Opinion? nonsense. A stinky old boar is somehow "pure". While diet can change the taste of pork, taint doesn't come from the digestive tract.
Might be a good lesson for you, a chance to sort out the wives' tales.

 

Chicory does work i use it.

 

Chicory does work i use it.

And you do not feed it to half the boars? The unfed boars all have taint? Can you see why things are not what they look like at times?

 

And you do not feed it to half the boars? The unfed boars all have taint? Can you see why things are not what they look like at times?

I only have one boar now. All my hogs eat it. It grows all over my farm.

 

Opinion? nonsense. A stinky old boar is somehow "pure". While diet can change the taste of pork, taint doesn't come from the digestive tract.
Might be a good lesson for you, a chance to sort out the wives' tales.

Multiple scientific studies is hardly an old wives tale. Put simply, it increases the liver's ability to filter out the hormones that cause boar taint.

But I did ask for opinions and everyone is entitled to theirs.

 

Both studies say ''reduced'' not eliminated. The second study states that it was not peer reviewed.

 

Reduced level of hormones and a significant reduction in taint "odor" score on pigs fed chicory, was the finding I believe. I meant to include this link for the second study, which is peer reviewed. My bad.
There is also a new study out that compares the effectiveness of castration, immunocastration, and chicory on the palatability of meat. Here is what they found. I'm copy and pasting because I don't think it's available if you don't have a subcription.

-----DELETED------
[Then summarize the findings but don't copy and paste. That is a copyright violation. Not hard to do a little summary. -Moderator.]

 

I find this topic interesting. I would say that while it may be that the feeding of chicory to pigs for boar taint is an old wives tale..it can be wise to pay attention to some of those old wives tales. People from 100 or 200 or more years ago weren't necessarily stupid and quite often would come up with things that worked even if they didn't exactly why. History is a good teacher.

It would seem to me that given the referenced study (and I'm sure there are others as well) that there very likely could be some merit to this. I fully intend to move to a system where I don't castrate my male piglets. Less cost, less pain, and one less thing for me to do or pay to have done. Boar taint is a very complicated subject with much opinion and (mis)information on the subject. I know that people successfully raise pigs without castration and with no issues of taint (see Highland's posts..and if you don't believe him..well..I don't know who you would believe). What works for him might not work for me, but it's a good starting point.

To each their own, but there is no sense in putting people down and calling statements "nonsense". It's ok to disagree. I for one am greatful for the various viewpoints.

 

Impulsive Farmer,

It is your business to do with as you see fit. Do you have customers who will pay you a premium for boar meat? Is it a reliable market that can be depended upon in the future?

You are talking about sourcing dry chicory root, and changing a cropping plan all for (3) little pigs. You are willing to use precious natural resources (automobile fuel) to potentially make a salable product out of these three pigs. Why risk it? Is this a sensible use of your resources.

Nobody likes to castrate, but it only takes seconds, and you know that the taint issue is no longer on the table. You can feed chicory and not really know if you will have a marketable product until you slaughter. Are you in a financial position to potentially waste three hog carcasses? Does the potential wasting of three animals lives, only to have their meat discarded, register on your moral compass?

Customers will not pay for a tainted animal. You may not agree with the commercial pork industry practices, but they were built in response to customer demands. If you are producing for someone else, you have to produce a product they are happy with, and will pay for.

Boars that are marketed in the US are primarily used in heavily seasoned sausage, such as pepperoni. The reason is because the seasonings can cover the taint smell. These animals do not command a premium in the market. Boar meat is the lowest of the low.

 

Impulsive Farmer,

It is your business to do with as you see fit. Do you have customers who will pay you a premium for boar meat? Is it a reliable market that can be depended upon in the future?

You are talking about sourcing dry chicory root, and changing a cropping plan all for (3) little pigs. You are willing to use precious natural resources (automobile fuel) to potentially make a salable product out of these three pigs. Why risk it? Is this a sensible use of your resources.

Nobody likes to castrate, but it only takes seconds, and you know that the taint issue is no longer on the table. You can feed chicory and not really know if you will have a marketable product until you slaughter. Are you in a financial position to potentially waste three hog carcasses? Does the potential wasting of three animals lives, only to have their meat discarded, register on your moral compass?

Customers will not pay for a tainted animal. You may not agree with the commercial pork industry practices, but they were built in response to customer demands. If you are producing for someone else, you have to produce a product they are happy with, and will pay for.

Boars that are marketed in the US are primarily used in heavily seasoned sausage, such as pepperoni. The reason is because the seasonings can cover the taint smell. These animals do not command a premium in the market. Boar meat is the lowest of the low.

Considering my whole marketing standpoint is "humanely raised meat the way nature intended", yeah it's kind of not really worth it to castrate on the small possibility of taint. Add to the fact that boars grow faster and apparently have juicer more leaner meat (according to the studies I've read including the one I posted above), I say the small risk is worth it.

I only need to source the chicory root for this one season. After that I should have my own. I don't have a ton of pigs and a couple plots of chicory is all I will need to plant.

 

Chicory seeds can be bought. Deer hunters use them for plot food. I believe they are perennials so would keep coming back. I would certainly consider using them as part of a pasture planting scheme.

 

Impulsive Farmer,

It is your business to do with as you see fit. Do you have customers who will pay you a premium for boar meat? Is it a reliable market that can be depended upon in the future?

You are talking about sourcing dry chicory root, and changing a cropping plan all for (3) little pigs. You are willing to use precious natural resources (automobile fuel) to potentially make a salable product out of these three pigs. Why risk it? Is this a sensible use of your resources.

Nobody likes to castrate, but it only takes seconds, and you know that the taint issue is no longer on the table. You can feed chicory and not really know if you will have a marketable product until you slaughter. Are you in a financial position to potentially waste three hog carcasses? Does the potential wasting of three animals lives, only to have their meat discarded, register on your moral compass?

Customers will not pay for a tainted animal. You may not agree with the commercial pork industry practices, but they were built in response to customer demands. If you are producing for someone else, you have to produce a product they are happy with, and will pay for.

Boars that are marketed in the US are primarily used in heavily seasoned sausage, such as pepperoni. The reason is because the seasonings can cover the taint smell. These animals do not command a premium in the market. Boar meat is the lowest of the low.

The boars i have sold for meat bring 3 bucks lbs. live weight . Here there is a good market for farm raised boars without taint. One boar weight 800 lbs.

Sold one two days ago not got the weight yet but it will go between 350 to 400 lbs.
It was a blue butt.

 

One of the scientific researchers I have directly communicated with years ago told me that chicory is one of the things that they found reduces and possibly eliminates taint. He also said that fiber goes a long ways towards that. Pasture has a lot of fiber. We raise hundreds of non-castrated (e.g., intact) boars a year and don't have a taint problem. We sell the meat at a premium and have a lot more demand than supply. Taint's not the problem some people make it out to be.

A couple of years ago I started planting chicory out in the fields. The pigs love it. It grows deep into our fall which gives us an extended grazing season.

Fortunately most pigs don't have taint according to the scientific studies. Taint is caused by a combination of bad genetics, poor management (confinement) and feed (low fiber corn/soy). You can breed away from taint, manage away from taint and feed away from taint. Do all three to optimize.

The question of chicory was a good new question.

This thread is closed because tempers on this tainty topic flare too high.

There are a lot of old threads on boar taint. See:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:homesteadingtoday.com boar taint pigs

There is a lot more here:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:sugarmtnfarm.com+taint