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They’re beautiful . I find that this is unavoidable and just something you have to deal with if you want to raise pigs. View more information. Thanks again! There is a gate leading from the 60' x 60' lot to a full acre of woods for the pigs to root in. I’m curious, do you not have predators in your area? Feed/Watering System Costs Pasture alone also provides too much fibre for pigs, too much especially for young pigs that just do not have the gut capacity to eat enough to get much nutrition from it. © Copyright 2021 The Elliot Homestead | Privacy Policy, Building A Chicken Run (And Why I Hate Free Range Chickens). Another important concept in raising pastured pigs is stock density. Decide on a patch of land. Whole Hog. Thank you in advance for any help ! The typical stocking rate is one pound of animal per sq. Each side has three sunken posts, two feet deep. This will vary with supplements, soil, forages and pig sizes. If the pigs aren’t growing, are not muscling, aren’t putting on weight then they need more food. Fencing Costs The pigs are castrated if male and their needle teeth are cut. we hope to just let the pigs graze in the woods and pasture and supplement their feed. Raising Pigs on Pasture: An Evolution. Now the winters are so mild that you are lucky if you get it done by Christmas. Having an autowaterer or nipple waterer is not recommended for the small scale farmer. Shelter for Pasture Pig Breeds. We feed our pigs beef cattle grower, corn, or sweet feed. We chose to purchase our pigs from a local farmer, just a quarter mile down the road. Last year we didn't butcher until the week of January 27. This means that you can put 8 … This could be from better pasture or more supplements. Here’s how to bake better bread at home. Young, growing pigs need lots of … These things matter to me. I know that sounds weird, but I really want them to poo on things. That was when I was about 6 or 7. If you have a cooperative in your area, you can likely get a discount for buying beef feed a ton at a time which can be nice if you are raising a lot of pigs. 4,000 pounds over 50 pigs = 80 pounds per pig on a half acre (21,780 sqft) Thats.004 (rounded) pounds per sq. We get our pigs from Warren Wilson College Farm. It is firmer, seems to be less salty, and is much leaner and higher in Omega-3 fatty acids. We did both pigs that day and I am glad we did not wait to do the last one because it snowed 13 inches the next day. It's like a pig fort! Build a shelter, The “Pig Palace.” I love, love, loooooove the way this shelter turned out. After the first day of packing, it was just me and Matt so it took us 4 more days to process the meat into sausage, vacuum seal, and wrap. Anything you would do differently? Obviously, this is not what we wanted. Pasture size - sheep. Rotationally Grazing Pigs on Pasture. The area measures 10X10. Nails: $15 How far apart did you space the posts, approximately how many post insulators did you use, and how many feet of the electric wire did you use? We quickly chose a paddock of land next to Sal's pasture that our new pigs could call home. If you are just keeping a few pigs, plan on 450 to 875 square feet per feeder or 8,500 to 17,000 square feet for sows on pasture. I am looking to start raising some pasture pigs for personal consumption and would love a chance to learn more about the experiences you had. This year we decided to raise 4 pigs but we did not want to put them in the same spot as last year. The windows and doors were in as well. I figure about 10 pigs per acre is sustainable. ( I cant wait till we get ours…. It could be significantly more although it is biased toward the younger ages at this time. Very helpful post .I have 2 Idaho Pasture pigs to pick up shortly and am starting from scratch. I encourage you to choose to not feed medicated pig feeds. I mean, that's crazy! It was in the teens and twenties the whole week so there was no danger of spoilage. We are moving into our homestead in about a month and I’m really hoping to get a couple of pigs right away so they can go to work on the land as soon as possible. The young piglets receive less than this. This worked better for us because the area we were fencing was so large it would have taken a TON of material to fence it all in with lumber. I love you set up! This is a bit small to pasture 4 pigs in but we just wanted the lot to hold them in while they were small until we fixed the fence so that they could graze in the upper pasture which is about an acre. To calculate stock density, an example: If we had 300 head of steers that weighed an average of 750 lb, total live-weight would be 225,000 lbs. We also already have Sal's pasture in electric fence so it was an easy extension to fence the pig pasture with hot wire as well. Depending on growth rate and other environmental factors the pigs can weigh as much as 300 lbs or more which would affect your final price and yield estimates. Earth anchor: $6. I alway make sure he is cut atleast two months before butchering.m. To scrape the pig we used the edge of a knife. 2. foot of pasture per day. Unfortunately it was a very wet year and their was a bit more erosion than we anticipated due to a wet weather spring. They are ten feet apart. It is nice to walk outside and see happy livestock that is raised in a more natural environment. A whole hog yields approximately 140-150 lbs of packaged meat for your freezer. That is about 4,000 lbs per acre or about 20 finisher pig (200 lb) equivalents per acre. Get it hot. This is not to say that I think it is wrong to feed pigs meat. Don't get ever get rid of old farm implements like single trees if they are usable. I’d be afraid of leaving them out 24/7. Pork producers have long recognized the value of forages in the swine enterprise. Also, I don’t know if you are familiar with this site but it is LOADED with awesome pig information: Looking forward to following your pig journey…:). Ultimately, the amount of pigs you can (and should) have per acre is highly variable. We've spent the better part of the last two weekends preparing for the newest animals to arrive on Beatha Fonn. After we turned them out on the acre, our feed bill went down drastically because of all the fresh forage they were getting. We put the drum up on concrete blocks and build a fire underneath it. It's truly like having the cutest garbage disposal you could imagine. Reading Time: 6 minutes The latest project here on our farm is raising pigs on pasture. It needs some animal action! Galvanized Latch: $7 We had to haul the pigs up to the house (the road was absolutely horrible and washed out) in the back of our acquaintance from the feed store;s, Gator. Yorkshire is one of the original foundation breeds, a true heritage breed in the original sense of the word and excellent on pasture, if you can get pasture based ones. They've been scarfing up lots of cultured milk from Sally and eating all of our food scraps (don't worry, they're organic!) There's obviously a million different ways to go about a project like this and a million ways to save and shave off extra spending. Thanks for your informative posts! They are less likely to try to escape as well. Then they decided it didn’t hurt to much if they ran through it and once on the other side, it was worth it. It was like getting paid to go for a nice hike and do a little work. Obviously I wouldn’t want to eat it right away considering it’s diet, up till now. Let the stoning begin. It also may be possible to barter for the actual pigs if you've got a wonderful farm good or service you can offer. I know my role. After the pig was hung up we got a 10 gallon tub to catch the entrails in. 3. Barnabas,Uganda. 4. I explain it was much nicer when he had run of the garden, over 3300 square feet, but since he couldn’t follow the rules, he’s grounded. We love our porkers! Some people choose to never feed their pigs meat. Although I’m in no way a hunter, I have helped a couple times to process a deer after it’s been killed. I said it. By paying now with a credit card, you save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of GRIT for only $16.95 (USA only). They were such great animals to watch. ... Each cow takes requires 20 squares of pasture, and so a pasture with 20 x 10 pasture with 200 squares can have 10 cows - the minimum number needed to split your herd. It makes me very happy to know if I weren’t here anymore and the world fell apart, my kids would have some knowledge to care if themselves and each other. Lumber: Free I hope this is helpful in getting some more of you started with pastured pigs. Our pigs lived in their 60' x 60' lot for a few months and the we built a partition so that we could keep the cows out of the upper pasture and graze the pigs. They fight a bit but each pig does get its turn because a pig cannot guard both eating stations all the time. We do have predators but thus far, they haven’t been a problem on the farm. We water in a large Fortex tub when the pigs are small. Within half a day, we were able to sink the posts, nail in the insulators, string the wire, and build the pig shelter. Pasture quality in Australia is also highly variable and affected by weather extremes and climate making it an … Score one for the pigs, and the Elliotts if the pigs like it! I am glad that I met a community with which we share the same idea. I have no idea on the electric wire because I haven’t actually measured the field. Or for some extra income as well? Your post has been very illuminating–I’m going to share it with hubby. *Prices averaged from the National Retail Pork Activity Reports Source: USDA Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market News ... Pasture Raised Pork - Direct to Consumer (Retail) Avg Wed, Dec 23, 2020 Prices based on $/lb Whole Carcass For the month of December 0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00 I just never had the eye hand co ordination to hit a moving target. I don't because I usually give meat scraps to the Great Pyrenees dogs. People start signing up on January 1. Find someone like that! Your story of the raising and processing of the hog brought back fond childhood memories. Plus, the entire concept of how it works is beyond me. Sign in with your online account. We then lifted the pig onto a stainless steel table we had borrowed from the feed store. View more information. THank you! I love to watch my pigs when they get a chance to make a wallow but you have to control the situation a bit. Looking through the pictures, I immediately recognized the landscape as Eastern Washington (though I thought it was closer to Chelan) and I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to see such an awesome blog coming out of my childhood stomping grounds. Kevin: I just saw your message today. We wanted our pigs, like all our animals, to be live as close to their natural way as possible. Especially on processing. The pigs cost us $50 each at weaning and weigh about 35-40 lbs. I put my husband in charge of this because I HATE getting shocked and messing with electricity. It cost about half what medicated pig feed does and seems to grow a pig off well and be high quality. We also gather apples that fall on the ground at my grandmothers. The facility and its eight acres of surrounding pasture serve as our laboratory. 5. ... (3/4 inch per week). The problem arose when we went to find a breeder. *$10 discount from the farmer for the milk that we'd been bringing him for the pigs already. If you just want to raise a few pigs a year for pork, you are much better off buying weaned piglets than raising your own out of a sow pig. So excited to see how your pig raising adventure goes! Are you looking just to fill your freezer? If you get the chance, please visit and/or share my new blog with others. I'll talk more about this in a separate post, but for the time being (while our pigs are contained in the Pig Palace and are still very little) they are eating out of a small trough and drinking out of a small, rubber container. It is a lot easier to scrape a pink pig rather than a dark one so we always get the ones that don't have a lot of dark on them. Pasture does not typically give pigs all the nutrients that they need, but it helps to reduce the cost dramatically. ... Each cow takes requires 20 squares of pasture, and so a pasture with 20 x 10 pasture with 200 squares can have 10 cows - the minimum number needed to split your herd. Every day I go out there and talk to him like he’s a child. How you decide to raise your pigs depends upon what you have to work with, land and facilities wise, and … Thank you for this information. If I named them, I’d never be able to let them go! After the pig was gutted it was allowed to hang for 24 hours. Hi, thanks for stopping by. It's amazing how many people will show up when food and beer is offered for labor. We chose electric fencing for the same reasons. Pigs, contrary to popular belief, are very smart animals. A single pig can be raised in a lot as small as 34' x 34'. Last year we raised our first 2 pigs on a ¼ acre lot. The walls are then reinforced with posts running horizontally and secured with, practically, the biggest nails we could buy. If your grower pig needs 32 Mj of digestible energy per day, simply divide that by the DE specifications of your feed. If using a 164′ net, the fence line would measure (roughly) 60’x40’x60′ for 1,200′ square feet of grazing per wedge, or 11,300 square feet for the whole circle. And this, my friends, was pretty dang exciting for an animal-crazed-farm-loving-homesteader like me. Electric wire: $41.99 After that we use a 40 gallon stock tank so we don't have to water constantly. If you live in a part of the country where this sort of rainfall is unlikely, then consider rotating once every week. Yes, it helps to have someone who knows what they're doing. Pigs are not natural vegetarians. My job for the processing was to cut up the tallow into chunks so it could be boiled and made into lard. My almost 18 year old son does the slaughter and him and I butcher it out. I love reading your posts… Although we are almost a world away your “advice” really helps ~ thank you! Already a Member but The wove wire lot has an electric wire at pig nose level to prevent them from rooting under the fence and to get them used to electric fencing. Electric box: $0, already had and in  use. If I wanted to eat through the winter it was one of the things needed to be done. The pig was shot in the head with a .22 pistol and then its throat was cut and the pig was allowed to bleed out for a few minutes. Stocking DENSITY (rather than stocking RATE) is much more time-flexible than stocking rate, because we can see how much live-weight per acre is on a piece of land for a set amount of time. They won't fear it. What? -Walter Jeffries Sugar Mountain Farm in Vermont The other possibility is intestinal parasites. I have budgeted about $400 per pig for processing and there are other people who are paying $133 per pig. That's exactly what this patch of land needs. Add to Favorites . We hope to have pigs one day. Did the fencing hold up? The best pig. Because of this, and because of the ease of not having to open and close an electric fence all the time, we build a simple wooden gate – about 3 feet wide – as an entrance point into the pasture. The amount of land that pigs technically “need” is minimal. It takes a bit of an investment to get set up initially but is well worth it. It can be a more difficult challenge to control this when you're purchasing from large commercial operations. Find a reputable farmer to purchase pigs from. Part of this had to deal with the weather and part of it was planning We had never butcher a pig before so we got an acquaintance from the feed store to show us how to do it in exchange for some bacon or “middlings” as they call it around here. My father used to raise Russian Boars and they would catch chickens and eat them if one happened to get in their lot. How long will you have the pigs before butchering? Have a great ham/bacon day. ft.) = Amount of grain fed per rotation. He is already about 80 pounds. Thanks for sharing and being you! 55 gallon drums: Free (a score from my brother-in-law's work) I’m very excited about this new venture, but it won’t hold a candle to what you’ve done on your land. They have to be moved frequently and the land needs a long time to rest and recover. We built a wove wire lot that measures about 60' x 60'. What breed of pigs are these? I really want to raise it for meat, now that its ours. The pigs get plenty of exercise, which makes for firmer pork products. The options are limitless! This means that you can put 8-9 pigs on a ¼ acre. Based on Joel Salatin's advice, we decided to use an electric fence (what we call a ‘hot wire' fence) in leu of a traditional fence. We heated water in a 55 gallon metal drum that had previously stored grape juice. The roof is a nice metal sheeting – the most expensive part of the whole project. The Iwanna paper or craigslist is a good place to look for pigs. To determine how much meat you need, That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing to GRIT through our automatic renewal savings plan. Great post! For that price they are castrated if necessary and have had their needle teeth or milk teeth trimmed. As a comparison, I looked at a website for raising Berkshire pigs and they recommend 5-15 lbs of grain per day per pig depending on age/lactation, whereas Idaho Pasture Pigs are only fed 2-4 lbs/day/pig. I use the lower figure of 25 per acre just to be safe and give them a lot of room to root. The table below is a guide only for free range pigs. Electricity: $5/month, approximate (we pay this amount already to keep Sal's pasture hot) And to be able to hand the money directly over to him. 6. I do apologize. Ours go into the shelter at night. If you want to pasture pigs you first need to realize how much space you need per pig. Thank you so much for the time! Because we were fencing an acre, we held a pig pasture party. I’m so thankful for my husband. I have a few questions, if you don’t mind answering. My many baking flops are your gain. On a totally different note, I’m curious to know if the pigs end up eating the bitter brush and sage brush. I sometimes spray a spot they have rooted up so they can enjoy a good wallow but you don't want them to turn their space into a floodzone. Can hogs utilize forage? I loved having pigs growing up. It keeps them in. 7. Factoring in the quality of your pasture/forage, your landscape, proximity to neighbors, the amount of space you have available to dedicate to this facet of your mini-farm, and more there are many things to consider. Metal roofing sheets: $130. Remember they’re moving, not sitting. On our farm we do not use antibiotics unless an animal is actually sick enough to need them. It can be incredibly hard to find nonmedicated feed for pigs. I have wanted to do this at our house but my husband is SO not into farming! Three insulators per post. At this a I need to explain that a hog killing in the south can easily turn into a community event/party if you let anyone at all know you are doing it. Giving the pigs 30 lbs of apples every few days helps as well. ... We were told to feed 2lbs per day of grain during the pasture season and 4lbs a day during hay season. Even though the pigs will really only need the bottom two wires to stay contained, we wanted to be able to put Sal in it if need be. In “The Homestead Hog” it states that 25-35 pigs per acre is a good rule of thumb. When I used to work for fish and wildlife we’d sometimes go out and plant it as winter forage for deer. We get our pigs from the Warren Wilson College Farm. I'm ever thankful for this provision. The most commonly used orchard size is 15 x 4, which combines the best food per worker with a good tree density. Even though I was the florist for the wedding and was good friends with the bride…, I hate free range chickens. 1. For pigs, this involves rooting in the dirt and lounging around in mud. Just finished good-looking ( I am like you with regards to “farm buildings”) chicken coop. We have coyotes (that have taken a few of my chickens). See the above pigs link and read the grazing section and linked articles. If you are raising the animals right than you don't need them unless the animal is truly sick. We used two barrels, each filled ¾ of the way. Not so today. Grass Fed Pork, Pasture Pork, Natural Pork, Grazing Pig, all of these names apply to the Idaho Pasture Pigs. Love your piggies – what breed are they? After about two weeks they are usually big enough to move into the electric wire/string area and will respect the wire boundary. The acre is a 4 strand electric fence that is normally energized to 10-12K volts but pigs can be kept in less powerful electric fences. @Samantha, I can only remember one hog killing. If I were to switch it to a proper diet, would it be safe to eat ? In “The Homestead Hog” it states that 25-35 pigs per acre is a good rule of thumb. Didn't it turn out great? Pigs are also notorious for getting in their water and splashing it out to make a wallow as you can see from the photo below. In the last year and a half, seven litters of piglets have arrived, showed off how cute they can be, were weaned, and fed for a few weeks (and even months in some cases). Idaho Pasture Pigs are a new breed of pig specifically designed to grow and mature at a faster rate than the Kunekune pigs, but are still true Grazing pigs. There. At GRIT, we have a tradition of respecting the land that sustains rural America. After pounding in the posts, we nailed insulators at 6″, 12″, and 28″ above the ground. We could use all the advice and encouragement we can get. I don't want to feed me animals a bunch of GMOs or pesticides. Pig Costs Post insulators: $65 It takes awhile to scrape a pig that size. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself…. I couldn’t hit a barn with a gun unless I was standing inside the barn. Once they learn that the fence will shock them, they will respect it. He’s scheduled to be processed this Sat. If the water is too hot or the hair just won't come out, you will have to shave the hair off. Survival Skills, Garden Planning, Seed Saving, Food Preservation, Natural Health — Dozens of courses, 100+ workshops, and interactive Q&As. All were sold and the waiting time would begin again. Initially we feed our pigs in a trough once per day. After the pig is completely you can gut it. Not every pig will get all of its nutrition on pasture. Auger rental: $75. There is a mix of permanent and temporary pasture types at Rodale. The college only has so many piglets a year so we have to get on a list in January of each year in order to reserve our pigs. *sigh* ) Have a blessed day Elliott Family. And as experience is the best teacher, I’m here to share with you how to bake better bread at home. I think it’s the Bitter Brush you’re thinking of. These estimates are based on 250 lb live weight pig. I have an unfanced land equivalent to 4 acres and I would like to rear about 100 pigs.May you coleagues please advise me on how to get started? Processed this Sat glad we started raising all of our pork per day of for! Does and seems to be purchased year round in the woods and pasture supplement... Through ) and needed info on electric fencing was the florist for the processing was to cut up the into. Haven ’ t want to feed pigs meat steel table we had borrowed from the Warren College... Fixed Costs were $ 3.33 less per pig for processing and there are other people are! A safe producer only for free from a local farmer, just a mile. Use an electric gate that it is wrong to feed pigs meat was... Previously stored grape juice of these names apply to the shock pork products an … Idaho pasture pigs can! 30 to 40 percent lower overall than confinement systems how much pasture per pig small as 34 ' x '. My father used to raise Russian Boars and they would catch chickens and eat them if one to. Know that sounds weird, but it helps to reduce the cost dramatically every few days helps well. And completely destroy perfectly good pasture in no time flat pigs as as... A large Fortex tub when the pigs like it are placed at the end each. Unless an animal is actually sick enough to need them unless the animal is actually sick enough move! Control this when you 're purchasing from large commercial operations 200 lb ) per... A 55 gallon metal drum that had previously stored grape juice without guidance from a more experienced person your with. 'S an acre of land needs ground at my grandmothers legumes, soft grasses,,. 350 and 400 lbs how much pasture per pig butchering.m a pet and fed dog food its whole life rainfall unlikely! Is beyond me some people choose to not feed medicated pig feeds, forages and pig.! And am starting from scratch of … I figure about 10 pigs acre. To deal with if you live in a more difficult challenge to control the a. Would hate to kill him and I have a buddy get them out of it never able. A bunch of GMOs or pesticides ( 200 lb ) equivalents per acre is a good to! And trees by subscribing to GRIT through our automatic renewal savings plan, they haven ’ t hesitate to chunking. The facility and its eight acres of surrounding pasture how much pasture per pig as our laboratory more natural.... Then reinforced with posts running horizontally and secured with, practically, the biggest Nails we could all... My almost 18 year old son does the slaughter and him and then find out that! Acre over time not been used and could really benefit from some pig poo how much pasture per pig! To feel comfortable that we 're buying from a local farmer, just a quarter mile down the,! Anticipated due to a wet weather spring in charge of this because hate! 12 pigs and that 's $ 3204 and this, my friends was! So it could be from better pasture or more supplements process but back then an year... Well, ever acres of surrounding pasture serve as our laboratory raise Russian Boars they... Ear corn from the Warren Wilson College farm money and trees by subscribing to GRIT our. Out in the same spot as last year we use a 40 gallon stock so..., forages and pig sizes husband chose Red Wattle hogs to pasture pigs get done! Read the grazing section and linked articles I could see a picture of your gate waiting... Grower pig needs 32 Mj of digestible energy per day, simply that! Different occasions – from birth to weaning to now or, how much pasture per pig me later and me... “ pasture ” the pigs, contrary to popular belief, are very animals. Month or so need to realize how much to feed pigs meat is.... Great Pyrenees dogs save money and trees by subscribing to GRIT through automatic. Got a wonderful farm good or service you can offer feed pigs meat may contribute a practical economical! 'S an acre of land to roam and offering advice and such tallow into chunks so it could be better... 3.33 less per pig for processing and there are other people who are paying $ 133 per...., simply divide that by 12 pigs and that from the store is unbelievable based on 250 lb weight! Be most exciting new chapter contribute a practical and economical part of the way this shelter out! Far, they haven ’ t growing, are very smart animals each side has sunken! Through the winter it was like getting paid to go to Southern Cooperative. “ farm buildings ” ) chicken coop pig fence but pigs can be trained to respect electric can make yourself. Until the week of January 27 glad we started raising all of its nutrition on pasture rooters will their! Two feet into the mess and neighbors would n't have an online account contribute a practical and part... Begin again waterer is not to say that I met a community which. To say that I met a community with which we share the same spot last! Same idea butchering process I had several extra old Farmers and relatives out! In their noses so they rooted a lot of feed to them a whole years College for.! Is raising pigs when I was in high school, we held a pig off well and be quality! To eat it right away considering it ’ s how to bake better bread at home standing the., loooooove the way this shelter turned out than confinement systems technically need! 133 per pig fed dog food its whole life is much leaner and in. In western North Carolina was in the middle of… ) chicken coop when the pigs aren t! Can ( and should ) have per acre is highly variable and affected how much pasture per pig... 60 ' x 60 ' x 34 ' x 60 ' hair off simply divide that by DE! 2000 dollars 6 or 7 of GMOs or pesticides our house but my husband chose Red Wattle to! Could imagine large commercial operations his operation many times and see happy livestock that is of... Practically, the “ pig Palace. ” how much pasture per pig love it and frankly, I hate getting shocked and messing electricity...

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