The great big piggy went to market!

My husband often asked other farmers the question "is it worth it to raise your own pigs?"  They would always answer "it's a lot of cost and a lot of work, you're further ahead to buy your pork from someone else".  We took their advice into consideration but decided to give it a try.  As they also said "but when you raise your own you know what they've been fed and you know what you're eating".  Which was what we were looking for.  Knowing what has been put into our food is very important to us.

We were unsure if this would be the year we would try raising pigs.  As with everything we do it was a quick "let's go get them" decision.  I found piglets near by on Kijiji, the breed we were considering raising, and that was it.  We purchased 3 Berkshire Piglets in April.  We had the barn space but no pasture ready for them.  We purchased a solar fencing system and built another building for them within the fenced in area.  The building is on a skid so we can move it to another location when the time comes we no longer want to raise them in this particular area.  

Berkshire is a heritage breed known for good flavour and kind nature.  Having a small child being kind in nature was important and of course good flavour ranks high on the list as well.  

We worked hard to feed them as much of a variety of food as possible, not just store bought hog grower.  We fed them garden vegetable scraps (some of which we cooked), apples, pears and lawn clippings.  Just since Thanksgiving they had a feed bag full of over grown beets which we cooked, swiss chard and approx. 8 feed bags full of apples and pears.  And lots of green tomatoes!  They were losing their interest in the green tomatoes lol.  We raised happy, very well fed, pasture roaming pigs who enjoyed fresh air and sunshine.

Since we have been asking others, and really came up with no straight answers, here's the final numbers.  This is what it COST us to raise our pigs.  Not including the fencing materials, solar fencer, barn, water barrel, feeders, etc.  This is strictly cost of pig, feed and butchering:

Cost of Pigs $80 each = $240

Hog Grower: $738.35

3 Bales of Hay for bedding/food:  $9.00

Butcher (killing and cleaning, not cut up): $100

Total cost: $1087.35

Total weight of all 3 pigs 598 lbs

Cost per lb $1.81

Of course this does not include our physical labour, fuel for picking up feed and apples etc.  I guess in the end we "made" nothing off it, but we provided ourselves and family and friends with healthy, flavourful, moist, delicious, pasture raised pork.

I was very afraid we had gone "into the hole" so to speak.  I am pleasantly surprised that we managed to stay on top of it.  We had no idea what to charge per lb for the meat.  We asked around and got the "going rate".  We are not farming to make money but we really didn't want to lose money!  That was my main concern.Considering this was a new venture for us I think we did quite well.  We learned to feed them the other stuff first and the grower feed last.  If they have tummies full of grower they won't eat the other stuff. 

And now the question everyone is asking "will you do it again?"  The answer is "YES".  And we are planning to raise the number by one or two, raise 4 or 5 instead of 3.  

I am a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" type of gal.  If I find something that works I like to stick with it.  My husband is different, he likes to think of what he could change.  As I mentioned previously I am happy with the Berkshire and would like to stick to that breed.  My husband would like to try a mixed breed.  He is mentioning Berkshire and Tamworth mix.  I think we have been told "York" can be a nasty breed.  We will spend our winter trying to decide what to do.  Seeding in the pasture and planning for the newcomers in the spring.  We're even stocking our barn with bales of bedding hay so we'll be ready for their tentative arrival in March of 2014.  :)

'til next time!!!