Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Smallhold Farming and Rural Living => Livestock and Growing on a larger scale => Topic started by: Kate and her Ducks on November 15, 2010, 21:54
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Ok, this is so far advanced planning it is well in the realms of day dreams at the moment but I know when I get our smallholding, whenever that is we will get pigs. Much to Nick's bemusement I also know which I want and am absolutely determined I want Oxford Sandy and Blacks. They are a rare breed, apparently a good docile breed for beginners and a traditional smallholder breed. Oh and very pretty and not pink (memories of people talking of having to put suncream on their pigs ears as they got sunburnt and life is too short!).
What are other peoples dream pig (or animal of any breed for that matter)?
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my mate had a pot belly pig as a pet for years , it lived in the house and was very clean
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Hi ive got 2 kune kune pigs they are so friendly but noisy lol well the one is he squeals when he wants something hes like a child lol
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Ooh, I love pigs. I think there's something very appealing about Tamworths.
The pig pens are one of the first places I head to at shows :)
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Tamworths are ok but a bit thin and wiry. The best for flavour is a saddleback in my opinion. 8)
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Porco Preto Alentejano - fed on wild acorns - great meat, exquisite hams
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LOVE saddlebacks! I think they are absolutely beautiful and really friendly :D x
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Porco Preto Alentejano - fed on wild acorns - great meat, exquisite hams
Are these easy to get hold of for rearing in the UK?
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Tamworths are ok but a bit thin and wiry. The best for flavour is a saddleback in my opinion.
I know, I know but there's just something I love about them. :blink: I'm happy to just look and admire them at shows.
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And who can forget the Tamworth Two? :D
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Very true!
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Argillie - haven't the foggiest, but it would be a great reason to emegrate to Portugal.
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well I had been mulling over getting a couple of sheep but everybody keeps telling me to have pigs first as they are easier than lambs. I thought Jimbo my OH would object but he has even told his mate we are having pigs even before I had made up my mind :lol:
So I now need to spend the next year deciding which breed - it must be a rare breed not a modern breed (for maximum flavour) and learning how to care for them. I learn better by being shown rather than reading so have got to find somebody to teach me - is there anybody on here who lives Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire or even Cambridgshire who would be prepared to offer to part with their knowledge and let me come and pet their piggies please?
OH has even offered to build me a pig sty or two (he wants to build brick ones - like the old fashioned ones but I'm not too sure whether the modern ark style would be better).
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Ooh, what a lovely dilema to have to ponder. ;)
I've been reading the Country Smallholding magazine only today and there was an article on pig housing - one was just showing photographs of a sty where a boar had given himself a good scratch and ended up coming through the breeze block! Apparently hollow blocks with metal rods for reinforcement and then backfilled with concrete is best to prevent this apparently.
The other article was regarding housing pigs over winter - if this will apply to you? Either good insulation in or around your sty or better still, bring them indoors as the love their creature comforts (I love pigs more and more when I read things like this :D).
I do wish we had a bit of a small holding as I would love to expand on the chickens and the veggie growing.
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thanks for that FL I will go and buy that magazine later today. I aim to take the best part of the next year learning as much as I can before taking the plunge (I do so hate it when people get livestock on a whim without thinking things through it is so unfair on the animals). I have the use of a butcher so that part is taken care of (only getting pigs to feed us and not for sale). I have just spent the last couple of hours viewing breeds and have changed my mind about 6 times already :lol:
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Lucky you, how lovely!
:D
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I'm in full agreement - you need to know what you're getting into and how to deal with anything that may arise. It only fair for both yourself and the animals in you care.
Looking in the back of the magazine, there are quite a few courses - either specifically pig keeping or even smallholding courses so fingers crossed there may be one close enough to you :)
I am ever so envious and look forward to finding out which breed(s) you decide on :D
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We've got Hampshire's at work. They're a lovely breed........... and very tasty when it comes to that time.
Piccie: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4615904&l=33c7cdc1f0&id=697811635
E. :)
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ooooh lovely, although I had more or less decided on Berkshire Blacks - rare breed and supposed to be our oldest know breed (I think Cromwell mentioned them) and also very very tasty but still got lots more research to do before I commit :)
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The main reason Phil went for Hampshire's is the fact they don't get much excess fat when fed milk & cream (we're mainly dairy, so have plenty of the white stuff available). Other breeds tended to get at least a couple of inches of fat under their skin, whereas the Hampshire's only get about a quarter of an inch, and their meat is much leaner. :)
E. :)
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your pigs are very lucky :D. I once bought half a pig that had been fed milk and yes the pork was very very tasty - mine won't get that luxury though :lol:
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P.S As strange as this might sound, we actually make more money if the whole pig is turned into (various flavours) organic sausages! :ohmy: They're easier & quicker to sell, because more people buy sausages than joints nowadays, so there's never a shortage of customers.
Surprising, but true!
E. :)
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well i have a meishan pig,
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvKqVqIHKLd_-0pMEvWWNF1i3pjDG042GgSfh7wubxEfbV4H0eyw)
Does he get many film roles?
:)
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ooh I had been checking out having a few pigs as the local college is doing a pig keeping course.
I have always wanted pigs an now we have a fairly large garden I think I can do it.
I will keep reading but saddle backs woudl be my favourite I think
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I finally decided on Berkshire blacks abd found a course in Boston only to be told by OH that he wouldn't be able to eat them - he wouldn't eat any of the cockerel that I culled and cooked last week :wacko:. He's fine eating Grannie Annies chickens and turkeys even when he has seen them alive but has decided he cant eat ours - I could understand it if I asked him to cull the birds but I do all the culling, plucking and dressing ::)
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Hm, you'll have to be a bit subtle about it then Joy. Could you disguise the pigs as egg laying chickens? :D
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Don't worry I'm working on him - I suggested getting pet pigs instead but he said they would are of no use. I think his problem is seeing the chickens hanging up and being plucked and gutted (I make sure he never sees me culling them) so if I get pigs then they will have to go to the abattoir and then over to Grannies to be chopped up (I aim to do a pig butchery course) either that or he will have to build me a chopping shed :D.
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Well I hope you can work something out as it sounds like such an interesting new project/venture for you! :)
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I will get them but it may mean that I will be eating an awful lot of pork - Jimbo will just have to eat veg :lol:
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when i have my smallholding I will either go for Berkshires, large Blacks or British Lop :D
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We have pigs Joyfull and are only in Derbyshire if you happen to be passing by.
This is our third lot. We have joined forces with a friend who has the land and share the costs and upkeep of them.
The first four we had were two Tamworths (that belonged to our friend) - not keen on the look of the pig but have to admit they tasted wonderful and our two which were one Gloucester Old Spot/Berkshire X and one Middle White. I loved the little Old Spot but out of the four the Middle White tasted the best. But it was not such a good rooter as the others so wouldn't be ideal if you did want them to churn up the land (which is what we wanted them for).
Then we had four mongrel pigs from a friend. They were a cross between Tamworths, Berkshires - you name it, they were crossed with it. They weren't quite as cute as the others but taste wonderful.
We have now progressed onto six pigs. Four pure breed Berkshire Blacks (although 3 of them seem to be more of a brown colour than black!) and two Saddleback/Oxford Sandy and Black X. They are all about 10 weeks old now.
None of us have had a problem eating them - we always knew that's what they were for. The four children (our two and our friends two) range in age from 8 to 13 and also don't have a problem eating them. They all go in with the pigs whilst they are small (they get a bit too rough as they get older - the pigs not the kids!!) and pet and groom them. And they give them names. :nowink: And they call them by their names when we eat them. :wacko:
We also have turkeys, again with our friends, although we don't get too involved with them - just let them out in a morning when we go to do the pigs and feed and water them in the evening if we are taking over the evening shift (our friends do the evening/afternoon shift as they see to their ponies then). Last year we had 8 and this year we are progressing to 16.
The two men are also considering sheep for next year and possible a couple of Highland cattle although that is still a little up in the air.
As I am typing, I have an enormous joint of pork, dry brined into a lovely joint of ham, roasting in the oven and pork skin sitting in the fridge, drying out ready to be made into home made pork scratchings.
Keep working on your OH - it really is worth it for that amazing taste of pork.
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I am just old enough to remember when Pig was killed and eaten on our farm.
Every part of the pig was used. Head for brawn, blood for black pudding, you name it.
A totally efficient use of land and beast.
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I am just old enough to remember when Pig was killed and eaten on our farm.
Every part of the pig was used. Head for brawn, blood for black pudding, you name it.
A totally efficient use of land and beast.
Was talking to some people from Portugal I met on holiday about keeping pigs. He is a chef and was tlking about how wonderful they were and how you can make use of every part. I mantioned that I had herd the expression that you can use every bit of the pig except its oink. He was very surprised to find there was a bit of a pig he had never eaten, or even heard of!!! We did eventually explain what the oink was!