Rearing Gloucester Old Spots for Meat

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Super_Kat

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Not equine I know but I figured somebody must be able to give me answers!
I'm looking at keeping Gloucester old spots for meat but I need to know a few things; what weight were they at time of slaughter (when I'm assuming they'd be about 23weeks old) and how much of each different cut of meat, in kg's, did you get (e.g. How many kg's of bacon, sausage, blood etc did you get?). I need a list of everything you got and how much of it there was really!
All help much appreciated!
 
Can't help you with the info you need, but what a fantastic idea! Are you rearing them for your own needs? Can't think of anything better than knowing your pork had a kind and fear free life!
 
Joeanne- to start with yes, if I can prove it's a brilliant, viable, money saving idea on paper then hopefully I can expand it to my pub!
Gfp- thanks!
 
Have already answered on your other post but just reading that link reminds me why I don't do it commercially although there is a huge demand for the meat I produce. I like to know the pigs have had a fear free life. That the last few hours are filled with panic of being loaded, travelling, unloading etc gives me horrors. We kill ours at home, they know nothing about it, being totally preoccupied with the bowl of food that has been brought to them as a treat. Each pig has to be shot, dehaired, gutted, split and hung before the next is shot. They don't realise when the first one goes that anything is up but we never leave the last pig by itself to worry or be upset. There's always someone it knows in there talking to it, scratching it and just making sure it's not stressed. We don't starve our pigs before slaughter. They love to eat, breakfast is hugely exciting each day, not to feed them seems unkind and would stress them out, ok it's a little more mess of stomach contents to deal with but I think for the sake of the animal that's a reasonable thing to have to put up with
 
My folks did this a couple of years ago we had an old spot and an essex saddleback we got them aged 7wks and grew them until 26wks the first time they had a live weight at time of slaughter of 55kg for the old spot and a dead weight of 47 odd kilo's dead weight (with all the intestines etc off) the problem we found between the two was the the old spot put more fat on than the saddleback - and they are much more fatty than your commercial pigs - so heads up for that - very tasty though.

We ended up with a large chest freezer full of hams, sausages, mince meat, chops we didn't do bacon so i don't know what that would have brought us but it fed a family of 5 eating pig product every day for a full 7 months -

we then did it the next year when myself and my OH got married as we wanted to do a wedding meal of everything home grown (we're weird I know) and the two pigs fed 135 people for a sit down roast meal and there were leftovers for about two days as well - these again were grown at home from 7wks til 26wks and we cut back feeding in them slightly the last 6 wks of growth to prevent overfattening which seemed to cut down on the fat to lean ratio very well.

the 26wk marker was cause we had one male in the pair and we didn't want to risk boar taint and we were told that after 27-28wks is when this taint can appear in males (basically makes the meat taste of ****)

hope this helps sorry i can't give you exact weights as we weren't that good at keeping a note :)

we also kept them at home with a yard full of horses and the area we had them in was near the stables no horse ever freaked out and there was no real smell as our stocking density was very low.
 
hi, we have a GOS sow and have a litter per year. We sell to friends and family only and make enough to just cover the cost of the pig for our freezer. We do keep most to about 7 months and then a few more for a couple of months for bacon and sausages and our younger ones go in at about 70 k. we have kept a weaner from a different source and covered the sow and we had no problem with taint. We buy the feed by the ton and it soon adds up. We also give them a drink the night before they go to the abbatoir and they then dont seem to get stressed and unload easily.
The slaughter and butchery charges came to over 100 per pig with lots of sausages being made. check your local abbatoir charges before you commit
 
We rear GOS and Tamworths for our own consumption. We usually get them in as weaners (around 8 weeks) although this time we bred from a GOS Sow. We keep the pigs until they are approx 6 months old or when they weight in at around 60k. They do need a high protein diet and protein is expensive but we feed sugar beet, barley, household scraps and yogurt (I work in a dairy) so for us it is a lot cheaper. They kill out quite well, but it cost around £35 for slaughter and butchery (you stipulate how you want it jointed). Sausages are an extra 65p a kilo and bacon is extra too. Worth doing if you supplement the feed and do not feed straight Sow and Weaner pellets but it can be done! The meat is FANTASTIC btw! Go for it, you will learn as you go and each time you will do it cheaper and always have happy pigs thus happy meat.
 
Should have added that the meat is out of this world. I can taste the crackling now !!
The sausages are nothing like the stuff you buy in the supermarket.
It is so worth doing just for the difference in the meat, they are a bit fattier than the watery pap you buy in the supermarket but once you have done it you cant go back.
Good luck
 
can't remember the weights but do feed oats and apples for the last month for better flavour, keep 2 pigs together or they get lonely, and get both the same sex or the boar might bully the sow.:(
You'll have to ask the abattoir for blood, it's not usual, you'll need a bucket with a lid, and it is best to stir or sieve it before traveling home because it coagulates into strands very quickly.:eek:
Processing the meat takes several days, making brawn, black pudding, sausages, pork pies etc. Make sure you have plenty of plastic bags and label up as you go - we still have suprise bags in the bottom of the freezer long after we should have finished it all.:rolleyes:
It does all taste wonderful.
 
jemima_too said:
Have already answered on your other post but just reading that link reminds me why I don't do it commercially although there is a huge demand for the meat I produce. I like to know the pigs have had a fear free life. That the last few hours are filled with panic of being loaded, travelling, unloading etc gives me horrors. We kill ours at home, they know nothing about it, being totally preoccupied with the bowl of food that has been brought to them as a treat. Each pig has to be shot, dehaired, gutted, split and hung before the next is shot. They don't realise when the first one goes that anything is up but we never leave the last pig by itself to worry or be upset. There's always someone it knows in there talking to it, scratching it and just making sure it's not stressed. We don't starve our pigs before slaughter. They love to eat, breakfast is hugely exciting each day, not to feed them seems unkind and would stress them out, ok it's a little more mess of stomach contents to deal with but I think for the sake of the animal that's a reasonable thing to have to put up with
Click to expand...

Sounds like your pigs are well looked after and dealt with in the end humanely. Do you sell the meat if so I would love to buy off you as I am keen to buy only humanly kept pork, not just free range.
Thanks,
FDC
 
jemima_too said:
Have already answered on your other post but just reading that link reminds me why I don't do it commercially although there is a huge demand for the meat I produce. I like to know the pigs have had a fear free life. That the last few hours are filled with panic of being loaded, travelling, unloading etc gives me horrors. We kill ours at home, they know nothing about it, being totally preoccupied with the bowl of food that has been brought to them as a treat. Each pig has to be shot, dehaired, gutted, split and hung before the next is shot. They don't realise when the first one goes that anything is up but we never leave the last pig by itself to worry or be upset. There's always someone it knows in there talking to it, scratching it and just making sure it's not stressed. We don't starve our pigs before slaughter. They love to eat, breakfast is hugely exciting each day, not to feed them seems unkind and would stress them out, ok it's a little more mess of stomach contents to deal with but I think for the sake of the animal that's a reasonable thing to have to put up with
Click to expand...


What a kind person you sound like. I would gladly buy all of my meat from a producer like you.

Hearing stories like this truly make me want to start raising my own animals for consumption. It has been on my mind for a long time and I really should look further into it.
 
Fany Du Champ said:
Sounds like your pigs are well looked after and dealt with in the end humanely. Do you sell the meat if so I would love to buy off you as I am keen to buy only humanly kept pork, not just free range.
Thanks,
FDC
Click to expand...

Sorry to butt in but as a producer of " rare breed pork" which we sell on an occasional basis, I though I should let you know it is illegal to sell meat from animals that you have killed yourself. For various Health & Safety reasons it must go through a licensed abbattoir where the animal is inspected by a vet before it is slaughtered and the carcase is further checked by a meat inspector to ensure it is safe to eat.
 
Carlosmum, that is just what I was scrolling down to say.

Relatively recent legislation means that I am unable to now pay an apprentice-trained licensed slaughterman to come to my premises and kill my animals. I, as an amateur, or my husband, another amateur, have to do it myself. As the animals are not killed on licensed premises I am unable to sell the meat, or give it away or serve it to friends who come round for a meal. It has to be eaten by the person who killed it. As my slaughterman is a very professional person, and I would have him to do the processing anyway, he stands by to ensure we make no mistakes. None has happened yet, but he is always there to advise. He has met so many different animals and can tell you a breed's general personality but also an individual animal's personality and how best to treat that individual animal to get the best death for it.

Our animals are often inspected by vets and medically trained people, GP's, consultant surgeons etc as we allow those children who are interested in a medical or veterinary career to come and see the anatomy at close hand during the butchery process. Their parents are always fascinated too. None of this of course means that we can or do sell meat. I think it a shame as so many people want to buy it, as you have obviously found, but because I'm responsible for the welfare of the animals I prefer not to have them travel, which of course imprves the meat as there is no adrenaline released to toughen it.
 
moneypit1 said:
We rear GOS and Tamworths for our own consumption. We usually get them in as weaners (around 8 weeks) although this time we bred from a GOS Sow. We keep the pigs until they are approx 6 months old or when they weight in at around 60k. They do need a high protein diet and protein is expensive but we feed sugar beet, barley, household scraps and yogurt (I work in a dairy) so for us it is a lot cheaper. They kill out quite well, but it cost around £35 for slaughter and butchery (you stipulate how you want it jointed). Sausages are an extra 65p a kilo and bacon is extra too. Worth doing if you supplement the feed and do not feed straight Sow and Weaner pellets but it can be done! The meat is FANTASTIC btw! Go for it, you will learn as you go and each time you will do it cheaper and always have happy pigs thus happy meat.
Click to expand...


We have close links with Tamworths (OH mate runs a company we get paid in meat for helping out and the dogs do well out of it too). If we stay put here in the UK and when we settle we will be looking inot GOS and Oxford Sandy Blacks with the idea of doing for out selves and a few friends and see where it heads.

Ours will have the rummage of woods (with electric fencing) and then stys at night in the winter.
 
Gone are the days when every cottager had a pig in the back garden! We take ours to an abbattoir & it has never caused any problems with the pig meat we have had back. I know stress before slaughter can be a big problem with beef.
The abbattoirs we use, though a little further away than our closest, treat the animals with respect, they do not have to wait, it is more or less straight off the trailer & to the slaughterman. We choose to travel a little further rather than use a more 'commercial and busy' abbattoir closer to home.
 
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