Pigonomics

Apologies for the lack of postings lately but the truth is we have been very busy raising the hogs; putting in a new vegetable patch; old house repairs; and working full-time jobs to support our farming habit.  New and interesting content can be hard to come by because the reality of farming is that nothing happens quickly.  For example, our three little pigs took over five months to rear, another two weeks to orchestrate the slaughter and another month for the butcher to slice, dice and smoke the meats.

We toiled through a wet Spring putting in new vegetable plot and finishing the greenhouse.  More about the vegetable patch and the preceding winter of discontent later but first let's do the numbers...

$240 Total purchase price of the three pigs
$581 2420 pounds of grain
$85   15 bushels of corn on the cob
$11   Dewormer

$917  Total cost
$604  Butcher and slaughter

Porkacopia

Bear in mind that these costs do not include fuel, labor or time which are not insignificant particularly when your dialy routine involves hauling twenty pounds of grain twice a day and watering the pigs at least three to four times a day.  The pigs loved to flip the water bucket to either make a wallow or to irritate their owners.

There is a formula to estimate the live weights of pigs which involves measuring the heart girth and length from ears to tail.  Hanging weight is roughly 70% of live weight.  Measuring a pig is not as easy as you might think.  If you have ever been in a pen with pigs you quickly realize why they say you should never trust a man who raises pigs.  The pigs are curious and interactive in the same vein that a diner eyes a lobster in a restaurant tank.  One misstep and you are going out Deadwood style.  Ironic.

Our best guess for live weight was 276 pound for Petunia, the largest animal.  She was 48" in diameter and 48" long.  Turned out that the estimate was close albeit high.  The hanging weights of Petunia, Piggy and Marigold were 196, 192 and 170 respectively.  By way of comparison, Lenny and Squiggy weighed out at 150 and 130.  To be fair, last years pigs were kept only three and half months versus five months for this year's batch.

Three not so little pigs.

The lowest pig on the totem pole invariably weights quite a bit less than the top dogs.  It is always better to raise pigs together as the competition fosters faster growth.  It can be harsh to watch the smaller pig squeezed out of the food action when the bigger pigs box out for a position of dominion over the food.  A good practice would be to have separate feeding areas or to have feed always available.

Petunia and Marigold were sold to friends at $3.49 per pound hanging weight.  This means that we recouped our out of pocket expenses and earned 194 pounds of Piggy, who incidentally is delicious.

Petunia Pig versus Lola Puppy