"You're better off just not figuring your labor... you figure in your labor you'll just get depressed and quit doing it." Subscribed. That's honesty right there.
I wanted to come on here and sing this man’s praises! We had a little pig go down hard yesterday. We had no idea what was wrong! My husband has been watching Chris for a while as we have just really gotten into hog raising. Chris not only emailed Michael back, but he spoke with my husband on the phone last night for well over an hour. He pointed us in a direction we hadn’t thought about to really help our piglet. She is not out of the woods yet, but she made it through the night. This RU-vidr deserves millions of followers. He’s an amazingly nice guy that genuinely loves hogs. Thank you Chris! Love, the Vinson family- Woodruff, SC
@r.j.english8088 I was just making light of the hard work it takes. Your right. It's a labor of love. I don't want to rely on the gov and Corperations for my family meals and energy.
Most of them RU-vid channels are pushing their Amazon affiliate links and selling crap you Don need to farm. Thank you for your honest channel and I’ll never stop watching. Lol you know you are sick when you farm all day and wind down by watching farmers on RU-vid after supper.
Started last year with three and learned a lot from you , a lot of other RU-vidrs have good advice but they tend to leave out the bad and dark side of it, I knew it wasn't going to be easy by watching your videos and that actually help me out during the process
I’ve spent the past several days watching 4yrs of Chris-Homesteading the Hardway , explaining his way of raising hogs. I haven’t raised any since we were kids and my Daddy raised a few, so I’ve forgotten everything I knew except what I’ve picked up from friends. That being said, My wife and I decided to get a couple of Old Spot/Hampshire crosses and these videos have been a great crash refresher and good new ideas since I’ve done it. We live mostly on wild game except the pork and chicken we buy and we decided we’d rather grow our own. Appreciate the honesty. I relate way better to a good ole country boy than I do a new age homesteader. Not that I don’t root them on, I just don’t relate. Subbed and following along.
Thanks for the honesty and knowledge you shared on this video. We started raising AGH pigs two years ago. We are about to process two on our own in the next month. We have considered getting into it as a business but there are for sure many variables. So many videos sugar coating the business end. I really like how you broke it down! New subscriber now!
I really enjoy your content. I have been running my homestead full time for 9 yrs now. You really hit the nail on the head about cash flow. Cash flow keeps the lights on, and the herd fed.
Appreciate the honesty. Due to your videos I’m getting 4 feeder pigs to raise ourselves to feed the immediate family. They will be on the farm in mid March.
Thank you an honest youtuber...been farming for 40 years and I've seen all the stories...and been wondering where I have been going wrong !!! Maybe it's because I have indoor plumbing ?? Again thank you
New subscriber here. Almost two years in with large whites. No experience prior but I am fully into learning. This animal is truly amazing. I want lessons from a true farming family. Glad to have found you. Thanks for teaching and keeping it real.
Glad to see you guys back I've been following you for a little while now I love the information I raise quite a few feeder pigs up here in the state of Maryland keep up the great work thanks
Chris rocks! Glad I found his channel. He is the real deal and the coolest guy and farmer I've seen that knows his stuff and gives it to you straight. The world needs more people like Chris. I've subscribed.
I enjoyed it as always. Glad to see a new video. I for one appreciate the honesty and the fact that you are not in it for the views but just to share some knowledge and help others. God bless you.
Great video…what you said about paying yourself back is something I was taught by my father and as some of the most sound financial advice that anyone could give. Probably the best thing I’ve ever seen in video on financial advice.
Topping pigs look great Chris. As long as I'm physically able we will always do Farrow to finish. It's real work but worth it. Glad to see you doing well.
Chris, we’ve been away for a while, personal reasons. Coming back to RU-vid and you and are the first channel we want to catch up with. Loved your truths as always! Your friend, James from Georgia
Good video. Your analysis is right on. Around me the price of feed went up 60-75% in 2022. That hurts when you are feeding out hogs. Fortunately the price of pork in the store has help to justify small scale local operations. One challenge I have faced with the customer base is that lots of folks are interested until they figure out they are into if for $800+ for a whole hog. Building a consistent customer base is a big deal.
Good evening and lots of love from Ohio! I ain't even about to jump into pig farming, but I've got me some heritage feeder pigs coming close to weaning age that I'll be raising. A neighbor asked me to raise one for them and in exchange they will by half the feed I need for all 4. I had only planned on 3 so, sound d like a good deal to me, saves me half the cost of feeding mine. I've learned what to feed and how the pens need to be from you. Valuable information that you're giving for free. I know that steer feed out you told me about worked great and would have been great had someone not cut my fence and stole my steer. So that's a start over. Thank you so much, you are appreciated. Have a great evening and God bless.
Good morning, Chris like everyone else the honesty in this particular video was extremely informative. I am new to farming and like you suggested I did a tremendous amount of research on the market in my area, and also went with a heritage-style breed of pig which has been received well by the locals in my area.with that being said like you had mentioned by the time you pay for feed ,processing and break down all the hours that you have worked to achieve the product you're basically really not making much money on that pig. But it's something that I absolutely enjoy doing with my grandson thank you for the information,the brutal honesty keep doing what you're doing and keeping those of us that still have a lot to learn informed
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay this is very true I am trying a different route with a specialty type pig I have the Manglitsa from Hungaria the Meishans pig, there lineage can be traced back 5000 years in China and a Idaho Pastor Pig. I am a small farm trying to find a niche were I can work my way into the market. Thank you again for the knowledge you are passing on.
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay you’re definitely speaking to me! I’ve always been a city girl but this world has gotten crazy! So we’re moving away from the city and grow our own food. Videos like yours have helped me in my researching and preparing. You got a new sub! 😄
Enjoyed your video. I'm a retired farmer in mid-Missouri. I helped my dad on the farm until he passed, then I built a central farrowing house and operated with 55 sows - farrow to finish. Lots of work but also lots of fun. I made a decent living including raising 125 acres of crops and a 45 cow herd. I enjoy being retired.
Hey Chris thanks for all the tips. They really helped. I Did 5 this last year and they turned out great. We’re not going to get quite those prices here in central Kansas that you were mentioning about but they are still doing decent here. Thanks again
Grew up on a dairy/hog farm..went to school smelling that way many times. Now I'm retiring very soon from trucking and plan to go back to my roots and restart hog and beef raising. Lots changed in 50 years. Including the amount odd land i have to raise my animal feed etc. Im starting with 5 good brood sows and a few black Angus cross. They're are actually been gifted to me from relation when they found out on getting back into the business. Keep doing what your doing. Love the straight forward. Like My dad was when i was a kid. 👍🐷
Sir, thank you for keeping it honest and real. I had not seriously considered the RU-vid channel being the primary ‘business’… Best wishes to you and the Missus.
Excellent lecture Chris. Economics and Accounting. Can't do much analysis without it. Looks like you nailed it to me. Cash flow is key. I happened to be lucky enough to know Ralph Ketner well for many years. Worked for his business school while he was still living. Wise man indeed. First, he locked himself in a hotel room in Charlotte to run numbers on Food Town (which turned into Food Lion) and discovered they were actually broke. Cash flow issue. His solution is what saved and made Food Lion. Volume and small margins. Second, he had a saying. If you watch your pennies your dollars add up. ;) Wise words for anyone in farming. Be blessed.
Another great video with plenty of information. Thanks for the video. Also didn't know that these homestead videos are mostly fake but not surprised thanks again
Glad to do these videos. Don't know if it's most but it's more than it should be but it explains why the same false information keeps getting repeated. They just copy what's getting views
Best thing I ever done was get setup to make our own feed, it's expensive to get the equipment and a little work to do . It saves me 6k a year on the feed bill easy
Hi Chris, really enjoy your channel watching your videos on hogs ! Brings back a lot of good memories in the 70s and early 80s when we raised hogs we had Hampshire sows and Duroc Boars And in the late 80s and 90s had Landrace sows with a Yorkshire boars.🐖 Raise hogs for a long time , Had cattle too. really enjoyed it ! now I have Nigerian dwarf goats 🐐me and my grandson we enjoy Raising them ! You right on the 🚜 farm all you need is a 30-30 ,12-gauge shotgun and a .22 rifle ! Your videos are GREAT 👍 God-bless you and your family and hope 🙏 all's well !
Chris, looks like you expanded your hog operation, where a garden bed once was. I'm glad to see you was able to do it and things seem to be going well for you, hogwise... Blessings to both You and Darlene!🙏
They're doing pretty good right now but you know that can change. I'm going to expand a little more need to make 30k a year clear off the farm . Not sure it can be done but between produce,hogs,eggs,chicks and selling beef I might can make it happen . Diversification is going to be the key
Chris, I rarely post comments on RU-vid but I thought you might benefit from hearing what I have to say. I really appreciate you taking the time to share the information and experience you have gained over the years. I recently found myself as the owner of what was supposed to be a "slaughter' ready pig. I had agreed to buy the pig to help out a family member. Well the pig was far from ready for slaughter. In fact it weighed less than 100 pounds. By watching your videos and using the information you provided I was able to put over 200 pounds on the pig in about 3 months and now have a freezer full of high quality pork. I realize it takes a lot of time and effort to make these videos and you may sometimes wonder if it's makes any difference. In my case it certainly did. Thank you for the help and keep up the good work.
I just figure the profit is what I get for my labor. Then the numbers look better. We're just starting out though and appreciate your videos. I hope this year goes well for you!
I was lucky I have a lot of friends that were farmers. It didn't take me long to realize you have to have realistic goals and expectations. I had people who were experienced at raising beef and pork or "Truckbed Farmers" all the way up to college educated commercial farmers, they helped me to understand from the beginning that you're not gonna become financially independent raising livestock, you do it for the joy of it and for a side hustle to put some extra money in your pocket during the good times. Unfortunately for every good day there are two bad ones, but if you are smart, humble and play within your capabilities you can do enough in most years to make it worth it to continue. If you want to start up, listen to every word this gentlemen is telling you because he is telling you like it is. It looks like this guy has a beautiful set up and yet he is telling you that your not gonna get rich....that is nothing but truth and some of the best advice you will ever get.
We raise 10-15 feeders a year and we barley cover the cost of the 2 that we put in our freezer. I’m half tempted to make a trip down south and get a some breeding stock from you Chris. Your pigs are healthy as can be and I know you know your stuff! Glad to see a video hopefully you can keep them coming. Stay well my friend
Took a long time to get exactly what I wanted and it's a struggle to keep them that way . It's tough to build a market, I used to be glad to just break even on our pork
Glad to see you posting videos again. Just found your channel a couple months ago. Nice to see someone telling it how it is. We have a few sows ourselves as well as cattle in NB Canada. Have a great day
I agree ive been at this all my life and im still learning. There is alot of info out there that like you say isnt anywhere near realistic as far how to raise hogs or what you can make or lose. Your doing a great service to those that will listen. You have some great lookin hogs ive just got a new duroc boar myself after seeing yours i wanted to try some.
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay thats what im hoping. I have no access to old line duroc but have bred a pure Tamworth sow ai to a modern duroc and plan to use this boar the same way. May be best of both worlds or worse of both. Wont know for a couple months
@@tomtompkins5856 that's usually not a bad cross , hopefully the old Tamworth will put some fat on that moden Duroc . Something in the middle would be perfect
Just starting to build my pen for a few feeders. I've learned so many valuable lessons from this channel it's crazy. My figuring is, if I can grow my own pork and break even on cost in the long run by selling one or 2 here and there is a winning game. If profit were to come, even better.
WOW, thanks for the brutal honesty. That's why so many farmers diversify in produce besides livestock to help offset feed for humans and livestock consumption. Be safe and be true.
Don’t buy your hogs from the stockyard unless you know about them. I got some and was buying antibiotics of the start. Couldn’t find a butcher during Covid. You have some great knowledge thank you..and those RU-vidrs are making money on views from people wanting to get rich quick
We make 400 on average pig pig selling them how you described. We’ve lost our ass in the start but we learned a lot from your videos. We make spreadsheets, keep receipts and buy frugal, never cheap. Cheers y’all.
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay I'm fairly new to this channel, do you have a how-to video regarding mixing your own feed? appreciate your time and knowledge.
Agreed with everything you say. And beware of following tips and tricks from some of these channels. They put up some click bait titles and try to tell you how to be 'successful like them', but when you put pencil to paper those folks are profiting maybe just a few thousand dollars a year at most and have only been raising livestock for a year or two.
I have been talking to my brothers about going in together raising a few hogs on my land. Not to sell. Just to eat. We could put in the work to build a proper pen and shelter. Then we could buy what we want to put into the freezer that year. Then we can split the cost of feeding and upkeep. I’m the only one who has the land, space, time, and the zoning to raise them. Then at the end of the year we can have them all processed. Or we can keep a breeding pair to get piglets once a year. I have 7 siblings.
Hi Chris. I just found y'all's videos a couple days ago. Have started to go back and watch them. I enjoyed the ones I have seen. Y'all stay safe and God bless. Look forward to seeing more videos.
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay we raised pigs when I was in high school. But when I became a US Marine he got rid of them cause no one to help him with them. I had to retire a few years ago cause of kidney failure and having to do dialysis. I am getting back to farming now that things have settled down some with my health. Thanks again for the videos.
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay thank you. Both my grandfather's where farmers and I was raised on a farm. Both my grandfather's logged and farmed. They used to tell me no one is poorer than a farmer.
@@richardhicks7946 I grew up farming and logging in the winter . Daddy bought small tracts nobody else would mess with . Did it just so we could work the farm hands all year TBH
Thanks for the videos! Best most informative Info I’ve found on pig farming . Could you do a video on what you look for in “type” when choosing pigs for breeding stock?
Great video, Chris. You've really worked for what yall have built there. Have you warmed up to hog wire a little more now? I'm just about going to have to go with hog wire for my tops because I can't afford $40 per hog panel.
We have a small chicken/egg operation. Between 100-200 birds. We are lucky if we break even. If I factor in labor we never break even. The best way for me to look at it is we get free eggs that are fresh and higher quality, and we get the meat when we cull a flock. But it is certainly not feasible to do as a business. I’d have to charge a lot more per dozen and I just don’t think I could get it. I’ve found ways to cut feed costs as much as possible while still using good quality feed and that has helped but it’s also more work. I need to install fencing and if I count that towards cost I won’t be even breaking even for a long time. But, we do it anyway. Life is work and I’d rather raise chickens and do all that we do than sit around watching tv or something like that.
That's a good way to look at . I tell my crowd what else y'all going to do sit around and play on the phone . I wish I could tell you something to help , I only have the amount of hens I do so I can fill up the incubators quickly. I make ok on chicks and pullets but eggs are just a byproduct really after hatching season
Thanks, glad to see someone telling the truth. I'm about to start farming soon and all I notice is youtubers who make youtube money and buy expensive unrealistic things. I doubt they make any money farming. It's all from youtube and selling us false dreams, ad revenue, and whatever sponsor.
I believe the small farm can make a come back , the market is changing and opening doors . It's not easy I've struggled for years and I was already established. I wish you success and you're going to have to know how it really works if you're going to make it.
I can't believe that you get $1000 for a butcher hog! I sell mine for $285. The local butcher charges around $175 to butcher. I don't make any money on butcher pigs. I sell weened pigs at $100 each and that is the only way that I make money. I raise pigs, beef cattle and chickens. Last year I lost $4000 on my farm. That sure is a lot of work to lose $4000.
You have to sell customer direct. Ours are 6.00 a lb ( I went up this year) packaged pigs usually dress 200 lbs . So we bring in 1200.00 a hog but less than half that is profit, it's a limited market about twenty a years all I can sell. It took me years to build a market, I lost money hand over fist for years
Is there a way to encourage pigs to poop in a specific area? We will have a decent sized area for their pasture. But part of that space is located up wind from our house. We have heard if they have a large enough space they will only poop in 1 area of that space. Wondering if there is anything i can do to coax them into pooping in the far corner. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into these videos. Your helping more than you will ever know
Thank you. I am really glad I found this video and subscribed, will watch all you other videos.. Just starting out and your advice really makes sense....Have 3 Large Blacks. I could'nt make out what breed you have there. Are those Tamworths, thanks!
Thank you for speaking the hard truth! Subbed for whatever is worth. I think there is another subset of these small hobby farms if you will who are fine with break even or small loss in order to be raising their own food. Selling into the market is just about mitigation TCO.
If you're just trying to grow your own food selling any surplus to cover expenses is an excellent and realistic goal . Most of the time you can at least get close for example you'll probably never pay for the coup or hens selling extra eggs but you might pay for the feed , I consider that a win. Just a different way of saying the same thing loss mitigation
