Hogs

Just wondering who is involved with hogs theses days. Back 15 years ago it was a pretty popular thing around here but no one does it anymore but one man and he is selling out this week or the next. I was thinking about maybe buying 10 or so gilts from him. Then maybe trying to raise a few to sell next year.

I raise Hereford pigs. 4 sows. And usually sell all piglets to individuals. Some I fatten on our and people have me deliver to butcher. Not like use to be. My dad back in 70's and early 80's had 200 sows

I have one for a lawn ornament, she just turned 10. weighs about #450

I raised pigs for a few years back in the early 80s. I did pretty good at it, but just didn't like it. Pigs are intelligent, much harder to fool than cattle. That makes them harder to work with in my opinion. Cutting the young males was a distasteful job to me, it made me walk funny for a while. Plus there's the smell, they root up everything, and you can't keep them up. I only know one man that still has hogs. I'm not sure where the market is anymore. I haven't seen any at a sell barn in years.

If you time it right, you could also sell some pigs to people to raise going to county fairs in your area.  An extra job is right, you shut a hog up in a shed for a while and turn him out, the first thing he does is go around the entire fence looking for a way out.

I dairy farmed for 42 years,sold in order to have back surgry 4 years ago ,than started with hogs, we have Hereford and York,,mostly sell piglets 210 this spring,we have about 35 sows now ,just starting to farrow again,,,last year spring piglets sold for $2 per lb but the fall ones went to the sale at $.92 and $.42 lb,,we make money in the spring and just stay alive in the fall

I've been raising hogs for about 15 years now. I usually have 5 to 7 sows at any time. I mostly sell feeders but keep a few butchers around sell or trade. If I have to many Tysons is always looking for butchers. Sometimes things are good and you make money, other times I wonder why the heck I do it. I really enjoy farrowing out sows so I guess I'll do it a while longer.

Around here, most of the hogs are wild ones. The number here is a big problem. They dig up fields and pastures as well as destroying fences.

mine is probably smarter than me,

Crates are cheap to free in this part of the country. I grew up on a farrow to finish operation when i was young. I agree mostly coorporate now. There is a young guy near us who raises and fattens 20-40 butchers every year but the key is they are chemical free. He sells them direct locally and will bring them to the butcher of your choice. He sells them all before they are fat! Means alot to SOME people these days knowing what your eating! Good luck.