# Mini Pig Market Disapointment



## tnokie (Jan 30, 2007)

xxxxx


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## crispin (Jun 30, 2010)

I am looking for a pig - where in TN are you?


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## tnokie (Jan 30, 2007)

xxxxx


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Honestly, where did you read that there was a booming market for these hogs? 

As for not butchering her because you've had her since she was three months old... WHAT??? You do realize in breeding "family sized butcher hogs" (which is exactly what an average AHH or AGH is without all the random cross breeding, btw) you would need to be butchering hogs you'd had since _conception_, don't you? 

She's worth more to you dead than alive. Emotions have no place in the rearing of livestock, all they do is get a farmer upside down in his investments quicker than you can say porkchop.


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## tyusclan (Jan 1, 2005)

Be very wary of any sales pitch that promises that this is 'future of the X market'. It's mostly somebody trying real hard to create a market for something that doesn't exist.

I know a lot of people who spent thousands on ostrich and emu 'breeding stock' to 'get in early' and be 'ready for the boom', yada, yada, yada.

Most people finally either shot them and buried them, gave them away or turned them loose.

A lot people are really capitalizing on 'homesteading', 'heritage', or 'heirloom' breeds and varieties, when they're often no better or even inferior to other breeds and varieties.

My advice to anyone who wants to raise hogs has always been to find someone in your area that raises hogs as nearly like you want to raise them as possible, and buy your stock from them, regardless of what breed they are. Any breed of hog will graze and do well on pasture. It doesn't have to be a 'heritage' breed.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

A potbelly/York cross is not a heritage type pig. Heritage breeds include the Mulefoot, Large Black Hog, Tamworth. Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Old Spots, Berkshire and other breeds. Here is a link to a pdf document listing some heritage breeds and their qualities. I am afraid someone sold you a bill of goods with your pig.
http://www.cochon555.com/HERITAGE_BOOKLET.pdf


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## tnokie (Jan 30, 2007)

xxxxx


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## Menglish (May 7, 2009)

Sorry Tnokie, but I have to agree with Olivehill. You are whining about losing money on a hog that could in the long run make you a couple of dollars if you'd just put it in the freezer. IMHO she gave you some solid advice but you got snorky because it wasn't what you wanted to hear.


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## HeritagePigs (Aug 11, 2009)

Just to clear up something, a "heritage" breed is just a breed that can be traced back intact before the age of factory pig farming. A PBP is and so is a York. The term "heritage" has nothing to do with the pig's qualities, rareness or desirability in the market, however. Hamps are "heritage" pigs but they are perhaps the most numerous "heritage" pigs in the U.S.

There is a market for small to medium sized pigs but you have to find the breed that is in demand. I don't know what that is; all my pigs are large. Don't be disappointed with this event. Keep doing research and keep trying. Perhaps Mulefoot or Guinea Hogs might sell better. Purebreds will almost always sell for more than crosses.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

A Yorkshire is a heritage hog. Yorkshires are one of the oldest breeds.

That said, I'm really dubious about the whole mini pig market. If you want a small pig, just slaughter it younger. If you want nice pigs, breed for a good temperament. Bigger pigs produce a lot more meat. If that's too much for you, sell the extra. I find that the larger pigs are better pasture grazers than the smaller ones. Bigger teeth, stronger jaws, longer digestive tracts, etc.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Well it appears that we are all experts. In the meantime we have offended someone who asked for help. Sorry tnokie.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

I had always raised the large farm hogs, but not knowing where I would be living, and being a porkaholic, I went to the small pigs since they're not considered livestock in the U.S. I really like the little tykes! I'm a hair under 5 feet and the pigs don't even come up to my knees.

I love the fact that the meat breeders of Potbellies are calling them American Heirloom Hogs to differentiate from the Potbellies as pets!

I don't live in the city and living out in the boonies gives you a different type of cliental for selling to. I'm raising the pigs for myself, but I'll sell once in a while whether they want meat or pets. Some who've said they'd want a pet think the pigs will wind up on their tables! They like the idea of being able to butcher, cook, and eat the same day.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Arriving after all the deletions, it sure makes for an interesting conversation.


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## sherekin1261 (Mar 17, 2004)

Oh boy here we go again...

I call my pot belly pigs Asian Heritage Hogs as was recommended right here on this list. No, technically they are not heritage but the term does differentiate for those people that get crazy if you mention eating a "pet" pig. All pigs are pork regardless of the size. My pigs are mutts... Hopefully the one girl will be about 200 pounds when she is full grown. That's big enough for us.

As for the comments about raising full sized hogs and just butchering them smaller please keep in mind not everyone wants, or has the room for, full sized hogs. We do, but want something we can butcher ourselves easily in an afternoon. Maybe some of you can do that, we can't. We also want something that wont destroy the amount of land we do have, full sized hogs are not it. There are sometimes valid reasons for people doing what they do the way they do it, even if you or I would do it differently.

Personally, I don't buy into any claim that any animal is the next best get rich quick scheme. They're all a lot of work. Everyone should look before they leap so to speak before investing the time and money. 

Anyway back to lurking

Shere


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## tyusclan (Jan 1, 2005)

HeritagePigs said:


> Just to clear up something, a "heritage" breed is just a breed that can be traced back intact before the age of factory pig farming.


I agree.

Durocs, Hampshires, Berkshires, GOS's, Yorkshires, etc. were all being raised and bred long before confinement operations became popular. Some breeds didn't adapt as well to that type operation and fell out of favor.

That's why I think finding someone who raises hogs like you want to raise them is more important than which particular breed you have. Even if someone can't find hogs being raised like they want, they can still get the best ones they can afford in their area, and by keeping the ones that do well and culling the ones that don't, they can improve their herd and develop a line of hogs that will produce and grow well in their particular operation.


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## Judy in IN (Nov 28, 2003)

I was at an auction last Tuesday. There was a litter of small pigs, along with the boar and the sow there. They didn't look like PBs, just smaller hogs. They (the sow and boar) looked like may-be 100 lb hogs. The babies sold at auction for $10 each. I would have bought some, but when I realized they would be so small, I didn't even bid. If I'm going to buy something to put in the freezer, I'll go full-sized. Maybe that's the mentality the OP ran into...


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

linn said:


> A potbelly/York cross is not a heritage type pig. Heritage breeds include the Mulefoot, Large Black Hog, Tamworth. Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Old Spots, Berkshire and other breeds. Here is a link to a pdf document listing some heritage breeds and their qualities. I am afraid someone sold you a bill of goods with your pig.
> http://www.cochon555.com/HERITAGE_BOOKLET.pdf


suppose its all on where your heritage is from? 

didn't some one on here coin the term "Asia Heritage hog" ?

potbelly/York=hybrid so that would make not a "heritage type pig" some what correct but a hybrid derived from heritage breeds. much like any other cross.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

tnokie, I wish you hadn't deleted your thread because there was probably something in there for others to learn by. I did read it before you deleted it.

At the end of the day, most people buy pigs to eat. They want something that is relatively fast growing and will be in their freezer by the end of 5-6 months - and I think this is borne out in Judy's thread.

NZ went through that phase with the Kunekune. They were on the "endangered" list and every small farmer with a couple of acres reared Kunes. Now nobody wants them. They are too slow growing, tend to fat and are too small for the length of time it takes them to grow. There is only a limited market for them as pets with the result that shelters are full of them. They are very similar to the Pot Belly and both could be considered a primitive pig. 

As mentioned in other posts, there is no quick buck to be made from livestock no matter how quirky. Stick with what people actually want and are prepared to pay for and it might not make you rich but it will give you some sort of income.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## sherekin1261 (Mar 17, 2004)

LOL that is true! One doesn't get rich raising livestock. Pet status seems to tbe the worst thing that can happen to any animal. When a dog breed becomes popular the market is suddenly full of poorly equipped and uneducated back yard breeders. The breed then suffers as a result. I am sure its the same here with the PB pigs--lots of health issues.

My whole point tho was to just point out we all raise for different reasons---ours is we need something smaller than the fullsized hog for the amount of land we have. We could confine them but that goes against what we believe in. 

I DO have a GOS piglet reserved ( yay!!!) and it may be we end up moving to them instead of the smaller pigs who can say?  


Shere


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== As for the comments about raising full sized hogs and just butchering them smaller please keep in mind not everyone wants, or has the room for, full sized hogs. ===


I usually butchered the large hogs at around 250 pounds. I wasn't looking to raise a smaller pig; I just wanted to see how the meat would turn out if I butchered a smaller pig, so I butchered one at 195 pounds.

We all have different tastes, but I found that pig tasted terrible. The meat gets its flavor from the fat and that 195 pounder had NONE! Gave the meat to a friend who prefers no fat.


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

sherekin1261 said:


> Oh boy here we go again...
> 
> I call my pot belly pigs Asian Heritage Hogs as was recommended right here on this list. No, technically they are not heritage but the term does differentiate for those people that get crazy if you mention eating a "pet" pig. All pigs are pork regardless of the size. My pigs are mutts... Hopefully the one girl will be about 200 pounds when she is full grown. That's big enough for us.
> 
> ...


Good post. (I raise AHHs too for the same reasons)


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

Ronney said:


> tnokie, I wish you hadn't deleted your thread because there was probably something in there for others to learn by. I did read it before you deleted it.
> 
> At the end of the day, most people buy pigs to eat. They want something that is relatively fast growing and will be in their freezer by the end of 5-6 months - and I think this is borne out in Judy's thread.
> 
> ...


I want Kunekunes!!!!!


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

Rogo said:


> === As for the comments about raising full sized hogs and just butchering them smaller please keep in mind not everyone wants, or has the room for, full sized hogs. ===
> 
> 
> I usually butchered the large hogs at around 250 pounds. I wasn't looking to raise a smaller pig; I just wanted to see how the meat would turn out if I butchered a smaller pig, so I butchered one at 195 pounds.
> ...



I think they meant "raise" as in from birth to plate, their own breedings


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

If someone wants to raise small pigs, that's fine. They'd be easier to handle, fences would cost less. Breeding sows and boars would eat less.

I'm not really interested because the butcher charges me $35 kill fee whether the pig weighs 100 pounds or 800 pounds. I'd like to get as much meat as possible for my $35 kill fee. Cut and wrap is by the pound, so size of the pig makes no difference there, except there is a minimum charge for smoking the bacon, so mini bacon would cost more per pound to have processed.

If someone is doing their own kill and process, that isn't an issue. What is an issue for me, is I like my pork chops to be a certain size and not the size of lamb chops. But hey, I'll eat Asian Heritage Pork if it tastes like good pork.


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

tnokie, I am sorry you felt the need to delete your posts, I missed reading them, and someone could learn from them.

One of the most important pieces with selling livestock is marketing. I personally am trying to learn how to be better at this. You can find/make a market for your animals if you work at it well enough.

Before my husband passed away, he did all the selling of our horses. When he was gone and I downsized the herd, I disovered that I sucked at selling them.  People would come to look at a horse and I couldn't help myself, pointing out everything I thought was wrong with the animal and not spending near enough time telling them everything that was good. Made it harder to sell them!

Anyway, if you are still interested in raising hogs, please keep posting and reading here. Maybe it's a matter of finding the right breed or setup that works for you, where the mini pigs didn't, or finding a way to make it work better. People here are usually great at giving ideas.


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## sherekin1261 (Mar 17, 2004)

well that is exactly why we want the smaller ones. That way we don't have to pay a butcher...we can do it ourselves. 

We will see what happens with chops etc. I like them too  we just have to see what we end up with. I dont care if we dont get the huge hams as we dont eat that much ham. Bacon now.. that is another issue.. and is one reason I may end up with GOS. We will see.

Shere


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

tailwagging said:


> I want Kunekunes!!!!!


Our bottom land is all grass...one of the women who sometimes buys boers from me, imported like 12 of them. she is going to raise them entirely on grass for the loca-carnivore market...all grass/no grain. Slow food indeed!


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