Dustin and I have recently started having conversations as we walk through the shopping center aisles about the cost of meat lately. I have also realized that I have been purchasing less and less due to trying to save some money. We have also been having some conversations with the kids around the care of farm animals. The kids have begun to learn that some animals are not treated as we treat our animals. From these conversations Dustin and I decided that it may be better for us to raise our own meat so we can control the intake and care of the animal and save some money.
So, if you are going to live, you might as well do what you want so we ended up heading to a pig breeder and picking up a couple of berkshire hogs. The kids are insistent on naming them but we are reminding them they will be butchered. After talking to the breeder we learned a few items.
- Berkshires are considered premium meat and can cost more.
- Berkshires take longer to grow and he recommended waiting to 6-9 months to butcher. You generally wait until they are approx. 250 lbs. beyond that you are not getting your money’s worth.
- The mother weighed over 500-600 lbs.
- Berkshires are very winter hardy and don’t need a lot in the cold winter months.
- Barrows are castrated males and we selected them becasue they grow faster.
We had originally planned on getting pigs that were a little larger but ended up with two barrows only 2 1/2 months. They are pretty cute so we will see how this goes.
They slept the whole ride home from the breeder and settled in pretty good. We will finalize all their fencing tomorrow. Let the fun continue.
Chick with a Whistle Farms 