Just a little Hog Info

FarmerChick

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just a little basic hog info for everyone to enjoy

*******


In old times, hogs ran wild in the woods and ate acorns and whatever else they found. They were skinnier and tougher and were called razorbacks. After that, hogs were put in pens and they used to lay around in mud and garbage. This is the reason that people used to think of pigs as being dirty.


Today, farmers raise hogs on livestock farms. The animals are kept on clean pastureland or in clean buildings.
Hogs are raised almost everywhere. Hogs are sometimes called pigs or swine. The meat that comes from hogs is called pork.


The body of a hog is fat and strong. They have short, bristly hair on their bodies. This animal doesn't have sweat glands so it likes to roll around in mud to keep cool. Hogs have a nose called a snout. They have small eyes and don't see too well. They have a really good sense of smell. They have curly tails and squeal if they are hurt. They are smart animals.

When a hog is about 8 months old, it can start to have babies. The sow [female hog] is pregnant for about four months before giving birth. Usually a sow will have about 8 to 12 pigs at a time but they might have 27 or more. The sow gives birth in a pen. The pen has a curved rail that makes her lay down so that she won't crush her babies.


The babies stay on the floor that is warmed by heat lamps so that they can stay warm and be by the mother. A sow can have 2 litters a year.
A hog is full grown when it is 1-1/2 to 2 years old. They live from 9 to 15 years. They are sent to market when they are about 6 to 7 months old.
Hogs eat corn, barley, wheat, rye and oats. The farmer will combine soybeans, linseed, cottonseed, nuts, meat scraps and protein. Farmers make sure that the animals get everything they need to stay healthy.
Hogs are either kept in buildings or in open yards or pastures. A lot of farmers who are raising hogs for meat will keep the animals in buildings. In buildings, cleaning is done with automatic pressure washers that wash out the manure.
Farmers sometimes sell the hogs to meat-processing plants. Some others will take the hogs to a market where they are sold later. We get pork, ham, bacon, pork chops, pigs' feet, pigskin, and hog bristles from hogs.
There are hog farms all over the world. China has the largest amount of them. Most of the hog farms in the United States are in the Midwest. These states are: Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska.
 

patandchickens

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Hey Karen, you have hogs, can I ask a couple dumb questions?

-- how social are they, i.e. if a person wanted to get just one (to raise up for butchering) would it get too lonely? Would 2 be ok?

-- if a person got one or two weaned piglets to feed up, but did it in a kind of 'backyard' way rather than pumping massive amounts of commercial feed into them (i.e. *some* commercial feed, but also scraps and stuff), how long would you expect before they were big enough to be worth processing?

-- how much weight of meat would you get off a modest sized hog?

-- do you know anything about keeping them on pasture in electric fencing?

TIA,

Pat
 

FarmerChick

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-***Hogs we got! :)





- how social are they, i.e. if a person wanted to get just one (to raise up for butchering) would it get too lonely? Would 2 be ok?

They are very social and mean to each other. Alot of fighting and to the death type....but 1 can easily be by itself.....they do not get lonely to that level....and 2 would be fine together, just give them enough room within reason...

-- if a person got one or two weaned piglets to feed up, but did it in a kind of 'backyard' way rather than pumping massive amounts of commercial feed into them (i.e. *some* commercial feed, but also scraps and stuff), how long would you expect before they were big enough to be worth processing?

Feed can truly be anything you want.....I use a local commercial hog feed by the ton. Basic chow. They grow fast on it. No hormones added etc......but yes, you can feed small amts. of hog chow (which they should have for certain minerals and vitamins etc.) but do very well on pasture, with veggie scraps, meat scraps, etc....hogs eat it all mostly. You will get to higher weight for sale time with commercial feeds. Top hogs are 250-350. That is best weight to process cause they are done kinda growing the good meat, the weight after that is more fat storage and you are feeding the animal more for just meat that will be trimmed. There is that weight where hogs are not worth growing anymore...they eat more than they are useful for processing.

-- how much weight of meat would you get off a modest sized hog?

We processed live weight --373--this week and he dressed out at 262 lbs. of meat.



-- do you know anything about keeping them on pasture in electric fencing? I have read about it but never tried it. I know you best have a stout fence big time....electric? hmm..I know they do it but I could never take the chance on 100 hogs getting loose...it would be a nightmare for me....2 hogs, raised from little knowing about an electric fence, should probably be OK...they learn real fast where their boundaries are...but other than that I haven't done it so just don't know how the outcome truly would be.
 

FarmerChick

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Pat I meant to say also.....

one of the cheapest ways to get a freezer full of good pork is raise a hog or 2 yourself.

It is easy. Shelter is moderate, they must have a decent small shelter to get out of the wind and cold type deal, good water, some feed and some room to move....other than that.....they do very well in a smaller kept pen and you can process whenever you want....from 250 up to 400.....we do hogs over 500 sometimes when our control groups just get bigger all the same time and we don't process as quickly...but honestly, a backyard person should process before that size, cause they are a major handful to load and get to the processor...LOL

a hog is easy, fast, delish meat for the effort you have into it.
 

TanksHill

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Farmer Chick

Storey's guide to raising pics tell of two methods of containment/ pens.

They have on ground--Shelter with perimeter fence etc

Then they talk about a "pig patio" A raised floor made of wood slats that is very sturdy. This allows the waste to fall though.

Do think this pig patio is a good idea or just a waste of time and money? Obviously the pigs would have no mud to cool them selves.

Any opinions???
 

FarmerChick

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go with cement instead of wood
wood will rot very quickly with wet and feces etc.
their shelters will have to be hosed out unless you just let them lay on it like some people do

Alot of people just build an A frame hut.....leave the floor dirt. the hogs roll around in it and cool themselves etc.

they are only there for about 8-9 mos. give or take, so what they need is limited....me having so many rotating, I need cement housing floor, I pressure wash each and every day. Ugh...LOL

October is known as hog processing time cause people usually purchase a small piglet usually in March or so after bad weather, raise their hog, then get rid of them before cold weather hits. Less feed in warm weather etc. and they do not have to winter them.


so waste of money if 1 or 2 hogs are being raised and processed. they love the dirt believe me!!!

not a waste of money to go with cement if you are housing all year long like me.
 

prairiegirl

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FarmerChick, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Some great information.

We are just finishing our first adventure in pigs. They go to the butcher next week.
 

FarmerChick

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prariegirl

"they" go to the butcher....wow gal you best be having a big freezer...LOL

oh yes, first adventure, then you are in for meat treats!
I just love pork and what a money saver to fill the freezer! Let us know your first meal you cook! Pork chops and applesause??\LOL
 

prairiegirl

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Freezers we have...........3 chests. But, we do store some for my DD and SIL and my parents. I've been frantically trying to use up some meats. One is almost completely empty. It helped that we fixed a 24+ pound turkey at Thanksgiving, 3 hams for our Christmas party and a very large cured ham.

We've purchased our pork from a farmer for years. But, this is our first pork raised by ourselves on our own farm. We are so proud - of course the taste will be the test.LOL

Hey, we like pork chops and applesauce.
 

FarmerChick

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did you find raising them easy?
I think they are a very forgiving critter to raise definitely!

3 freezers then you sure are set and that sounded like alot of delish food you cooked up so far for the holidays.

I hear you on having to use up the froze. I try not to over stock, but when you do whole hogs and such that is just alot of meat..LOL----I need to do a beef but I think I might trade some pork to Barb, she owns a dairy and always has tons of beef. With me loaded with pork and her loaded with beef, time to exchange..LOL
 
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