the cost of supermarket meat, raising your own feeder pig is worth every penny.

What is so great about pasture?

We raise our hogs on pasture for a variety of reasons. They all boil down to one basic reason: it's healthier for the animal. Pigs are happiest when they are able to root. They'll amaze you with the speed and efficiency with which they destroy your land. But from that land, they reap nutrients galore. They also gain health muscle mass when they have room to roam and run. And muscle equals meat. The exercise produces leaner, tastier meat. Animals raised in confinement yield fattier meat with a watered down flavor, and they are also more prone to illness and disease. Anything will get diseases when it has to live with its own waste in close proximity to where it eats and sleeps. If allowed the opportunity, pigs will designate an area to use for a bathroom far from where they eat or sleep. There's a reason for that instinct, and it is in the farmer's best bitterest to accommodate it.

Pasture-raised pigs are especially helpful for anyone who has land they want to clear. A single hog will go a long way in the way of sod and brush removal. And they will start the day you bring them home. We recommend movable fencing that you move as often as fresh pasture is required. Wait until you see the Christmas-morning loo on your pig's face when they run out onto virgin pasture!

Long story short, hog raising ain't for everyone. But it is a fun, rewarding way to fill a freezer.