# questions about castrating boars



## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

we have two young yorkshire boars that are about 100lbs that have not been castrated.

We are new to raising pigs and have been told recently that we NEED to castrate or the meat will be gamey, but have eaten wild boar at pig roasts and never noticed it, so am wondering about the pro's & con's and if it is standard practice to do so.

We have two registered Yorkshire gilts and planned to keep one of the boars for a breeding trio. 
One of the boars is a York/Hamp cross and the other is full Yorkshire, any suggestions as to which would be best to keep as a breeder? 
I noticed one has blue splotches across his rear back area..
thanks!


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Ellie Mae said:


> we have two young yorkshire boars that are about 100lbs that have not been castrated.
> 
> We are new to raising pigs and have been told recently that we NEED to castrate or the meat will be gamey, but have eaten wild boar at pig roasts and never noticed it, so am wondering about the pro's & con's and if it is standard practice to do so.
> 
> ...


If you decide to sell the York boar l may be interested in it. As far as which one to keep for breeding that depends on what you plan to do with the offspring. If you use the full York for breeding you may be able to sell the best pigs from it as breeding stock and some as butcher hogs. 
I have butchered boars and have not notice any differents in the meat. 

Best,
Gerold.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't do it now, it's too late from an animal welfare standpoint.


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

Gerold,
we had planned to butcher one of them for the freezer, just not decided on which way to go..we do plan to breed for piglets and sell them to help cover our costs on raising our own pork.

One of the gilts was mated but I wasn't close enough to see with which boar.. I could barely tell any of them apart until just recently when the one boar has developed bluish coloring, but assume we will be having piglets in a few months.

We don't know a thing about castrating and would have to have someone show us the ropes on it, but we want to learn the info for the future.

So far we like having the pigs, they have gotten quite friendly and appear to have doubled in size already! We give them hog feed, whey from making our cheese and stuff from the garden, they LOVE tomatos and am wondering if they can have the vines I am clearing out for my fall garden?


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Ellie Mae said:


> been told recently that we NEED to castrate or the meat will be gamey, but have eaten wild boar at pig roasts and never noticed it, so am wondering about the pro's & con's and if it is standard practice to do so.


We raise thousands of pigs and do not castrate the boars. The meat is delicious. We sell pigs weekly to area stores, restaurants and individuals. We have standing orders - they wouldn't keep coming back for more year after year if it wasn't so delicious.

There are some breeds, perhaps the Duroc from what some people have said, that have boar taint. However studies show that most boars do not have taint. For a lot more information on this see:

[ame]http://www.google.com/search?&q=site:flashweb.com%20boar%20taint[/ame]

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa


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## OregonGuys (Mar 13, 2005)

Boar taint genetics definitely exists in most all breeds of hogs, with a few exceptions. The purpose of the genes is to make the males stink...as a sexual attractant for the females.
We raise American Guinea Hogs and this gene has not yet been seen on our farm nor have we heard of it existing in *any* Guinea Hogs and that's one of the reasons we have selected guinea hogs as our hog of choice. We have eaten several adult, breeding males...one which was 6 years old. His meat was tough, but after hours of slow cooking on top of the wood stove, was delicious.
Aside from providing them with fresh pasture with lots of clover, we do almost nothing to our pigs...no castrations, no vaccinations, no wormer, no antibiotics, no tusk trimming and only minimal hoof trimming(every 2+years) since we have very soft soil.

Here's a paper discussing boar taint genetics:

http://www.thepigsite.com/articles/.../managing-boar-taint-focus-on-genetic-markers

They are searching for these genes in many commercial breeds in order to eliminate them, but they are a long ways away from that. 

If you're looking to get away from taint, why don't you try American Guinea Hogs. Their dark skin and compact body allows them to graze all day on grass and clover without getting sunburned. They can also put fat on easy with a minimal grass and clover diet. Additionally, they are very minimal rooters and can be trusted around fruit and nut trees and berry bushes.
They are also incredibly friendly and tame. Even our breeding boars flop down for belly rubs. They are IDEAL homestead hogs.

http://cascademeadowsfarm.com/americanguineahog.html


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

thanks for the replies!

Highlands, am glad you posted that you don't have to castrate, we prefer to not unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
speaking of that, why do people castrate? 

OG,

We had originally been leaning towards the guinea hogs as we had met someone who raises them and spoke their praises, but we did a trade for the one's we have now, so we took the easy road, lol

We can't believe the growth in them already, they eat like,uh, um....pigs! lol

DH is currently working on fencing off a largish area in our thick woods and we think the pigs are going to love it and help us clear it out, win-win.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

highlands said:


> We raise thousands of pigs and do not castrate the boars. The meat is delicious. We sell pigs weekly to area stores, restaurants and individuals. We have standing orders - they wouldn't keep coming back for more year after year if it wasn't so delicious.
> 
> There are some breeds, perhaps the Duroc from what some people have said, that have boar taint. However studies show that most boars do not have taint. For a lot more information on this see:
> 
> ...



Hey there Walter. Sounds like things are going your way.

What breed of pigs do you like?

BOL


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

Ellie Mae said:


> why do people castrate?


1. avoid the possibility of boar taint
2. less hormones may equal less agression between hogs (and between farmer and hogs)
3. so they can be run in the same pens with gilts

For myself, I've not castrated and I've castrated and I find that it's a lot harder to find buyers for meat hogs that are boars. It might be well known in some breeds and on some farms that certain lines DON'T have boar taint, BUT if you are trying to sell to the general public, trying to build your customer base, you still have to contend with the general public's perception of boars being bad meat.

Castrating when they are very young isn't too difficult and can be well worth the effort.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

HDRider said:


> Hey there Walter. Sounds like things are going your way. What breed of pigs do you like?


Our main line is Yorkshire crossing with Berkshire and Large Black. We also have some other breeds in the mix. I like the Yorkshire for the big size, fast growth, gentle temperament, mothering and pasture-ability. The Berkshire brings in more marbling. The Large Black brings in additional fecundity. I actually just wrote a post the other day on my blog that covers this to some degree. See the post "Four Sows and Piglets":

http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/2011/09/four-sows-and-piglets.html

Also see:

http://SugarMtnFarm.com/animals/pigs

Cheers,

-Walter


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## oink (Dec 28, 2010)

Lazy J said:


> Don't do it now, it's too late from an animal welfare standpoint.


100 lbs is too late because of stress?...risk of infection?...Both?


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

oink said:


> 100 lbs is too late because of stress?...risk of infection?...Both?


Stress. At this point, removing the testicles is surgery. Simply flopping the boar on the ground and holding him with several people to castrate is stressful and if not done properly can cause death through bleedouts.

I've castrated my share of larger boars int he 80 to 150 lb range, I was younger. I would definitely not do it anymore.

Jim


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

Mare Owner said:


> 1. avoid the possibility of boar taint
> 2. less hormones may equal less agression between hogs (and between farmer and hogs)
> 3. so they can be run in the same pens with gilts
> 
> ...


thanks for the info MareO, 
we aren't in business and don't plan to be anytime soon, so won't worry about it for now. 
My concern was having the flavor affected for us mainly, but we do have some relatives interested in buying part at processing time, so certainly didn't want any of us to get that boar taint, lol
glad to know it's really not an issue.


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## Countrygent51 (Jul 30, 2011)

I'm kind of perplexed about this issue, and not really trying to start a controversy but left wondering.....

Castrating boars is not (to my knowledge) a new phenomenon. This is not something that started happening 20 years ago with the rise of massive hog confinement operations or anything like that. Hog producers have castrated young boar piglets for generations. The only boars left "intact" (to use the terminology) are those thought to have the potential as breeders, and then it has always been considered risky because if the boars turn out to be less than stellar as breeders you've got an inferior market animal on your hands due to "boar taint". Literally thousands and thousands of hog producers, for generations, and with millions and millions of hogs have castrated boars. 

Are you saying they have all been wrong all these years?


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## nz1h (Aug 19, 2004)

I haven't seen an answer to your tomato. so, 
you can feed tomatos but not the vines as they are part of the nightshade family.

alain


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## Countrygent51 (Jul 30, 2011)

nz1h, that doesn't exactly answer my question


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

Countrygent51 said:


> nz1h, that doesn't exactly answer my question


Well why not? I see what he means.


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## Countrygent51 (Jul 30, 2011)

I guess that's true, if the tomato represents..and the vine..well, never mind


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

As far as which one to keep for breeding I would choose the best one!


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

thanks for the reply on the tomato vines, I have been clearing out the garden area and held back giving the pigs the vines.

Tinkal,

we want to keep the best one for breeding, but we are so new to raising them, we don't even know the qualities to look for in a boar.

When I look at the boars I think yum, pork chops and bacon, lol


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Ellie Mae said:


> we want to keep the best one for breeding, but we are so new to raising them, we don't even know the qualities to look for in a boar.


Some of the many qualities to look for are:
No problems
Strong feet and legs
Symmetry left to right as a general rule
Large muscles
Not to fat, not too skinny
Fast growth
Good temperament

Those are just a few characteristics. Start with that and winnow down the group.

Breed the best of the best and eat the rest. Gradually your herd should improve.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Ellie Mae said:


> we have two young yorkshire boars that are about 100lbs that have not been castrated.
> 
> We are new to raising pigs and have been told recently that we NEED to castrate or the meat will be gamey, but have eaten wild boar at pig roasts and never noticed it, so am wondering about the pro's & con's and if it is standard practice to do so.
> 
> ...


Best not to give them tomato vine.
Boars grow fast. You may want to use one for meat before the age of 8 mos.
You have at least a few mos. to decide which boar to keep. I would keep the
pure white one. 

Good luck,
Gerold.


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## Countrygent51 (Jul 30, 2011)

My apologies to nz1h. I missed the tomato question buried in there amidst the responses on the other topics. My bad


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## blaineiac (Jan 10, 2010)

I might be overly sensitive to boar taint... but just reading this made the inside of my nose tingle, and I can smell it a little. I've tried it a few times, using younger boars, >8 mos. If I really spiced the sausage, it was edible. I had to give the bacon and a whole shoulder away. It was the best meat they ever had. I could even taste it on a McD's bacon egg and cheese biscuit, store bacon, even pork chops from a gilt. I really did like the sausage though. 150 lbs makes a lot of spaghetti. Good luck


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

blaineiac said:


> I might be overly sensitive to boar taint... but just reading this made the inside of my nose tingle, and I can smell it a little. I've tried it a few times, using younger boars, >8 mos. If I really spiced the sausage, it was edible. I had to give the bacon and a whole shoulder away. It was the best meat they ever had. I could even taste it on a McD's bacon egg and cheese biscuit, store bacon, *even pork chops from a gilt*. I really did like the sausage though. 150 lbs makes a lot of spaghetti. Good luck


Its been a long day and maybe I am missing something (not to mention it is getting off topic), but I dont understand and I have to ask.. How you could tast "boar taint" in pork chops from a gilt?


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## blaineiac (Jan 10, 2010)

DWH, I was stating why I believe a boar should be cut. The stink stayed in my nose for weeks. Any time pork was cooked I could smell that "Stank". I could only eat the sausage. sorry for the confusion. Blaine


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

blaineiac said:


> DWH, I was stating why I believe a boar should be cut. The stink stayed in my nose for weeks. Any time pork was cooked I could smell that "Stank". I could only eat the sausage. sorry for the confusion. Blaine


Gotcha. I was thinking that you were saying that raising and butchering boars with gilts could affect the taste of the gilt meat. Like some people say that keeping a buck with a doe will make goat milk taste off..


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I`m sorry, I`m from old school, I think boars need to be castrated if kept for meat. I also can taste and smell when someone has been cooking pork that has taint in it. I also think if you want to cut those boars yet you could (I would) with help. Years ago my Father said that hog markets would not buy boars, so if you had an old boar that needed to go , you had to cut him first. I cut pigs at two weeks, so much easier to do at that size. So do what you want, what works for some , won`t work for all. > Thanks Marc


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

I'm getting ready to process our first boar (GOS) in a couple weeks and thought I'd revive this thread. Our boars have been on 100% pasture and woods, getting some garden cast-offs and wild apples on occasion. They will be 10 months old when we slaughter them on November 2nd. I'm using a VO-AG program at a local school to do the butchering, curing, smoking and vacuum sealing ( .45/lb if you're wondering...). The guy that runs the program was a bit put-off when I told him they were boars. I explained that IMO, boar taint isn't common in most breeds and that diet and slaughter method played a big roll in the quality of the meat. I think the prevailing reason for castrating is that "it's always been that way...", is a result of confined pigs that are fed a grain diet. I don't think that's natural, but CAFO's have worked hard to engineer their animals to their process. I've read everything that Walter (Highlands) has posted, and I think that given his volume, he's the best study on natural raised pigs vs. boar taint. I will post our results when we have our first pig back. I've smelled our boars breath, body and pee... while i don't want to smell like any of it, I didn't find it to be "piggy" or weird smelling - sorta smelled like the woods and dirt. I've also read that some people are sensative to the smell, and can smell it when other can't. 

~Mark


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

Brooks,

am looking forward to hearing your results...

I am quite sensitive to goaty flavors in our milk, but have eaten wild boar numerous times and never noticed any off taste, so am hoping for the best as that is what we have at the moment to work with.

We recently found a processor who buys hogs from private parties, but he is adamant about them NOT being free ranged or pasture raised. DH didn't ask why he felt that way, but at the moment ours are still being raised in a large pen. 
The processor also didn't mention anything about not taking boars, but we don't plan to sell any of these, we want to eat our first home raised pork. yum


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## Farmerga (May 6, 2010)

We harvested a boar and barrow at around the same time, they were from the same litter raised together on pasture. My wife could taste a little taint from the boar. I could taste a difference, but, I would describe it as a stronger "pork" taste. Most others could not taste a difference. These were fullblood Mulefoot ~10 months old.


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## Farmerga (May 6, 2010)

Ellie Mae said:


> Brooks,
> 
> We recently found a processor who buys hogs from private parties, but he is adamant about them NOT being free ranged or pasture raised. DH didn't ask why he felt that way, but at the moment ours are still being raised in a large pen.
> The processor also didn't mention anything about not taking boars, but we don't plan to sell any of these, we want to eat our first home raised pork. yum


My wife knows a guy with the same opinion. He said that he would take a pasture raised pig, put it on cement, feed it all grain for about a month to "clean it out". I think he is crazy, but, to each his own.


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## DonM (Dec 9, 2009)

Just did a 1000 lb york breeder boar not any problum with him taste great!


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

This thread illustrates to problem with Boar Taint: Variable sensitivity to the arma and taste.

I have a friend who can not enter a Pizza Hut because the scent of boar taint from the pepperoni makes him naseasous. However, most people don't smell it.

Jim


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

Lazy J said:


> This thread illustrates to problem with Boar Taint: Variable sensitivity to the arma and taste.
> 
> I have a friend who can not enter a Pizza Hut because the scent of boar taint from the pepperoni makes him naseasous. However, most people don't smell it.
> 
> Jim


I dont know if it's boar taint or just the smell of lousy, mass-produced, greasy pizza!:hysterical:

It's a good thing we live pretty far off the beaten path. I may look a bit crazy sniffing my pigs and breaking apart their poop with a stick to see what they're eating!


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## Chief Cook (Apr 24, 2011)

There has been a rash of "wild" hogs in the mountains not far from us and as a result the game dept. has said to take all you want. So there have been lots of hogs harvested from the hills. My DH got the chance to take one in the middle of April one year. Heck of a good shot, and I am proud of him for it. The pig never knew we were around and dropped like a stone. Took some photos then gutted it. I was a little nervous as it was a boar. Looked like a breeder, too. My mind said "Yucko", but my nose said, "Hmmm" Except for the way he was butchered, he was fine eating. An old timer told us to "Open it up, if it smells like a rank boar, feed it to the bears. If it smells like fresh meat, it is fine." I guess he was right.


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

Chief Cook,

My family still lives in NY, and they're having problems with pigs as well... Sullivan and Orange counties in particular. I guess some people had Russian crosses and they got out. Couple people I know have taken a few and they said they never noticed any weird smells. Heck, about 10 years ago I remember paying a premium price for a rack or wild boar ribs!


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Have eaten hundreds of feral hogs...and never tasted the taint.


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

I am glad that our first boar will be processed and tasted before our first batch of piglets get born. If we don't care for the meat, we can then choose to castrate our next ones, always a learning curve with city folk gone country, lol


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Ellie Mae said:


> We recently found a processor who buys hogs from private parties, but he is adamant about them NOT being free ranged or pasture raised. DH didn't ask why he felt that way, but at the moment ours are still being raised in a large pen.


I'll bet he's been burned by the lazy type that think that free-range and natural means turning them somewhere too small with not enough feed and forgetting about them. 

Done right, pasture raised is the way to go ... done wrong, it gives the whole works a bad name.


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

Ellie Mae said:


> I am glad that our first boar will be processed and tasted before our first batch of piglets get born. If we don't care for the meat, we can then choose to castrate our next ones, always a learning curve with city folk gone country, lol


We're close to that Ellie Mae! Our first boar goes to the butcher on the 2nd of November... our first litter was born a week ago Sunday. City folks gone country...yup, that's us!


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

OK all...

First boar slaughter went well! I did the shooting and sticking, my wifes job was to remove the testicles as soon as he dropped. She had the harder job, those things were like grapefruits! We didn't encounter any "boar-ish" smells at any time during the slaughter. The butcher I brought it to knew ahead of time it was a boar, but I asked him how it smelled to an experienced nose. He said if he didnt already know it was an intact animal, he'd have never known. I should have the pork back in one to two weeks... that will be the best measure for us. For the record: we taped our Gloucestershire Old Spot to be 228#'s, he was 149 as a headless, legless carcass. I'm guessing he was more like 205-210. He had been on nothing but pasture and forage with a bit of garden excess and apple pomace. He had a good amount of back fat (around the top of the front shoulders) and a nice covering on the hams and bacons. The butcher was impressed that the animal was 10 months old (to the day) and was able to grow so well with out commercial feed or grains. Score one for the Old Spots  Our new litter is getting big, and it just now two weeks old. Maybe too late if we decided to castrate... those suckers are tough to keep a hold of!


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

Maybe I missed reading the answer here somewhere, but why did you castrate him after dispatching? I've not heard or read of doing this, so I'm just curious. I've butchered a 10 month old boar and he was delicious, and will be butchering a mature boar this winter.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Asian Heirloom Hogs (Potbellies for meat). Got mine from a no-taint herd. Owner does not castrate. I did not castrate. I don't expect any taint.

My stock runs free on my acreage within the perimeter fence. The breeder's pigs also run free on their land.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Brooks WV said:


> ........ my wifes job was to remove the testicles as soon as he dropped. She had the harder job, those things were like grapefruits! ........


Could you explain your reasoning for removing the testicles immediately after he dropped? That seems to be a waste of effort and may have put your wife in a dangerous position had the hog thrashed in the throes of death.

Jim


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

In one of the articles I read regarding slaughtering boars, they recommended castrating right after slaughter. I think it's to prevent the testes from releasing a flood of hormones. Seemed to be a pretty cheap insurance policy. They also recommended removing the head as soon as possible. That I didn't do, but perhaps it would be along the same lines.


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

That is very interesting, thanks Brooks WV.


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## mitchell3006 (Apr 1, 2010)

The whole "boar taint" thing is like the "gamey" venison issue. It is more a result of killing method, handling, and processing than the animal itself. If a deer is shot and killed instantly while feeding, the meat is far superior to one that has been run by dogs or runs a while after being shot. The latter will have a different taste and texture to the meat caused by the release of adrenalin. They will stiffen almost immediately after death and are tougher than a deer dropped instantly. Much the same with the hog, if he is relaxed and calm as he is led into slaughter and killed cleanly the meat will be far superior to one that is dragged squealing and fighting into the kill pen.

The aging and handling of the meat at the processor greatly effects the taste too. They can improve or ruin your meat with their actions. 

As to the castrating after killing myth: If the hog is dead the hormones can't be released to travel throughout the meat. Nothing is moving to transport them from the testes. It is an old wives tale just like having to castrate a buck on death. 

Raise your hogs on good food with plenty of clean water. Make the trip to the slaughter house as relaxed as possible. Make sure the hog is led to the kill room in a relaxed state not dragged under stress. Enjoy the fruits of your labors in plenty of delicious meals.:sing:


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

mitchell3006 said:


> As to the castrating after killing myth: If the hog is dead the hormones can't be released to travel throughout the meat. Nothing is moving to transport them from the testes. It is an old wives tale just like having to castrate a buck on death.


Agree with everything but the above. I didn't "kill" the pig before bleeding it out, I merely stunned it. I thought it possible that in the minutes after I severed the corotid atrery, hormones could be released into the blood stream...and the meat.

Still waiting on the butcher to call me and say it's ready!


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Brooks WV said:


> Agree with everything but the above. I didn't "kill" the pig before bleeding it out, I merely stunned it. I thought it possible that in the minutes after I severed the corotid atrery, hormones could be released into the blood stream...and the meat.
> 
> Still waiting on the butcher to call me and say it's ready!


Just getting ready to ask you about the results Brooks. 
When i was young and lived on farm we always removed the testicles right after severing artery while the heart was still pumping.


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

Pork came back from the butcher today! It is so much redder than the bland white stuff from the store. Pork chops are thawing as I type. :bouncy:


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## kranac (Sep 8, 2010)

Hurry up and cook those things


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

It was EXCELLENT! No boar taint at all. We had chops with nothing but salt and pepper. Also cooked up some of the sausage just for good measure. Very, very tasty!

As they say on TV... "This myth is BUSTED!"


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Brooks WV said:


> It was EXCELLENT! No boar taint at all. We had chops with nothing but salt and pepper. Also cooked up some of the sausage just for good measure. Very, very tasty!
> 
> As they say on TV... "This myth is BUSTED!"


Thanks for sharing Brooks. Been waiting for your report. 

Best,
Gerold.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

Just remember, you can't eat boar, it stinks and tastes terrible. 

(I haven't had boar meat since yesterday.)


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

mitchell3006 said:


> The whole "boar taint" thing is like the "gamey" venison issue. It is more a result of killing method, handling, and processing than the animal itself. If a deer is shot and killed instantly while feeding, the meat is far superior to one that has been run by dogs or runs a while after being shot. The latter will have a different taste and texture to the meat caused by the release of adrenalin. They will stiffen almost immediately after death and are tougher than a deer dropped instantly. Much the same with the hog, if he is relaxed and calm as he is led into slaughter and killed cleanly the meat will be far superior to one that is dragged squealing and fighting into the kill pen.
> 
> The aging and handling of the meat at the processor greatly effects the taste too. They can improve or ruin your meat with their actions.
> 
> ...


I'm afraid I have to disagree here, based on personal experience. I had a barrow that was my first pig kill. I shot him in the head, and he squealed and ran off. I waited until he stopped and shot him again. He squealed and ran off again. This went on until I had to reload the six-shooter I was using. And then again. It took EIGHT bullets before I finally made the kill shot. (It took two years before I had the nerve to try it again.) So, this was anything but a low stress kill, wouldn't you say? I was so afraid the meat would be awful. We butchered him out and he was . . . DELICIOUS!!! 

His full brother, a boar, was my next pig kill. He had his face planted in a pan of grain, and was snarfing it up as quickly as he could. I placed the muzzle on his forehead, pulled the trigger, and he dropped like a stone. I stuck him immediately, and he gushed blood and thrashed for a while. I butchered him out, cooked up a chunk, and . . . gave it to the dogs. My husband, who evidently can't smell boar taint, thought the meat was great, but I asked him not to cook it inside the house, and he kindly obliged. 

So there you have it. Boar taint is real. It isn't stress. It isn't unsanitary butchering. It's boar taint. Sad but true. Some lines may not carry it, but some lines definitely do. As for me, I'm not going to risk throwing away a whole pig.


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

Boar taint, or just a bad pig? 

Odd that you'd have two pigs from the same litter and only one (was) is barrowed.

Yikes, EIGHT bullets?! That was my greatest fear on my slaughter. I opted for shooting behind the ear, aiming at the opposing eye. Seemed easier than trying to get the right alignment from the front.


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

Boar taint, or just a bad pig? - I'm not sure what you're getting at here.

Same parents, but not the same litter. Yeah, that was a bad, bad day. Worse for the pig, but pretty bad for me, too.


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

Laura Jensen said:


> Boar taint, or just a bad pig? - I'm not sure what you're getting at here.


I suspect there are many things that get lumped into "boar taint", which is probably the reason it's so difficult to prove or disprove. I think if a pig tastes "bad", "funny' or "not quite right" it could be any one of a long list of things; not just boar taint.


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

Glad to hear your report Brooks!


we have had to put off tasting ours for a bit longer, just had a new grandbaby born and DH had surgery..
so, we won't be trying the pork chops anytime soon, but soon, very soon!

also, I made the assumption that when the meat comes back from the butcher that it is all fresh and ready for us to put into the freezer, sounds like yours was frozen?
does that vary from butcher or is that standard? 
and does it matter?


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## blaineiac (Jan 10, 2010)

also, I made the assumption that when the meat comes back from the butcher that it is all fresh and ready for us to put into the freezer, sounds like yours was frozen?
does that vary from butcher or is that standard?
and does it matter? 



I think it is standard for the meat to be "hard frozen". 




But on the boar taint issue... Most people might not smell it... It does reak.


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## Brooks WV (Jul 24, 2010)

I can't say ALL meat comes back frozen, but that's how I expect mine!

We had ribs from our boar Old Spot for Thankgiving... MAN, they were GOOOOOD! No reek, no taint.


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