# weaner pigs, how much in your area?



## duckidaho (Dec 31, 2008)

Wow, a couple of years ago weaner pigs were $45 in our area. Now I am seeing them for $90??? What are prices in your area? We've never raised pigs before, but have been thinking about it for a couple of years. Now that we are ready to do it, the prices are outrageous.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is the report from this week's sale at Shipshewana, Indiana.

Feeder Pigs 
30 - 40 lbs. $ 30.00 to $ 40.00 per head 
40 - 50 lbs. $ 40.00 to $ 50.00 per head 
50 - 60 lbs. $ 50.00 to $ 60.00 per head 


The private trade for feeder pigs is much higher, especially from herds with healthy pigs.

In September last year we had several customers selling 21-day old weanlings for less than $10, those same producers are now selling the same pig for $45 straight off the sow.

Jim


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Prices are higher here too. Last year you could buy piglets for $20-$25 each all day long. Now they are $40-$50. At least around here, nobody is raising pigs anymore.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Last year I only got $20 for feeder pigs, this year we got $35. You are right Up North, feeder pigs are scarce. I could have probably sold mine for a little more. I listed them on Craigslist and we had a lot of inquiries.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Pork was down so far last year, our pig farmer neighbor was pretty much giving them away. He said this year he'd raise fewer...and my guess is that MANY farmers did the same thing. so......pigs are scarce, theprice will go up, and next year...we'll have a glut again. :stars:


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## mustang_lady (Jan 13, 2009)

In Northern California it's hard to find feeder pigs, they usually run $90. Most of what we see is people selling weiner pigs for the fair at $150 to $250 for a 40 pound pig which seems crazy to me.

Tiffany


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## beewench (Mar 5, 2010)

Here in Cali, my neighbors got their piglets for $95 each and paid $250 for their sons FFA fair pig:shocked:

-=Sarah
www.beewench.blogspot.com


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## Curtis B (Aug 15, 2008)

I posted on craigslist a few weeks ago feeders for $40 which is what I have seen in the way of prices. After a week and a half I got one response, and only sold one. Luckly I found a buyer for a full grown butcher hog, so I didn't have to wait any longer, if at all, to sell the other feeder.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

We were in the market for piglets and also posted on Craigslist. Only got one response and he normally sells 5 week old weinlings/weaners for $40-$50. Another friend of mine also found piglets at the same age (30-40 pounds) for $45. These were Berkshire piglets. And we live in Illinois, if you're keeping track. The pig market is very volatile as pigs can have multiple huge litters in a year, unlike beef that normally only have one calf a year. Gotta love the supply and demand.
-Catherine


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Don't confuse auction piglets and cull piglets from the factory farms with quality feeder piglets from pastured farms. They are very different animals. You can pay $40 for junk someone else culled as a slow grower but it will cost you in feed in the long run, won't know how to graze pasture, etc. Or you can buy quality pastured animals that were selected from pastured lines and know how to graze because they were raised watching their parents graze. Entirely different. Expect to pay more for quality.

We sell weaner piglets for $150 for boars and $200 for gilts. Our reserve list goes out through late June and started last fall. People who are picking up piglets now ordered with a deposit down last November.

It takes five months to produce a piglet and those are the hardest five months with spring piglets born during the harshest weather of the year in late winter. In a mere five more months I can sell the meat for $630 plus processing costs. A piglet is worth $300.

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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## Kris in MI (May 30, 2002)

I will be getting some in a few weeks from a friend. The price her husband quoted me was $30-35 each, depending on how big I wanted. Not sure if this is their normal selling price, or a special deal for me, since our kids are friends.


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## amylou62 (Jul 14, 2008)

Oh man! I can't farrow them fast enough. When I put them on craigslist for $35 at 4-5 weeks they were gone in a couple days. The last batch was sold at two days old.
I always post a picture of them too. Shows people you are proud of your pigs.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

We charge what the market will bear and our feeder pigs are certainly not culls or slow growers. Our boar is a purebred Poland China. We raise what people around here can afford to buy. If we tried to sell feeder pigs fro $150 we would have to keep them. FFA show pigs are selling for $100 each in our area.


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## Genevie (Jan 29, 2010)

4H/FFA weaners go for between $150 and $250. Some folks even try to pass off every piglet in the litter as show quality even the runty and stunted ones and then others that don't raise show quality pigs figure out they can sell their spring pigs for more and soon you can't find really decent weaner pigs anywhere. It took me four weeks to source some good weaner pigs for under $150. I ended up finding a local farmer that breeds for meat quality and pasture efficiency and doesn't cater to the 4H/FFA crowd at all. I ended up getting them for $85 each and that felt like a steal for the quality of the pigs.


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## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

I'm seeing them advertised for $45-75. Of course, if they are registered, they'll be higher.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Our grandson's FFA raises and breeds show pigs. His FFA teacher AIs the sows. Natt bought his show pig from the FFA farm last year for $100 and won reserve breed champion in his weight class, with his Duroc shoat at the MO state fair. Every litter of pigs have some show quality animals and some that are not show quality. This goes for dogs and cats as well, every animal is not show quality just because the parents are registered. This same goes for the high-priced heritage breeds that have become so popular lately.


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## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

Speaking of piglet prices, is it acceptable to put pigs up for sale in this forum? The barter board is the technical "for sale" section, but I see that the goat lovers have their own thread on buying/selling. My concern is that the post would get lost pretty quickly in the barter board.


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

I paid $90 for a REALLY nice 5 week old gilt out of a friend's sow. I wish I'd bought two more! I then bought a piece of crap mix from a craigslist ad for $80 because there were no others to be had around and I have a plethora of milk and donuts right now...oh well, the P.O.C. pig will be cheap to feed anyway, but the nice one will be ready to process SO much sooner.


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## Feathers-N-Fur (Dec 17, 2007)

Pigs cost more on the west coast because our feed prices are higher. Corn doesn't grow as well out here. Here in Oregon, fair pigs run $150 to $1000.(Plenty of kids spend $500+ on their piglets, then $500 on feed) Spring feeder pigs run $100, fall feeders get $50.


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

This Spring, we paid $80 for each of our weaner pigs.....it seems to go up $5 a year.


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## bruceki (Nov 16, 2009)

Washington state prices are seasonal. March-june, expect to pay $100 to $125 for a good quality 8 week old at 40lbs June-sept, that same pig goes for $80. In october, people forget that spring comes every year, and you can find nice weaners for $50-60, and that continues into february, and then repeat. 

I've produced 350 weaners this spring and they're selling well.

Part of the issue that I think people are missing is that big pig farmers have been going broke for the last 3 years. Production prices are higher than sale prices and they've been losing money on every pig they sell. So there have been vast herd reductions in canada and the US. The canadian herd is 20% or so smaller than it was in 2005, for instance.

Here's a quote: "Pork producers in both countries have lost mountains of money in recent years with the Canadians hard hit by the strengthening of the Canadian dollar in recent months."

You can see the report I'm quoting here. 

Bruce / ebeyfarm.blogspot.com


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## MissyMoo (Jan 29, 2009)

I live in northern california (near modesto).
a very nice man that I buy my pigs from (he has a BIG pig farm),
usually sells his just weaned piglets for anywhere from $70-90. each. 
right now he has them listed for $75. for 18-35 lb piglets and price goes up if they are larger than that. 
he is selling sows right now at 200-250 lbs at $200. each and up.

however he sells them to me for cheaper. I bought my first two from him for $50. each. today we are getting a 1 week old bottle-baby girl from him for $40. the baby has been on the mother the past week. also we are picking up a just weaned baby girl from him today which will go to my neighbors farm (they asked us to get one for them). 
he raises, spot pigs, poland-china, hamps, tams, different crosses....and they are NICE pigs. he will deliver them as well, and he's always available via phone for any help I might need. 
his says his pigs are "Organically raised".


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

wisconsin..auction feeders go 45 to 90 each, regardless of breed. 1$ perpound is the general going rate. plus, the price of wholesale pork is going up. this raises the price of feeders becuase suddenly everyone wants them.


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## jil101ca (Jul 2, 2007)

Last year I pd $55, this year I locked mine in at $60 just before the price went up to $90. Mine come from a supplier for Maple Leaf Foods and he won a bunch of awards last year from them. really nice pigs


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## Forest Breath (Oct 23, 2009)

I live in East Tennessee and got mine for $25 from the Mennonites. They had a bunch at the animal sale they have at their community and they were all gone in less than five minutes of the opening of the sale. I am totally new to pigs and had no clue if this was a good price or not, just knew I wanted two so I bought them.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

mustang_lady said:


> In Northern California it's hard to find feeder pigs, they usually run $90. Most of what we see is people selling weiner pigs for the fair at $150 to $250 for a 40 pound pig which seems crazy to me.
> 
> Tiffany


I agree. I live in Northern CA and it was hard to find one. I finally just bought one for $80.


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