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Post by DEKE on Oct 4, 2018 20:18:35 GMT
DEKE , did you ever get that pig rassled into the trailer?
No, but the other 800 lb pig followed a trail of stale popcorn into the trailer and is being butchered today. I tried feeding only in the trailer but the recalcitrant pig went days without eating. When I gave up after 5 days and fed her in her usual spot, she was ravenous and wolfed down huge amounts of food. She is going to get another month or so of the good life and then I'll try again. I have to wait for the soup kitchen to use up the first pig because they nor I have enough freezer space otherwise.
For the past month I've been cooking 5 to 10 lbs of pork every other day. I made a few tons of pulled pork out of the better pieces and have that frozen in 4 serving sized portions. The junkier cuts, like neck roasts and hocks, went directly to the pigs and chickens. It was from a 450 lb pig we did last year and I wanted to clean out the freezer to prepare for the fresh stuff. The critters have been hugely happy getting all that, even if I feel a bit wasteful. It is somewhat amusing to see a chunk of spine in the hen pen that has been picked clean in just a hour or two.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2018 10:53:56 GMT
How is the meat from such a large hog? We had a 500 pound gilt we butchered a few years back. Can't say the meat was really fabulous, but then, perhaps I should have considered that the way it was raised wasn't to blame. Just always figured she got too big.
p.s. You must have crazy big freezers!
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Post by DEKE on Oct 5, 2018 12:39:13 GMT
I wasn't real happy with that big pig. It was great for pulled pork and roasts that I cooked slow and long. I used a backyard butcher. Unfortunately it wasn't until after that I heard complaints about his work, so I'm wondering if some of the problems came from his process. A few of the cuts had an off flavor, like the bacon, but most of it did not. Some of the cuts were very tough, like the chops.
Walter, the Vermont pig guy says he butchers 1500 lb boars and doesn't have those problems. In fact he charges extra for them because some of the upscale restaurants he supplies prefer the unique flavor.
That's why this time I switched to a USDA butcher and will pay a much higher price. I'll see if it is the older hog or the butchering process.
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Post by Thtwudbeme on Oct 7, 2018 4:18:05 GMT
DEKE, This might be difficult to do in Florida since it is so flat there, but is there a small hill or mound that you can dig out so that a flatbed truck can slide in there looking like a natural part of the landscape and she could possibly be coaxed up a slight incline onto the open flat bed? Obviously it would have to be a flatbed that has removable sides that can then be replaced to contain her on her trip to the butcher.
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Post by DEKE on Oct 7, 2018 12:57:14 GMT
DEKE , This might be difficult to do in Florida since it is so flat there, but is there a small hill or mound that you can dig out so that a flatbed truck can slide in there looking like a natural part of the landscape and she could possibly be coaxed up a slight incline onto the open flat bed? Obviously it would have to be a flatbed that has removable sides that can then be replaced to contain her on her trip to the butcher.
I did have a ramp that should have gotten her in, and it is only about a foot high. The other two pigs didn't have any issues with going in the trailer. I don't know, we'll see in another month or so. The one that did go to slaughter I pick up Monday.
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Post by joebill on Oct 7, 2018 15:34:39 GMT
I recall that if there are any holes in the ramp you gotta throw straw or a rug or something over them so they can't see how far off of the ground they are. If she won't go up there even for food, she has gotta be scared of something. Hunger usually trumps everything except fear. You can also put jackstands under the back of the trailer to eliminate "bounce". If you have heavy equipment and are not fussy about your barnyard you can take a few dips with a loader, back your trailer into the hole so the deck is level with the ground. I have loaded big top heavy machinery that way. Seems like a lot of trouble at first, but you can fuss away days trying to do it the "easy" way....Joe On edit; Hey!, @pony had good advice about the chickens!....try it after dark!.... …..Joe
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Post by 7thswan on Oct 12, 2018 14:50:09 GMT
Old thread but might help someone. Pigs will walk backwards pretty well if you try to put a bucket on their head.
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Post by joebill on Oct 25, 2018 2:24:13 GMT
I would too......Joe
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