How much space does a pig need?

[Farmfresh]

Penning them at night kept them safer from predators as well. Plus the old farmer said something about if you run pigs with cows ... "you can run a pig for every two to three steers and save on feed".

Evidently the pigs do a little "cleaning up after the cattle".

 

[Big Daddy]

problem is people with limited space can't do pasture type situations, then they have to be in smaller confined situation.

any time a hog is contained---you got hog stink and hog nasty work..LOL

So I guess the guest room is out of the question. I have a friend that had a pot bellied pig in his guest bedroom. He claimed it was potty trained. Meant he was trained to pee on the floor.

 

[FarmerChick]

HA HA HA

honestly I can't fathom anyone wanting a pig in the house. I am the farthest type of person from that pet situation as one can get.

Being a farmer truly, I can't stand animals in the house, but I sure would take a small dog before a cat or a hog..LOL

 

[Dace]

I just love you guys...you sure know how to take the romance out of growin' your own

 

[big brown horse]

I told myself I had NO business looking at this thread...NONE, ZILCH, NADA!

Hmmmm, pigs on one acre eh? Sounds feasible enough.


Then I got to free's description "people poo" and that pretty much put an end to the idea.

 

[TanksHill]

Farmer chick.... 400 pounds?????? If I am not mistaken my dh cousins took their pigs to the fair with 4 H at about 250. My dh uncle says the turn around is 90 days. This must be the difference. He also says past 250 the pigs get mean.

Any comments on this???

gina

 

[Beekissed]

Dace, could you pasture your piggies on your acre? They say pigs do real well with poultry electric netting fence. From what I've read, they only root and dig if they have nothing else to eat in the enclosure, but say you move them every other week or even through a serious of paddocks?

I read an article once on folks using the potbellied pigs as small homestead pastured pigs. Said they butchered out at just the right size for a small family and they were very self-sustaining. I visited a large game farm up in OH called Rolling Hills or some such thing and they had several families of potbellied pigs living in the woods. You should have seen those piglets running after mama, rooting under logs and such.

They have potbellied pig rescue organizations, wonder if they would let you have a few for eatin'?

You know, Salatin says, if a farm stinks like manure, you are doin' it right!

 

[FarmerChick]

Hey Gina

yea 250-300 lbs is a top hog. Alot of people do it at that size, I have also.

that extra grow time to 400 lbs gets you tons of extra meat without going over the "feed to profit" ratio. 400 lbs is limit for too much fat content.

if I was doing ONE or TWO hogs I would go at least 350-400 lbs to get my monies worth. 250 is alot less meat, but darn good meat of course..LOL

We process usually about 400-450. Of course I sell to the public. I also sell fat back. You won't get any fat back from a 250 hog. He doesn't have it yet.

Not so much they get mean, but they get to that weight of "I can push you around and you can't do a damn thing about it"---LOL

 

[Big Daddy]

What is fatback? I heard the term when I lived in Tx. Don't think I've ever had it.

 

[FarmerChick]

fatback is the fresh (unsmoked and unsalted) layer of fat that runs along the animal's back. It is used to make lard and cracklings and for cooking-especially in many Southern recipes. Salt-cured fatback is also sometimes available. All fatback should be refrigerated: fresh up to a week, cured up to a month.


there is the technical definition...LOL


down here those southern gals sure want to cook with it. very popular sale.