Pig costs

[haecklers]

I think I figured this right.

My breeding sows are pot belly (the fathers are guinea hog), they eat around 2 lbs of fermented corn a day (dry weight, before soaking). More when they're lactating. For a year it costs me around $116.80 to feed them their corn. The older sows are having 6-9 piglets per litter, and they have 2 litters per year. If I figure at 5 live piglets per litter/10 per year, they cost me around $11.60 in their share of their mother's food. The father's doesn't count because we let them breed while we're growing them out to eat, so their feed just factors into the cost of their meat to us.

When I say pounds of corn, I mean dry weight, but then I soak it for 4 days or more to ferment it, so it swells and they get more actual pounds of food per feeding but it's heavier because it's wet. Fermenting it increases the nutrients available and the bacteria and yeasts actually make even more nutrients than the corn had, plus probiotics to keep them healthy.

Month 1 & 2 the piglets only cost their share of the 1 - 2 bags of Sow & Pig I get for the mother to supplement her (I figure it's balanced so it will help them grow better than if there are deficiencies) She gets 1 lb a day of that, and I put in extra as the piglets get bigger so they get 1 meal a day of this for the first 3 - 4 months, but I add in more fermented corn as they get older. The rest of their feed is very minimal because they're so small. So let's say $2/piglet for the first two months, total. After that, the amount they eat gradually increases as they get bigger.

Remember they also get food scraps, all the grass they can eat, and hay in winter (it averages out to just 1 bale per pig per year, I keep them in groups of 3-4).

For the next 2 months they eat about 1/2 lb of corn a day. At $8/50 lb bag of corn, that's $0.16/lb, or $0.08/day. I'm using 30 days as a month to make the math easier.

For the next 3 months they eat about 1 lb of corn a day.

For the next 3 months they eat about 2 lbs of corn a day

After that they eat about 3 lbs of corn a day (they get bigger than their mothers, due to the Guinea Hog genetics)

Month 1-2 total cost to feed: $2
Months 3 & 4 cost $2.40 per month to feed so at the end of the month:
Month 3 total cost: $4.40
Month 4 total cost: $6.80
Months 5 - 7 cost $4.80/30 days to feed so at the end of the month:
Month 5 total cost: $11.60
Month 6 total cost: $16.40
Month 7 total cost: $21.60
Months 8 - 10 cost $9.60/30 days so at the end of the month:
Month 8: $31.20
Month 9: $40.80
Month 10: $50.40
After that, at 3lbs/day they cost $14.40/30 days so at the end of the month:
Month 11: $64.80
Month 12: $79.20

If you are having trouble following this, that means at one year old the pig has cost me $79 total to feed it for its whole life. The last one we butchered at a year old weighed between 160 and 180 lbs.

This is the cost in addition to the other supplies (we got the hay for $1/bale this year - last year's but it is mostly for bedding), fencing, pools, etc.; plus the $11.68 they cost us (as their share of the feed for the mother for 6 months)

[eljay]

Thanks for posting that breakdown. There really isn't much feed that goes into them, is there? So, if you butcher yourself there is no extra cost. How much meat would you say comes off one of those yearlings?

[haecklers]

The last one was around 160 - 180 lbs; skinned, gutted, and the head cut off it was 120; and I think we had around 90 lbs of meat, plus soup bones for good stock and dog treats. Probably more with the liver, etc. included. DH loves pig liver!

[Nonesuch Melissa]

Thanks for your numbers.

We have only raised 1 Guinea hog to meat so far. It was a freebie lone piglet that came with my breeders when I bought them. It looks like we put in about $80 and got back 80 pounds of trimmed meat, plus lard and bones. We don't eat organ meats but the dogs do. I also made hogs head cheese, yummo. I am keeping two from this litter and the two females already have deposits as breeders for $250 each which goes pretty far toward pig food . So excited to have pigs that are the right size for easy home butcher for us old folks.

[eljay]

I am so looking forward to this. Little Arnold isn't capable, but he can tell me which girl is in heat already.

[simplynaturalfarm]

I get different numbers than you - what am I doing wrong?

first two months you have $2
you said 1/2 lb for next 60 days = 30lbs
then 1lb x90 days = 90
then 2 lb x90 days = 180
then 3lb x 90 days - 270

Total lbs consumed 570 x.17c lb = $102.60

I think maybe you calculated .08c per lb or something different?

Mine go through way more hay and I am fortunate that I can get barley/wheat for $3.50 for 40lbs

Mine cost $50 in feed not including the bit of fish meal I put in (I go through about 1 bag per year for all the pigs and chicks)

I do use way more straw for bedding, but I consider it all compost for our 15 acres.

Then there is me hauling water but it is good exercise (except for the days I am tired and it is a Pain *G*)
My girls are getting 3lbs per day split between 2 and they are 7 months and 100lbs. Hubby feeds them 10lbs when he does - for some reason he underestimates everything and I tell him ONE scoop and he uses the big metal and then we have to "discuss" it til I get out the scale and show him what 3 lbs is!

[haecklers]

First 2 months are only $2 total. You've got another 30 days in there, plus an extra penny/lb (.16 not .17), so it comes out right.

When we find hay that got wet, we give that to the pigs, so some of it would be wasted if not for them, because we don't want to give it to the cows.

I think mine come out cheaper, too, because we have around 60 chickens and they gobble a fair amount while the pigs are trying to eat. I kind of included what the chickens eat in as pig food because there's no way of measuring how much they're getting. But the greedy birds can eat a pound of fermented corn in about 3 minutes, so it could be they're eating quite a bit of it!

[robynsa]

Ok, our costs:

4 pigs. 2 PBx, Munsie who is a Duroc x and Kevin Bacon who is a commercial pig.

Between all 4 they eat 2 x 40kg bags of horse feed each month and all kitchen scraps, probably 5l of milk a day between them.

We get sweepings from the feed store for free and we mainly give them the dodgy grass hay bags and straw. They eat some, and some of them make nests in their houses. What they don't eat after a few days is raked up and added to the manure heap. I shoot pigeons and other invasive species with the air rifle and they get a bird a few times a week.

They get dewormed twice a year. I use Dectomax which controls mites and lice as well.

Butchering costs are our main thing. I don't know how to do it myself but more importantly I don't have a gun. So they have to go to the butcher.

The PBs don't return our investment, so I'm not counting them.

Kevin and Munsie

1.5kg of horse food each/day = R90/month each so R1080 per year

Deworming R40/year

Occasional bags of dog food when I see some on special R300/year

Supplement Munsie's grain for 4 weeks per litter with 2 litters a year - add R360 per year

Kevin cost per year R1420

Munsie cost per year R1780

Cost for both of them per year R3200

Selling 10 piglets per year R3500

Meat value to us per year R3000 based on 100kgs of useable meat, less butchering costs of around R1500 = R1500

So basically we're looking at more or less 50% return on our spend on Munsie and Kevin...

...which is then reduced to 0 by the spend on the PBs. Yes, it's time for PB pork chops!

[charlesh]

My numbers for 8 feeders this year: Note my costs are higher because of processing and bringing in 40 lb feeders.

Cost of 8 40lb Berkshire/Duroc hogs with vaccinations: $760
Cost of capital expenses (two hog feeders, a dc charger, few misc.): $515
Cost of feed: $1100
Cost of processing: $1200

Total: $3575

Income from sale of 7 hogs (with us keeping 1): $4300

My expenses don't include transportation or my time, so I didn't really make any money. But I got some really good pork, and the pleasure of providing same to friends and family.