Quarantined? Raise some pigs, everybody else is!

Hi All;
A strange phenomenon this year, at least in the inland north west.  Seems wiener pigs are selling like crazy.  I have been looking hard for a month.
Either they are already sold out OR  they want crazy amount of money for them!  
It is common that the early wieners that go to 4H sell for more money. They always have.  But this year ... I'm seeing 4H wieners for $200-$250 !!! That's robbery!
Plain old non heritage breed wieners are $150 that's crazy last year they were $75.
There are  trailer loads of wieners out of southern Montana stopping in Butte, Missoula, Post Falls Idaho, Spokane wash. and all the way out to Moses Lake!!
200 babies at a time $125 each no reserve and they are selling out in short order ! AMAZING
This Friday I'll be driving 120 miles one way and paying $130 each for 3 wieners!  That sucks! Almost $400 for 3 twenty pound babies! GEEZ ! My buyers will be paying $520 for their finished pigs this year!
I'm hoping that next year there is a glut on the market and wieners are back down to $50-$75 again.
I also predict that this year there will be bunches of early slaughtering going on as these newby's find out, all about raising piggys and do not like it!

So if your bored staying at home why not get some piggys! You to can chase escapee's thru the field, smell the heavenly aroma of happy piggy's (use D.E. to control that) deal with getting them loaded to go to the butcher or even more fun (ask Elle) butcher them yourself!

Checked my local craigslist.  Pickings were slim.  Mostly small breeds; pot belly, kune kune, guinea.  The one Duroc I saw, many miles away, was $100.

When I picked up my hens yesterday I was told that they're burying pigs and cattle on PEI.  The hog slaughtering plant in Quebec isn't taking the pigs and the beef gets shipped to PA for processing, so that's not happening.  One of his friends got a trailer-load of hogs almost free.   I know they're dumping milk here in NB and some stores are limiting purchases.

Shit's going down for sure.  

I don't have my fencing up, and I don't have a walk in cooler.  I REALLY wish I had those things right now!

Saw a since deleted Facebook post from a hog farmer in South Dakota selling 300lb (live weight) pigs for $90.  Volume discounts from that were mentioned.  If I had a walk in cooler and was close enough I'd have picked up as many as the cooler could handle, and butcher them for friends and family, and local folks out of work.  I'd only ask enough to get my actual $$ expenses back, so probably $0.50/lb cut/wrapped.  I'd probably ask anyone out of work in the local area that wanted it to come out and help with the processing.  That way A) they'd get a chance to do something productive in exchange for ultra low cost meat, B) possibly learn a new skill and C) reduce my personal workload.

It's such a shame that producers are being forced into this predicament that they have to waste (literally) thousands of tons of perfectly good food because none of their regular channels are operating as usual.  

There's a cattle CAFO maybe 15-20 minutes drive from me.  If I had my fencing up, and a walk in built I'd go out there and pick up cattle they couldn't sell or send off to the processors.  Figure give them a couple weeks on grass to get over the stress of being in the CAFO and the move to my place, then butcher for folks that need the meat.  My yard is about at the perfect stage of grass growth for grazing right now.

Yeah, I know, it's not "permie" to go pick up a cow from a CAFO under normal circumstances, but if the alternative is to kill and bury it, I see it as a great service to the animal, and the people it would feed to prevent that from happening.

Andrew Mayflower wrote:  If I had a walk in cooler and was close enough I'd have picked up as many as the cooler could handle,

Ditto! It pains me to see good food go to waste.

At the other end of the supply chain, a friend in Maryland hasn't found meat in the store for a month now.

And today our new piggys arrived!
Small very young but good looking piggys!
Also very calm!   After the red wattle gangsters last year, we will take theses anytime!
It's obvious they have been handled many times.

Bacon seeds!!

Last year i paid 120 per pig, i did need to drive about 5 hours round trip and on top of that put them on a ferry which means 7 hours to get 5 pigs.
Those pigs were little stress balls, always wanting more food whenever i am around.

i paid 165 per pig this year. That however includes being able to buy them on the island. Someone brought 6 over and i got 2 of them. They are from a reputable breeder who has been raising pigs for 25 years, the owners are in their 70s. These pigs have a nice temperament and are quite calm. They are not quite used to me being around them. They however are super cute.

i would encourage anyone to get some pigs. They have become one of my favourite animals to raise.

And today our new piggys arrived!
Small very young but good looking piggys!
Also very calm!   After the red wattle gangsters last year, we will take theses anytime!
It's obvious they have been handled many times.

Andrew Mayflower wrote:

Yeah, I know, it's not "permie" to go pick up a cow from a CAFO under normal circumstances, but if the alternative is to kill and bury it, I see it as a great service to the animal, and the people it would feed to prevent that from happening.

Andrew anything that gives animals a decent month of life and feeds the neighborhood instead of an animal being killed just to be buried is an honorable thing to do. Yes, permaculturally-minded people would not choose for the situation to exist, but until we get back to more human-scaled forms of agriculture, situations like this are going to happen, and anyone who can help by giving a local farmer at least some money, is better than nothing.
Ideally of course would be to give said farmer a book on permaculture or sustainable agriculture or holistic management along with buying some of their live animals!

Took a little while for their personality's to develop .
But the boys have received their names!
This year we have the three stooges    Moe, Larry and curly.
Moe is slightly bigger and is boss hog.
Curly seems to always keep his tail rolled up.
And Larry... he keeps calling the others his brother Larry ?

thought i would post some photos of the pigs!

Last weekend i received the last of the needed parts to finish their electric fence pen. They have been training to the fence for 2 weeks now. So far they are respecting the electric fence :D

Here is the hog door i cut out of their home.


Hanging out under the big maple and the crooked arbutus tree... check out that old stump!


Here is the area i am hoping they till up and turn it a bit. I am hoping to grow some corn afterwards for the pigs/humans


Lets get some more pig photos!

I feel somewhat sorry for you guys I bought all my pigs this year for $50 or less and I bought 17 of them. Good pigs always have turned out for me the feed well and they love to forage if I let them.

The three stooges were let into the first rotation pen today...
Notice the black snouts!
They had done a regular good job rototilling in the main pen. Starting along the fence line and moving to the center.
Time to reward them with some nice fresh greens.
Heading up to Creston next week to pickup #2500 of grain for them.

Second move for the pigs!! It turns out they really enjoy eating thistles :)

happy pigs

Third move for the pigs!



I built a little covered area for the energizer today, out of some 1.5"x1.5" cedar and some used metal roofing.
Now i can move the energizer and the grounding rod to the next area with ease :)



This area is right next to the house.



I sure am enjoying keeping pigs

Nice, you've got them all the way up to the table.  Where is the next pen setup, just outside the door to the freezer? :)

So the pigs have moved about 4 times since i last took my photo.

Here they are today.





They have been fed quite skimpy. Probably about half of what commercial pigs would be getting. I just bumped them up to 4 pounds of food each per day. it was about twice what i have been feeding them.



Any updates Thomas?

Turns out by bumping them up to 4 pounds, actually meant i was bumping them up to 4 kilos each a day lol. no wonder it was so much.

I buy a couple of feeder pigs every spring. The first of February, we got 2 at $60 each, they were 4 months old. Hampshire and Yorkshire crosses, they were small for 4 months. I give them free feed in a feed bin. I have a trough that I give them soured corn in, they suck up the juice first. Because I have learned not to wait until the last month to set a slaughter date, I went ahead and set a slaughter date in August. In March, we took some lambs that I had booked a date for months earlier. I tried to set a date for a steer that we bought and was told no, they were booked out through May of 2021 and weren't taking any more. So I called around and found a place booking dates in March of 2021 and got a date for the steer. This was for a steer that we hadn't even taken possession of yet! CRAZY!! The steer is for our own consumption. We keep a pig and sell a pig and that pays for our pig, processing and feed. I sold live lambs and took to slaughter as a courtesy, people paid for the slaughter fees and picked up their meat.

Feeder pigs here are priced from $150-$300!! For a FEEDER pig! Insane! I put the ram with the ewes in September and I won't be taking any lambs to slaughter in 2021. How can I set a date for lambs that aren't even born yet? We will load them all up and take them to auction. Let slaughter be somebody else's problem.

I raise Cornish Cross chickens and sell them, slaughtered. At least we can do those ourselves!

With no meat in the stores earlier this year, all of a sudden, everybody wanted to be a farmer. I'm happy that people took some responsibility for feeding their families, but I bet most go back to buying meat at the store.

Likewise, garden seeds were sold out too. Lucky that I got garden fever and ordered before Covid Crazy struck.

Andrew Mayflower wrote: If I had a walk in cooler and was close enough I'd have picked up as many as the cooler could handle, and butcher them for friends and family, and local folks out of work.  I'd only ask enough to get my actual $$ expenses back, so probably $0.50/lb cut/wrapped.  I'd probably ask anyone out of work in the local area that wanted it to come out and help with the processing.  That way A) they'd get a chance to do something productive in exchange for ultra low cost meat, B) possibly learn a new skill and C) reduce my personal workload.



Yeah, I know, it's not "permie" to go pick up a cow from a CAFO under normal circumstances, but if the alternative is to kill and bury it, I see it as a great service to the animal, and the people it would feed to prevent that from happening.

Walk in cooler? LOL LOL LOL We've done neighborhood hog butchering in June and nary a walk in cooler in sight. This is Texas and it is HOT! We quarter the carcass and pack in ice chests. Drain the water every day, add more ice. Do that 3-4 days, then start processing. You missed your chance to procure low cost meat for you and friends. Now you know how to slaughter, Southern Style. LOL Heck, even in winter, it is too hot to hang deer, so we pack 'em in ice chests, drain, ice, repeat.

If you could have gotten a steer, that would have been awesome. Gather up everybody's ice chests and get after it!

Hi Jordan;  I've been remiss in reporting on the piggys.
Mo ,Larry and Curly went to meet  the butcher last Wednesday...
They come home Saturday in the Subaru.
Hanging Weights
Mo)  #175
Curly) #147
Larry) #137
I look forward to their return home!

And Dana;  Yes it is crazy this year.  I was lucky I set a slaughter date a few weeks after they came home!
Wiener prices won't drop by spring but hopefully the butchers will settle down by fall.  

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Jordan;  I've been remiss in reporting on the piggys.
Mo ,Larry and Curly went to meet  the butcher last Wednesday...
They come home Saturday in the Subaru.
Hanging Weights
Mo)  #175
Curly) #147
Larry) #137
I look forward to their return home!

I bet. are you going to do the butchering yourself? or is it coming home all wrapped and frozen?

Yea me and a buddy are doing the two pigs in the first week of november!
I am hoping for about 90# a side from one and 75# a side from the other.

The guessed weights of course do not include the head nor the jowl. And we all know no one likes the jowls HAHAH!

I will report back the actual weights

Jordon Barton wrote:

And we all know no one likes the jowls HAHAH!

So does this mean they are a delicacy or to be avoided at all costs?
Many people would avoid eating cow's tongue, and yet slow cooked, I find it lovely.

Jay Angler wrote:Jordon Barton wrote:

And we all know no one likes the jowls HAHAH!

So does this mean they are a delicacy or to be avoided at all costs?
Many people would avoid eating cow's tongue, and yet slow cooked, I find it lovely.

oh i cherish the jowls! They make great bacon.  They are also know as Guanciale.

Guanciale

Andrew Mayflower wrote:I don't have my fencing up, and I don't have a walk in cooler.  I REALLY wish I had those things right now!

Saw a since deleted Facebook post from a hog farmer in South Dakota selling 300lb (live weight) pigs for $90.  Volume discounts from that were mentioned.  If I had a walk in cooler and was close enough I'd have picked up as many as the cooler could handle, and butcher them for friends and family, and local folks out of work.  I'd only ask enough to get my actual $$ expenses back, so probably $0.50/lb cut/wrapped.  I'd probably ask anyone out of work in the local area that wanted it to come out and help with the processing.  That way A) they'd get a chance to do something productive in exchange for ultra low cost meat, B) possibly learn a new skill and C) reduce my personal workload.

It's such a shame that producers are being forced into this predicament that they have to waste (literally) thousands of tons of perfectly good food because none of their regular channels are operating as usual.  

There's a cattle CAFO maybe 15-20 minutes drive from me.  If I had my fencing up, and a walk in built I'd go out there and pick up cattle they couldn't sell or send off to the processors.  Figure give them a couple weeks on grass to get over the stress of being in the CAFO and the move to my place, then butcher for folks that need the meat.  My yard is about at the perfect stage of grass growth for grazing right now.

Yeah, I know, it's not "permie" to go pick up a cow from a CAFO under normal circumstances, but if the alternative is to kill and bury it, I see it as a great service to the animal, and the people it would feed to prevent that from happening.

6 months or so later.  Fencing is almost done.  Perimeter fence is stretched.  Still need to finish tying it to the t-posts, and run the hot wire on top.  Also need to put in a few gates.  But the hard part of that is done.  Interior fence still needs a bunch of posts set, then I can stretch it.  By the start of winter should about have that done.  Still not started on a walk-in cooler, but hopefully in spring I can get that going.  While I certainly hope there's never a disruption in the food supply chains like we had last spring, there's a decent chance I'll be equipped to do what I posted previously if it does come about.

Dana Jones wrote:

Andrew Mayflower wrote: If I had a walk in cooler and was close enough I'd have picked up as many as the cooler could handle, and butcher them for friends and family, and local folks out of work.  I'd only ask enough to get my actual $$ expenses back, so probably $0.50/lb cut/wrapped.  I'd probably ask anyone out of work in the local area that wanted it to come out and help with the processing.  That way A) they'd get a chance to do something productive in exchange for ultra low cost meat, B) possibly learn a new skill and C) reduce my personal workload.



Yeah, I know, it's not "permie" to go pick up a cow from a CAFO under normal circumstances, but if the alternative is to kill and bury it, I see it as a great service to the animal, and the people it would feed to prevent that from happening.

Walk in cooler? LOL LOL LOL We've done neighborhood hog butchering in June and nary a walk in cooler in sight. This is Texas and it is HOT! We quarter the carcass and pack in ice chests. Drain the water every day, add more ice. Do that 3-4 days, then start processing. You missed your chance to procure low cost meat for you and friends. Now you know how to slaughter, Southern Style. LOL Heck, even in winter, it is too hot to hang deer, so we pack 'em in ice chests, drain, ice, repeat.

If you could have gotten a steer, that would have been awesome. Gather up everybody's ice chests and get after it!

Done that cooler method with elk.  Proper walk-in aging is FAR superior.