Little Piggies!

[Hippychick]

Hi,

Just wondered if any of you have any experience of keeping these lovely beasts  and if you have any helpful tips.  Hopefully we are getting 4 saddleback pigs in the next few weeks and are frantically clearing ground, knocking in posts and obtaining all that we think we might need.  But all the reading in the world can never substiture for real experience.

All ideas will be gratefully received.

[Hippychick]

[MrsKP]

have just been watching Jimmy's Farm on the tele and the OH now wants a little pig.  I told him that I already had one !

;D

[Hippychick]

who's OH.  (sorry not up on all the abreviations yet!)

[MrsKP]

him what is the Other Half !

;D

[Hippychick]

Sorry.  I'm not always the brightest sunflower in the patch!!  Should have guessed really!!

So do you fancy multiplying your litter or is it just your man thats interested?

[MrsKP]

sorry i'm being far too subtle this morning ......... i'm meaning that HE is the little pig (although not so little really).

they looked so cute on the tele, but i think all the OH could see lots of rolls and sausages !!

:o

[Hippychick]

Yeah, got the OH, but do you fancy keeping any yourself other than him!??

All ours are going to be on a 4 month visit then off to the slaughter house.  Not sure how I'm going to feel about that, but I keep thinking of a full freezer.  So no names for them, and full explanation to both the boys before the little sweeties even arrive!

[MrsKP]

i have trouble enough with two legged livestock, let alone the 4 legged kind.   ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Ooo Hippychick, take photos and tell us your experiences.  We have never had any livestock...unless the hamsters count.  All of that lovely fresh pork!

[Rosyred]

Always fancied keeping a pig but don't really have the room, got chickens instead. Good luck, look forward to hearing how you get on.

[Hippychick]

Have to admit I'm really excited about it all.  We wanted to start off with chickens, but the whole set up is so expensive that it actually has worked out cheaper to start off with the pigs!  Photos may be out of the question though, unless I can get my friend to take some photo's.  Still have no digital camera.  Maybe Father christmas will be generous this year!!

Wish us luck ;D

[lorna]

Hippychick. Like A4A keeping pigs became very addictive to my late husband and me. In 1977 we bought a property with some land and lots of buildings. Although originating from London we both loved country life and animals. Husband said we will have say 6 pigs......we landed up with near 300. Husband could not stand needles so was left to me to give the piglets their iron injections. We fed on a continuous supply of food basis, Charlie had read never let the feeder get empty as the pigs would then eat more than necessary. Nothing nicer than sitting up all night waiting for a sow or gilt to farrow ;D. The thing we did find having purchased numerous books  to do some researching we found what one person said another would say the opposite. Not unlike gardening books. Are yours going to be living outside? In very hot weather we would sponge with vinegar and a friend who had pigs living outside actually used sun cream when we had very high temperatures. One thing for sure you will taste the best pork ever, when we needed one slaughtered for our own use we had to tell the kids it was from a friend, they wouldn't eat it if it was one of ours. Hope you have hours of enjoyment (and eating)
Lorna

[Hippychick]

Hi Lorna,

Thanks for the advice.  They will be kept outside so sun cream is on the shopping list!!  I had a feeling that this might be the start of something and you have confirmed my already growing fears!!  My husband and I have already progressed to talking about possible breeding of Oxford sandy and blacks in the future and we haven't even got our first weaners yet!!

These 4 are stricly for the freezer, but I have a strange feeling that this will not be the way of things for long. ;D

The boys are fairly grounded on what the pigs are for and why we are having them, although I do think there might be a few tears come July.  And not just from the boys!!

[OliveOil]

Oooo will you be keeping them at home? I would love a couple of lambs to be honest... lamb is so expensive to buy! 

Mind you after killing the chickens the other week I've almost gone vege... i keep having awful dreams haunting me!

It is good though, rearing your own, knowing they have been well fed and lived a good life.

[Hippychick]

Not quite at home, they will be in the field next to our allotment, so about 150 yard away!

We're really lucky in that we know a few farmers round this way so we get our organic lamb and prize dexter mear direct from the farmers/smallholders.  So it's only really the pork and chicken that we are missing.  Chucks are on the list for later on in the year ;D

Any tips on how to start with chickens would also be gratefully received.  We thought about getting a trio of partridge wynadottes to start off with.

[OliveOil]

chickens for eating or eggs?

For eating my friend rears Sasso's they grow really big very quickly but eat sooo much!

For eggs - hybrids everytime!

[MrsKP]

It is good though, rearing your own, knowing they have been well fed and lived a good life.

before they die !   :P

;D

[Leonnie]

Hippychick that's really exciting. I haven't had first hand experience of raising pigs but a friend raised one for us and I did a lot of the meat processing. I made an air dried ham and bacon. Your own home grown pork will taste so much better than anything you can buy from a supermarket, including organic options. Enjoy it and please post lots of photos for us to see. :D