Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Raising your own and being self sufficient.
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windwalkingwolf
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Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by windwalkingwolf » Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:22 am

Chickens were the "gateway livestock". Hubby wanted pigs, and after wetting our whistle with a potbelly/large black cross, we got four young meat hogs in 2013/ 2014.
We finally got to the point this year of sending one to be slaughtered, cut and wrapped.
It was worth every penny spent on food and hay and bedding. Which, doing rough calculations, and subracting her piglets that we sold, was about 1500 dollars. 209 lbs. of meat from Spot the sow. Worth. Every. Penny. I'm keeping at least one of her female piglets, but I wish I could clone her. She's been everything one could hope for in a homestead hog--smart, but not TOO smart (I have a couple pigs that could give a lot of people I know a run for their money)...healthy and fit, lean and strong but wide. Excellent forager, never wantonly destructive, not easily bored as many pigs are. Not particularly friendly, she'd never lean on you for a scratch, but would submit to handling without shoving her weight around.
Excellent mother.
Only complaint I ever had about Spot was that she'd happily stalk and eat live chickens. Or just rip parts off them while alive and move on. It was a point of contention between us and the main reason I celebrated when Richard was finally ready to say goodbye.
On to the cattle. I didn't want cattle lol. I love beef and cream, but didn't want the hassle and the extra work. Turns out my fears were realized x10, when we got 4 Jersey bull calves in November and December 2015. The price was right, but the price of milk replacer was ridiculous, not to mention the time spent cleaning the vast mountains of poop they made.
Fast forward and we're furiously scrambling to keep them fed in a drought year, last year when there was NO rain and stored hay was worth more than gold by September. $100 a week to keep them fed last winter. We sold two of them in late winter because we just couldn't keep it up anymore. It was a pittance,but it was the cost of 3 large rounds of hay at the time, and enough to get the rest through until grass grew.
Fixing fences, checking and repairing hour upon hour. Dairy Farmer next door, and several times a year, one or two of my bulls throws caution to the wind, tramples over or through the fences, and is poof, gone. I get an irate phone call, or even police knocking on my door. Luckily, my bulls are well-handled and well-mannered.Throw a rope on and they'll follow along behind like a well-trained dog.
Then there's Jay, a dam-raised Jersey bull that was boarded here and abandoned when his owner couldn't pay and vanished. He's a different creature entirely. He's come around a LOT, but if he doesn't know a person, or feels threatened in any way, he's a junkyard dog. Luckily, he's also a follower rather than a leader, so if he got out with one of my own boys, he'd come along behind when I led my own home. Except for the first time when there were dozens of juicy heifers next door and it took 7 people to tie him to the back of a vehicle so he could be towed home. Even dehorned, he did some damage.
But anyway. Jerseys don't grow large. At all. They're not as tall as, say, Holstein, and very certainly not as heavy as meat breeds like Herefords.
We just had our two smallest bulls processed and got just short of 600 lbs. Of meat. I haven't roughed out the cost per pound because I know it's SCARY after what we spent last winter on hay.
But.
After tasting the beef (omg) and knowing what went into those bulls, and what didn't (never medicated)?
Worth. Every. Penny.
Would I change anything? Well, knowing what I know now, if I had to do it over, I'd only get a pair of pigs and two beeves. 4 of any large livestock is a lot of work, and a stupid unnecessary learning curve.
We still have two bulls in the field, Jay and a grow-out we got last year, named Buddy.
Pig numbers are currently at 12 grow-outs and 3 adults. Numbers were higher earlier in the year, but we had to cull hard for genetic anomaly that left a pig unusable for meat. Still haven't figured out what it is, but the pigs we got from one guy all had it and passed it along to all their piglets almost 100%, and those pigs crossed with my boar Hank, passed it on 50%. New breeding stock lined up now so we don't ever have to worry about it again should we decide to have more piglets in the future.
It's the weirdest thing too, and has our vet stumped. And me, not easy to do lol.
Pig will be in perfect health, then all of a sudden drop weight like a rock. No fever, no parasites, no infection, normal stools. Eat and drink and carry on as normal, but in the course of a few days become emaciated no matter what is tried. Pig then goes down and acts as if it's in pain, and dies
within hours of going down. Necropsy shows NOTHING unusual. Nothing. We've lost 6 that way,throwing money at it trying to figure it out and save Richard's pet piggies.. A truckload of cash.
Still worth every penny.
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Killerbunny
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by Killerbunny » Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:18 am

And I will attest that the pork was delicious!!!!!
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:iheartpto:
Beltsville Small White turkeys.
Mutt chickens for eggs
RIP Stephen the BSW Tom and my coffee companion.
RIP Lucky the Very Brave Splash Wyandotte rooster.
RIP little Muppet the rescue cat.
:turkey:

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Farrier1987
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by Farrier1987 » Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:07 am

Quick question for you. Why were your bulls still bulls? Taking their pollen producing parts off makes them much more tractable. Easier on fences, easier on you, easier on neighbor relations. Growth, weight gain fairly similar but in different distribution. Beef farmers mostly do it with the rubber bands at a day or two old when they eartag and vaccinate. I personally liked to leave it til three or four months, but more work to it and danger of complications. The bands probably don't work then, so either cutting which can (but shouldn't) have infection complications, or the Burdizo, crushing the cord, which is not 100% sure.

Not everyone agrees, but this can be a safety and labour saving thing that I mostly believe in. And yes, it can be done by you, don't hire a vet. If you don't have the expertise yourself, find someone who has to teach you. If cutting, I like Creolin as a disinfectant. Also time of year makes a difference, flies infection etc more active in warm weather. A bander can be had for under $50 and is a good investment and is simple to use. Be sure you have the sack and both nuts down through before releasing the band. That is one of the hazards especially for the inexperienced, only getting one. Both down through, then the band closer to the nuts than the body, so you aren't taking a part of the belly skin with it.

Pigs, I would do them too, tho lots don't. Knife and Creolin. A feed trough and a couple people. Turn them upside down in the feed trough, someone at the front, someone at the back. Sharp knife. Two months old is about right.

I know my experience is not typical, but I have either done or assisted on vaccination day with beef cattle and running them through the squeeze, and done pigs, cats, dogs, goats, horses, sheep etc, and out of thousands of animals, had mostly no problems.

While I am at it, may as well go through the procedure for cutting. Scalpel can be had at the drugstore or well sharpened jack knife. 5 gal pail 1/4 full warm water and 2/3 cup creolin. (Creolin, available at TSC, is also an insecticide, so helps with flies and is excellent for sterilization, I like it better than iodine or bluekote.) Emasculator if you have one, or good pair of needle nose pliers with no wire cutter on them, or haemostat you can buy for not much off ebay. Old towel. Short sleeved shirt or clean coveralls.

Animal immobilized so you are safe. Wash and sluice with lots of creolin solution (I use a travel mug) Dip all tools and set out on a towel or old sheet handy for use. Grasp testicle from the body side, squeeze a little so the skin is snug. Cut with scalpel lengthwise to the body at the lowest part next to the midline. (This will need to drain when standing.) Make a longer cut than you think you will need, and cut fairly deeply, there is (most animals) the outer skin and also an inner sack, you want to cut them both with one cut, not a jabbing slash, and not a hesitant sawing cut, but bold firm and one movement if possible. The nut should pop out into your hand. Tug is out gently with one hand and the other hand pushes the skin down flat to the belly, extending the cord, there are usually several sort of pea sized lumps on the cord, try to get above them as they can also produce hormones. Then either the emasculator or haemostat or pliers. Crush the cord next to the body, do this several times. What you are trying to do is crush the blood vessels so they don't bleed and will clot quickly. The emasculator does this, but there is a right side and a wrong side, make sure the correct crushing side is to the body. If not emasculator, cut with scalpel below the crushed area. Repeat for second testicle. Grasp one side of the incision with fingers and pull slightly open, take a cup of creolin and fill the cavity, shoosh it around. Do the second cavity. Another cup of creolin over the general area. Get your tools and things well away and the helpers can let him up. Turn out on green grass, preferably with no other animals there for a couple hours. I don't like them going to a stall to recover as it is a good place for infections to lurk. Should be very minor bleeding, some drip and drain, but no steady flow. Within 24 hours, they should be fine, moving well, grazing etc. Any major swelling or bleeding, call your vet.

So that's how its done by me anyway, and I have had pretty good luck. In a pinch, you can substitute warm saturated salt water for the creolin, and iodine or bluekote at the end.

And I some times wash out my travel mug before I put it back on the console of the truck, but this of course is a matter of personal preference.
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Farrier1987. South of Chatham on Lake Erie. Chickens, goats, horse, garden, dog, cat. Worked all over the world. Know a little bit about a lot of things. No incubator, broody hens.

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Killerbunny
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by Killerbunny » Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:11 am

Great info!
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:iheartpto:
Beltsville Small White turkeys.
Mutt chickens for eggs
RIP Stephen the BSW Tom and my coffee companion.
RIP Lucky the Very Brave Splash Wyandotte rooster.
RIP little Muppet the rescue cat.
:turkey:

:bat:

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Killerbunny
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by Killerbunny » Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:11 am

Oh and don't toss out the testicles, eat them!
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:iheartpto:
Beltsville Small White turkeys.
Mutt chickens for eggs
RIP Stephen the BSW Tom and my coffee companion.
RIP Lucky the Very Brave Splash Wyandotte rooster.
RIP little Muppet the rescue cat.
:turkey:

:bat:

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Farrier1987
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by Farrier1987 » Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:33 am

Yes I have eaten them, some times good, some times not so much.

Recipe. Trim any dangly little parts. Take a meat hammer and flatten them out. Dip in egg wash and flower. Salt, pepper, garlic etc to taste in the egg was or flout. Fry in a well oiled hot pan til golden brown. Serve with spring onions, spring salad, either last years storage potatoes mashed or new potatoes and whatever veggies are available from the garden. Probably a raisin pudding or rice pudding for desert with heavy cream. Fresh bread is usually there too. I remember lots of branding days like this. Several families get together and do 4 or 5 hundred head, then have a repast. Not everyone eats the sweetbreads, so also have some other meat. Swiss steak or some such that can be ready for several hours while the work is being done.
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Farrier1987. South of Chatham on Lake Erie. Chickens, goats, horse, garden, dog, cat. Worked all over the world. Know a little bit about a lot of things. No incubator, broody hens.

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windwalkingwolf
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by windwalkingwolf » Wed Nov 01, 2017 1:46 pm

They weren't castrated because by the time I got around to getting a bander, they were too big to restrain without a squeeze chute. No reason but laziness on my part ;) Bander came in handy for the goat kids though.
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ross
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by ross » Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:46 pm

Ahhh mountain oysters on the branding fire or rolled in crispy batter & fried . Good stuff
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ENJOY YOUR HUNTING / FISHING HERITAGE & the GREATNESS of CANADA

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Happy
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by Happy » Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:57 pm

So happy i decided to catch up on PTO while I'm eating my supper :barf:
Nope...not eating that no matter what pretty name you want to give it.
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kenya
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Re: Raising Pigs and Cattle, review of first 3 years

Post by kenya » Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:32 pm

Very interesting observations. With the drought I think it was hard on all the beef farmers.
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