Pasture Raised Pigs and other animals

[firefighter9208]

what butcher weight (hoof weight) have you been useing? how much take home meet did you get from your half?

Last year I let them get a little heavy. I didn't have a set of scales and just eyeballed them. When I took them to the butcher one was 450 and the other was 400. I got 260 pounds of meat of of the one that was 450 and 225 out of the 400. Or about 60%. There was a good bit of fat.

I've now got a way to weigh them and will take them to the butcher when they are around 300 to 325. I hope to get 200 # of meat out of them (hanging weight).

I've been getting $2.50 a # hanging weight.

Chris

 

[firefighter9208]

Tamworth is good meat. They have not been bred to be "the other white meat", but have good old-fashioned pork flavor. i also like Durocs, especially for hams. Durocs are the Jennifer Lopez of the hog world, having nice big round rumps! makes some very tasty country hams.

Yes it is. The pork chops are out of this world. I had them cut 3/4" and when grilled you can cut them with a fork. I had the bacon and hams sugar cured and they are very good.

It's funny that the tamworth pigs already have "big butts" at 40-50#. They are a very muscular pig.

Chris