Now that the 3 weaners have been here a few weeks it seemed a good time to take stock of their progress so far.
For the first couple of days they weren’t too keen on eating the pig feed that was provided which was a bit worrying. However my suspicion is that after living in a stone barn for the last few weeks their new home in the woods was far too distracting.
The little “tractors” got to work almost immediately they arrived with their noses rooting under the grass and among the various tree roots.
They have now adapted well to the new surroundings and are always eager to see the “green bucket of joy” which arrives twice a day. There’s always a rush to the trough but at least there’s enough room so they don’t fight over it!
Not their best side
We are lucky that we have been able to get some waste fruit and vegetables from a local shop which can be used to supplement their rations. This helps to reduce the rate at which they will go through the expensive pig feed so the extra work in preparation is worth it in the long run. We must also remember to keep their fruit and veg separate as the regulations insists that pigs cannot be fed anything that has been in a kitchen or in contact with other food stuffs.
Unsurprisingly they are very fond of almost any fruit (they don’t get citrus fruit though) but they’ll also happily devour most types of root veg as well. It just needs to be chopped into bite sized pieces but it won’t be long before even that isn’t needed!
Weigh-In
Now that they are more settled in their woodland home the task of measuring is made much simpler now they are happy to have us around.The fact that these have been named based on their appearance is proving very helpful when checking on them.
One thing I’ve noticed is that they are definitely eager to nip any stray fingers or welly boots and they have a very nasty nip. This might be simply because these are the first boys we’ve kept and they’re just a little more boisterous.
Two Legs = 75cm long and 69cm heart girth
(0.69 x 0.69) x 0.75 * 69.3 = 24.75kg
Lefty/Righty = 72cm long and 68cm heart girth
(0.68 x 0.68) x 0.72 * 69.3 = 23kg
An early Easter present was the arrival of the three Oxford Sandy and Black (OSB) weaners and they’ve settled in well so it’s time for a formal introduction.
If I’m honest it was only supposed to be 2 weaners originally but I was “unsupervised” when I went to pick them up and couldn’t resist the extra one! I liked the idea of keeping the 3 brothers together
We had decided to try a different breed so that we can compare our experiences and the resulting meat with the first 2 Tamworths last year. It will be interesting to see if keeping 3 boys is different from the 2 girls last year but I’m not expecting too many differences between the breeds.
The one immediately noticable difference is that OSB pigs have “lop ears” so it helps to talk gently when approaching them. They can’t see quite as well with their ears in the way whereas the Tamworth has “pricked ears” so they can easily see you coming.
We have no plans to officially name them since they’re ultimately heading for the freezer but it always helps to have some means of identifying each individual animal. As luck would have it I spotted a simple way to tell them apart by looking at their back legs and noting the black colouring.
At 7am on a beautiful sunny morning I set off on the newly extended round of feeding.
First up and most vocal was the neighbours tups. Another 9 of them arrived yesterday to make it 11 in total and all were very pleased to see me. In some cases they were a little too eager to get at the food but I managed to escape unscathed.
Heads in the trough
Next it was the chickens and they were less keen to emerge. Eventually a few emerged to peck at the food I’d delivered and appear in this picture – maybe the others were having a bad hair day?
Not many early risers here
Finally it was the turn of the newly arrived pigs but when I got to their area in the woods there was no sign of them. A quick check in their ark showed why – They had decided to have a lie in after the stress of moving house yesterday!
This was just a gentle introduction to bacon curing and sausage making although just before Christmas there was also a flurry of curing ham as well but the process for that is actually much the same as for bacon. It might be just plain beginners luck but these turned out well and the results were very well received over the Christmas period!
Another burst of sausage making only yesterday reminded me of a couple of extra points which I have now included but I’m sure there’ll probably be a few more additions or changes as time goes on.
The Processing Pork page has been added mainly as a reference for the methods and recipes used this time around so that I can look back at the information when our next lot of weaners arrive back from the butchers. If this page also helps others as well then that’s a bonus and if there are any glaring errors or omissions then please let me know so I can correct them!
Slightly surprisingly we’ve been in our “new” house for 6 months now so it seemed a good time to take stock and assess the situation. It’s also a good point to take the time to appreciate everything we have and how lucky we are to have it.
Over this period there have been a good number of successes, a few minor failures and plenty of schemes or plans for the future which may or may not ever come to fruition. Here is a quick run through for the record…
Chickens
The 3 original “pet” hens
We made a seemingly minor decision during the first month or two to occasionally leave broody hens to hatch batches of eggs. However after the first three sets of chicks arrived we quickly realised that we had reached full capacity on the under-productive white chickens that we inherited on our arrival here.
The first batch of chicks that hatched yielded just 2 – one male and one female – so the cockerel soon became the volunteer for our first attempt at killing and eating our own chicken.
Through the summer we found that it was just too much like hard work to find out if and where they’re laying eggs despite our efforts with fencing them in and generally improving the facilities provided for them.
Next spring we’ll give the existing flock another few months to prove themselves but if there’s no improvement then some extra point of lay hybrids will be brought in. There is always the possibility of getting rid of the inherited chickens but right now that seems a little drastic. On reflection perhaps a “layers flock” in a separate dedicated area will mean the existing flock can be treated as meat birds.
Pigs
The Tamworths
The huge success and enjoyment of our first foray into pig-keeping means that we will definitely be getting 2 or 3 weaners in Spring 2014. There is a temptation at this stage to go further next year by getting a couple of breeding sows but common sense should prevail and we’ll get more experience with weaners first.
The next batch of pigs will definitely be a different breed so we can compare them with the first two Tamworths and get more day-to-day practical experience before settling on a particular breed for the longer term
My preference would be for Oxford Sandy and Black weaners next simply based on their appearance but it’s just as likely that we’ll get whatever is available at the time locally to save headaches with transporting them.
Cattle
From everything I’ve read, Dexters seem to be a good fit for our requirements if we are considering a house cow but with no prior experience of this I think some practical training will be needed first. There is also a consideration about the amount extra time this will take and how we can best fit that in with all the other plans we have (as well as the day jobs).
At least any excess dairy products could be used to cut the pig feed bill and ease the financial burden but as usual there are also plans to try cheese and butter making or even yoghurt if we’re feeling daring.
Sheep
Another appealing idea is to take on a few orphaned lambs from the local farmer and raise them for meat. However it might be better to wait until we’ve dealt with the pigs before deciding on that just in case we get too attached to them!
Our friendly local farmer is always willing to make use of our paddocks and hay meadow for his sheep from time to time so we can fall back on that option. It gives us the chance to watch closely how the professionals do it before making any decisions for our own flock.
Vegetables
The expansion of growing space should mean that more of each can be grown providing I can resist the temptation to just grow a larger number of varieties instead. Some of this extra space is already taken up with the onion sets and garlic but I have plenty more space and loads of ideas for next year!
Raised bed building
My first batch of rhubarb will need to be moved to a more permanent home after starting life with us in large tubs so they could be transported when we moved house. As luck would have it, the house we eventually bought already had some healthy looking rhubarb but I’m sure we can find plenty of ways to use up any excess.
One of the great successes from the previous 6 months was the dwarf bean which were a freebie promotional packet of seeds but provided a good crop from a relatively small space. They will definitely be making an appearance again next year along with the leeks, carrots and beetroot.
One lesson learned the hard way this year was to properly protect cabbages from butterflies – much as I like to see them, I’d rather eat my own cabbages than feed them to the pigs. Needless to say, there are already plans to try some theories for removable netting covers for the new raised beds.
Fruit
Our new fruit trees (3 apple, 1 plum and 1 pear) should be arriving any day now but for the first year or so while they get established we will be removing any fruit that forms. I’m happy to make sure of a better future harvest in future years and encourage its energy into growth rather than expect fruit in the first year.
All indications seem to be that they should survive in the North Pennines especially as the chosen spot is fairly well sheltered but still sunny (on a good day). It’s likely that any failures are much more likely to be down to my inexperience but preparations are well in hand including tree guards and stakes.
Another fruit adventure is some soft fruit bushes which are due for delivery shortly – 2 each of blackcurrant, redcurrant and blueberry. That seemed a good variety of plants to try but, if space permits, we can always get more of those that do well over the next few years.
Other ideas…
We have already signed up for the installation of solar PV panels although for our situation these will be ground mounted in a field rather than on the roof. Although there is still the small matter of planning permission to get we’re reliably told that this has not been a problem on previous installations by the same company.
With such a wide range of ideas and options running around my head, it’s sometimes important to step back and keep focussed on the main issues. However in my “spare time” I can dream up even more schemes with varying levels of realism for such things as a holiday let conversion, biomass heating system, main house refurbishment, tree planting, fencing/walling repairs and so much more.
If only there were more hours in the day and an unlimited amount of money in the bank …
Around the middle of July, just 7 weeks after moving to our new house, we started our first attempt at rearing pigs. The two Tamworth weaners were collected by car using a borrowed dog cage with surprisingly little difficulty and only a slightly unsavoury smell.
Very relaxed passengers
On arriving home they were installed in their woodland home and immediately started eating anything that looked remotely tasty. Not many pigs get to live in such beautiful surroundings although I think the wall might be a little high for them to really appreciate the far reaching views!
North Pennines landscape
Before long the 2 pigs had worked their way round most of the boundary clearing everything that was in their path! This was not entirely unexpected though and their home had been carefully chosen as it only had very well established trees, everything else in there was considered expendable.
Clearing the ground
Luckily, and through no great skill on our part, the 2 pigs had no health issues so although we had already identified a suitable vet they were never needed! This is one of the best parts of only raising weaners for a few months before any proper winter weather sets in.
Feeding time twice a day was always entertaining and never became a chore. There was something very soothing about the short walk round to the woods and the time spent with the pigs. I’m not sure that I appreciated refilling their water troughs so often but I expect they enjoyed turning them over soon after I’d left!
Over time each one developed their own personality which made it tough t times not to get too attached to them.
Meal time for the pigs!
Predictably the time soon came around when they reached about 6/7 months old and needed to head off to the abattoir. Preparations were started well ahead of time for things like ear tagging the pigs so that by the day before their trip we had everything in order.
The woods now have a few months to recover and we have time to consider our next move. However it seems certain to me that we’ll have another batch of weaners next year because these two were so easy to look after and we have such great facilities for pigs in the woods.
What a life!
When it came to unloading the two pigs at the abattoir, they were treated very well and I was able to help herd them into their own pen in the holding area. They were remarkably relaxed despite being in a completely new environment and it was interesting to see the (smaller) Gloucester Old Spots that were in the next door pen. Maybe that’s a breed to try next?
The next week was spent wondering how much pork we would get back and what would we do with it all! The answer is clear from the photo below, it was around 120kg in total
Look at all that pork
The chest freezer is now pretty full of roasting joints and chops but at least it coped with the load! Also the past weekend included a start on dry curing some bacon but I’m not very confident about the results of that at the moment, time will tell.
The sausage making on the other hand is getting better which each batch that are made. First up was pork and leek flavour then the next day it was Cumberland but all of them were headed for the freezer. Of course some of the sausage meat was cooked up for testing purposes just to be sure they’ll turn out okay.
Home-made Cumberland sausages
I’m not sure we can sensibly eat pork more that 3 times a week but there are many ways to process or cook it.
This is a good moment for family and friends to rally round and support us by taking some of the huge quantity of meat off our hands. This time there might be some freebies for them as we’re just trying the whole process out – next time around we may not be so generous!
After reading a number of warnings about the potential difficulties of herding pigs, taking time to have a dry run at loading the trailer seemed a good idea. This could not have gone more smoothly and within a minute or two of arriving at the trailer the pigs were quite happy to go up the ramp.
In the end they happily went in and out of the trailer a few times with only minimal encouragement via the food bucket so there are no great concerns about loading them up on Sunday.
The pigs love the shiny new trailer!
And finally a quick reminder of their woodland home with a shot of them having their last evening meal with us. After all the time they’ve been here I don’t think they could have had a better life anywhere else – a longer life perhaps but not any better!
Pig ear tagging was yet another task that we had never done before but which had to be completed before they leave for the abattoir on Sunday. There have been many first time tasks since we moved here so we’re getting used to the feeling.
It was very similar with our first attempt at killing a home-grown chicken a while ago so we know that even a simple task can seem so much bigger in your head ahead of time.
As it turned out, ear tagging for the pigs really wasn’t such a big deal for us or the pigs as they barely noticed. The hardest bit was probably making sure I had the right spot, they may be off to the abattoir soon but I didn’t want to stick the tag through anything important. It was also a question of careful timing to get it done quickly before the head moved and I lost the moment!
There was the briefest of interruptions to their breakfast and, to my untrained eye at least, it appeared that they only felt a very slight discomfort. They just went straight back to their food afterwards which was very reassuring for me!
Some last-minute preparations and planning for the pigs journey – it’ll be their only time out of Northumberland! We’re very glad that we decided to try having pigs but also glad that they are on their way in good time before any really bad weather sets in.
It was a frosty morning on Friday with a light dusting of snow so it can’t be long until we begin to experience our first full winter in the North Pennines. All relevant preparations for that are well underway including winter tyres, warm clothing, salt/grit and the like!
The final Friday weigh-in
The usual calculation has been repeated yet again with the expected minor increases in their overall dimensions…
Twirly
Heart Girth (measuring around the body just behind the front legs) = 0.96 m
Length (measured from between the ears to the base of the tail) = 1.04 m
This means that the approximate weight is: (0.96 ² x 1.04 x 69.3) = 66.4 kg
No Tail
Heart Girth (measuring around the body just behind the front legs) = 1.04 m
Length (measured from between the ears to the base of the tail) = 1.1m
This means that the approximate weight is: (1.04 ² x 1.1 x 69.3) = 82.5 kg
Conclusion
Apart from one of them being a little lighter than I might have wanted, the only concern now is whether the remaining pig feed will last until Sunday morning. If it doesn’t then that’s a trip to Carrs Billington to get another 20kg bag for just one or two feeds but it can’t be helped I suppose…
Their last week is here and everything appears to be in place for the pigs trip to the abattoir on Sunday. There are just 2 main tasks left to complete before they head off.
We need to ear tag them as required by the regulations and register the animal movement from our holding to the abattoir. Both of these seem to be fairly straight forward (if you don’t mind sticking a metal tag through a pigs ear with a set of pliers) but I’ll be checking things again ahead of time just to be sure I’ve not missed anything.
I’m still not sure that we’re completely clear about how much pork will come back from these two pigs but hopefully we won’t get sick of eating pork anytime soon!
Breakfast in the woods
One interesting aspect for me is that I am not (yet) quite as upset as I had expected especially given that these pigs have been such characters and were absolutely no bother to look after. They have certainly enjoyed their home in the woods and we have got a great deal of entertainment from watching their antics as they settled into life here.
There is no room for sentiment though, we got these animals to raise for meat and this is all part of the process. If any distraction is needed then there is always the thought of getting a couple more weaners next year to repeat the whole exercise.
The 28 week weigh-in
The usual calculation has been repeated yet again with the expected minor increases in their overall dimensions…
Twirly
Heart Girth (measuring around the body just behind the front legs) = 0.96 m
Length (measured from between the ears to the base of the tail) = 1.02 m
This means that the approximate weight is: (0.96 ² x 1.02 x 69.3) = 65.1 kg
No Tail
Heart Girth (measuring around the body just behind the front legs) = 1.04 m
Length (measured from between the ears to the base of the tail) = 1.08 m
This means that the approximate weight is: (1.04 ² x 1.08 x 69.3) = 80.95 kg
Conclusion
The measurements and weight calculations have been more regular in recent weeks but are still only a rough guide. The difference between the two pigs is very surprising to me and I will be very interested to see what feedback (if any) we get from the abattoir people.
We have now got a great electric mincer/sausage stuffer which we have tested out on some pork from the butchers. The resulting sausages were very tasty although perhaps not as visually appealing as I might have liked. Practice will help with that in future I hope…
One lesson learned – I would not recommend the cheaper manual mincers and I’m happy that the price of our new electric machine will be money well spent in the long run.
