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| Paul's dad, Bruce and brother, Steve |
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| Pig Delivery! |
The New Pigs Are Here
It is Saturday, September 11, 2004
and the new piglets have arrived on Shepherds Hill. I am so excited! This is the second venture into raising our own pork. Our
first was last fall with “BarbieQ” – a lovely Duroc pig we bought from Ed Harris. This time we have purchased 2 Hampshire gilts (young females) from Paul’s brother, Steve. Steve works for a hog farmer in Gadsden and I must say these two little ones are beautiful.
I am looking forward to raising two together. Paul
and I are discussing the possibility of keeping one as a possible sow and raising piglets with her. She is marked so nicely, which isn’t that big a matter for us, but she would make nice babies.
The Hampshire breed is black with white markings – preferably a stripe across their
shoulders and all the way around their front legs and chest. From doing a little
research I found that the Hampshire breed came to this country in the late 1820’s from Scotland and England and is possibly
one of the oldest breeds raised in this country. The
breed is known for good, lean meat.
Hampshire Breed Info
I will be adding information on the process of raising these two Hamps and keeping you updated
as to their growth and progress.
February Update On The Hampshires
Here we are, 5 months later and these hogs are getting big!! :-)) I must admit that our little foray into the two hog
raising experience has not been double the fun. All you experienced hog raisers are probably giggling with delight at our
innocent ignorance, right?!!! Now to be honest, it hasn't been all that bad.
Paul and I - being complete novices on the hog raising front when we started - are still not so sure about a lot of the
finer points of swine herding. But as in most other areas we are "Willing to Learn!". One of the perplexities
is - How much does the difference have to do with the breed?
Our first hog, BarBQ - was a Duroc. She was calm, clean and very easy going. She pooped in the same corner
everytime - making clean up very easy. She never made Paul nervous when he went in to her pen.
She handled kitchen slop and such well. Not so with the Hampshires.
First of all they do not respect the "Don't poop where you sleep and eat!" concept. They poop EVERYWHERE!!!!!
Inside, outside and upside down! Of all the animals we have raised throughout the years - these two gals are just totally
without manners. Secondly, they like to dance and jump and run. Whenever Paul goes into their pen to clean up
or replace their bedding - he wants someone nearby, just in case. (He never forgets to tell me the story of the young
man he knew in highschool, whose dad had a heart attack while in a hog pen and they ate his face off before someone found
him. Gross, I know - but of utmost importance to Paul.)
And as to feeding them slop - well, now they just don't handle it well. Everytime I feed them some kitchen scraps,
peels, or even leftover veggies from the garden it messes up their tummies. And let me tell you - a hog with an upset
stomach is NOT a pretty picture in more ways than one!!!!!
So to try to sum up this delightful little tale let me just say - Paul has decided that we will only raise one hog at
a time from now on. He has further decided that He wants us all aware and on standby whenever he has to do something
in the hog pen. And finally, when we prepare for that final journey that all happy homestead porkers have to make -
there will be no tear-dimmed eyes. In fact, you might hear a couple of Wahoooooooooos from the southside of town.
Pray for us!
Baked Ham
I am adding this recipe in honor of our finishing with our hog BarbieQ. She is safely processed
and in the freezer. :-)))
Get a nice bone-in Ham. I get the full ham myself not a halved one. Also you can buy a fresh ham
or a cured ham. Here is a chart on internal temp of the different types:
| Type |
Internal Temperature |
| Fresh (uncured) |
170°F |
| Cured, "uncooked" |
160°F |
| Cured, "fully cooked" |
140°F, or serve cold if you prefer |
Preheat the oven to 325*
The first thing I do is wash the surface of the ham with cool water. Then place it fat-side up in a roasting
pan. Next I cut diagonal slices about 1/4 inch deep into the fat/meat and then slice again in opposite directions to
make diamond shapes. Then I put a clove in each diamond section. Place the ham in a roasting pan that has a lid.
Next I use honey and mustard glaze. Just put a 1/2 cup of honey in a small bowl and add enough mustard to make
it tangy. Brush this over the top of the ham. You will use this as the ham bakes to baste it as necessary.
(As you can see in the pictures - you can also use Orange Juice as a basting liquid. It is really good!!)
Put the ham in the oven and bake slowly at 325ºF. Allow 30 minutes per pound for ham that has not been precooked
(follow directions on label for precooked hams). After ham has completed cooking time, take ham out of oven and let stand
15 minutes before slicing. Ham will continue to bake when out of the oven and letting ham stand for 15 minutes makes it easier
to carve.
Place it on a cutting board and slice it across the grain.
We serve ham on Resurrection Morning traditionally with Macaroni and Cheese and Broccoli.
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Raising a Homestead Hog
We have learned several things through raising a hog for our family.
Here is a list, but I hope to develop this list a bit more:
- Hogs must have STRONG fencing.
- The more you can feed a hog on leftovers (slop) the less you have to buy in the way of feed.
- For starting a hog - use 13% protein feed and for growing use 16% feed.
- Soybean meal will grow a hog but it will produce a softer fat. This is not good for bacon producing.
- Hogs are very susceptable to parasites and must be wormed regularly.
- The breed of hog has a lot to do with the kind of meat you desire. Certain breeds are better for ham, bacon, lard,
etc. Study to see which one is best for your needs.
- Hogs can be raised on concrete. It is easier to keep the pen clean and regulate the amount of fresh earth they get.
- Hogs do like to have some soil to eat on a regular basis.
- Hogs do not stink unless their owner is lax in keeping their area clean. So it is not the hog that stinks, it is the owner.
:-)))
Here are some useful links:
Breed Info
General Hog Raising Info
Raising A Homestead Hog
| Look How She's Grown!! |
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| Barbie Q |
| Our hog pen has reinforced hogwire and boards. |
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| It has a concrete floor - We keep hay for bedding |
February 28, 2004
So, now that we have an approximate weight on our hog we plan to butcher at the end of March. We have had her since
October 2003 - she was 8 weeks old when we got her. In this time period we have purchased 4 bags of 16% feed at
$6.00 per bag. Her feed has been greatly supplemented by slop and garden leftovers. We have wormed her twice and
will do so one more time.
It is our plan to take her to a local processor since our weather will not be cold enough to accommodate hanging the
carcass outside. We will keep you updated on the progress.
| Bye, bye Barbie |
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| This is just after she was loaded and ready to go! |
Getting The Weight Of A Hog Without A
Scale
If you cannot get your pig on a scale, you can still
weigh her by using the formula below. The formula comes within about three percent of the actual weight. The formula is as
follows:
1. Girth Measurement: Take the heart-girth measurement. Your measuring tape needs to go around the body just behind
the front legs and over the shoulder area. Square the result (Multiply the measurement by itself). BarbieQ's
measurement was 44". Squared is 1936.
2. Length Measurement:
Measure the length of your pig. Start at the top of his or her head right
in between the ears and measure down to the start, or base, of the tail (not the end of the tail). BarbieQ's
measurement was 47".
3. Girth Result X Length: Take
the girth measurement result and multiply that times the length of your pig. BarbieQ's total was 90992.
4. Weight Calculation: Divide this result
by 400, and you'll have a weight accurate to within about three percent. BarbieQ's totals 227.48 pounds
with about a 7 pound varience.
---Old Farmer's Almanac 1993
BarbieQ’s Last Day
Today is Tuesday, March 16th – the day we take our hog to
the meat processors. We are all excited yet a bit sad to see her go. I cannot imagine how you could raise an animal and not have some twinge – however minor – of
feeling when it is time for it to be killed and butchered.
Our family has always been very focused on the purpose of raising animals. It would be cruel to have animals and pet them and name them and “love”
them and then expect to have them for supper. I don’t think so! It is very
important to not treat the animals you raise as a family member or pet. It is
especially important to not allow children to develop a “relationship” with the animal – don’t let
them spend time hold, petting, or talking to the animals. It will make the final
use much easier on everyone.
Loading the hog – Paul devised a ramp that would go from the pen
door up into the bed of the truck. We had already placed our “ewe hauler”
(cattle bed) on the truck. Erin, Amanda, Olivia and I held “walls”
up on either side of the ramp and Paul tied a rope around the hog’s neck in case she somehow got loose. He started by trying to lead her up with a little corn – she took a step or two and then backed up
into the pen again.
Within just a minute, Paul got a bucket, placed it over her face and backed
her right up the ramp and into the truck bed. I was astounded that it took less
than 5 minutes to load this 240-pound hog. We were prepared for World War III as we had heard horror stories of people loading
hogs. Didn’t happen! Praise
the Lord!
We are taking her to a processor about 30 miles from here that has had nothing
but the highest recommendations. They charge $20 for initial processing and $.28
a pound for hanging weight. That includes wrapping and freezing the meat. I am
figuring that this will be about 160 pounds of hanging weight – but we will see.
We should be able to pick the meat up Friday or Monday and we will let you know the end costs
and how much meat we receive then. Be looking for some recipes for pork in the
near future!!
Returning From the Processor
Monday, March 23, 2004 we picked up the meat from our hog from Matthew's Meat Market. They brought out 3 boxes
of wrapped and frozen packages.
Our hog's hanging weight ended up at 230 lbs which is more than we thought it would be. So our total expense for
butchering, cutting, wrapping and freezing from the processor was $84.40.
We paid $25.00 for the pig (8 weeks old). We purchased 5 bags of feed at $6.00 per bag - which is $30.00.
So totalled up - we spent: $139.40 on this hog. We came home with 230 pounds of good meat so this figures out to $.60
per pound for our meat. We are well pleased!
There is no question how the hog was fed, whether it was diseased or had parasites when it went to the processor.
Our experiment has been a complete and total success. Paul had agreed to have this hog on a "we'll see" basis and he
has decided that we will be doing this again and again.
If you have any further questions please email us and we will help if we can.
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