Pet pig: what to do with her?

[WildHorseLuvr]

We have a 3 yr. old sow who's nothing but an oversized pet at this point. As time and energy are in very short supply right now we're trying to cut back on some of the workload around here. Dh has suggested selling the sow. I haven't checked prices but I'm guessing we would get next to nothing for her. She is a good sized pig, so I'm thinking we might be better off to have her butchered. Question is, with a pig this size, what will we get back besides a lot of fat? I've never butchered one this big.

We'd be having her butchered rather than doing it ourselves so I'm wondering if it would be worth the cost, and just how to have her processed to get the most value. I like sausage but really don't want to end up with 500 pounds of it.

I'd appreciate any advice.

[bethlaf]

Originally Posted by WildHorseLuvr

We have a 3 yr. old sow who's nothing but an oversized pet at this point. As time and energy are in very short supply right now we're trying to cut back on some of the workload around here. Dh has suggested selling the sow. I haven't checked prices but I'm guessing we would get next to nothing for her. She is a good sized pig, so I'm thinking we might be better off to have her butchered. Question is, with a pig this size, what will we get back besides a lot of fat? I've never butchered one this big.

We'd be having her butchered rather than doing it ourselves so I'm wondering if it would be worth the cost, and just how to have her processed to get the most value. I like sausage but really don't want to end up with 500 pounds of it.

I'd appreciate any advice.

you could have her butchered, and the hams would still be fine, even with her being 3 years i would even keep the ribs and tenderloins....
the rest, sausage and soup bones, guarenteed lots of fat on her for lard, so , plenty of soap!
cost of butchering should be around 200.00 or so ....

[RedneckWoman]

I have butchered 2-3 year old hogs before and they turned out fine. They weren't tough or anything and there really wasn't as much fat as one would expect (mine were hamps and hamp x duroc so maybe that had something to do with that). They were all actually pretty tender, the last old one we did gave some steaks and chops that were tender enough to cut with a fork and very tastey. I say go for it.
Butchering prices here range from .25 - .30 pound.

[BCR]

Butcher it for sure. Find a friend who wants to buy half. That will usually pay for butchering the whole thing.

[shakeytails in KY]

If she were mine, I'd have her butchered. I'd be afraid of her being tough, so I'd ask for the tenderloin, hams and and larger roasts(for crock pot bar-b-q) and have everything else ground into sausage.

[Cyngbaeld]

Ground pork works as well as ground beef in most recipes. I've used it many times for spaghetti, chili and anything I would put hamburger in. It tastes somewhat different, which I like because it is a relief from same ole-same ole.

[WildHorseLuvr]

Thanks everyone! We're going to go ahead and have her butchered. Dh initially wasn't too keen on that idea. After I pointed out that we'd end up selling her for little or nothing to someone else who would almost certainly butcher her and THEY would reap the benefits, he changed his mind. It's a good time to butcher her as I am trying to dry up my last milk goat and take a break from milking for awhile. With feeding milk and excess produce, we've spent very little on hog feed so far.

Thanks for mentioning the ground pork. I've never used it before but this is a good opportunity to try it. If the chops and roasts should turn out a bit tough, the crockpot will get a good workout this winter. We love pork in BBQ sauces, and also in chinese dishes.

Selling half is an excellent idea, except we will probably give some to our married kids instead. Maybe as part of their Christmas present.

[uncle Will in In.]

Sows over 500 lb were selling for $.40 to 43 cents. Cheap sausage.

[GeorgeK]

if it's tough, just age it. One week in the fridge.

Originally Posted by WildHorseLuvr

Thanks everyone! We're going to go ahead and have her butchered. Dh initially wasn't too keen on that idea. After I pointed out that we'd end up selling her for little or nothing to someone else who would almost certainly butcher her and THEY would reap the benefits, he changed his mind. It's a good time to butcher her as I am trying to dry up my last milk goat and take a break from milking for awhile. With feeding milk and excess produce, we've spent very little on hog feed so far.

Thanks for mentioning the ground pork. I've never used it before but this is a good opportunity to try it. If the chops and roasts should turn out a bit tough, the crockpot will get a good workout this winter. We love pork in BBQ sauces, and also in chinese dishes.

Selling half is an excellent idea, except we will probably give some to our married kids instead. Maybe as part of their Christmas present.