I laughed pretty hard at that too! I suppose I'm a monster as well. But if the good Lord didn't want us to eat meat why'd he make it so tasty, nutritious, and satisfying? I'm a firm believer in PETA ( that is, People Eating Tasty Animals).
Thank you for 🐖 pig talks. Every farm had live stock cows, pigs ,dairy cows, some sheep and chickens 🐔. All these farms raised food.thay are gone. Thank you for helping the wake up people how eat.
Honestly I've watched some other pig videos and can't help but wonder where they came up with the info, I've shown the to some of the old hog guys around here they almost died laughing
My uncle liked duroc crosses with Poland chinas and Chester whites back in the 60’s. If you were home processing like we did dad preferred white pigs to make hams. Easier to scape.
What changed in the 50s was detergents -synthetic soaps. Before that the fat was an industrial feedstock for soaps - laundry soap, dishwashing soap, etc. Proctor and Gamble was based in Cincinnati because of proximity to the slaughterhouses.
yes you are correct . At one time lard was more important than meat . Yes soap was made from lye and lard . plus everything you fried was fried in lard
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay back in 1920's -to about 1950's there was a breed of hog that was bred for lard . They were massive . Had a large dome back , extremely long as well . They did have droopy ears . They were also vicious . From what I have heard ,almost unmanageable .I can't figure out what breed they were . would you know
Have been mulling over a few pigs.....Been thinking about raising enough to cover the cost of having my pig and selling the rest at auction... what would be your wild guess as to how many I need to raise and cover the cost so my pig is free not counting start up and pen cost. Plan is to put them in a pen 50X50 and not let them roam to far.
Selling at auction is going to be the problem , apt to get stole .. bring 35 cent a pound ! I feed out four at the time normally , have two of them custom processed for customers ( email me) keep two for us I pay the slaughter house and the feed bill and most of the time I can fill the F350 up with gas and put a hundred dollar bill in my pocket with what's left ,
That was really great info Chris..if we end up with pigs I'll definitely be asking your opinion. I guess they thought you were racist.. .lol..stay cool blessings
I raised hogs for years. A chester sow bred by a Hampshire boar grew for us on dirt. He also had some Yorkshire Hampshire cross sows we used s Chester boar on and they grew. We had a three quarter Yorkshire quarter Hampshire sow we bred to a Chester boar who raised multiple grand and reserves each show season.
Several farmers here ran Yorkshire sows to a Hamp boar on pasture in the old days . Solid white or black pigs just won't sell anymore to the public. They associate ( pink ) pigs with " factory "farms and black pigs with small breed crosses that won't grow out
Personally the ones I had didn't grow our like I wanted, the complaint I here most from other growers is about the sows small litters and poor mothering . A lot of the co-op growers here run Berkshire/Duroc or Berk/ Chester White crosses so a Berk boar should be fine
Can you please develop a new Chickenlandia breed? It needs to be less than ten pounds and have poodle fur. I know you can do it! LOL I just learned more about pigs than I ever knew was possible.
You know honestly most pig breeds and everything else come from one farmer or another making coming up with a better animal there mission in life ! I'm going to start the CPP initiative immediately !
People want the exotic looking cross pigs for show pigs because they have a tendency to stand out more in the show ring compared duroc, hamp, blue butt etc. It's all about catching that judges attention.
That's probably true but most of the time a pure blood wins like a judge told me conformation and type are what there supposed to judge by . Most of the time the kid picks out there pig and to be honest it's not about winning anyway maybe with the parents but not the kids
White pigs are popular with packers because it's harder to spot white hairs that remained on the meat after being processed and packaged ,in the stores meat cooler.
Another good cross is a berkshire boar on a hampshire sow. Also trhe hereford hog is a great breed. It is a cross of a poland china, duroc, and chester white.
I used to raise small batch commercial hogs with my dad. We raised somewhere around 350-400 a year. My dad was a Berkshire guy, but we moved away from them. A lot of work has gone into refining and improving the genetics in the main hog breeds, but the Berkshires are on the trailing edge of that development and as such, aren't as advanced for a market hog as say the Hamps, Yorks, and Durocs. What this leaves you is a hog that struggles to lay down a litter of more than ten piglets. The body structure of a Berk is slightly shorter than the other breeds and yields slightly smaller cuts from the carcass. They're middling in their mothering skills, but easy to handle as you care for them. By that I mean they adapt to humans well and don't get spooked too easily. But these comments are in comparison to other straight breeds. If a hog is a Berk crossed with any of the other major breeds it has the potential to be a good performing butcher hog. Fast growing and develops good lean cuts of meat. I think Chris needs to emphasis one point - if you are raising a hog for slaughter, not show or breeding again, you really want to be looking for a feeder pig that is a three way cross of three of the eight major breeds. That three way cross grows faster and is more feed efficient than any pure bred hog. I think it is referred to as genetic vigor. All the major breeds have good body structure and good animals are pretty much equal across the pure bred lines. It is not like it was in the 1950's when each breed had a radically different body structure than the other breeds. I noticed Chris did this interview in the shade. Hogs need shade, especially the farther south you are raising them. They don't perform well in high temperatures or in direct sunlight. White pigs are more prone to going off feed than dark pigs in this regard. White pigs sun burn easily also and it's painful for them. If you see reddening on your pig's back, it is likely getting sunburned.
@@cdjhyoung biggest thing we run into is type most of our customers want a hog that grows fast and converts feed that has about a little bit of backfat and marbling without having too much . That and for some reason solid white or solid black pigs won't sell our best growing pigs are three way crosses or Duroc Hamp crosses so I breed for the carcass I want then color preferably a gold or red , red listed
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay My hands on time raising hogs was over about 30 years ago. At that time, we had six commercial buyers come to the weekly auction to compete for buying pigs. Awe the memories. My experience was much like yours: the hanging carcass could be exactly the same for white pigs, crosses or purebred Hamps or Durocs, and the white pigs would hardly sell. One buyer would go as far as buying a pen of pigs, sorting out the colored pigs and sending the white ones back through the auction ring. He paid to have them resold. That's dedication to getting what you want. Witnessed the same sort of thing with some 4H judging, but there I think it was because a white pig didn't show muscling as well as a colored pig. We liked to have a white breed in the three way mix because we raised our own gilts and wanted that better mothering gene in the pool. Still turned out dandy hogs. We found in mild growing temperatures that we would get our first batch of hogs at market weight (250 lbs. for us at the time) in less than 5 months from birth. Seldom did these pigs take a full seven months to get to weight unless they had an illness or injury.
back in 1920's -to about 1950's there was a breed of hog that was bred for lard . They were massive . Had a large dome back , extremely long as well . They did have droopy ears . They were also vicious . From what I have heard ,almost unmanageable .I can't figure out what breed they were . would you know
I was told the right pig depends on why your raising them to begin with. Are you looking for lard & bacon, then there's certain breeds, same if your just wanting hams or whatever. If you just want some small friendly stuff, there's certain breeds for that. I don't like kune kune pot belly crosses, I don't see the appeal. Kune's maybe. I've raised Red Wattle crossed with Mulefoot. I love the cross. I've learned with them that the shorter snout pig's are nicer than the long nosed one's, which seem to have more wild/feral hog characteristics, less nice. The mom's have great maternal instincts, ours furrowed 12-15 piglets first go around. We bought some kune x pot belly to butcher later. The girl's were 6 mos & pregnant. Both had 3, 1lost her whole litter, she didn't seem to know what to do, but they didn't live long, so I suspect it was something else. The other one did good. But gave me all boy's. We also got a 6 month old hereford gilt who was also very pregnant at the time. She lost her entire litter (12-13 mostly girl's) as they got stuck in the birth canal. I don't know why people feel the need to breed something so young, but I think it's foolish. We're breeding her to our mulefoot/red Wattle boar, hopefully have some good piggies out of her. She's my last breed able sow. I don't know how their meat is. But the red wattle mulefoot cross is a nice red color, good marbling, great flavor. They do good in pasture & pens, I don't know abt concrete. They are slow growing, but it probably also depends on what you feed them. They're my top pick.
Most people don't understand hogs have a type independent of breed . Hogs of most breeds have been bred to reduce back fat ( lard ) for the last fifty years . The moden hog has hardly any fat at all and the pork is injected with water and flavorings at the processing plant to make up for it. The ideal on the ground hog has about an inch of backfat at 270 lbs reaches that weight at five to six months and a feed conversion in the 3.5 to 1 range . All of the large breed shouldn't be bred until eight or nine months and 350 lbs excessive finish will cause farrowing problems as well
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay I waited until ours was a yr old (not everyone can or will do that) & we never lost a litter, 1-2 still births max. The commercial meat, is pale & tasteless. The first time we had our mix, I didn't put any seasoning on the chops, they were so tasty, the lard didn't have the nasty pig taste & the bacon was the best. Most never heard of mulefoot or red wattles, those that have thought they grew too slow. I pointed out that they weren't the commercial show pig, but they weren't that slow. They seemed to grow pretty good to me, but I didn't have a different breed to compare them to either. Lol
@@AlleyCat-1 we have a lot of customers that USED to raise mulefoot , red wattles , Herefords etc all I hear is never again same with the small breeds . Once you get a good pig the difference is obvious more good pork less money less time .
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay small? Mulefoot & Red Wattles are not a small breed. The Boar's can get up to 900 pounds. The females get up to 700-800 pounds. I don't know about Hereford, I'm new to owning them. But she's not very small either. At abt a yr old, she's gotta be close to 300 maybe 400 already. Maybe 250-300, she's long & lean right now. But a full mature & grown out Red Wattle or Mulefoot are not small, I did do some quick research & they are considered the largest of the small breeds, which is funny, one's like the spotted pig (from Gloucestershire old spot) & many other heritage breeds are listed as small breeds, like large black. Whoever defines a 600-900 pound pig is small, needs to redefine the definition. 😊
@@rossbrimmer5895 cold isn't something I have to deal with not by your standards anyway . But I have been told that if you can get the mangalista coat with the Duroc carcass and growth rate it makes a really good outside hog for up north . Most of the people I've talked to have been in Canada down here we don't have any use for mangalistas ,can't take the heat and grow way too slow and that almost red meat turns customers off
@HomesteadingtheHardWay I'd assume the pork would be really be good. But yeah I could definitely see a good cold hardy hog. I will say my duroc boar I bought come from up by the Canadian border anyways. Between our wind with the cold can make it hard on animals. Yeah quicker growth for sure would be nice. Is assume that the pork from the mangalitsa would be closer to what the old bloodline for hogs would have been before they bred them to be so lean.
@@rossbrimmer5895 the pork is definitely different. It's nothing like old line pork , people that raise them claim it taste like beef but if you do a taste test vs a traditional lard type western European or American breed very few if any will pick the magalista. . We had a few growers try raising them, they gave up pretty fast because of lack of marketability our market is for tops with 1 to 1 1/2 inch of backfat and a moderate amount of marbling in the chops and pork steaks . In other words the pig from 1940 to 1950 before the push for lean pigs . Always remember growth rate and feed conversation equals money it cost more than double to feed a slow growing hog . The feed bills what shuts down small farms and homesteads
Sorry to not undertand ... I'm french from Quebec. What does the word «Cover» mean in your presentation. If «cover» is the word I hear. And, may I add. Have you ever heard about the Oxford Sandy and Black Pigs, and if so, do you accept to say what you think about it. I'm happy to subscribe ... Printaboul = Gaëtan Dupont
@@WelcometoChickenlandia I try to be open minded and look at things from a couple different ways but I know fads when I see one I've seen a dozen come and go
I'm that way to with meat pigs feed conversion and grow rate and type are all that matters . A solid white pig won't sell at all here and a solid black pig sells slow . Had a guy call me today wanted ten feeder pigs said they had to be spotted not any particular breed just spotted
Ipp pigs grow way too slow Berkshires fall way short as sows bad mother's and small litters the pork being better is an advertising gimmick. No farmer that knows pigs will have much to do with either.
Getting back to the difference between what you hear and what really works , actually raise some and a decent breed to compare them too and it becomes obvious
I love my ipp's they grow at a decent pace , seem to be very docile, and they hang with my large blacks just fine. Also, the meat / lard content is awesome. That being said I crossed a yorkshire x large black with an ipp and my baby new girl has gotten big in a hurry , she's about 8 months old and is 250 - 270.
@@buckshot21000biggest problem it causes me is I like the black Hamp/Duroc crosses and would like to add a little Yorkshire in my mix but I can't because the pigs won't sell as good. Doesn't matter how good they look or grow
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay didn’t know color had gotten to be that big of a thing. Where in North Carolina you at. I’m in outside Goldsboro and wish I had the land to raise about 2 or 3 a year but got some neighborhoods around me and less than an acre of land.
With some blood lines yes at least in the old days . Mine aren't too bad but you have to be careful with a sow with pigs . But an aggressive sow is usually good mama
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay Yeah, mine are pretty protective. I once saw a video on youtube where a homesteader and his kids were weaning their pigs by going into the pen and catching them. The sow seemed oblivious. I was amazed. My sows stand in the doorway of their shelters and glare at me if I enter the pen when they have babies with them. I'm not sure how they'd respond if I tried to catch one of the babies, I wouldn't try! And I won't allow children anywhere near the pigs if I'm not with them. Boars don't scare me. Sows with babies do. I felt the same way when I worked on cattle ranches. Bulls? No problem. Cows with newborn calves? Watch out!
@@randysheckler763 those people scare me to death with the kids around livestock, I've seen it go horribly wrong . As long as nothing squeals I'm ok in the farrowing pen with my sows but if the sow next pen over steps on a pig it'll go sideways fast .
So what wrong with american guinea hogs? It just me and my wife. No kids. Curious cause we just got 2 piglets. And I hear they are mostly grass fed which is nice. To be able to move the paddock around and save on feed bill. Which brings up another question anyone know how much I should be feeding these guys?
I'll be as honest as I can they have VERY bad feed conversion and grow slow so it takes as much feed as a big breed for way less pork and ten months to feed them out .grass fed pork is a fairy tail pig can't really digest grass ( one stomach ) so while they do enjoy rooting and chewing on it doesn't help add much weight . Pastures pigs are on a legume crop of some kind with a ring in their nose so they can root it up . On feeding start a half pound twice a day and go up they will eat 5lb a day maybe 8 or 10 you want them to clean it up so its not sitting in the trough . We tried guinea hogs for a year or two because of the small size ( handleabilty) and I can say that is a plus but that's all they had going for them
@@HomesteadingtheHardWay thank you. And thank you for the taking the time for replys let alone all the videos. Very educational. Keep it up! Oh ya I'm near hickory. A little skip from yall but love seeing fellow NCers youtube channels
Whites dominant so usually a F1 cross the litter will be mostly white , may be a little dropping to the ears . F2 will show red prick eared pigs that are often mistaken for Tamsworth. Cross back to a Hampshire and you'll get everything from list to spots , yellow,white ,red but very little black . If you get spots off a York Duroc cross one of them was not purebred just looked like it , had to be some Hamp or spot somewhere. Could be generations back but it's there
Are people coming to you for eating pigs or pet pet pigs, or do you not ask questions? Just wondering what the majority of pig purchasers are doing these days. Many thanks you hungry monster!!🤣
I don't think I've ever sold a pet pig . Until now by far most of mine went for breeding stock they have to be born at the right time to ready to show so usually I can get one litter at the right time but they're my profit
