My new rototiller

[Stubbornhillfarm]

The results I've seen were similar to what Stubborn posted. 240-odd lbs live weight produced around 200lbs of meat. I don't know what the breed was that they raised but thats a good amount of pork products. The couple that had the pork processed were bringing all sorts of pork products to get togethers to help get it eaten up and free up the freezer space because they had so much. Even at 175lbs that averages out to be just under 1/2lbs pork a day for a year. That's why I haven't taken up raising them yet. I definately see us doing it though since its such a short difference between live weight and what you put up in the freezer.

Lesa do you know how much meat your putting up in your freezer. I wonder what breed it is too. There is a free range farmer who has a son in my daughter's preschool class. I haven't bought anything off them yet but I know they have pork, chicken and rabbit. Id love to get some but at what they get for it, it may have to be a Christmas dinner kind of meal.

By the way my 40lbs of venison burger is what's left right now in the freezer not what I put up.

Now I'm not passing judgement on anyone because stuff happens and sometimes one deer would give you only 40 pounds of meat or less . And hunting is hunting and meat is meat. But I knew that you started with more than that. 40 pounds of burger is still a lot of burger! YUM!!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Good Morning, Garden Gang! I have been away for a while and am thrilled to see old friends here as well as lots of newcomers! I think the pigs are precious, but like Marshall, I could not eat one I raised. I would like to find someone like Stubby that I could get to raise one (humanely) for me. I would be happy to provide the pig and feed and pay for the slaughter. I just wouldn't want to meet 'em and eat 'em!

Welcome back Whisher! I bet with a little bit of searching you could find someone to do just that for you. In my opinion which means absolutely nothing...if you are already feeding and cleaning 3 pigs how hard is it to do the same for 1 more for someone else to enjoy?

 

[Jared77]

Politicians....thats great!

Stubborn I'm sorry somehow I managed to miss this post

Ah...venison. Yes, we have that too. You can't get much more natural than that. Clean meat, low fat, healthy. Most generally we have 2-5 in the freezer depending how much time we can dedicate to hunting.

In regards to the fair. Do you have small children that are old enough to do the pig scramble? At least if they were able to get you the pig for free you would be ahead of the game. I didn't see it, but my husband said that the guy that picked our 4 out of the trailer of 200 pigs grabbed them by the hind legs and that was it. No fighting or struggling from them. He said it was pretty slick. I figure I'll keep that in the memory bank for next year and see if I can get my grand daughter to do the pig scramble for us!

I have never heard of a draft goat but sounds interesting. I understand about adding projects to the "to do" list. We have a habit of adding more then we take away!

Our hunting is a family effort. All the deer are hung together and we process them when they are ready. Everybody who cuts "gets a cut" so even if you didn't put one down you get an equal share of the meat processed that day. If your "the shooter" which means you put the most deer down that year you get the left over odds. For example if 5 people cut that day and we have 2 extra 1lbs bags of burger those 2 extra bags go to the shooter. Thats always been the rules from generations past and we find that its fair. Hunting season here is a big deal, we have a lot of farm land around us so lots of deer to put up in the freezer.

Im not familiar with the pig scramble. We don't have anything like that around here. I wish we did though. Id train your granddaughter now on how to grab them from the rear legs so that way when its her time its old hat for her. You've got the piglets to train on lol.

I'm fascinated by draft animals. I can watch the horse pull all day long. My wife always laughs because she knows she'll find me sitting next to a couple of farmers old enough to be my Grandfather and talking draft horses. Its really neat though we have a good group of draft horse fans who bring their teams up and they pull a large wagon around the fairgrounds to help people get around and show off what they can do. Ive seen teams of Percherons, Belgians, even Shires and Clydesdales up there ferrying folks around. I'd love to learn how to drive and have my own team. I think when I retire I just may have to get a really nice carriage or 2 rides and do weddings, etc.

So until then I stumbled onto people using goats to pack out Elk meat and antler sheds. Sure footed, strong, willing to work, and so that lead to draft goats. People use them to pull carts and there are plenty of pics of them being driven by kids in a small wagon. So I figure why not? http://www.harnessgoats.co.uk/gallery.htm for a few pictures to give you an idea of what they can do. I figure we'll already have goats so why not add a draft? Or a miniature horse depending on the propery to we purchase next summer. If we set it up for horses I may get a mini, or I may do a draft goat. We'll see.

Are you doing any dairy animals Stubborn?

 

[lesa]

You know I can't remember exactly, but I think around 165 pounds. The first year we bought it, we got a quarter of a pig- just to try it and make sure we liked it. Since we loved it- we ordered the whole pig this time. It was very reasonable, around 3 dollars a pound. We were able to speak to the butcher and order the cuts we wanted...

I really would like to try raising our own (when we live on my "someday" farm). I would not attempt to butcher a pig- but taking it to the slaughterhouse wouldn't be too bad. I never imagined growing my own food, and killing it. But, now that we have had chickens for several years- we have butchered some of the older girls for the pot- and it wasn't a problem.

I was a vegetarian for 30 years. I got so tired of worrying about GMO soy products, etc. that I had my brother bring me some venison. From there we went to grass raised beef and pork. A friend of ours raises Sinimental cattle on his land- so we are happy to buy from him. We pay 600.00 for a half a cow. That is a huge savings over buying grass fed from a specialty store. I would like to try raising meaties, maybe next year....

Stubborn, I love your attitude about raising meat- my feelings exactly! Good luck with your piggy endeavor!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Jared,

Are you doing any dairy animals Stubborn?

No not currently. We both work outside of the home full time and then tend to our home and animals after that and an hour drive each way to work. Currently, I think it would just be too much for us. I love the idea of having goat or cow milk, but the added time vs value for us wouldn't really make sense now. I would love to make ice cream, soap, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc. But again, that takes time that I just don't have right now. And I would really feel the pressure to make all of that if we had fresh milk available.

We are trying the pigs because they are relatively a short term commitment kind of like our meat chickens and turkeys. But someday...when we are working from our home making a living off our land and our farm we will be able to do that! Just speaking it forth!!

The draft goat pics are very interesting and really makes sense.

I like how you have continued your family hunting traditions and the fact that everyone knows what to expect is great!

At most of our country fairs, there is something that we call the "pig scramble". They basically have like 12 piglets and 36 kids or whatever the ratio is and they let the piglets loose. The kids all run around and try to catch them. The rule is if you catch one, you must take it! There is usually an age limit for the kids lets say from 9-12 and there is no cost. Sounds like kind of a cruel game as I type, but it has been part of a country fair for hundreds of years if I had to quess.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

When we got home yesterday, we discovered that the pigley wiglies had found the joy in rooting! Their little snouts were all black.

 

[peteyfoozer]

Those little guys are so stinking cute!!

 

[lesa]

I looovvvee them!!!

 

[April Manier]

A warning about electric fences and pigs. They CAN get used to it! Really! You will hear a long squeal as they endure to get through!!!!!

 

[lesa]

Do tell, April... did they actually escape? It was my understanding that their noses were so delicate, they wouldn't do that...