# Butchering a Boar



## 1Travelingon (May 1, 2005)

Originally we bought this boar to breed but have decided not to. Doesn't the boar need to be castrated in order to prevent funky tasting meat?


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

We butchered two big ones with no taint. Someone said cut them as soon as you kill them. Don't know if that helped but it didn't hurt.

According to others on here, a strain will either have taint or not. You could be lucky.


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## johnghagen (Feb 3, 2004)

Over 18 months old he will be no good.Not worth the time to find out if by chance he may be good.


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## bruceki (Nov 16, 2009)

Some folks castrate and then slaughter 2-3 months after. A simple test for boar taint on a carcass is to cut off a bit of fat and fry it. Some people cannot smell boar taint, so you may not be able to tell even if the boar has it. If it does, you'll get an objectionable smell and taste from the frying fat. 

I've eaten my share of boars without problems if they're under 8 months of age, but maybe I've been lucky. Another route that you might want to explore if it's a nice animal with good conformation is whether someone is looking for a boar for their herd. You may be able to sell it intact and solve the problem that way. 

craigslist is a good resource for selling animals in most areas. Look to the right for your country/state-province/city

You can still make sausage out of boar-tainted meat. 

Bruce / ebeyfarm.blogspot.com


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We've butchered boars as old as 30 months without taint. So far we haven't butchered any boars older than that. Taint is primarily stored in the fat and takes about 2 weeks to come out after castration in the few boars that actually have taint. Removing the testes after killing won't affect it.

Since the taint is stored in the fat, use the lean of the boar with barrow or gilt/sow fat or even beef fat to make sausages IF taint is a problem.

Most boars don't have taint. Not all people can smell taint. So it becomes a question of you and he. 

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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## 1Travelingon (May 1, 2005)

Thank you everyone for your posts/help

I thought about listing him on Craigslist, but the reason I am considering butchering instead is because he has an unusally large humpback (so did his siblings). I really don't want to pass on this genetic trait. 

I am defineately a person who smells taint meat- 

The age info. is GREAT to know, he is only 5.5 months old approx. 175lbs., we can still casterate and fatten him up then.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

Andreozzi said:


> The age info. is GREAT to know, he is only 5.5 months old approx. 175lbs., we can still casterate and fatten him up then.


Good luck. I castrated a 150lb boar once, and it was entirely unpleasant, both for me and the pig. That was after I plied him with enough alcohol to put him into a solid 12hr stupor.

The last boar I butchered was at least 18 months old and was over 600lbs hanging weight minus head. I figure he was close to 900 lbs live. Maybe I can't smell it, but he tasted great. I do think he was gay, as he wouldn't impregnate my sow. Maybe that helped with the taint. If so, I'm going to selectively breed for gay pigs.

Pete


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

RedneckPete said:


> If so, I'm going to selectively breed for gay pigs.
> 
> Pete


Ummm, uh, well, uh, wouldn't that be a bit of a catch-22? Unless you then AI'd, I guess.


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## johnghagen (Feb 3, 2004)

Do it now and bring him up to 250 and you will have no problem.The cool weather is good for this just use a head gate and spray with livestock wound care.You want to on a older pig cut a little lower on the sack to help seepage as it heals you wont have any trouble.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

Jcran said:


> Ummm, uh, well, uh, wouldn't that be a bit of a catch-22? Unless you then AI'd, I guess.


I wasn't really serious about breeding for the genetics.

You would think that if gayness was genetic it would be self terminating. Sin doesn't seem to be bound by the same rules.

Pete


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## 1Travelingon (May 1, 2005)

Thanks everyone for your input


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## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Hi I have been kill and eat pork since I was a boy some 40 years plus, I like boar as they grow much leaner and I tend to buy then cheaper at the farmer market, and barrows are much fatter, I have had people say I can tell it the pork come from sow or a boar or a barrow, well I can tell you these same people have eaten ham from working boars and love the ham so much that they want to order some to take home. and I put this down to the way my great grand father show my grand father and he showed my dad and my Dad show us boys how to butcher a working boar. you must bleed them from both ends yes as soon as you have stuck the neck and have a go blood flow you must cut his testicle out and pull the cord out as far as you can and cut it. we kill few working boars each year and I have not had a bad one yet doing it this way.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I've heard this suggestion of post kill castration. The problem is chemicals that cause "boar taint" are stored in the fat weeks before death. One of the chemicals is a hormone originating primarily in the testes. The other comes from the small intestines.


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## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Hi Highlands,

All I know is I have been doing this all my live over 40 years and my father showed me and his father showed him and if works for us, and I kill a working boar a few weeks ago and we have been eating half a fresh pork no boar taint, and the hams and bacon will be ready in a couple weeks and I would say that there will be no boar taint free as well. , I have notice that a lot of pork meat that is imported to Australia from Canada as a very boar taint taste to it,some of the ham made on this imported pork you just can not eat it taste feral. may be the feel that is feed to the boar and maybe all the antibiotic they put in they pig feed,.


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## 1Travelingon (May 1, 2005)

Mountain Mick said:


> Hi I have been kill and eat pork since I was a boy some 40 years plus, I like boar as they grow much leaner and I tend to buy then cheaper at the farmer market, and barrows are much fatter, I have had people say I can tell it the pork come from sow or a boar or a barrow, well I can tell you these same people have eaten ham from working boars and love the ham so much that they want to order some to take home. and I put this down to the way my great grand father show my grand father and he showed my dad and my Dad show us boys how to butcher a working boar. you must bleed them from both ends yes as soon as you have stuck the neck and have a go blood flow you must cut his testicle out and pull the cord out as far as you can and cut it. we kill few working boars each year and I have not had a bad one yet doing it this way.


Good to know! Thanks Mountain Mick


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