Homegrown Pork: Humane, Healthful Techniques for Raising a Pig for Food 9781612121260, 9781603428828, 1612121268

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Homegrown

Pork

Homegrown

Pork Humane, Healthful Techniques for Raising a Pig for Food

Sue Weaver

ß

Storey Publishing

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment. Edited by Sarah Guare and Deborah Burns Art direction and book design by Cynthia N. McFarland Front cover illustration by © John Vogl/The Bungaloo Back cover and interior illustrations by © Elayne Sears, except for plan drawings, appendix 2, by Shaun Batho, TSB Consulting Photography by © FLPA/David T. Grewcock/agefotostock, 46 top; © FLPA/John Eveson/ MindenPictures, 42 top; © FLPA/Nigel Catlin/Minden Pictures 43 bottom; © FLPA Sunset/ agefotostock 47 bottom; © incamerastock/Alamy 43 top; © Joerg Beuge/agefotostock, 42 bottom; © Livestock Conservancy/Jeanette Beranger, 48 bottom; © Lynn Stone, 45 bottom right; © Mark Pateman/Alamy, 45 bottom left; Mars Vilaubi, 41, 47 top right, and 48 top; © Nick Turner/Nature Picture Library, 47 top left; © Peter Worth/Alamy, 44 bottom; © Superstock, 44 top, 45 top, and 46 bottom Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications Expert review by Jeannette Beranger (chapter 4) and Kim Wells © 2013 by Sue Weaver All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.

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Printed in the United States by Versa Press 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Weaver, Sue.   Homegrown pork / by Sue Weaver.        p. cm.   Other title: Home grown pork   Includes index.   ISBN 978-1-61212-126-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-60342-882-8 (e-book)   1.  Swine.  I. Title. II. Title: Home grown pork. SF395. W33 2013 636.4—dc23                                                              2013030443

Storey Publishing is committed to making environmentally responsible manufacturing decisions. This book was printed on paper made from sustainably harvested fiber.

This book is dedicated to the great folks at Storey, and especially to Sarah Guare, whose editing makes my writing shine.



Contents



Preface viii part

1: Meet the Pig 1

Chap ter 1 : History

3

Man Tames the Pig • The Rise of Market Pigs

Chap ter 2 :

Physiology and Behavior 10 Pig Intelligence • The Five Senses • Pig Hierarchies • Basic Behaviors



Chap ter 3: Handling

22

Taming Wary Pigs • Lifting • Moving • Restraining • Hauling



part

2: Purchasing and Raising 33

Chap ter 4: Breeds

34

Choosing a Breed • Types of Pigs • Common Breeds • Rare Breeds • Unusual Pigs

Chap ter 5: Buying

76

Where to Buy • Visiting Farms • Bringing Pigs Home

Chap ter 6: Housing,

Fences, and Equipment 85

Shelters • Pens • Fences • Wallows • Furnishing the Shelter or Pen

Chap ter 7: Feeding

104

The Pig’s Digestive System • Commercial Rations • Supplementary Feeds • What Not to Feed • Pig Manure



Chap ter 8 :

Health 117 Finding a Good Pig Vet • Giving Shots • Treating Minor Problems • Checking Vital Signs • Common Illnesses • Heat Stress • Poisoning • Parasites

part

3: From Pig to Pork 149

Chap ter 9 : To

the Slaughterhouse 150

Slaughter Options • Taking Your Pigs for Processing • Pork Cuts at a Glance • Cutting Your Own Pig Chap ter 1 0 : Home

Processing 178

Curing Pork • Smoking Pork • Canning Pork • Freezing Pork • Homemade Sausage • Rendering and Using Lard • Cooking Pork

Appendices 213 Appen dix 1 : Pig History Timeline

214

Appen dix 2 : Build Your Own Pig Ark Appen dix 3: How to Shoot a Pig

Glossary 225 Resources 231 Index 240

224

218

Preface When I was a little girl in the early 1950s, Sunday meant church and dinner at Grandma O’Connor’s house. We belonged to the Church of the Brethren, one step from Mennonite in those olden days, and Brethren women knew how to cook. On a typical Sunday I’d squirm through a long, boring sermon with visions of Grandma’s lard-fried chicken or a plate of scrumptious potpie dancing in my head. Potpie! My favorite! It was a delectable Amish dish my grandma made using stewed ribs from Great-Uncle Leonard’s Spotted Poland China pigs and homemade sauerkraut, topped off with thick dumplings made of flour and eggs from Grandma’s hens. And oh, was that pork so good. Those were the days when pigs roamed the woods snacking on acorns. They followed the old-fashioned corn picker that spewed corn ears at every corner, munching their fill. They dined on produce from the garden and rooted in the dirt. When slaughtered, their meat was completely unlike today’s bland and dry supermarket pork. Great-Uncle Leonard’s pork was succulent and flavorful and beautifully marbled with sweet, white fat. The chops! The roasts! Grandma’s homemade sausage! Now that was real pork. You can still have pork like that today if you raise your own pigs. It doesn’t take a world of space (8 square feet of indoor space and 150 additional square feet outdoors, per pig) or require a lot of time (usually 5 to 8 months), and you won’t go broke feeding homegrown pigs. I’ll show you how to buy feeder pigs, which are 8 to 12 weeks of age and have already been weaned, and grow them to slaughtering age. Then I’ll show you what to do with their luscious pork. If you’ve never eaten pork like that from Great-Uncle Leonard’s pigs, trust me: the time and money invested in growing a pig is a drop in the bucket compared to the tummy-tickling, yummy flavor of real homegrown pork.



viii

1

Part

Meet the Pig  1

1

Chapter

History A pig in almost every cottage sty. That is the infallible mark of a happy people. — William Cobbett

M

ost of the species eaten by man have other primary uses.

Cattle and goats give milk and work in yoke or harness, sheep provide wool, chickens and ducks lay eggs, but pigs have been kept since antiquity for a single purpose: pork. Humans dined on pork from wild boars long before they domesticated pigs. But wild boars were, and are, formidable prey, especially for hunters armed with ancient weapons, so it made sense to grab piglets belonging to slain sows and take them to the womenfolk to raise. Then, as now in parts of the world, women breast-fed piglets, creating a bond that kept the little porkers close to the fold. Domestication was a breeze — more so than with any other species.

3

T e r m i n o lo gy A pig is any animal in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed hoofed mammals. These include domestic pigs, the Eurasian wild boar, and several other wild relatives, including babirusas, warthogs, forest hogs, red river pigs, and bushpigs. The word “pig” comes to us from the Old English word pigh. Euphemisms such as “porker,” “grunter,” and “squealer” are said to have arisen because of British sailors’ dread of uttering the word “pig” at sea (it’s bad luck). In North America, a pig is, correctly speaking, a juvenile member of the swine family, older than a piglet but younger than a hog. In Britain and colloquially here as well, swine of all ages are called pigs. That’s the term I like and use throughout this book.

M a n Ta mes the P i g Eurasian wild boars, the ancestors of today’s domestic pigs, evolved from earlier piglike creatures some 23 to 37 million years ago. They originated in Southeast Asia and spread across the rest of Asia and Europe. Until recently, scientists believed pigs were domesticated on two fronts — China and eastern Turkey — between 9,000 and 11,000 years ago, and from there domestic pigs spread to Europe and the rest of Asia with migrating Neolithic farmers. Recent research has shown that early domestication was more widespread than this. A team of archaeologists from Durham University in the United Kingdom analyzed DNA material from hundreds of modern and ancient wild boars and domestic pigs across western Eurasia. They concluded that additional domestications of wild boars occurred in such places as Central Europe, Northern India, Southeast Asia, and possibly even Oceania. As research continues, additional sites will undoubtedly surface.

m e e t th e pig

4

Pigs were ideal candidates for domestication. In fact, pigs may have practically domesticated themselves. Garbage, including human excrement, generated by settlements was a powerful attractant for hungry wild pigs who soon chose to live on the fringes of encampments and villages. Captured piglets were easy to tame, and domesticated pigs cost the community virtually nothing in care or feed; tame pigs ate whatever garbage the settlement provided and ranged nearby for nuts, fruits, and delicacies such as wild bird eggs. They reproduced freely. When the community needed meat, it killed a pig. As humans migrated to larger settlements, so did pigs. In addition to the tasty meat they provided, pigs kept things tidy. Pigs were often kept specifically to process human waste. According to Robert L. Miller in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, a family of four could raise four young pigs on the 2 kilograms of human waste and 220 grams of garbage they generated each day. Cities used pigs to clean the streets. Garbage pigs roamed New York City well into the nineteenth century. In Naples, even wealthy families kept a pig tethered on their grounds to consume garbage and “night soil.” Humans and pigs formed a symbiotic and enduring relationship that still exists in backyard pigpens all over the world.

T he R i se o f M a r k et P i g s At the insistence of Queen Isabella of Spain, explorer Christopher Columbus carried eight pigs in the hold of his ship on his second voyage in 1493. When he unloaded them at Hispaniola, the Caribbean island that now comprises Haiti and the Dominican Republic, they were the first swine to set hoof on New World soil. The pigs thrived and multiplied; their descendants and those of later importations became walking food supplies for various Spanish expeditions, including Francisco Pizarro’s conquest of Peru, Hernando de Soto’s and Juan Ponce de León’s forays into the southeastern United States, and Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s southwestern exploration. John Smith brought pigs to the Jamestown Colony in 1607. By 1623, the pilgrims at Plymouth Colony had pigs. Two years later, Peter Evertsen of the Dutch East India Company introduced pigs to New York City, then

History 5

P i g s i n An c i e n t C u lt u r e s Ancient peoples in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East all kept pigs, and the pigs became part of each culture. In Egypt, pigs played a role in religion. Min, a god associated with the city of Coptos in Upper Egypt, was said to be born of a white sow. Set, originally considered the god of the desert, was sometimes depicted as a boar with erect bristles; he was the god of swine and swineherds, and pigs were his favored sacrifice. Nut, the gentle Egyptian sky goddess, was called the Celestial Sow. The Greeks raised pigs. Aristotle called them “the animals most like people.” Besides pork, pigs provided sacrifices to various deities, especially to Demeter, the Greek goddess of fertility, agriculture, and abundance. The Romans developed two types of pigs: one with drooping ears and a large body that they raised for lard, and a prick-eared smaller pig they developed for meat. During the Roman Conquest, pigs of both types made their way to the far-flung corners of the Roman Empire, where they interbred with native domestic swine. Pigs were sacrificed to Ceres, Rome’s equivalent of the goddess Demeter, and to Mars, the god of war. The ancient Celts honored swine above all other livestock. In addition to representing fertility and wealth, boars symbolized c ­ ourage — for they are strong, dangerous, and very hard to kill. Farther east, in India, the Hindu god Varaha, a protector god and third incarnation of all-wise and powerful Vishnu, was pictured as a wild boar or a man with a wild boar’s head, while the Hindu goddess Durga in wild boar form is known as Bajrabarahi. The Chinese, who have been raising domestic pigs longer than almost anyone else, associate pigs with prosperity and fertility. Hai, or the Year of the Pig, is the 12th sign in the Chinese zodiac. Children born in the Year of the Pig are thought to be happy, healthy, and honest.

m e e t th e pig

6

called New Amsterdam, where they roamed the byways as four-legged street cleaners until well into the mid-1800s. Large-scale pig farms develop. Country folk tended to raise pigs in the time-honored way of releasing them into the forest to rustle their own grub. However, the rise of oil and grist mills in the early to mid-1700s provided cheap and nutritious by-products to feed penned pigs, as did waste from such institutions as hospitals. Larger-scale pig farming soon emerged as a lucrative business, and East Coast pig farmers did a booming export trade throughout the eighteenth century. Virginia shipped bacon to Britain and Europe, while Massachusetts specialized in salt pork. After the Revolutionary War, settlers began moving westward to establish new farmlands, always taking porkers along. As a growing number of pigs populated farms west of the Appalachians, Eastern entrepreneurs built more processing and packing plants. Since railroads weren’t widely established in the pig-growing western states, such as Ohio, drovers herded their pigs to market on foot along drover’s roads. Droves consisted of several hundred pigs and covered only 5 to 8 miles per day. An estimated 40,000 to 70,000 pigs were driven from Ohio to eastern markets every year. By the early to mid-1800s, railroads had expanded west, and pigs were shipped, rather than driven, to eastern markets. At the same time, Cincinnati, Ohio — known to pig raisers of the day as “Porkopolis” — became a major processing and packing center. By 1850, Cincinnati led the nation in pork processing. In 1887, Swift & Company developed the refrigerated railroad car, an event that revolutionized the meatpacking industry. Now slaughterhouses could be built close to where pigs were raised, and pork, rather than live pigs, was shipped to market. Stockyards and processing centers popped up in major pork and grain production areas such as Sioux City, Iowa; Chicago; St. Joseph, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Confinement operations emerge and dominate. Market pigs were often raised in crowded lots but not comparable to today’s intensive conditions, where sows are held in narrow confinement crates for much of their lives and pigs rarely see the light of day. Such operations popped up in the 1960s, when North American big-business farming emerged. Large-scale p­ roducers

History 7

discovered that meat can be produced more economically when animals are raised in closely confined conditions indoors. Today it is hard to find pork in the grocery store that does not come from a confinement operation. Some of us, however, want to know our meat is raised in humane conditions — and we want flavorful meat. If there aren’t any small farmers around that raise pigs, we need to produce the meat ourselves. Pig raising has gone full circle, from backyard pigpen to feedlot to confinement and back again.

P i g te r ms These are the basic, pig-related terms you should know; for more specialized terms, turn to the glossary at the back of this book. barrow. A castrated male pig boar. An adult male pig with intact sexual organs dressing weight. The percentage of a butchered carcass that is usable, compared to live weight feeder pig. A young pig between 8 and 12 weeks of age, weighing 40 to 60 pounds feral pig. A wild pig descended from domestic stock gilt. A female pig that has not yet given birth grower pig. A pig weighing between 40 and 260 pounds that is being fed to slaughtering weight market hog or market pig. A pig that weighs 220 to 250 pounds (market weight) and is ready for slaughter — also referred to as a butcher hog or butcher pig piglet. An infant pig, from birth to about 8 weeks of age runt. The smallest piglet in a litter shoat. A weaned, adolescent pig sow. An adult female pig trotters. Pigs’ feet wallow. A water-filled tank, children’s wading pool, or depression in the ground where pigs cool off in warm weather weanling or weaner. A recently weaned pig

M e e t th e P ig

8

Wi l d B oar s an d Fe r al P i g s Beginning about 10,000 years ago, pigs were domesticated in several spots around the world, always from a species known as the Eurasian wild boar. Both sexes of Eurasian wild boar are called wild boars. They have large heads and front ends, and they range in weight from about 175 to 400 pounds. Wild boars have thick, coarse double hair coats consisting of a harder, bristly top layer with a softer undercoat. The crest of hair that runs along the ridge of the wild boar’s back is longer than the rest. Eurasian wild boar piglets are born a reddish color with black longitudinal stripes. Adult wild boars vary from brown to black, red, or dark gray, depending on where they’re found. Male wild boars are noted for their sharp, curved tusks, which continue growing throughout their lives. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Eurasian wild boars were introduced for hunting in the United States, where they interbred with feral pigs. In South America, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Australia, wild boars were also introduced by humans and interbred with domestic pigs. The first feral pigs in the United States descended from domestic stock brought to North America by early European explorers and settlers. Today, many hybrid feral and wild pig populations exist throughout the wild pig’s range. Feral hogs vary widely in appearance, especially as escaped domestic pigs continually join their ranks. Some resemble barnyard pigs in type and coloration, while others resemble wild boars.

Eurasian wild boar

History 9

2 Chapter

Physiology and Behavior These are bagpipes. I understand the inventor of bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the man-made sound never equaled the purity of sound achieved by the pig. — Alfred Hitchcock

P

igs have thick bodies, slender legs, short necks, and large heads.

A distinctive feature is the pig’s snout — a feature strengthened by an internal prenasal bone called the rostral bone, with a flat disc of cartilage at the tip that’s shaped like an upside-down heart. Because of the way pigs are built, it’s next to impossible to force a pig to do something he’d rather not. Factor in porcine intelligence and the fact that panicky pigs can quickly die of porcine stress syndrome (see page 130), and the stage is set for disaster unless you know what makes pigs tick. If you do, you can work with a minimum of fuss to pig and person.

10

P i g s at a G l an c e Adult size:

25–1,200 lbs. or

more

Heat duration:

Rectal temperature

(grower

Ovulation:

age to adult pigs): 101.5–

36–42 hours after

Length of gestation:

(grower age to

114–115

days (3 months, 3 weeks, and

adult pigs): 25–40 breaths

3 days)

per minute Days to 250 lbs.:

24–72 hours

onset of heat

102.5°F (38.6–39.2°C) Respiration

17–25 days

Heat cycle:

Average litter size:

Boars and

7–15 piglets

barrows, 140–170 days; gilts,

Average birth weight:

150–190 days

2–3.5 lbs.

Age at puberty for boars:

Natural life span:

3–8 months

10–20 years

Age at puberty for gilts:

3–7 months

Parts of a p ig forerib area

rump

back

loin side

ham

stifle joint rear flank hock dew claw

teats fore flank elbow

sh o u

lder

jowl knee cannon bone pastern foot

Physiology and Behavior 11

P i g I n tell i g e n ce Though some would like to think of pigs as dumb animals or animated pork chops, studies have found that in truth they’re the Einsteins of the farm animal world. Pigs can learn to use mirrors. Scientists believe this is a sign of complex cognitive processing and a somewhat sophisticated awareness. Consider a study conducted by Dr. Donald M. Broom and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge in England. They began by exposing eight 4- to 8-weekold piglets to a mirror and recording their reactions. The piglets crept up to the mirror, hesitated, grunted, nuzzled their images, studied themselves from various angles, and looked behind it. They largely ignored the mirror when exposed to it on a second occasion. Next, they added a bowl of food that couldn’t be directly seen but whose image was reflected in the mirror. On spotting the food reflected in the mirror, all but one turned away and found the food in an average of 23 seconds. A control group of piglets that weren’t previously introduced to mirrors looked behind the mirror for the bowl of food. Pigs have preferences, problem-solving skills, and good memories.

Scientists at the University of Illinois determined that pigs have temperature preferences, and they can learn through trial and error how to turn on the heat in a cold barn and turn it off again when they are too warm. “They’re known to work in pairs to maneuver the latches and gates of their pens. Once they figure out how to open the gates, they’ll do so repeatedly,” says Ken Kephart, a Penn State professor of animal science who has spent more than 20 years working with pigs. Tests also show that pigs remember where food is stored, even if it’s hidden. In instances where food was hidden in multiple locations, they first retrieved the food that they liked the best. Pigs can quickly learn their names and respond to training. The late Dr. Stanley Curtis, formerly of Penn State and the University of Illinois, conducted many studies of pigs, including one in which he put a ball, a Frisbee, and a dumbbell in front of several pigs and taught them to jump over, sit next to, or fetch any of the objects on command; they could still

M e e t th e P ig

12

do it 3 years later. He also taught pigs to play video games by moving the joystick with their snouts. “Pigs,” he says, “are able to focus with an intensity I have never seen in a chimp.” Consider the talented pigs that portrayed Arnold Ziffel of Green Acres and Babe, the sheepherding pig of movie fame. Or Sue, a Kunekune pig named after the hero in the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue.” Kept by Wendy Scudamore of Herefordshire, England, Sue taught himself basic dog agility moves by watching Scudmore’s 12-year-old daughter train her dog. Pigs are bright, and with kind handling they develop charming personalities.

T he F i v e S e n ses Like us, pigs perceive their environment through five senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch.

Sight Pigs’ eyes are small and deeply set — hence the term “pig-eyed” when applied to humans, horses, and dogs. Because of the placement of their eyes on the side of the head, pigs have wide-angle vision in the neighborhood of 310 degrees and binocular vision of 35 to 50 degrees. They do, however, have a blind spot immediately behind them; to avoid startling a pig, approach from the side or front. The jury is out on whether pigs see in color, but the presence of rods and cones in their eyes suggests that they do. Researchers believe pigs see some but not all colors, though they disagree on which colors pigs see.

binocular vision

Physiology and Behavior 13

monocular vision

monocular vision blind spot

Due to the position of their eyes on the sides of their heads, pigs have wide-angle vision.

Smell A pig’s remarkable snout encompasses the middle of his upper lip. The snout is a floating disc of cartilage tied to muscle, which allows it to be moved in any direction and to be used as a shovel. It’s supported by the pig’s rostral bone, a structure unique to swine. Pigs have an acute sense of smell. Piglets recognize their mother and their teat position (I’ll talk about teat position in just a bit) by scent. Older pigs recognize each other in much the same manner. In one study, sows identified which of otherwise identical cards they had touched hours earlier, even after the cards had been washed. Feral pigs use scent to locate food and to mark territories. Researchers established that feral pigs are most attracted to the scents of rancid fish meal and oil, cod liver oil, spoiled chicken, and petroleum. Pigs’ sense of smell is so acute that truffle hunters use pigs to locate that precious fungus in the ground. But once a truffle pig scents his quarry, the hunter must be quick, because pigs love truffles too.

Taste Pigs, reportedly, have a preference for sweets. In a study published in the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, scientists tested 60 artificial sweeteners, finding that the same 35 sweeteners most humans prefer were also most attractive to pigs. Another study found that, in addition to sweets, pigs also like meaty and cheese flavors. Hearing Pigs’ ears are oval with pointed tips and a wide base attached to the upper part of their heads. They hang down over the faces of some breeds and stand erect in others. The hearing range of pigs is similar to that of humans. They locate specific sounds by moving their heads. Pigs hate sudden loud noises, including yelling; it increases their heart rate, so use your normal speaking voice when working with pigs. In addition to body language, pigs communicate through a range of vocalizations (see box opposite).

M e e t th e P ig

14

M o r e t han a S q u e al an d a G r u n t Researchers have identified 20 distinct pig vocalizations, including long, medium, and short grunts; barks; squeals; and screams. Here are some of the common sounds pigs make and what they mean. short grunt.

A short grunt has a staccato quality. Pigs make

this sound when they’re excited or investigating something new. A series of short grunts, especially when ascending in pitch, may be a warning; if you hear this, watch out. medium grunt.

The basic grunt is the sound pigs make in

response to familiar sounds and while rooting. long grunt.

A long grunt means, “I really like that!” You’ll hear

it when you rub a pig’s belly. bark .

Pigs bark amazingly like a dog when they’re startled.

squeal.

They squeal when they’re upset.

scream.

A screaming pig is injured — or thinks he is. Pick up a

piglet and hear him scream.

Touch Touch and bodily contact are important to pigs. They seek out and enjoy physical contact and lie close together when resting. They also enjoy contact with people they know. Tame pigs like to be scratched behind the ears and shoulders and happily roll over for a brisk belly rub.

Physiology and Behavior 15

P i g H i e r a r ch i es In the wild, herds of feral pigs, called sounders, consist of several sows and their offspring; boars aren’t permanently attached to sounders and remain solitary or form bachelor groups. Raised under natural conditions, domestic pigs form similar groupings. There are two types of social order in swine: teat order and dominance hierarchy.

Teat Order Sows have four to seven pairs of teats, which is usually sufficient to feed an average litter of piglets. Newborn piglets nurse randomly. However, 4 to 6 hours after birth, they scope out a favorite teat and then, barring being ousted by a stronger sibling, nurse at that station until weaning. Occasionally, piglets in small litters suckle two adjacent teats. Stronger piglets claim anterior teats (the ones close to their mother’s front legs), as these give considerably more milk. Piglets nuzzling anterior teats trigger milk letdown, whereas piglets nuzzling posterior teats near the sow’s hindquarters do not. Sows control milk letdown, and milk flows for only 10 to 20 seconds. The average nursing interval is less than one hour, so piglets normally receive more than 24 feedings a day. A sow invites her piglets to nurse by rolling onto her side and slowly grunting. She grunts faster and faster as piglets assemble and nuzzle her teats, begin slowly suckling, and then settle down to suckling in earnest. As the milk flow subsides, the grunting rate slows. After feeding, piglets continue dry-suckling the teats for a short interval, then the sow and her piglets usually sleep. Dominance A social hierarchy or pecking order is established within 24 hours of strange pigs entering an established group, although the level of aggression usually drops after an hour.

M e e t th e P ig

16

There is little infighting once a hierarchy is established. Each pig has a set place in the order, with high-ranking individuals expecting and getting the best resting spots and stations at the feed trough and low-ranking pigs receiving whatever is left.

B a s i c B eh av i o r s Some behaviors are genetically wired into swine; providing for these needs produces happy pigs. Denying them, as occurs in high-tech confinement systems, leads to boredom, stress, tail and ear biting, and unwanted habits called stereotypies, such as pacing, bar biting, and vacuum chewing (chewing when there is nothing in the pig’s mouth).

Rooting Pigs root with their tough, strong snouts, beginning on the day they are born. According to livestock behaviorist Temple Grandin, rooting is such an important behavior that swine root an average of 60 times in 24 hours. Pigs’ rooting disks contain as many tactile receptors as a human hand. Rooting enables a pig to explore his environment and search for food on and under the ground. It comprises 51 percent of a pig’s waking hours. Many swine owners clamp metal rings in their pigs’ snouts to prevent them from rooting up pastures. It works, but it frustrates and stresses the pig, leading to unwanted behaviors such as tail and ear biting. Commercial pig rings are made of 1-inch-diameter copper wire with sharp ends and are applied using a pliers-like ringing tool. Rings are clipped to the rim of the snout, not through the nostrils; a typical adult pig will be given three or four rings. Rings are inhumane and forbidden in some countries, though not in the United States. Rather than ringing their pigs, savvy swine owners give their porkers substances to root in, especially when they’re housed indoors or in small outdoor quarters where rooting in pasture isn’t an option. Studies show that pigs prefer to root in peat, compost, straw, and sawdust, and that particle size and texture are more important than moisture content.

Physiology and Behavior 17

Rooting behavior is so ingrained that tame pigs occasionally root (hard) at their caretakers’ footwear, sometimes tipping them over in a heap. They may also root at pig hurdles used to move pigs from place to place. When working with a pig, it’s wise to keep track of what he’s doing with his snout.

Nesting Pigs have the most elaborate nesting behavior of any farm animal. Given the opportunity and materials, pastured pigs create a shallow hollow in the earth and line it with sticks, leaves, and straw to fashion a cushy bed. All sows are strongly wired to nest before farrowing. Sows typically spend up to 5 hours nest-building on the day they give birth. Even sows

W e ’ r e M u c h Ali k e Physically, pigs are more similar to us than we’d like to think. Pigs are monogastric animals, meaning they have one stomach. Their digestive systems are much like our own. If a pig were to stand on his hind legs, his heart would be in the same place as yours. In addition to meat, today’s pigs are a source of more than three dozen drugs and pharmaceuticals. They are used extensively in medical research, because if a medication helps pigs, it will probably also help humans. The chemical structure of insulin from pigs resembles that of humans. Heart valves from pigs are routinely implanted in humans to replace human heart valves that are weakened by disease or injury. Pigs’ skin is used for covering massive burns and injuries because their skin is so similar to ours. Pigs are so like humans that some say humans taste like pork. Historically, cannibals in isolated populations called human flesh “long pig.” Robert Louis Stevenson writes about long pig eaten by Polynesians on the Marquesas Islands in his 1889 work In the South Seas.

M e e t th e P ig

18

confined in cruel confinement crates go through the motions of building a nest for their new pigs.

Chewing Pigs investigate their environment and test things by chewing on them. Buckets, feed containers, and shoelaces are all fair game (pigs destroy shoelaces very quickly). Bored pigs in sterile, industrial situations satisfy this urge by chewing on other pigs’ tails and ears. Even in backyard situations, it pays to alleviate boredom through “environment enrichment” — the industry’s way of saying “give them toys.” Temple Grandin has found that pigs aren’t as likely to chew toys left on the ground because they avoid objects contaminated by manure. Instead, pigs prefer hanging, flexible chewing toys that they can destroy, such as wide strips of fabric (think old bedsheets torn into 3-inch-by-24-inch strips and tied to fences) or cotton ropes and rubber hose suspended from the ceiling. But they don’t like indestructible dangling chains. Rubbing Though pigs have thick skin, they derive great pleasure from rubbing themselves (hard) against solid objects such as trees, fences, buildings, and their caretakers’ legs. Sturdy fences set on well-sunk, stout fence posts endure; flimsy versions don’t. And it’s easy to be toppled by a friendly pig who uses your legs as a rubbing post. Watch pigs when they cluster close around you; they can injure humans without intending to. Wallowing Pigs do not sweat like other animals. According to John J. McGlone, PhD, of Texas Tech University, they have a type of sweat gland in their skin, but the glands don’t work. Pigs lose a small amount of moisture, and thus heat, through passive diffusion via the skin — but not much. Instead, they cool themselves by lying on cool surfaces and by wallowing in water and mud, a much more effective mode of cooling than sweating. Although some pigs prefer to wallow alone, most pigs wallow in social groups across the wallow, without facing one another. Therefore, wallows

Physiology and Behavior 19

“

Pigs Are Clean

One of the most common and mistaken opinions in regard to hogs is that they are the most unclean of farm animals. Hogs will keep their pens and yards cleaner than any other class of farm animals if they are given room to do so. There is no other class of farm animal that will set off one portion to sleep in, and another portion to feed in. The fact that hogs will wallow in mud is not evidence that they are unsanitary." — C. A. Willson, How to Feed Live Stock Successfully (1916)

should be roomy enough to accommodate all the pigs that use it, and then some. And wallows should contain a mixture of water and mud, not just thick goo. I’ll talk about building wallows in chapter 6. Wallowing serves a secondary need, in addition to cooling. Unlike their hairy wild boar ancestors, most breeds of domestic swine have sparse hair coats that fail to provide protection from sunburn and biting flies; a thick layer of mud does both.

Fighting When introduced to strange pigs, swine of both sexes fight. In addition to obvious injuries, usually to the ears, fighting produces dangerously high levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The motions of fighting include preliminary posturing, frothing at the mouth, and standing hackles along the back of the neck and spine. A fighting pig faces his opponent, with his head aligned with the other pig’s shoulder. The pigs slam their heads into each other’s shoulders, slash with their tusks, and wipe foam from their mouths onto the other pig. This foam contains each pig’s scent and marks the other pig with his smell. The fighting continues until one pig backs down or runs away. Simple disagreements may last only minutes, but a serious fight to establish dominance can take hours.

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Pigs tend to battle when introduced to unfamiliar pigs, sometimes injuring one another in the process.

Additional Pig Behaviors Pigs tend to be active during the day and sleep at night, though they spend much of their day dozing, too. They normally lie on their sides or on their bellies to sleep. Pigs usually walk around their pens and pastures; running pigs are excited or happy. They prefer to move at their own pace, away from darkness and into light, and they tend to follow a leader — important points to keep in mind when moving pigs (I’ll talk about that in chapter 3). Piglets huddle to stay warm, a behavior they carry into adulthood. Given the chance, they’re naturally clean and eliminate in one out-of-the-way spot in their pen or pigsty. Highly agitated pigs bunch together and are difficult to separate and sort. They are also easily stressed and are prone to porcine stress syndrome (PSS), which is indicated by labored breathing, tremors, and red or purple blotches on the skin. (See page 130.)

Physiology and Behavior 21

3 Chapter

Handling Never try to teach a pig to sing. You waste your time and annoy the pig.

Y

— Robert A. Heinlein

ou’ve undoubtedly heard the term “pigheaded,” but you’ll never

really appreciate how true that is until you’ve tried to handle or move a reluctant pig. Pigs are intelligent, opinionated, and built so that forcing them to do things is pretty much out of the question. You’ve got to outsmart them, and that isn’t easy. The best way to raise easy-to-handle pigs is to spend a lot of time with them right from the start. Tame pigs that allow people to approach and touch them are easier to deal with than pigs that run away.

Ta m i n g Wa r y P i g s If the feeder pigs you buy are wary of people, accustom them to having people nearby while they’re eating. Put down food, drag up an overturned bucket, and sit as close as the pigs will allow while they are eating. Sit still. Make grunting sounds. Don’t stand up or they’ll run away. Move closer each day until the pigs are totally unconcerned, then gradually reach out

22

and touch one. If he runs away, pull back your hand and wait. It won’t be long until he comes back to the feed. Continue reaching out until the pigs allow touch. Once they are comfortable with being touched by you, teach them to eat from your hand. Do this before mealtimes. Sit on your bucket and hold a handful of food near the pigs’ usual eating trough. When they eat from your hands, touch them. Finally, scratch your pigs’ backs. This, along with tummy rubs, they love. Or simply sit on your overturned bucket in the middle of the pigpen, silently and still, your hands in your lap or by your sides, and let the pigs come up and sniff and taste you. Make no move until they’re comfortable with your presence, then begin speaking to them and offering your outstretched hand. Before long they’ll trust you and allow you to scratch them. Now you have tame pigs.

Tak e C ar e : P i g s C an H u r t Yo u Though grower pigs are usually pretty easygoing, don’t doubt for a minute that they can hurt you. Frightened or belligerent pigs can crush you against a wall or knock you down, and pigs can bite — hard. Younger grower pigs are knee height, and a hard shove from any angle can cause serious knee damage. Whenever you’re working around pigs, especially if they’re nervous or upset, keep a steady eye on where they are and what they’re doing. It goes without saying that only persons capable of withstanding pushing and shoving should enter a pigpen. Whether a person is 6 or 60, if he falls and can’t get up, he can quickly receive severe injuries.

Handling 23

L i ft i n g In most cases, you’ll drive or lead bigger pigs to a new destination, but you may choose to carry piglets. To do so, grab the piglet by one hind leg. Reach your free hand under his body and scoop him up, holding him in a horizontal position and supporting him with your hand under his chest. Don’t grab piglets by their tails or ears or carry them by one leg; it’s inhumane and can damage the pig. To pick up a slightly bigger pig, squat to the side of the pig, grasp one arm around his chest and another around his rump, and lift straight up using your legs, not your back. Make sure he’s in a position where he can’t whack your face with the back of his head. Be prepared: When picked up or carried, pigs struggle and scream nonstop and incredibly loudly — louder than you can probably imagine. You might want to wear earplugs.

“

Homemade Pig Harness and Lead

Here is a good way to lead a little pig. Tie the rope around his neck so it won’t choke him [a bowline knot would be good to use here], then carry it back and make a loop back of his legs. He can’t get away if the rope doesn’t break and you can hold him.” — Jacob Biggle, Biggle Swine Book; Much Old and More New Hog Knowledge, Arranged in Alternating Streaks of Fat and Lean (1899)

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M ov i n g Sooner or later you’ll need to move your pigs from point A to point B: from pen to pasture, across the barn, or to the truck to take them to slaughter. Pigs are not easy to move. This can be one of the most frustrating aspects of pig ownership, so be prepared. For information specific to moving piglets, see chapter 5.

Using Hurdles Pigs aren’t designed to be haltered and led or tied in the manner of most other kinds of livestock, so to move or restrain them you need hurdles. Also known as pig boards, hog boards, butterfly boards, chase boards, drafting boards, and sorting panels, hurdles work on the premise that pigs move away from walls and toward openings. So, to halt forward movement, to slow down a pig that’s moving too fast, or to block a pig from turning to the side, the handler places a movable wall — a hurdle — in his path. Without a hurdle, all the pig sees as you drive or try to restrain him is two legs and a lot of open space. He may slam into you accidentally or on purpose in his desire to get away, or he may try to dash between your legs. 30"

30"

The easiest and safest way to move a pig is by using a hurdle to move it along.

Handling 25

Readymade plastic hurdles are lightweight and convenient, but it’s easy to fashion your own out of a piece of plywood.

You can buy ready-made plastic hurdles in one-piece or hinged styles or build your own using ½-inch plywood. Plastic hurdles are lighter in weight, and that can be an advantage if you’re small, but homemade plywood versions work just as well. Hurdles should be at least as tall as the type of pigs being handled and about the same length. A typical general-duty hurdle could be 30 inches wide by 30 inches high by ½ inch thick. If you don’t have a hurdle when you need one, even a paper feed sack might work. The trick to using a hurdle is simple: To stop forward movement, place the hurdle in front of the pig and watch for movement toward either side. Pigs have good wide-angle vision and don’t have to turn their heads very much to see what’s happening behind them, so you won’t have a lot of warning before a pig strikes out in a new direction. As he changes direction, block him and continue blocking until he’s headed in the right direction, then follow behind with the hurdle, ready to block again if you need to. When using a hurdle, lean the top edge toward you to help keep the pig from rooting the hurdle upward into you with his snout and scampering off. To really appreciate the art of maneuvering pigs with a hurdle, take in the swine judging at a 4-H or county fair, and watch ring personnel separate battling pigs using hurdles.

Driving If you’re not going far, it’s easier to lure pigs to their destination with a pan of feed than it is to drive them there, even using hurdles. For best results, don’t feed pigs before you move them. Carefully plan the route. Create a runway if it’s feasible, keeping in mind that solid barriers are much more effective than materials a pig can see through. Make the runway 36 to 42 inches wide so the pigs don’t feel crowded but so that it’s narrow enough for you to block retreating pigs with a hurdle. Snow fence makes a decent and inexpensive temporary barrier for tame pigs if the fence is well braced with metal T-posts and you move the pigs in a sane, low-key manner. Avoid making sharp corners in the runway; pigs don’t navigate corners very well. Don’t try to push pigs forward unless the way is clear. Allow for good, nonslippery footing and an uncluttered runway by removing things pigs could get hurt on.

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Man e u ve r i n g T r i c k s •• To turn a pig around, use your hand or hurdle to turn his

head; his body will follow. •• To back him up, brush his snout with the bristles of a

household broom, taking care not to poke his eyes. •• To move a pig that won’t go either forward or backward,

upend a bucket over his head. The pig will back up. Hold the bucket in place while a helper guides the pig. Back him wherever you want him to go. This trick works nearly every time.

It’s important to keep your cool when driving pigs. Pigs can be infuriatingly obstinate, but don’t lose your temper and hit or yell; it’s counter­ productive. Frightened pigs are unpredictable, and annoyed pigs tend to stop. Encourage pigs by speaking to them in a modulated, soothing voice. Allow them to walk to their destination at a leisurely pace, checking out things along the way. Easy does it, from start to finish.

Using a Transport Cage When moving a single pig, especially if he’s a big one, it’s a good idea to make a simple transport cage. To build one, you’ll need a 16-foot hog panel. Bend it back on itself to form a teardrop shape and fasten the ends with sturdy snaps or D-rings. Place it over the pig, grasp the Another easy way to move a pig is in a cage like this one.

Handling 27

cage at the jointed end, and walk, dragging it behind you. The panel will constantly nudge the animal’s backside, encouraging forward movement without annoying the pig.

C h i l d r e n an d P i g s While it’s perfectly okay for responsible, older children to care for your family’s pigs, use great caution when taking toddlers and young children into the pigpen with you, and never allow them to go in without adult supervision. Teach small children to behave around pigs — no screaming, running, or pushing. Upset pigs dash about, and their sheer bulk can knock a child down. Pigs by nature rub against things. A small child is fair game and it’s easy for a pig to root a youngster off his feet. If the child screams or cries, the pigs will investigate, and the child can be stepped upon or roughly rooted around the pen. If your child wants to hand-feed a pig, teach him to hold the treat in the flat of his hand. Fingers clutching treats are apt to be bitten. Toes seem to fascinate pigs. Don’t allow children to go barefoot around pigs, nor should you. Everyone in the pigpen should wear steel-toed shoes or boots for protection against the weight of pushy pigs. Shoelaces are almost as interesting as toes, so pull-on boots work best for small children. It’s best if little kids don’t make pets of pigs destined for the freezer. Little ones usually can’t grasp the concept of “This pig is for food; we’re going to eat him,” and may not eat pork from former pets. If your children want a pet pig, buy a sow and raise piglets to feed for the freezer or to sell. But if you do, keep in mind that sows with newborn pigs are ultraprotective and potentially dangerous. Children should understand that their pet is off-limits for a few weeks each year.

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Rest r a i n i n g Sooner or later you’ll have to restrain your pigs to give them shots, treat a wound, or take a temperature. There are several ways to do this, depending on the size of the pig. Luring with food. If your pigs trust you, you might get by with putting down a pan of feed and quickly performing the procedure while the pig is eating. An assistant can hold a piglet for treatment. Using a hurdle. If your pigs are grower size and don’t trust you, force them into a corner and use a hurdle to hold them there long enough for minor procedures. You might need a snout snare to restrain bigger or belligerent pigs. Snares should be used judiciously, if at all, and it’s best to have an experienced person show you how. Using a snare. A ready-made pig snare is a hollow metal rod with a doubled cable running through it. At one end is a handle, and the other end is a loop that tightens around a pig’s snout. You can easily build a less severe, yet workable, homemade snare. Bore a ⅝-inch hole in one end of a round stick about 5 feet long (a used broomstick or pitchfork handle works fine), run a length of ½-inch rope through the hole, and tie the ends securely. Size the loop to fit over your pig’s snout

homemade snout snare

commercial snout snare

Handling 29

when fitted like a commercial snare, allowing just enough slack to twist it several turns once you’ve snagged his upper jaw. Any snare you use should be made using smooth rope or unblemished cable; frayed cable can cut into a pig’s mouth or snout. And take off the snare as quickly as you can. Snares shouldn’t be used for more than a few minutes, tops. To use a snare, hold the pig in a corner using a hurdle. Place the loop in the pig’s mouth behind his canine teeth, moving the loop as far back in the pig’s mouth as possible, then up over his upper jaw and snout. Tighten it, then quickly step in front of the pig and, facing him, lift up on the snare; the pig will pull back. Hold the pig in this position while a helper performs the required task. To remove the snare, loosen the loop and let the pig back away. Never try to tie or lead a pig using a snare.

H a ul i n g Hauling is tremendously stressful for pigs. According to data collected from packer members of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, 80,000 market hogs die of hauling-related injuries and stress each year. Hauling also elevates cortisol levels that in turn contribute to the immunosuppression effect. Pigs don’t handle change very well. Factor in the noise, confusion, and sometimes crowding that are part and parcel of trucking, and stress kills. Whether you’re hauling piglets home to your farm or trucking finished pigs to slaughter, it’s important to transport pigs with care. In Lowering Stress in Transported Goats, animal care specialist Craig Richardson writes that transportation stress factors are one of two types: shortacting factors that cause emotional stress, and long-acting factors that have physical effects and tend to accumulate over the duration of a trip. This applies to pigs, too. Short-acting factors that stress hauled animals include unfamiliar surroundings, unfamiliar traveling companions, and unstable footing. Longacting, often cumulative factors include noise, vibration, being thrown against the vehicle or other animals, fatigue from standing, insufficient food and

M e e t th e P ig

30

water, and extremes of temperature and humidity. Take the following precautions to cut down on short- and long-term stresses. Plan ahead. This will help cut down on in-transit injuries, post-transport weight loss, and stress-induced illness. Start out with sound, healthy animals, and do your best to keep them that way. And since pigs are social creatures, haul at least two if you possibly can. Map the route in advance. According to Richardson, braking and cornering cause 75 percent of in-transit falls; crossing bumps and acceleration cause the rest. Stop-and-start driving causes hormones and blood components to fluctuate and can drive heart rates to twice their norm. If the most direct route means dealing with rush-hour traffic or possibly hitting the red light at scores of stoplights, it’s wise to choose a longer but easier route. Load pigs with care. Cover the nonslip floor of their conveyance with dust- and mold-free bedding, or improvise by covering a slippery floor with several inches of damp sand and topping that with conventional bedding. If loading at night, provide plenty of interior lighting; pigs move more easily from darkness into light than the other way around.

Pigs can be transported in any safe, well-ventilated conveyance such as this goat tote designed to slide into the bed of a pickup truck.

Handling 31

Allow enough time to drive carefully. Accelerate slowly and smoothly; do your best to stop that way as well. Ease up on the gas well ahead of turns, and don’t take corners too abruptly. Compensate for high and low temperatures. Weather extremes head the list of long-term stressors. As the temperature and humidity inside their traveling compartment rise, animals become restless. Pigs that are gasping for air are in deep distress, as are any who have fallen and refuse to get back up. To combat high temperatures, create additional ventilation by opening windows or replacing solid upper walls with sturdy, closely spaced pipe or heavy wire mesh; travel only during cooler morning hours; and keep the number and length of stops to a minimum. Cold kills, too. Pigs are susceptible to frostbite and loss of body heat. It’s important to keep in-transit pigs dry. Cover openings to protect them from rain and wind chill. Add more bedding. Allow extra space so they can move away from chilling wind. Choose the right conveyance. Pigs can be safely hauled in goat totes (boxes or cages designed to be secured in the bed of a pickup truck) and truck cappers, stock and horse trailers, and even in crates in vans and pickup trucks. What they can’t be safely hauled in are completely enclosed cargo trailers or any sort of a conveyance with openings large enough for passengers to bail out of. A determined pig can jump higher than you think and squeeze through incredibly small openings.

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2 Part

Purchasing and Raising Handling 33

4 Breeds Chapter

The actual lines of a pig — I mean of a really fat pig — are among the loveliest and most luxuriant in nature. — G. K. Chesterton

P

igs fall into one of several categories: purebreds, crossbreds (also

called hybrids), and run-of-the-mill pigs. They can also be lard pigs, bacon pigs, or modern meat pigs, also known as porkers. Which should you buy: big pigs, such as Yorkshires, or small pigs, such as Guinea Hogs? It depends. How big is your family? How big is your freezer? Are you dreaming of huge, smoked hams and lots of sausage or small, succulent pork chops? Do you plan to keep your pigs in a pen, feed them commercial feed, and expect them to grow from feeder to slaughter in five or six months? Or do you want juicy, flavorful pork from slower-maturing pigs raised on pasture, garden produce, and home-mixed grains? In the first case, modern hybrid pigs developed for fast gains and lean pork would do the trick. In the second, a heritage breed is more likely to deliver the goods. Many breeds fall midway between.

34

C h o o s i n g a B r eed It’s a good idea to know which breed you want before you go shopping for a feeder pig. Don’t buy a pig in a poke. Know what you’re getting before laying down your money.

Crossbred or Purebred? Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, is the phenomenon by which the performance of an animal with parents of two separate breeds exceeds that of its parents. Farmers of large operations crossbreed two, three, and four times for increased fertility and production in close confinement, but home pork raisers can buy and raise crossbreds, too. Crossbreds, also called hybrids, often grow faster than purebreds, making them a good deal for people who want fast pork. The downside is that hybrids aren’t necessarily created to produce flavorful pork. When taste, not haste, is important, purebreds are usually better. It’s important to note that crossbreds are not run-of-the-mill, “just pigs.” Their ancestors are purebreds, though not of the same breeds. By buying purebreds or hybrids, you know what sorts of genetics are involved. A Pig in a Poke Piglets of unknown breeding are a The saying “Don’t buy a pig in a crap shoot — you don’t know how poke” harkens back to Europe’s fast they will grow, how big they will Late Middle Ages, when hucksters be, and what their pork will taste like. supposedly offered buyers a piglet Stick to purebreds and engineered in a bag without opening it, saying crossbreds. They cost a bit more, but the animal might jump out and run they’re worth it.

away. When the buyer got home to

How Much Meat Do You Need? A typical pig delivers a lot of pork. Consider these figures provided by the National Pork Producer’s Council.

Breeds 35

his pigsty and opened the bag, out popped a cat or a dog. Nowadays, the saying means don’t buy something unless you’re sure you know what you’re getting — very apropos for buying feeder pigs.

loin

ham

Boston butt

side picnic

hocks

A typical 250-pound pig yields about 140 pounds of meat divided into your choice of tasty cuts including ham, bacon, loin and shoulder roasts, sausage, and more.

A typical commercial market pig weighing 250 pounds with a dressing weight of 73.6 percent produces a 184-pound carcass yielding 140 pounds of pork and 44 pounds of skin, fat, and bone. Depending on the customer’s instructions, a skilled butcher can convert this carcass into: • 45 pounds of ham, amounting to 24 percent of the carcass; or 25.5 pounds of cured ham, 2.3 pounds of fresh ham, 5.8 pounds of trimmings, and 11.4 pounds of skin, fat, and bone • 34.9 pounds of side (belly), equal to 19 percent of the carcass; or 19 pounds of cured bacon, 5.8 pounds of spareribs, 9.1 pounds of trimmings, and 1 pound of fat • 33.8 pounds of loin representing 18 percent of the carcass; or 3.2 pounds of back ribs, 10.7 pounds of boneless loin, 7.6 pounds of country-style ribs, 5.7 pounds of sirloin roast, 1.6 pounds of tenderloin, 1.6 pounds of trimmings, and 3.4 pounds of fat and bones • 16.6 pounds of picnic (picnic shoulder) comprising 9 percent of the carcass; or 12.6 pounds of boneless picnic ham and 4 pounds of skin, fat, and bone

P u r c hasi n g a n d R aisi n g

36

• 14.7 pounds of Boston butt (shoulder, shoulder butt) amounting to 8 percent of the carcass; or 4.4 pounds of blade steak, 7.8 pounds of blade roast, 1.7 pounds of trimmings, and 0.8 pound of fat • 39.2 pounds of miscellaneous cuts equal to 22 percent of the carcass; or 15.4 pounds of jowls, feet, tail, neck bones, and the like, 22 pounds of skin, fat, and bone, and 1.8 pounds of shrink and miscellaneous loss You can, of course, ask your butcher for different cuts and products — maybe more roasts and fewer steaks or a significant amount of sausage. Any way you cut it, this is a lot of meat. Do you need that much? If not, perhaps a smaller breed such as a Guinea Hog or Kunekune would be a better choice. Keep in mind that pigs grow better in multiples, rather than one large, lonely pig. Two pigs of a smaller breed will yield smaller cuts but as much as or more meat than one big one. Also consider whether you prefer lean or fatty meat. This will influence whether you purchase a bacon, lard, or modern meat hog (see page 38). Lard-type hogs produce succulent, rich-flavored, fatty pork; bacon-type hogs produce healthier, drier, leaner meat. Modern meat hogs fall somewhere in between.

Where and How Will You Keep Them? Will you raise your pigs in a pen (semiconfinement) or free range out in a pasture or woods? In Great-Granddad’s day, most pigs were raised outdoors. They rooted up tubers, grazed acorns, and coped with summer sun and icy winter weather. They were hardy creatures — not like today’s commercial swine that, because they haven’t needed survival qualities for generations, suffer or perish when exposed to the great outdoors. Buy from producers who raise pigs the way you plan to raise them yourself. These pigs begin gaining weight almost from day one, whereas pigs taken out of their element need time to adapt. Also note that some breeds work best under certain conditions. Tamworths, for instance, are active pigs that don’t like confinement, even in a

Breeds 37

large-size pen; these are outdoor pigs, pure and simple. Others — such as Berkshires, Hampshires, Herefords, and Kunekunes — do well in roomy pens. Consider color if you live where it’s sunny much of the year. White pigs, especially pigs with scanty hair coats, sunburn very easily. If you’re set on keeping a white breed outdoors, you can still raise it, but you’ll have to provide sufficient shade; I’ll talk about that in chapter 6.

What Is Their Availability? Young pigs are stressed by leaving their littermates and traveling to a new farm, and stress inhibits weight gain. You may have to haul your pigs some distance if your heart is set on a certain rare breed, but try to be flexible, and buy your pigs fairly close to home.

modern Meat versus lard A

B

A A

B

Modern meat pigs (A) are leaner than lard pigs (B), and generally taller and longer. Bacon pigs are leaner, taller, and longer still.

P u r c hasi n g a n d R aisi n g

38

B

T y pes o f P i g s In olden days, there were two types of pigs: lard hogs and bacon hogs. Carol Ekarius adds a third type in Storey’s Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle, and Pigs: modern meat. Lard pigs were the rage in times past, when lard and tallow were Small, Medium, and important commodities (I’ll talk about Large Pigs lard in chapter 10). With few excepGrower pigs don’t reach their full tions, these were fat pigs with short growth potential by slaughtering faces, square-shaped bodies, and short age, so I’ve stated proportional legs. A few heritage lard pigs are still sizes rather than exact adult available in North America — such as weights. However, should you the Guinea Hog, the Gloucestershire decide to raise a pig or two to Old Spots, the Mulefoot, and the adulthood, these are the approxChoctaw pig — and the curly-haired imate adult weights. Mangalitsa is imported from Hungary. ••Small: 300 pounds and less Fat is not a bad thing in homegrown ••Medium: 400 to 500 pounds pork; it adds flavor you’ll never taste in ••Large: 600 pounds and up pork from modern, ultralean breeds. And cooks are turning to lard again, for reasons I’ll discuss later. The available lard breeds are small-to-medium-size, extremely hardy pigs that yield exceptionally flavorful meat and plenty of fat for making homemade lard. Bacon pigs are long, lean breeds developed for bacon production. These are all of the Landraces (such as American, British, and Danish), Large Blacks, Red Wattles, Tamworths, and Yorkshires. Modern meat pigs, also known as porkers, fall midway between. Most were developed or redeveloped in the 1930s for a changing market that had a preference for leaner cuts of meat. These include Berkshires, Chester Whites, Durocs, Hampshires, Herefords, Poland Chinas, and Spots; nowadays, many individual pigs of the bacon breeds also fall into this category. These are your all-around pigs.

Breeds 39

Co mm o n B r eeds There are dozens of worthy breeds to choose from when buying your grower pigs. Included here are hybrid producers — the breeds that pork producers combine to produce today’s fast-growing crossbred hybrids. It’s also easy to find purebreds of these common breeds.

L an d r ac e vs . “ L an d r ac e ” True landrace breeds are what their name suggests: races adapted to thrive in a specific land or locality; for example, Mulefoot and Choctaw hogs, Pineywoods cattle, Gulf Coast Native sheep, Marsh Tacky horses, and Spanish goats. Landrace breeds are often divided into individual strains that are further adapted to a family’s or group’s intended use. They aren’t bred for uniformity in the manner of standardized breeds. They’re consistent enough to be recognized as distinct populations, but they vary in appearance more widely than individuals of standard breeds. Most evolved in isolated, sometimes compromised environments outside the mainstream production of their species. Humans frequently have little input on selection within a landrace breed. The forerunners of Danish Landrace pigs were indeed a landrace variety in their native Denmark. The name “Landrace,” however, emigrated with the breed when it was exported to other countries, becoming the American Landrace, the British Landrace, the Dutch Landrace, the German Landrace, and so on, which are not landrace pigs in their adopted lands.

P u r c hasi n g a n d R aisi n g

40

Pigs

Hereford

41

above:

42

Landrace x Large White x Duroc

below:

Mangalitsa

above:

Berkshire Black

below:

Duroc

43

above:

44

Yorkshire

below:

Kune Kune

above:

Ossabaw Island

below left:

Berkshire piglet

below right:

Yorkshire

45

above:

46

Tamworth

below:

Wessex Saddleback

Yorkshire

Gloucester Old Spot Tamworth Mangalitsa boar

above Left:

above right: below:

47

above :

48

Hereford

below:

Red Wattle

American Landrace Bacon Orig in : United States Co lo r: White. Dark skin spots are considered undesirable. A few freckles on the skin are allowed but black hairs are not. S ize : Large F u n Fact: Landraces are extra-long because they have more ribs and vertebrae than other breeds. De sc rip t io n : The American Landrace is a long, lean pig with large, heavy-textured lop ears and a long, narrow head. Ty pe :

Beginning in about 1895, the forerunner of American Landrace pigs, the Danish Landrace, was developed in Denmark by crossing Large White pigs from England with native landrace stock. The United States Department of Agriculture imported Danish Landrace in 1934, adding just a dash of Poland China genetics to the mix. Since then, additional Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Landrace genetics have been added, making the American Landrace a distinctively American breed. American Landrace pigs are extra-long in every way. Their backs are straighter than those of most other pigs. The breed is known for its easygoing disposition, fast growth, hardiness, lean meat, and plump but trim hams. American Landrace sows are especially noted for their milkproducing abilities.

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P i g P u r c ha s i n g Ti p s Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when looking for the right pigs. Try before you buy. Each breed yields meat with a distinctive texture

and taste. If you can, sample pork from breeds you favor before you buy your pig. Buy breed-specific pork at specialty meat shops or search for favored breeds online. For example, to purchase meat from heritage Red Wattle pigs, visit your favorite search engine and type “Red Wattle pork for sale” in the search box. Favor fat. Is pork fat healthful food? Probably not. But the fact remains

that fat adds a world of succulence and flavor to cooked pork. This is the primary reason that pale, defatted grocery-store pork tastes so bland. An intramuscular marbling of fat produces juicier, more flavorful pork. Legions of world-class chefs also praise the thicker layer of back fat produced by some old-time breeds. Diners can trim off excess fat at the table if they wish, chefs say, whereas lean, fat-free pork is always dry. Consider physiology. Pigs are individuals, but most pigs within a

breed act somewhat alike. For instance, breeds with huge lop ears that cover their faces, such as Large Blacks, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and American Landraces, can’t see or hear as well as prick-eared breeds, so they’re generally slower-moving, docile pigs. This makes them best for beginners and in situations where small children might wander into their pens or pastures. Prick-eared breeds such as Tamworths and Yorkshires see and hear everything going on around them, so they tend to be more reactive and harder to move. Pigs with long, straight snouts root more than breeds with short, upturned snouts. Therefore, short-snouted breeds such as Poland Chinas and Yorkshires are generally easier on pastures than Tamworths, Iron Age pigs, and Ossabaw Island Hogs. Long-snouted breeds, however, are peerless foragers and are ideal for woodland situations.

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Berkshire Modern meat Orig in : Berkshire, England Co lo r: Black with white snout, boots, and a white tip on the tail S ize : Medium to large F u n Fact: The first hog registered in the American Berkshire Association herd book was an imported boar named Ace of Spades, bred by Queen Victoria of England. De sc rip t io n : The Berkshire is a nicely proportioned pig with a short, dished face and small, upright ears. Ty pe :

Two hundred years ago, farmers raised proto-Berkshires west of London, where they were fattened on waste products from London’s slaughterhouses, dairies, breweries, and distilleries, making the Berkshire one of Britain’s oldest recognizable swine breeds. The British Berkshire Society was founded in 1884, though Berkshires came to the United States as early as 1823, when John Brentnall imported some to New Jersey. Fanciers formed the American Berkshire Association on February 25, 1875; it was the first swine registry established in the world. Berkshires are noted for intramuscular fat marbling and especially succulent, flavorful meat that is darker red than conventional pork. Berkshire pork is particularly popular with chefs here and abroad — especially in Japan, where it’s known as kurobuta (black hog meat). Berkshires are hardy and do well in both indoor and outdoor situations. They are fast-maturing, good-natured pigs and make fine backyard porkers. Breeds 51

Chester White Modern meat Origin : Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States Co lor: White S ize : Large F u n Fact: In 1910, three longtime Chester White breeders — Fred, Levi, and Jim Moore of Rochester, Indiana — started a breed magazine called the White Breeders Companion. In an era when there were few large newspapers and no radio or television, the magazine often ran over 200 pages, making it an astoundingly large and popular magazine in its time. De scrip t io n : The Chester White is a big pig with semifloppy ears and slightly dished face, with a long body and large hams. Type :

An old breed originally called the Chester County White, the Chester White was developed in the early 1800s using strains of large, white pigs common to the Northeastern United States, with the added genetics of a white boar imported from Bedfordshire, England. Some historians believe Chinese pigs were also added to the mix. Fanciers formed the first Chester White breed association in 1884. The Chester White has always been considered a dual-purpose pig. The breed is known for its easygoing nature, well-marbled pork, and fast maturation under semi-confinement conditions. It’s also hardy and has a thick coat — characteristics that help it perform well in pasture-based situations too. P u r c hasi n g a n d R aisi n g

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Duroc Modern meat Orig in : New Jersey and New York, United States Co lo r: Red, ranging from pale golden to cherry to mahogany red S ize : Large F u n Fact: Durocs are named for a famous Thoroughbred ­stallion, Duroc, owned in 1923 by swine breeder Harry Kelsey of Montgomery County, New York. De sc rip t io n : The Duroc is a long pig with a slightly dished face and medium-size, somewhat droopy ears. Ty pe :

Duroc pigs originated in the eastern United States and in the Corn Belt, where early-nineteenth-century Midwestern hog farmers crossbred Jersey Red swine of New Jersey with the Duroc of New York to form the Duroc-Jersey breed. The American Duroc-Jersey Association was established in 1883. The name was shortened to Duroc in 1934. Durocs have been widely exported throughout the world. The Duroc is a major contributor to successful commercial hog operations throughout North America, where it’s noted for its ability to grow faster on less feed. The Duroc’s rapid growth rate and its efficient conversion of pounds of feed to pounds of red meat is unequaled by any other breed. Based on registration numbers per year, the Duroc is America’s second most popular breed (the Yorkshire rates number one). The breed is noted for hardiness and producing flavorful, lean, but well-marbled meat.

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Hampshire Modern meat Origin : Kentucky and the Midwestern United States Co lor: Black with a white belt encompassing the front legs, ranging from a narrow stripe to a wide band S ize : Medium to large F u n Fact: Only Hampshire pigs were originally used in the manufacture of Smithfield hams. De scrip t io n : The Hampshire is a lean, long pig with erect ears, a slightly dished face, and a straight to slightly arched back. Type :

Old English pigs imported sometime between 1825 and 1835 from Hampshire, England, were used to develop this breed, hence its name. Old English pigs were noted for their large size and admired for their proficiency, hardy vigor, foraging ability, and outstanding carcass qualities. The Hampshire as we know it, however, was mainly developed in Kentucky, where it was known as the Thin Rind, among other names. In May of 1893, a group of Kentucky farmers met in Erlanger, Kentucky, to form the American Thin Rind Association — the first breed association for these white-belted black hogs. Now the third-most popular pig in the United States, Hampshires are known for docility, hardiness, a better-than-average feed conversion rate, speedy growth, and lean meat with very little back fat. Hampshires do equally well in semi-confinement and pasture-based conditions. Sows have a reputation as good mothers with long breeding lives.

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Poland China Modern meat Orig in : Butler and Warren Counties in Ohio, United States Co lo r: Black with white boots, a white snout, and white on the tip of the tail S ize : Large F u n fact: A Poland China pig named Big Bill, owned by Elias Buford Butler of Jackson, Tennessee, tipped the scales at 2,552 pounds in 1933. De sc rip t io n : The Poland China is a long, lean pig with large jowls; a short, somewhat upturned snout; and ears that semiflop toward its eyes. Ty pe :

This popular breed is from neither Poland nor China; it was developed in the Miami Valley of Ohio in Butler and Warren counties, during the early 1800s. The region provided an ideal environment for raising pigs with nutritious grasses and nut-bearing trees. Corn raised on local farms was used to fatten pigs for market. Early Poland China hogs were selected for two important requirements — size and soundness — the latter because they were driven rather than shipped to market and had to be sound enough to travel long distances. Poland Chinas are excellent feeders and fast-maturing pigs. They’re known for lean meat with excellent intramuscular marbling but very little back fat. Poland Chinas are hardy, rugged, and docile. They do well in semi-confinement or on pasture. Breeds 55

M e e t t h e P i e t r ai n You’re unlikely to find purebred Pietrain pigs for sale, but you might buy a hybrid with Pietrain genetics. Pietrains originated in Pietrain, Belgium, becoming popular in the 1950s. They are medium size, short-legged white pigs with black spots surrounded by dark skin pigment that is covered with white hair, resulting in an unusual halo effect. The unique thing about Pietrains is their pronounced muscling, resulting in broad backs and bulging hams. Pietrains yield an extremely high proportion of meat to fat, making them popular crosses in commercial hybrid pig-production systems that are engineered toward producing lean meat. The breed’s major failing is that it carries a recessive halothane gene for porcine stress syndrome (see page 130); this condition triggers sudden death when an affected pig is stressed. However, the offspring of Pietrains bred to non­ carrier breeds don’t inherit this destructive gene.

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Spotted Modern meat Orig in : Indiana, United States Co lo r: Black and white with no less than 20 percent and no more than 80 percent white on the body; white belts and solid black heads are prohibited S ize : Large De sc rip t io n : The Spotted is a long-backed, muscular pig with droopy ears and a dished, short snout. Ty pe :

During the 1880s, Hoosier hog farmers in Putnam and Hendricks counties crossed local landrace pigs with Poland Chinas from Ohio, adding genetics from a few Gloucestershire Old Spots in 1914, to create a breed they called the Spotted Poland China. Today, most Spotted swine have some Pietrain genetics mixed in. In 1914, fanciers founded a breed society headquartered in Bainbridge, Indiana, calling it the National Spotted Poland China Record. In 1960, the organization changed its name to the National Spotted Swine Record, dropping “Poland China” from the registry’s name. Spots grow fast and they’re unusually efficient converters of feed to lean meat. They are easygoing, hardy pigs that do equally well in semiconfinement or out on pasture.

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Yorkshire Bacon Origin : Yorkshire, England Co lor: White S ize : Large F u n Fact: Porky Pig is said to be a Yorkshire, as is Babe, of children’s movie fame. De scrip t io n : The Yorkshire is a big, muscular, fine-boned pig with fine, soft hair; a somewhat dished, medium-length snout; and small, upright ears. Type :

Yorkshire pigs are known as Large Whites in their native Britain, but as Yorkshires throughout most of the rest of the world. The exact origin of the Yorkshire is uncertain, but British historians believe it arose from crosses of several breeds, including Chinese and Neapolitan hogs, the Berkshire, and the Improved Essex. These were once enormous pigs. In 1809, a four-year-old Yorkshire boar pictured in Two Hundred Years of British Livestock (see Resources) was 9'10" long, measured 8' around the body, and weighed 1,334 pounds. Ohio hog breeders imported Yorkshires from England around 1830, but the breed didn’t become the rage until the 1940s. Yorkshires are currently the most popular breed in the United States and Canada, where they’re widely raised by commercial pork producers, often under confinement conditions. Yorkshires have very little back fat and are fine producers of lean pork.

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S low Fo o d USA’ s Ar k o f Ta s t e Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste is a catalog of foods that are threatened by industrial standardization. In an effort to cultivate consumer demand, only the best-tasting endangered foods make it onto the ark. The Slow Food USA Ark of Taste profiles more than two hundred rare regional foods and is designed to help farmers, chefs, retail grocers, educators, and consumers celebrate our country’s diverse biological, cultural, and culinary heritage. To qualify, foods must be: •• Outstandingly tasty, as defined in the context of local

traditions and uses •• At risk biologically or as culinary traditions •• Sustainably produced •• Culturally or historically linked to a specific region, local-

ity, ethnicity, or traditional production practice •• Produced in limited quantities by farms or by small-scale

processing companies Pork from four heritage pig breeds is listed on the 2013 Ark of Taste: Guinea Hogs, Mulefoots, Ossabaw Island Hogs, and Red Wattles.

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R a r e B r eeds These rare breeds are also heritage breeds. Heritage breeds are traditional livestock breeds that were raised by farmers prior to the rise of industrial agriculture. In those days, most animals were multipurpose breeds that did several things fairly well but none of them to extreme. Today’s factory farms depend on specialist breeds and hybrids that do one thing the fastest and cheapest way they possibly can, usually in huge numbers maintained under confinement conditions. Food produced in this manner, be it milk,

T h e Live s to c k Co n s e rvan c y The Livestock Conservancy was founded in 1977 to preserve rare farm animals and promote genetic diversity in livestock. It acts as a clearinghouse for information on these subjects and registers breeds that don’t have American registries of their own. It also assists in the conservation of heritage breed asses (donkeys), cattle, goats, horses, pigs, sheep, rabbits, and poultry. Livestock breeds on The Livestock Conservancy Priority List (CPL) must conform to certain genetic and numerical parameters: •• Critical. Fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United

States and estimated global population less than 2,000 •• Threatened. Fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in the

United States and estimated global population less than 5,000 •• Watch. Fewer than 2,500 annual registrations in the United

States and estimated global population less than 10,000; also breeds that present genetic or numerical concerns or have a limited geographic distribution •• Recovering. Breeds that were once listed in another category

and have exceeded Watch category numbers but are still in need of monitoring

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eggs, or meat, tends to be relatively inexpensive for consumers to buy but tasteless compared to farm products in Great-Grandma’s day. That’s where heritage breeds come in. The Livestock Conservancy is working hard to preserve scarce breeds of heritage pigs. Keep in mind that some heritage breeds are not endangered — among them purebred Berkshires, Durocs, Chester Whites, Hampshires, Spotteds, and Poland Chinas.

•• Study. Breeds that are of genetic interest but either lack defini-

tion or lack genetic or historical documentation The breed must be a true genetic breed that when mated together reproduces the breed type. And it has to have had an established and continuously breeding population in the United States since 1925 or, if imported or developed, since 1925: •• The foundation stock is no longer available •• There must be at least three breeding lines in the United States •• There must be at least 20 breeding females in the United

States •• There must be at least five breeders in different locations in

the United States •• There must be an association of breeders in the United States

(the The Livestock Conservancy itself provides registration services for several breeds)

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Choctaw Lard Origin : The Choctaw Nation, first in Mississippi and Alabama, then Oklahoma, United States Co lor: Black, sometimes with white markings, spotted, and blue S ize : Small to medium Co nse rvat io n Stat u s: Critical De scrip t io n : The Choctaw is a relatively long-legged pig with a fused hoof and erect or slightly drooping ears. Type :

Choctaw pigs descend from pigs brought to America by Spanish explorers as a walking food supply. Early colonists also brought Spanish pigs to America. Some pigs escaped, establishing feral hogs from Texas to Florida, and north to Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The Choctaw tribe of Native Americans traded with the Spaniards for the pigs, and also captured wild pigs. From them they developed the Choctaw hog. Choctaw piglets do not have stripes when they are born. The pigs have fused “mule feet” and sometimes sport two fleshy appendages, called “wattles,” dangling from their necks. They are quick, athletic pigs with heavy forequarters, and they are extremely hardy, outstanding foragers. Pork from Choctaw hogs is flavorful and juicy. Traditionally, people made sugared hams so the meat would keep over the winter during hard times. There are, however, only a few hundred of these pigs in existence. While it is not possible to acquire stock at this time, The Livestock Conservancy is working to recover the breed.

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Gloucestershire Old Spots Lard Orig in : Gloucestershire, England Co lo r: White with a few black spots S ize : Large Co n s e rvat io n Stat u s: Critical De sc rip t io n : The Gloucestershire Old Spots is a substantial pig with huge lop ears and a long, slightly arched back. Ty pe :

The breed hails from the Berkeley Vale in Gloucestershire, England, near the Welsh border, where it was formerly raised on windfall apples and nicknamed the Orchard Pig. At one time these pigs were white with a great deal of black spotting, but the 1933 Pigs Marketing Scheme discriminated against colored pigs, so breeders selected for pigs with a single black spot on each side. The breed was once quite popular in Britain, but by the early 1960s it was nearly extinct. The Old Spots is considered an all-around porker. Old Spots came to the United States in the early 1900s, where they contributed to the development of the Spotted and Chester White breeds. Old Spots are now more often raised as general porkers than as bacon hogs. Old Spots reach a mature weight of 400 to 600 pounds by 2 years of age. Gloucestershire Old Spots grower pigs reach slaughter weight of 260 to 280 pounds at about 10 months. Old Spots are gentle and sweetnatured, hardy, outstanding foragers. They produce succulent, flavorful pork, including large hams. The British royal family raises them. Breeds 63

Guinea Hog Lard Origin : Southeastern United States Co lor: Usually black; occasionally red S ize : Small Co nse rvat io n Stat u s: Critical De scrip t io n : The Guinea Hog is a compact, hairy pig with large, upright ears and a curly tail. Type :

The exact origin of the Guinea Hog is uncertain, but the breed has been a fixture on Southeastern homesteads for more than 200 years. The pigs were also called Pineywoods Guineas, Guinea Forest Hogs, Acorn Eaters, Snake Eaters, and Yard Pigs — the latter two because they were kept in yards to kill and eat snakes. The Guinea Hog was once the most numerous pig breed found on homesteads in the Southeastern United states. Today it is critically endangered. A landrace breed, the Guinea Hog can have a long or short snout and be big-, medium-, or fine-boned. Adults weigh 150 to 250 pounds, and the target slaughter weight is 150 to 180 pounds. Guinea Hogs are peerless foragers — hardy and efficient. Piglets grow quickly but growth slows somewhat after the first 2 months. Because they pack on too much fat in confinement, Guinea Hogs work best in a pasture situation for families preferring smaller but luscious cuts of meat. Guinea hogs are fantastic charcuterie pigs. Pork from this breed is so delicious that the breed is listed on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste.

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Hereford Modern meat Orig in : Iowa and Nebraska, United States Co lo r: Red with white face, belly, legs, and tail markings (exactly like those of Hereford cattle) S ize : Large Co n s e rvat io n Stat u s: Watch De sc rip t io n : The Hereford is a flashily colored pig with a long neck; wide, dished face; medium-size, drooping ears; and a curly tail. Ty pe :

R. U. Webber of La Plata, Missouri, developed the first Hereford pigs by crossing Durocs, Chester Whites, and Ohio Improved Chester genetics; however, the Webber bloodlines died out. Later, between 1920 and 1925, a group of breeders in Iowa and Nebraska, led by John Schulte of Norway, Iowa, created Hereford swine by crossing Duroc and Poland China bloodlines to develop a productive, early-maturing hog that could do well in confinement or pasture, with the added bling of colorful Hereford markings. In 1934, fanciers selected about one hundred pigs, including animals from the Schulte herd, as foundation stock for the National Hereford Hog Record Association. The organization is still active today. Hereford grower pigs reach slaughter weight of 250 pounds in 5 to 6 months, on less feed than most other breeds. They are decent grazers, strong rooters, and easygoing pigs that fatten easily and adapt well to most climates. Hereford pork is lean but nicely marbled and delicious.

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K i n g N e p t u n e , $ 1 9 M i l li o n P i g* King Neptune was farrowed on May 16, 1942, one of a litter of 12 Hereford piglets born at the Sherman Boner farm in West Frankfort, Illinois. Registered as Parker Neptune, he was raised by Patty Boner as a 4-H project. In December of the same year, Sherman Boner donated the pig to the U.S. Navy for a pig roast. Navy recruiter Don Lingle, however, had bigger plans. Lingle auctioned the pig to raise money for war bonds to build the USS Illinois. Even King Neptune’s squeal raised $25 on one occasion. After each auction, buyers returned him to the navy to be auctioned again. King Neptune became a star; the red-and-white pig made appearances draped in a navy-blue blanket with a crown on his head and silver earrings in his ears. Eventually, in March 1942, Governor Dwight H. Green bought King Neptune on behalf of the state of Illinois, paying $1 million for the famous porker. At the same auction, a single bristle brought $500. After the war, when he was slated to be sent to a Chicago stockyard, Lingle, by then a chief petty officer, bought King Neptune and took him to Ernest Goddard’s farm near Anna, Illinois, to live out his days. He died in May 1950, 2 days before his eighth birthday, and was given an official military send-off. The marker over his original grave in King Neptune Park, near Anna, Illinois, read, “King Neptune (1941–1950) buried here — King Neptune, famous Navy mascot pig auctioned for $19,000,000.00 in war bonds 1942–1946 to help make a free world.” After being relocated several times, his bones came to rest at a northbound rest area on I-57, close to Illinois 146 in Union County, under a marker with his correct birth date: 1942. *The $19 million King Neptune raised for war bonds in the 1940s amounts to roughly $212 million today.

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Large Black Bacon, leaning toward modern meat Orig in : Devonshire and Cornwall, England Co lo r: Solid black with gray skin S ize : Large Co n s e rvat io n Stat u s: Critical F u n Fact: According to Guinness World Records, a Large Black sow holds a record for producing 26 litters of piglets in 12 years. De sc rip t io n : The Large Black is a tall pig with a long body, long snout, and huge lop ears that cover its face. Ty pe :

Large Blacks were a fixture in Devonshire and Cornwall as early as the 1800s, where they were often fed to enormous weights. By the time fanciers established a British breed society in 1896, the Large Black was one of the largest and most popular breeds in Great Britain. During the 1920s, there were roughly two thousand members of the Large Black Pig Society, but as with Britain’s other old-fashioned, outdoor breeds, the Large Black’s popularity fell drastically with the coming of industrialized pig raising. Large Blacks came to the United States in 1985; a second importation followed in 1998. Large Blacks make wonderful pasture pigs due to their hardiness, even temperaments, and peerless foraging ability. They’re efficient converters of low-quality feed into exceptionally tasty, nicely marbled pork. Large Blacks mature at 500 to 600 pounds by age 3 and typically reach slaughtering weight of 230 to 240 pounds by 7 months of age. Breeds 67

Mulefoot Lard Origin : United States Co lor: Black, occasionally having white markings S ize : Medium Co nse rvat io n Stat u s: Critical De scrip t io n : The Mulefoot is a meaty, medium-size pig with a short coat of soft hair; a short, straight snout; a fused hoof; flopped ears; and a long, straight tail. Type :

The origin of the American Mulefoot breed is uncertain. F. D. Coburn, author of Swine in America, notes that by 1916 Mulefoot hogs were raised in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, across the Southwest, and in some parts of Mexico. Farmers in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas called them “Ozark pigs.” Breeders founded the National Mulefoot Hog Record Association in January 1908; two additional registries soon followed. In 1910 there were 235 breeders registered in 22 states. Mulefoots were considered top-shelf ham hogs and treasured for their hardiness, docility, ability to fatten easily, and for their red-colored, highly marbled meat. Growers reach a slaughter weight of 250 pounds at roughly 8 months of age. Mulefoot pigs are named for their fused hooves, and they also sometimes have wattles — traits they share with Choctaw hogs. They are excellent foragers, making them a best-bet pig for backyard pastured pork. Mulefoot pork is so luscious that it’s listed on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste.

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Ossabaw Island Hog Pork (though too small to be considered modern meat) Orig in : Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia, United States Co lo r: Black or black-and-white spotted, both with brown overtones; occasionally red or tan S ize : Small Co n s e rvat io n Stat u s: Critical De sc rip t io n : The Ossabaw Island Hog is a feral-looking, heavycoated, bristly pig with a long snout, heavy shoulders, a straight tail, and prick ears attractively fringed with long hair. Ty pe :

Ossabaw Island Hogs descended from pigs that Spanish explorers left on Ossabaw Island almost four hundred years ago. They have never been “improved,” so Ossabaw Island Hogs are as close to feral as a domestic breed can be; so much so that it’s best to check your state conservation agency’s stance on feral hogs before you buy some. Adults weigh 100 to 250 pounds, though the target slaughter weight is 175 pounds. They are incredibly hardy, industrious foragers, and they inherit an unusual “thrifty gene” that enables them to pack on fat when food is abundant and live off stored fat in leaner times. They are easy to bring to slaughter weight on a mainly pasture diet. Ossabaw Island Hogs are generally friendly, good-natured pigs, making them a good choice for families that prefer smaller cuts of well-marbled, juicy meat. The Ossabaw Island Hog is listed on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste (see Resources). Breeds 69

Red Wattle Bacon Origin : Eastern Texas and northwest Louisiana, United States Co lor: Red, sometimes with black spots or scattered black hairs S ize : Large Co nse rvat io n Stat u s: Critical De scrip t io n : The Red Wattle is a short-coupled, arch-backed pig with a long, slim snout and erect or slightly droopy ears. Type :

The Red Wattle’s origin is unclear. What is certain, however, is that today’s Red Wattle hogs trace their ancestry to large, red, wattled hogs found running wild in wooded areas of East Texas. Though briefly popular, by 1999 only 42 breeding animals belonging to six breeders remained. The Livestock Conservancy took up their banner and registered these pigs until the herd book passed to the Red Wattle Hog Association in 2012. There are now more than one hundred breeders throughout the United States and Canada. Red Wattle hogs are named for the cylindrical, fleshy appendages that dangle from this breed’s neck. Red Wattles are large, relatively fastmaturing, hardy, and very efficient foragers. They mature at 1,000 to 1,200 pounds by 3 years of age and reach slaughter weight of 260 to 280 pounds in about 7 months. They’re easygoing pigs that yield finetextured, lean, delicious hams, bacon, and pork. Red Wattle hogs are listed on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste.

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T h e I r o n Ag e P i g Iron Age pigs are an intentional amalgam of Eurasian wild boar and domestic swine genetics. They are meant to re­create the type of pig represented by prehistoric art works of Iron Age Britain (800 bce to 100 ce). In Britain and Europe, where there are strong markets for specialty meats, the usual cross is a male wild boar on a Tamworth sow, although other long-snouted breeds such as Ossabaw Island Hogs work well, too. Iron Age pigs are extremely hardy and excellent foragers. Pork from Iron Age pigs is said to resemble that of wild boars: darker colored and tighter grained than pork from domestic swine, with a sweet, nutty, and slightly gamy flavor.

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Tamworth Bacon Origin : Central England Co lor: Red S ize : Medium to large Type :

Threatened De scrip t io n : The Tamworth is a long-legged, long-bodied, narrow pig with a thick, fine-textured coat; finely fringed, upright ears; and a long, straight snout. Co nse rvat io n Stat u s:

Also colloquially known as the Irish Grazer, the Tamworth is an ancient type that was well established by the British Middle Ages. It’s considered the oldest unimproved breed in Great Britain and takes its name from the village of Tamworth in Staffordshire. Tamworths came to Canada in 1877 and to the United States in 1882. Tamworths are active, intelligent pigs that don’t adapt well to confinement. They are, however, good-natured, extremely hardy, and superb foragers that do exceptionally well in outdoor situations. They thrive on low-energy foods such as pasture, acorns, and other woodland browse and are vigorous rooters. Adults reach 600 to 800 pounds in 2 years. Grower pigs reach slaughtering weight of 250 to 260 pounds in 5 or 6 months and yield meat that is firm textured but not tough, and nicely marbled but lean.

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U n usu a l P i g s Two worthy breeds that don’t fall under any other heading are the diminutive Kunekune and the wooly-haired Mangalitsa. Though breeding stock of these recently imported breeds often fetches handsome prices, breeders often have excess males to sell. If you want something different, these are your pigs.

P o r k fr o m P ot- B e l li e d P i g s Can you eat Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pigs? Absolutely! When raised with the freezer in mind, they’re very good eating indeed. Pot-Bellies must be fed more judiciously than most other breeds because they’re an Asian lard pig and pack on fat very easily. They’re hardy and do well as pasture-raised pigs. Some people who raise them for the freezer instead of pets sometimes refer to them as Asian Heritage Hogs.

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Kunekune Pork (though too small to be considered modern meat) Origin : New Zealand Co lor: Black, black and white, white, gold, tan, and brown S ize : Small Co nse rvat io n Stat u s: Not applicable De scrip t io n : The Kunekune is a diminutive, short-legged, shortbodied pig with a short- to medium-length upturned snout, wattles (also called tassels or piri piri by Kunekune breeders), and small, semi-lopped or upright ears. It has short- to mediumlength, straight or curly hair. Type :

While most Americans consider Kunekunes pet pigs, the breed is indeed a first-class porker. Introduced to New Zealand in the early 1800s by nineteenth-century whalers and traders, this little pig was raised by the Maori people for meat. The word kunekune in Maori means “fat and round.” However, by the 1980s, only about fifty purebred Kunekunes remained in New Zealand. Wildlife park owners Michael Willis and John Simister initiated a conservation program. This in turn led to additional recovery efforts. The breed no longer faces extinction, with breed societies in New Zealand, Britain, and the North America. The Kunekune is said to root less than other breeds. Pigs are hardy, good-natured, peerless foragers that take up little space, making them ideal for raising grass-fed pork by families that prefer small, succulent cuts of tasty meat.

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Mangalitsa Lard Orig in : Hungary Co lo r: Blond, swallow-bellied (blond belly and feet, with a black body), and ginger S ize : Small to medium Co n s e rvat io n Stat u s: Not applicable F u n Fact: Mangalitsa piglets are striped, like wild boar piglets, instead of solid-colored or spotted, like most domestic piglets. De sc rip t io n : The Mangalitsa, known as the Mangalitza in Britain and the Mangalica in its Hungarian homeland, is a wooly-coated, robust pig with short legs, floppy ears, and a short, upturned snout. Ty pe :

Farmers in the Carpathian basin of Hungary developed Mangalitsa swine during the nineteenth century. In 1927, breeders established the National Society of Fat-Type Hog Breeders with the objective of improving the breed. Mangalitsa lard, bacon, and salami became highly prized commodities throughout Europe. It remained the most popular breed in Hungary until about 1950, when it gradually fell from favor as European consumers demanded leaner cuts of pork. Now, thanks to conservators’ efforts here and abroad, the breed is staging a dramatic comeback. Mangalitsa pigs are robust, easygoing, slow-growing pigs that produce dark, sweet, juicy pork that is liberally marbled and edged with fat that fanciers claim “melts on the tongue.” Chefs at high-end restaurants sing the praises of Mangalitsa pork. Breeds 75

5 Chapter

Buying The pig, the rent payer of Europe, the mortgage lifter of America.

W

— Jacob Biggle, author of the Biggle Swine Book (1899)

hile pigs are relatively easy to raise, it’s important to start

out with healthy, weaned piglets that are genetically predisposed to produce the type of pork you want and that thrive on the type of food and in the environment you plan to provide for them. Most people buy feeder piglets in early spring and feed them through the summer months, slaughtering them before hard winter sets in. This way they avoid caring for the pigs during the bitter winter months, and the pigs won’t stop gaining because they’re stressed by cold weather. The converse is true if you live in the Deep South, where pigs can be just as stressed by sultry, sizzling heat. You may want to buy in the waning days of summer and feed through spring, especially if you graze your pigs in woodlots where acorns and other such forage abounds. Pigs can, however, be safely and successfully raised year-round if you provide adequate housing with shade and wallows in the summer, and lots of deep bedding when it’s cold; I’ll talk about that in chapter 6.

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A C h ec k li s t fo r G e t ti n g S tar t e d Before you bring home your pigs, you will need: ❑❑ A permit, if required, to keep pigs where you live ❑❑ A safe means of transporting them to your farm ❑❑ Appropriate shelter, bedding, feed, fencing, feeders, and

water containers, and a source of clean drinking water ❑❑ Phone numbers of at least two reliable veterinarians who

treat pigs ❑❑ Phone numbers of several pig-savvy people to help or

at least advise you if things go wrong (optional, but very handy) In Britain, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, you will also need: ❑❑ Government logbooks and permits in hand before you

move pigs, and instructions regarding what you may legally feed them — the specifics are beyond the scope of this book, so ask a veteran pig keeper or your veterinarian for advice

W he r e to B u y The first rule of livestock buying is to buy from individuals, not at auction barns. People send sick pigs to the sale barn for their salvage value, and the sheer number of animals passing through a sale barn leads to a natural buildup of disease organisms. Pigs that weren’t exposed to disease before they’re sold through an auction barn are likely to be infected at the sale.

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If you attend such sales, scrub your hands using plenty of soap and sanitize the clothing you wore to the sale before approaching healthy animals. Use 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach to 1 quart of water in a fine-mist spray bottle to spritz your boots and shoes, and launder your other clothing in hot water and detergent. If you succumb to temptation and buy sale-barn pigs, quarantine them from any other pigs you might own (see box below), then monitor them closely. Let’s assume you’ve read chapter 4 and have chosen a favorite breed. Let’s make it a popular breed, such as Chester Whites. Where are you going to find them? Bulletin boards at feed stores and veterinarian practices. Check for “Pigs for sale” notices, or pin up a “Chester White feeder pigs wanted” sign of your own. Read the local classified ads, especially in pennysaver-type shoppers. Don’t forget your area Craigslist. Talk to veterinarians and county Extension agents; they know who is raising pigs in your locale. State, county, and 4-H swine shows. Go to some, and watch the judging; you’ll learn a lot about handling pigs. Visit information booths, and

Q uar an ti n e I n co m i n g P i g s House all incoming pigs (even those returning from being shown) in an easy-to-sanitize area at least 50 feet from any other pigs. Deworm them, vaccinate them if necessary, and keep them isolated for at least 30 days. Don’t forget to sanitize the conveyance you hauled them home in. During that time, feed and care for your other livestock first, so you can scrub up after caring for the quarantined pigs. Never go directly from quarantined animals to your other pigs. If you can prevent it, don’t allow dogs, cats, poultry, or other livestock to travel between one group and the other. When their time in quarantine is up, sanitize the isolation area and any equipment you’ve used on quarantined pigs.

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chat with exhibitors between classes; ask if they know who has healthy feeder pigs for sale. E-mail groups. Join backyard-pig-related e-mail groups (see Resources). It’s a great way to find pigs and pig-related supplies to buy. Breeders’ websites. Type your breed, “pig,” and “for sale” into your favorite search engine’s search box Find Cooperative Extensions (“Chester White pig for sale”). QualThe best, most reliable way to ify it, if you like, by state (“Chester learn how to raise pigs in the area White pig for sale Indiana”). If breedwhere you live is to discuss your ers’ websites don’t offer what you’re needs with your county Extenlooking for, call or e-mail and ask if sion agent. What works for pigs they have it. If they don’t, they may in Maine isn’t necessarily right in have a litter due soon or know someOklahoma, Washington, or Missisone who has what you want. The Livestock Conservancy

sippi. She is also your best source

for reliable information about local If your chosen breed is a feeds, and her services are free. To rare heritage breed, log on to The locate county Extension offices in Livestock Conservancy website (see your area, visit the USDA CooperaResources) and click on Classifieds in tive Extension System website (see the menu. Resources). Online directories. Finally, look for your breed at online directories such Pigsite and Breeder’s World (see Resources). Visit swine registry websites to peruse their online member-breeder directories. Or phone or e-mail organizations and ask them where to buy their breed where you live.

website.

V i s i t i n g Fa r ms If you’re buying locally, tap into the local livestock grapevine. Ask other pig raisers whom they buy from, whom they avoid, and why. Then, after you’ve narrowed the field to a handful of producers selling your type of pigs, contact them and arrange to visit their farms.

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Evaluating Sellers Be courteous and arrive on time. If you have pigs at home and the seller wants to sanitize your shoes, don’t be offended. In fact, consider biosecurity precautions a plus. Look around. Pig farms are rarely showplaces, but they shouldn’t be trash dumps, either. Are the pigs housed in safe, reasonably clean facilities? Are the water tanks clean? Is any pig limping? Do they cough? Do you see runny eyes or noses? Obvious signs of diarrhea? Lumps on their bodies? Ask about the seller’s vaccination and deworming philosophies. In particular, ask which vaccines and dewormers he uses and why. How often does he vaccinate and deworm his pigs? Are the pigs you’re considering vaccinated and dewormed? Observe the whole herd. Does he show you only the pigs you arranged to see or his entire herd? Try to see them all, especially the pigs’ parents and any other pigs related to the ones you came to buy. However, be aware that due to biosecurity issues, some breeders don’t allow visitors access to their herds. Scrutinize examination papers. If buying registered gilts for breeding stock, carefully examine their registration papers to make sure you’re getting what you pay for. Papers are transferred after every sale, so the papers should be issued in the seller’s name. If they aren’t, he in turn can’t sign a transfer slip, and the papers can’t be transferred to you. Ask about guarantees.

Some producers give them; most don’t. If there is any sort of guarantee, get it in writing. Even if the producer doesn’t offer a guarantee, ask if he or she is willing to work with you after the purchase, should questions or problems arise.

Buy a Suckling Pig Roasted suckling pig is a divine meal for any special occasion. When buying your feeder pigs, buy a plump 4- to 6-week-old suckling pig from a younger litter and try it.

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Above all, trust your intuition. If a seller makes you feel uneasy, thank him for his time and shop elsewhere. There are too many honest sellers in the world to deal with someone you don’t quite trust.

Evaluating Pigs Choose pigs based on your particular needs, taking these factors into consideration. Size. Choose the larger, more robust pigs from a litter you’re evaluating. Don’t pick runts, even if they’re priced lower than the rest; they never grow as well as their bigger littermates. Age. Choose weaned piglets that are 10 to 12 weeks old and, if they’re full-size breeds, weigh in the neighborhood of 40 to 45 pounds. Younger piglets are more delicate than pigs in this age group. Make sure the pigs you choose have been weaned for at least 2 weeks before you pick them up. Moving stresses pigs; don’t pile the stress of weaning on top of that. Sex. Sex doesn’t matter much in grower pigs, though boars and barrows grow a bit faster than gilts, and gilts tend to be a bit leaner. If you buy males, you should probably choose barrows. The meat of young boars may or may not be flavored with “boar taint,” a gamy taste and smell few people like. If you buy barrows, make sure their castration incisions are fully healed. Health. Always buy sound, healthy pigs. Make no exceptions. Never buy trouble if you can help it. Here are some things to consider when evaluating pigs of all ages. Appearance. Before buying pigs, especially gilts that you might later keep as breeding stock, it is also important to ask the organization that registers your breed of choice for a copy of their breed standard. This is a list of points to look for when evaluating that breed. In any case, familiarize yourself with the breed you’re buying well enough to make certain you’re getting the breed you think you are. Availability. If you want a rare breed, even if it’s only rare where you live, plan to devote time, energy, and travel to finding the right pigs. If you’re interested in common breeds, talk to pig breeders in your area and see what breeds and crossbreeds they raise.

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E va lu at i n g P i g H e a lth Healthy Pigs

Sick Pigs

Are alert and curious

Are dull and disinterested in their surroundings May isolate themselves from other pigs

Have bright, clear eyes; the color inside the eyelids is clear pink (white, yellow, or blue-tinted membranes may indicate disease)

Have dull, depressed-looking, or cloudy eyes May have fresh or crusty goo in the corners of their eyes

Have a cool, dry snout, free of nasal discharge Have regular and unlabored breathing

May have thick, opaque, creamy white, yellow, or greenish nasal discharge May wheeze, cough, or breath heavily and/or erratically

Have clean, glossy hair and smooth, pliable skin without any lumps, crusty spots, or bare patches

Have dull, dry hair coats; skin may show evidence of external parasites or skin disease

Have curled tails if of a curly-tailed breed

May have drooping tails if of a curlytailed breed

Move freely and easily

Move slowly, unevenly, or with a limp

Are of average weight for breed and age

May be thinner than the norm; if the backbone, ribs, or hip bones stick out, the pig is emaciated, not just thin

Always have healthy appetites

Refuse or pick at feed

Make normal droppings; their tails and surrounding areas are clean

May have scours (diarrhea); tails, tail area, and hind legs may be matted with fresh or dried manure

Pass clear urine

May pass cloudy or bloody urine or urine containing pus

Have normal temperatures (101–103°F [38.3–39.4°C] for grower-age to adult pigs; slightly higher values are acceptable for younger piglets)

Run high or low temperatures; sub­ normal temperatures are generally more worrisome than fevers

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Price. Expect to pay a fair price for healthy feeder piglets and more for rare breeds than everyday pigs. If you don’t know the going price, talk to your county Extension agent or comparison-shop before you buy. Keep in mind that cheaper is not necessarily better. If one seller’s pigs are priced dramatically lower than others’ pigs, ask why — and proceed with caution.

B r i n g i n g P i g s H o me Get up early on the day you bring your feeders home. Before you leave to pick them up, make sure everything is ready for the pigs’ arrival: water, feed, and a secure and comfortable holding area. Move them in the morning so they have the rest of the day to explore their new surroundings and settle in. Haul feeders in a trailer, a stock rack with a cover, or even in your car or SUV, but be sure to contain them so they won’t rattle around. They’ll be stressed by the move, so take care not to injure them as well.

Pig Prices in the Late Nineteenth Century Here’s what pigs cost at the end of the nineteenth century. Don’t

“

you wish we could still buy them at these prices?

The average value of swine in the United States, per head, is placed by the U.S, Department of Agriculture at $4.10. The highest valuations are to be found in New England and the Middle states, varying from $5.94 in Maine up to $9.29 in Connecticut. Iowa is credited with an average price of $5.67 and with a total hog valuation (U.S. Yearbook, 1896) of over $21 million. This enormous total is well nigh double that of Missouri, the next competing state, which is placed at something over $12 million, but with an average of only $3.99 per animal. Ohio and Indiana have hog valuations of over $11 million each.” — Jacob Biggle, Biggle Swine Book (1899)

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Don’t assume helpers can hold them. Pigs don’t like to be held. Besides struggling and possibly peeing and pooping on their handlers, they will shriek every step of the way. By the same token, don’t plop them on a tarp in the back seat or the cargo area of your SUV and think that will do; you don’t want them caroming around the vehicle and bouncing off the driver’s neck. Place the piglets in a secure container. Cardboard boxes won’t do; piglets destroy them with ease. A roomy dog crate is perfect; bed it with straw, old towels, or a blanket. Airline crates keep messes enclosed better than wire crates. In either case, be sure the door latches securely. Crates are also useful for hauling pigs in the bed of a truck. Airline crates are best for that application. If you use a wire crate, cut down on wind stress by wrapping a blanket around all but the end facing the tailgate of your truck. Substitute a plastic tarp if it’s raining, but avoid plastic coverings when it’s sizzling hot. Don’t haul one piglet alone in a crate in freezing weather; it can’t generate enough heat to stay warm. When you reach home, carefully carry the piglets to their new home. If they struggle — and they will — don’t drop one, because you’ll have a very hard time catching him again. Keep things low-key for the first few days. Allow the little pigs time to settle in.

Fe e d fo r N e w P i g s I’ll talk about feeding your pigs in chapter 7. However, no matter what you plan to feed them, make certain you can gradually switch from their accustomed feed to whatever you plan to put on their “plates.” Abruptly changing their feed can give them severe digestive upsets, and your pigs won’t gain weight if they’re sick. Plan ahead by arranging to buy a bag or two of whatever your pigs are accustomed to eating. Feed their familiar food for a day or two, then start mixing it with your own feed, gradually switching from one to the other. This will give the pigs’ digestive systems time to adjust.

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6 Chapter

Housing, Fences, and Equipment No man should be allowed to be president who does not understand hogs. — Harry Truman

T

here are certain things you’ll need to keep your pigs healthy,

happy, and growing. Among them are a comfortable shelter, secure fencing, a wallow to cool off in, feeders, water receptacles, and incidentals such as shovels, a pitchfork, and a garden hose. Keep in mind that feeders, waterers, and tools needn’t be new. You can often buy used pig equipment at farm auctions and tools at garage sales and the like.

85

S helte r s Housing can be minimal if you buy your pigs in spring and slaughter them by fall, but even then pigs need shelter from intense sun and rain. If you raise your pigs over the winter months or decide to keep a gilt for breeding purposes, then you need something more substantial. Pigs raised in semiconfinement (limited surroundings Space Requirements rather than f ree range outEach pig, from a 40-pound feeder doors) require a secure shelter to a 240-pound slaughter-age and a small but strongly built hog, should be allotted a minioutdoor exercise pen. Outdoor mum of 8 square feet of indoor pigs that have access to woodspace and at least 150 square land or shade trees through feet outdoors to prevent mud the summer months still need problems from developing. More minimal man-made shelter and space per pig is always better. something more weatherproof if kept over winter.

Port-a-Huts and Pig Arks The easiest way to satisfy your pigs’ needs is to buy ready-made housing, such as a Quonset-style steel Port-a-Hut or a sturdy plastic calf hutch. Alternately, if you live in Britain, try a wooden pig ark of the sort manufactured by scores of British builders in dome and A-frame styles. Or, if you’re handy with tools, build your own British-style, A-frame pig ark (see Appendix 2). Quonset-style Port-a-Huts are manufactured by Port-a-Hut Shelters of Storm Lake, Iowa (see Resources). The company has been pasture-raising hogs and building portable shelters since 1964. All equipment designs are tested on the farm. A standard Port-a-Hut is 4'6" by 7'6" and 3'10" tall, making it comfortable housing for two or three grower pigs, depending on breed, right through slaughter age. This basic hut weighs 145 pounds and comes fully assembled. Port-a-Huts are floorless and have a closable ventilation flap in the back wall.

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English-style A-frame pig ark

Port-a-Hut

Two people can easily move a Port-a-Hut to a new, nearby location. We use these for our pigs, sheep, and goats and highly recommend them. Port-a-Huts come with three anchor stakes. Use them; in fact, we use four. High winds easily flip Port-a-Huts end over end. Flipping usually doesn’t damage a Port-a-Hut — they’re ultrasturdy — but a flying hut could easily kill your pigs.

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Field Shelters Pig-size field shelters are another option. Field shelters are structures with three or three-and-a-half sides and a roof sloping to the rear. They can be stationary or built on skids for easy moving, but they usually have no floor. The rules of shelter are simple: allow enough floor space for each pig, provide adequate site drainage, and slope the roof away from the shelter’s open side so rain and snow cascade off the rear. In most climates, packed dirt or clay floors are better than concrete. In some locations, wooden floors work well, but they’ll rot, necessitating replacement every 4 to 6 years.

Hoop Houses Hoop houses are easily built structures made of shade cloth or plastic tarps stretched over a hog or cattle panel armature. With the ends left open, they make fine summer shade structures; when enclosed, hoop houses are suitable for winter use in milder climates.

Hoop houses make fine, inexpensive shelters for pigs.

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The best hoop house plans I’ve seen are for a llama shelter, downloadable free from the California International Llama Association website (see Resources). This would work well for pigs in the Southern states, where extra headroom for ventilation is needed; in the North, shortening the livestock panels would create a lower, warmer house. Find more hoop house ideas and plans using your favorite search engine and the words “hoop house pigs” or “hoop house swine.”

Adapting Existing Housing You can, of course, raise pigs in existing structures ranging from a spare horse stall to a chicken house or an old garage. They just need to be sturdy and escapeproof, and provide enough room for pigs to establish separate areas for sleeping, eating, and waste elimination.

Building Tips No matter what type of housing you choose, keep these tips in mind: • Check into applicable zoning laws before erecting any sort of permanent structure. • Choose a high, dry spot where water won’t pool in or channel through your pigs’ housing. • Consider a spot that’s shaded during the afternoon hours. • Make certain the housing is adequately ventilated. Pigs housed in damp, poorly vented barns are prone to respiratory ailments. • Keep the roof height as low as possible if you are in the North. Lowslung roofs hold in body heat. However, squat buildings are harder to get inside to catch pigs or to clean out the structure, especially if someone has to clean them by hand. • Add more headroom if you are in the South. This allows for better ventilation and keeps pigs cooler.

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• If you add a floor, be especially diligent about keeping it thickly bedded with appropriate materials. Smooth floors, especially smooth wooden floors, can be slippery — most noticeably when wet. If you use a floor, consider topping it with a horse stall mat to create a nonslip surface. • Always choose untreated wood when building shelters and pens for pigs. Bored pigs tend to chew on their surroundings and can be poisoned by the chemicals used in treated wood. • Use sturdy materials. Pigs root, and they rub — hard. They are notoriously hard on housing and fences. Don’t scrimp; always build their shelters, pens, and fences using strong materials. • Place electrical wiring and light switches out of pigs’ reach or protect them with conduit. • Choose latches that are pig resistant when buying housing and latches. Pigs are the Houdinis of the livestock world; many pigs work simple latches with ease. • Situate structures so that no pig is totally isolated, particularly for any length of time. Pigs are inherently sociable; they fret if they can’t see other pigs or other friendly faces, animal or human, on an ongoing basis. • Factor in ease of moving when choosing a site, especially of moving pigs from one shelter or pasture to another and, ultimately, to the truck or trailer waiting to take them to be slaughtered. • Situate the housing so you can collect and dispose of manure in a responsible manner; don’t let it pile up and attract flies.

Other Housing Considerations Whatever shelter you decide to build or purchase, you will need to consider these two things: shade and bedding. Shade. When pigs are too hot, their normal body functions are thrown out of whack and less energy is available for growth. Hot pigs are also prone to heat stress (see page 133). When pigs are too hot, they lie on their P u r c hasi n g a n d R aisi n g

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E nvi r o n m e n tal E n r i c h m e n t Pigs, being the intelligent creatures they are, get bored when there’s nothing to do. Bored pigs look for ways to amuse themselves, so give your pigs toys. A 10-inch or larger hard plastic ball designed for big, strong dogs is always a hit, as are similar sturdy items such as traffic cones. Hang lengths of rubber hose or strips of cloth for pigs to play with. Cardboard boxes are free, and pigs love to tear them up. Give them a pile of straw to root in, carry around, and build a nest with, and they’ll be happy little porkers for hours.

sides, spread apart from their herd mates. They eat less, pant, and drink more water, unless the water is too warm. They tip their water containers to create moist areas to lie in. Therefore, pigs need shade and a wallow or a sprinkler setup to cool off during the hot summer months. They should have free access to well-ventilated pig housing, a hoop house, the shade of mature trees, or artificial shade created by stretching shade cloth or a tarp over some sort of sturdy framework. Bedding. Bed pig housing with at least 6 to 8 inches of absorbent, nontoxic material such as straw, poor-quality (but not moldy) hay, wood shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, ground corncobs, or sand. When pigs are cold, they expend energy trying to maintain a normal body temperature, thus less energy is available for growth. You’ll know pigs are cold when they huddle together, shiver, burrow deeply into bedding, and pull their legs and feet under themselves to stay warm. If you use other beddings in cold climates, add a layer of straw for additional warmth. To cater to their nest-building instinct, pile additional straw outside the shelter so pigs can construct their own nests. Pigs rarely pee or poop inside their housing, so you won’t have to clean things very often, but do add more material, as pigs track existing bedding out the door.

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Pens Pigs are incredibly hard on fences, as they stand on, rub, and root at and under them. The smaller the pen, the more abuse it will take, so pens must be built “hog stout.” Hog panels make the best pigpen fences, but even these should be partially buried to keep pigs from rooting under them and making an escape. Pens that hold pigs kept to slaughtering size should be at least 40 inches tall with at least another 6 inches buried in the ground. Or run two strings of electric fence inside the fence offset on 12-inch extenders, one at shoulder height and another 4 to 6 inches from the ground. This keeps pigs from rubbing on or rooting under and lifting the fence with their snouts.

Types of Livestock Panels The best material for building pens is livestock panels. Livestock panels are prefabricated lengths of sturdy mesh fence welded out of galvanized ¼-inch steel rods; they come in several wire spacings and heights. Cattle panels are 52 to 60 inches tall and constructed using 8-inch vertical wires called stays; horizontal wires are set closer together near the bottom of the panel to prevent smaller livestock from escaping. Cattle panels are usually sold in 16-foot lengths that can be trimmed to size using heavy bolt cutters. Piglets can squeeze through these, as the horizontal wires are set further apart than on hog panels, so they should only be used for fencing adult pigs. Hog panels are similar to cattle panels but manufactured in 34-inch and 40-inch heights, and their horizontal wires are set even closer together. Both cattle and hog panels are ideal for fabricating pens. Utility panels are the toughest of all; they’re fabricated using 4-inch-by4-inch spacing and are welded out of extra-heavy-duty 4- or 6-gauge rods in a full 20-foot length. They come in 4- to 6-foot heights and are ideal for building extra-stout pens. The downside to using welded panels for pigs is that pigs enjoy standing with their front feet propped against the fence. Big pigs eventually break the welds that hold these panels together, though in most cases they last a good long time.

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One bad thing about cattle, hog, and utility panels is that the raw end of each rod is very sharp. To make these panels more user-friendly, smooth each rod end with a rasp to take off its razor edge.

How to Build a Basic Pen To erect a fast, temporary, secure pen for two grower pigs (see illustration on page 87), follow this plan. If you’re tall enough, you can simply swing your leg over the panel and not bother with adding a gate. Start training pigs to electric fence by putting a couple of strands of electric wire in the corner of the pen, forming a triangle. After a couple of days, put a treat in the corner; if the pigs leave it alone, they are trained. M at e r i a l s

• Four 16-foot-by-34-inch-tall, heavy-duty hog panels

• Measuring tape • Heavy-duty bolt cutters

• Nine sturdy 5-foot 6-inch metal T-posts

• Shovel

• One 30-inch pipe gate How to Bu ild It

1. Measure the width of your gate and its mountings. Using the bolt cutters, cut a portion of panel this size from the end of one cattle panel. 2. Measure and mark an exact 16-foot-by-16-foot square on the ground where you would like the panel to go. 3. On each inside corner of the square, pound a T-post 2 feet deep into the earth. Pound another T-post halfway along each side. If you have active, robust rooters, such as Tamworths, you may want to add additional T-posts to beef up the pen. 4. Securely wire each hog panel to the T-posts. Set the remaining T-post at the end of the gate opening. 5. Mount the gate. That’s it!

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F e n ces If you intend to pasture your pigs, plan to erect sturdy, permanent fences around the perimeter of your property. These establish your property line, keep your pigs from getting out and visiting your neighbors, and prevent other people’s wandering livestock and feral pigs from joining your own. Permanent fences should be well constructed of high-quality materials so they’ll last a long time with minimal repairs. Be certain you know the exact location of your property lines before installing any type of permanent fence. And check with adjacent neighbors to see if they’re interested in pooling resources to build a better fence than what you can afford by yourself. In most states, adjacent landowners are required by law to foot half of the bill for erecting shared fences. Forcing the issue, however, may not be worthwhile if it leads to strained relationships with your neighbors. Movable electric fences are easy to put up and take down, so planning where to put them isn’t as important an issue as it is when planning permanent fences. Temporary fences are commonly used to break larger pastures into smaller paddocks. They should never be used for perimeter fencing, especially along roadways or in situations where animals that breach them can damage adjacent properties.

Types of Fencing Pig fences are usually made of livestock panels, woven wire, or electric fencing. Smooth and barbed-wire fencing is useless for pigs (they simply push through it). Hog panels make an outstanding permanent fence, especially with two strands of electric wire mounted along the inside to keep pigs from rubbing against or rooting under them. They are, however, an expensive option, so unless you’re fencing a relatively small paddock or you have very deep pockets, plan on building woven wire or electric fences.

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Woven Wire

Woven wire, also called field fence, is an expensive option, but it works well in all but high snowfall areas where deep drifts tend to pull it down. It’s made of horizontal lines of smooth wire held apart by vertical wires called stays. The horizontal wires are usually spaced closer together near the bottom of the fence. When correctly installed, woven wire is the most secure form of fencing, making it ideal for perimeter or boundary fences. Use 60-inch woven wire for fencing adult pigs; fences for growers, depending on breed, can be correspondingly lower. One drawback to using woven wire is that pigs sometimes lean into wire mesh fences, then stroll along from post to post, scrubbing their sides. To prevent this, use 6-inch extension insulators to install a strand of offset electric wire on the inside of the fence at shoulder height (see illustration below). Pigs may also root their snouts under woven wire fencing, then push up, eventually opening a getaway route. To prevent this behavior, install a second strand of offset electric fencing 6 to 8 inches above the ground. Woven wire comes with galvanized (zinc) or aluminum coatings. Both are further classified as Class I, II, or III wire; the higher the number, the thicker the coating and the more durable the fence. Since a major part of fencing costs is installation, it’s best to use the longest-lasting wire you can afford.

Extenders for electric fencing (extension insulator for T-post shown above, and for wood post below) keep pigs from leaning on and ruining the main fence.

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When buying woven wire, read the tag; the numbers on it tell you how it’s made. For instance, 10-36-6-9 fencing has 10 horizontal wires; it’s 36 inches tall; there is a 6-inch spacing between stay wires; and the fence is made of 9-gauge wire. Woven wire is sold in 20-rod (330-foot) rolls, and when used to fence in pigs, it is generally supported by wood or steel posts erected at 8-foot intervals. Electric Fence

Pigs and electric fences are a perfect mix. Pigs quickly learn to respect the painful zap electric fences emit. An inexpensive, two-strand electric fence with one wire set 4 to 6 inches above the ground and another at 12 to 18 inches will hold most pigs up to slaughter age. However, because electric fences are a psychological rather than a physical barrier, they should be used inside conventional perimeter fencing. Permanent versus temporary. Standard electric fencing wire is marketed in aluminum, regular steel, and high-tensile steel varieties. For permanent fencing, high-tensile is the way to go. For temporary fences, standard steel or aluminum wire works well. Aluminum wire is the better of the two; it’s rustproof, easy to form and cut, and it conducts electricity better Rotational Grazing than steel wire. Polywire, polytape, and If you pasture your pigs, consider using portable fencing to break rope-style electric fencing used their pasture into smaller padwith step-in plastic or fiberglass docks. Allow your pigs to use a posts make fine interior fences paddock until grazing runs thin or and can be moved around with the paddock becomes muddy or ease. Wide, flat tapes offer high overrooted, then move the pigs visibility, but flat tapes whip to the next adjacent paddock. around in the wind more than Keep moving your pigs in this rope-style temporary fencing. manner. This allows grazed areas To minimize whip, twist the to recover before the pigs rotate tape once or twice between back to them. fence posts rather than installing it flat.

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Net-style portable electric fencing is used to subdivide pastures for rotational grazing; to create lanes for moving fencewise pigs; and to fence steep, rocky, or otherwise uneven land. There are two basic types: brands with built-in posts and those without; most roll up onto easy-to-use reels, so moving these fences is a breeze. Chargers. An electric fence malfunctions when the fence charger (also called a fencer, controller, or energizer) that powers it isn’t up to the job. Chargers are sold by their voltage and the number of joules they put out (a joule is the amount of energy released with each pulse). One joule will power 6 miles of single wire fence; a 4½-joule fencer will energize 20 to 60 acres, depending on the length of the fence and the number of wires that are used in its construction. When building electric fences, choose an adequate charger. The charger’s box will tell you how many miles of fence it charges, but that’s the greatest length for one strand of fencing operating under tip-top conditions. The more powerful your charger, the fewer problems you’ll have. There are two types of chargers on the market: high- and lowimpedance models. High-impedance chargers put out relatively high voltage with low amperage. When these short out — and even a weed or blade of grass can do it — they don’t work. Low-impedance chargers put out a lower-voltage, higher-amperage charge resulting in a short, intense pulse and more energy that isn’t as easily shorted out. According to Susan Schoenian, sheep and goat specialist at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center, an estimated 80 percent of the electric fences in the United States are improperly grounded. Follow the instructions in your charger’s product manual; they vary between brands and models. Tips. A few other pointers when purchasing and using electric fences: • Use quality insulators. Sunlight degrades plastic, so choose highquality insulators, preferably a brand treated to resist damage done by ultraviolet (UV) light. • Don’t skimp on wire. The larger the wire, the more electricity it can carry. And don’t space wires too closely. To get the most from your charger, place them at least 5 to 7 inches apart. Housing, Fences, and Equipment 97

• Buy a voltmeter. Check the voltage at least once a day; more often is better. Pigs are smart. If the power goes out or your charger malfunctions, they’ll be out and about in a snap.

Did You Know? According to statistics published by the University of Tennessee, it takes a minimum shock of 700 volts to control short-haired breeds of cattle, horses, and pigs

• Train your pigs to respect electric fences. Place untrained pigs in a small area, then entice them by leaving a pail of feed outside until they get zapped.

and around 2,000 volts for longhaired cattle, sheep, and goats. The safety of a 2-year-old child is the criterion applied by national testing laboratories, such as Underwriters Laboratories and CSA, to certify the

• Allow extra space. Once they safety of an electric fence respect electric fences, most charger. pigs stay 1 to 2 feet away from them. Take this into account when figuring space requirements for pigs kept in pens with electric fences or conventional fences augmented with strands of electric wire installed inside them to prevent rubbing and rooting. • Don’t use electric-wire gates. Once zapped, pigs deeply respect electric fencing. Don’t use electric wire to form gates because pigs may refuse to come through the gateway even when the wires are pulled aside. Being shocked by an electric fence hurts, but in most cases the pain quickly passes. There are, however, exceptions to that rule. To prevent injury when dealing with electric fencing and electric fence chargers: Safety.

• Never electrify barbed-wire fencing; the chance of an animal or a person’s becoming entrapped in it is much too great. • Take care not to touch electrified fence with your neck or head. • Don’t tamper with or try to repair a fence charger; take it to an authorized service agency or replace it.

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• Never charge a battery while the (non-solar) charger is connected to the fence. • Never attach electric fence wire to a utility pole. High-voltage current leaking down a wet pole can be very dangerous.

Types of Fence Posts Steel T-posts are fireproof, durable, lighter in weight than wooden posts, and relatively easy to drive. They also ground a fence against lightning when the earth is wet. They do, however, tend to bend if large pigs lean against or rub on them; unbent T-posts last 25 to 30 years. Wooden fence posts come in treated and untreated versions. Treated posts last 20 to 30 years but may be toxic if your pigs chew them; the longevity of untreated posts depends on the type of tree they’re made from. The larger the top diameter, the stronger the wooden post. For example, a 4-inch post is twice as strong as a 3-inch post, and a 5-inch post is twice as strong as a 4-inch post. Corner and gate posts should have a top diameter of at least 8 inches, brace posts 5 inches or more, and line posts can be anything greater than 2½ inches, but the bigger the posts, the stronger and more durable the fence. Step-in fiberglass and plastic posts are used to string up temporary fences, particularly fences made of electric string or tape. If you use them, buy good ones; low-end, step-in posts don’t last.

Wa llows During the hot summer months, pigs thermoregulate by soaking in mud or water to cool down. Researchers have found that at moderate temperatures, pigs stand in water or in a wallow to cool down. As the ambient heat rises, they lie with their bellies in cool water or mud. When

When it’s hot, pigs need wallows to survive.

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warmer still, they coat their skin with mud and periodically roll from side to side to allow the mud to evaporate. On very hot days, only the pig’s snout and head may stick out of the wallow. At temperatures of 70°F (21°C) or less, pigs kept in dry climates can get by without a wallow, but those in humid areas cannot. At 71 to 80°F (22–27°C), all pigs should have a wallow. In humid climates, at 85 to 95°F (29–35°C), at least one wallow should be in a shaded area. At temperatures of 96°F (36°C) or greater, all wallows should be shaded. If you don’t build your pigs a wallow, they’ll try to build their own by repeatedly spilling their water containers and churning up the mud with their snouts. Instead, pick a likely spot, and dig out a shallow depression no more than 1 foot deep, then fill the depression with water from a hose or sprinkler system. If you add more water as needed, the pigs will do the rest. Once the wallow is established, run fresh water on it every day to keep it from becoming a stagnant, mucky mess. Or provide your pigs with children’s wading pools; the hard plastic kinds work best.

A children’s wading pool makes an inexpensive, sanitary wallow for one or two pigs.

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F u r n i sh i n g the S helte r o r P e n You won’t have to buy a lot of equipment to keep pigs, but you’ll need a few essentials, including water containers and feeders.

Waterers Fifty-five percent of a grower pig’s body consists of water. A copious amount of water is needed for regulating body temperature, absorbing and transporting nutrients, excreting waste, lubricating joints, and cushioning nerves. A severe restriction of water over a relatively short time period can cause overheating and even death, while a milder water restriction causes pigs to reduce their feed intake, resulting in slow and inefficient gains. Make water available to your pigs at all times. It’s possible to water pigs using buckets and tubs, but plan on refilling them often. Pigs love rooting under stationary objects. Combine that with their appreciation of mud, and you can imagine how often they upend their buckets and tubs in the course of a day. If you do use buckets and tubs (we do), use heavy-duty snaps to affix them to the fence. It helps, but not a lot. A better choice is a heavy, relatively tip-proof trough designed specifically for pigs. Note that pigs play in their water buckets and troughs if they can. Expect to dump muddy water and replace it with fresh water when they do. Pigs need access to a plentiful supply of fresh water at all times.

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Under moderate conditions, pigs drink about ¼ gallon of water per pound of feed ingested, so a pig consuming 4 pounds of feed per day needs, at minimum, 1 gallon of water. The exact amount varies according to ambient temperature (the hotter it is, the more water pigs consume), type of feed, how often water is provided, what kind of housing the pigs live in, and stresses in the pigs’ environment. Pigs prefer cool water in the summer. Place water containers in the shade during the hottest summer months. A good way to keep drinking water cool is to freeze water in gallon plastic milk jugs and set one in each water receptacle during the heat of the day; pigs often pull the jugs out and play with them, but you can usually salvage and refreeze them several times. If you live where frozen water containers are a wintertime problem, buy heavy rubber buckets for your pigs. Carry water to them at least twice a day, replacing each frozen bucket with a bucketful of warm water. Carry the frozen buckets away from the pigs’ area, upend them, and stomp on the bottom; the ice falls out, and they’re ready to use the next time you water your pigs.

Pigs appreciate garden refuse when it’s available. It should supplement, not replace, their main diet.

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Though expensive, feeders designed for pigs save a lot of feed. You might be able to find one used. Ask around!

Feeders and Miscellaneous Supplies Feeders with covered compartments and flip-up trap doors save you big money if you feed finely ground feed. If you don’t, open troughs do the job just as well. You can also feed directly off the ground if you feed pellets, whole grains, or chopped vegetables, and you can feed it on packed snow or a dry surface away from muck and manure. This also satisfies pigs’ inherent desire to graze. You probably already own the incidentals you’ll need for a backyard pig-raising venture, including shovels, a pitchfork, and a garden hose for cleaning buckets and troughs and topping off your pigs’ wallow. What you may not have, which I highly recommend, is a garden cart big enough to carry a bale or two of straw or a small pig incarcerated in a dog crate. This will save your back immensely and, in the case of the pig, your eardrums. Choose a sturdy, big-wheeled cart; these push easily through mud where wheelbarrows and smaller-wheeled carts get stuck.

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7 Chapter

Feeding Never eat more than you can lift. — Miss Piggy

P

igs are omnivores that happily consume both plants and flesh.

There are several approaches to feeding pigs, but none is as simple as what many first-time pig raisers think — that you can feed them all the corn they want to eat and little else. Pigs need a wide array of nutrients to stay healthy and gain weight quickly and efficiently. Corn isn’t enough.

T he P i g ’ s D i g est i v e System Pigs are monogastric animals, meaning they have a single stomach rather than the four-compartment ruminant stomach of such efficient grazers as sheep, goats, and cattle. A pig’s digestive system can’t tolerate great quantities of pasture or hay the way ruminants’ systems do, although adult pigs

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can assimilate more roughage than younger pigs can. Grower pigs need concentrates, even when pastured. The pig’s digestive tract has five parts: the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines. The mechanical breakdown of food begins in the mouth. Saliva softens and moistens food particles. It also contains an enzyme that begins digesting starch. When the pig swallows, muscle contractions push food particles through the esophagus to the stomach. Cells along the stomach lining secrete hydrochloric acid and enzymes that help break down food into smaller particles of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Some particles are absorbed into the bloodstream; others that the stomach cannot absorb pass to the small intestine. The small intestine is about five times as long as the pig, yet it lies in a spiral, allowing it to fit in a relatively small space. Tiny, fingerlike projections called villi increase its absorptive area. Secretions from the liver and pancreas that are added in the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, aid digestion. Most food nutrients are absorbed in the second and third sections, called the jejunum and the ileum. Undigested nutrients and secretions exit into the large intestine via the ileocecal valve. A p i g ’ s d i g est i v e system

esophagus

pancreas

liver

small intestine

large intestine stomach

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A structure called the cecum lies at the beginning of the large intestine; in most animals, including the pig, it has little function. The large intestine is shorter but wider than the small intestine. Its main function is the absorption of water. It’s also a reservoir for the materials that make up feces. Mucus is added to this material to act as a lubricant before muscle contractions push it out through the rectum.

Co mme r c i a l R at i o n s The majority of a pig’s diet should come from premixed pig feed that is fed free choice. You can supplement the diet with kitchen scraps and grain alternatives, but serve these goodies on the side. Large-scale pork producers and some pig breeders mix their own feeds. This isn’t practical on a backyard basis for several reasons. Swine rations contain a wide mix of nutrient sources, including cereal grains at 50 to 85 percent of total volume, a protein source, salt, a calcium source, a source of phosphorus, and a vitamin-mineral premix. Other additions to commercial feeds commonly include milk products, dehydrated alfalfa hay, meat products, and grain by-products such as wheat bran, wheat mids (also called middlings; the product remaining after flour or semolina is extracted from wheat), or rice bran. For optimal health and maximum gain, these ingredients must provide a balanced amount of energy, protein, essential fatty acids, 12 minerals, and 14 vitamins. Furthermore, the proper proportions of each change at various stages of a pig’s life. Without a deep understanding of swine nutrition, you’re unlikely to get this right. Another advantage to buying commercial feed is that you can purchase fully formulated fresh feed as you need it. You don’t have to stock a feed room with multiple bags of feeds and supplements that may get old before you use them up. Type. All major feed companies manufacture lines of swine feeds formulated for every stage of a pig’s life, from weaning through adulthood. Organic and GMO-free complete feeds are available too. However, it’s important to read feed labels so you know what you’re getting. Most feeds formulated for young pigs are medicated. If you buy

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healthy piglets and raise them in P r ote i n Needed at a healthy manner, they don’t need Va r i o us we i g hts medicated feed. And make sure you’re getting the protein level you Weight of Pig (lbs.) Percent Protein need by buying class-specific feeds. 10–20 20 If you don’t have a full spec21–60 18 trum of feeds to choose from, feed 61–120 16 grower pigs a product containing 121–240 14 16 percent protein until they reach 120 pounds, then switch to a 14 percent protein finishing ration. Texture. Commercial rations come in three textures: ground, crumbles, and pellets. Ground feed is easily flung around and wasted, and pigs have been known to choke on it (if your pig consistently chokes on ground feed, add water and stir it up to make a thick porridge before feeding). Dropped pellets are easily retrieved and eaten, but gluttonous pigs sometimes bolt pellets and choke. Crumbles are a happy medium. Storage. Store bagged feed in covered 55-gallon drums or large, galvanized garbage cans to keep rats and mice at bay. Plastic garbage cans work in some cases, but persistent rats eventually chew holes in all but the heaviest plastics. Place feed where pigs can’t break in and help themselves, a situation that leads to serious digestive upsets. A good way to know that won’t happen is to store feed in discarded chest-style freezers. Be sure to remove the locking mechanisms, lest a child climb inside and become trapped. Minerals. Swine need at least 12 mineral elements in their diet: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iodine, iron, copper, and selenium. You won’t need to add a mineral supplement if you feed commercial pig feed; all of the necessary vitamins and minerals are factored in. Keep in mind that pig feed contains copper levels that are toxic, even fatal, to certain other species. If you keep your pigs in a common area with sheep or camelids (llamas, alpacas, and mixes thereof ), don’t allow those other animals access to pig feed at any time.

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Kelp, though optional, is a good addition to grower pigs’ diets. Kelp is a source of 60 minerals and elements, including iodine; 21 amino acids; and 12 vitamins, including A, C, B12, thiamin, and vitamin E. Because the minerals are in plant tissue, they are easily digested and assimilated. If you feed it, feed it free choice in a container separate from feed troughs; then pigs can eat it when and if they like.

Weighing Pigs It’s important to know how much pigs weigh for several reasons, including deciding which of several rations you should feed them, how much dewormer or medication to give them, and just to know if they’re gaining weight the way they should. Few of us, however, have access to livestock scales. Not to worry; you can weigh your pigs with a ready-made swine weight tape or use a cloth or plastic dressmaker’s tape and the formulas below. Before you begin, recruit a helper and make sure the pig is standing squarely on level ground. Give him some feed in a pan. When he raises his head, quickly measure the pig from point A to B, from a point between his ears to the base of his tail, in inches. When he lowers his head to resume eating, squat beside the pig and ask your helper to squat on the opposite side. Be careful lest something startle the pig and knock you over. Measure the circumference C of the pig’s heart girth, again in inches, by passing the tape around his body just behind his armpits. Ask your helper to make certain the tape lies flat and isn’t twisted on his side of the pig. Pull the tape snug, and compute the pig’s weight by using these formulae: Heart girth × heart girth × body length ÷ 400 = weight in pounds Heart girth × heart girth × body length × 69.3 = weight in kilos

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How much. Feeding instructions are usually printed on the bag. When

raising penned pigs that don’t have access to pasture, feed according to the directions on the label. If your pigs forage part of their own feed or you augment commercial feed with some of the alternatives I’ll talk about in a moment, consider them guidelines rather than instructions chiseled in stone.

The preceding formulae give you the live weight of your pig. The conversion from live weight to carcass weight varies somewhat, but using a ratio of 72 percent will give you a good approximation. So a pig weighing 250 pounds would have a carcass weight of around 180 pounds (250 × 0.72 = 180).

A

B

C

Tape weighing is a good, accurate alternative when you don’t have access to livestock scales. Recruit a helper to make sure measurements are spot-on.

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A good plan is to feed 1 pound of commercial feed for each month of age up to a maximum of 6 pounds of feed per day. Even grower pigs on pasture should have access to free-choice feed at all times. To accomplish this, add feed twice a day and check the feeders about half an hour after feeding. If the pigs are leaving a lot of feed or slinging a lot on the ground, cut back accordingly so they have all the feed they want without wasting it.

S uppleme n ta r y F eeds In Great-Granddad’s time, pig keepers turned swine into the woods or newly harvested grain fields to forage part of their feed. Pigs ate garden leavings, whey from cheese making, and food left over from Sunday dinner. Farmers grew turnips, potatoes, and mangels especially for their pigs. Grain alternatives formed a large part of pigs’ diets. Though we don’t hear much about it these days, we can still feed our pigs these items, even if we raise them in semiconfinement. Pigs are omnivores and will eat just about anything, with the exception of the items noted on page 115. Kitchen scraps and food-waste products. In America, we’re allowed to feed kitchen scraps to pigs as long as the pigs are for our own consumption. Some, but not all, states allow people to feed bulk waste foods such as vegetables from the grocery store, stale bread products from bakeries, and cooked swill (mixed garbage from restaurants and institutions) to backyard pigs raised purely for home consumption, so make sure it’s legal if you do it. Britain, Australia, and New Zealand prohibit the feeding of anything that passes through the human food chain, such as kitchen scraps or restaurant refuse, period. Keep in mind that E. coli, brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease, hog cholera, pseudorabies, and swine vesicular disease can be transmitted to pigs via infected food waste. If you feed your pigs waste products, know where they came from and what’s in them. Anything that might contain meat should be heated to boiling (212°F [100°C]) and held at that temperature for at least 30 minutes before feeding.

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Dairy products. Anyone who keeps dairy animals often has more milk,

skim milk (the fluid left after butterfat is skimmed off for making butter), buttermilk (the fluid left over after butterfat is converted into butter), and whey (fluid left over from cheese making) than they know what to do with. A good solution is to use it to fatten pigs. Dairy products should make up no more than 10 percent of a grower’s overall diet. To feed dairy, stir it into your pigs’ regular feed to make a palatable mush or pour it into separate troughs to be consumed as liquid. Fruits and vegetables. You can feed your pigs most anything you grow in your garden, except for the few items mentioned on page 115. Replace commercial feed at the rate of roughly 4 pounds of produce to 1 pound of a commercial mix. Farmers’ markets and grocery stores are good sources of discarded fruits and vegetables that are past their prime. Commercial truck farmers may give you barrels of blemished vegetables. Windfall tree fruits such as apples or pears are often free or inexpensive if you pick them up yourself.

Fo ot-an d - M o u t h D i s e a s e In 2001, the United Kingdom experienced one of the worst outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in its history. It originated on a pig farm licensed to feed processed waste food. Whether the pigs consumed unprocessed or incorrectly processed food waste, or if the food waste was processed according to regulation and the virus managed to survive, is uncertain. In any case, the pigs were infected with hoof-andmouth virus. Because loads of live, contaminated pigs left for the abattoir, and the virus’s airborne movement carried it to an adjacent sheep farm, the disease spread. In all, more than two thousand cases of foot-and-mouth disease were confirmed, and more than six million cloven-hoofed animals were culled to stop its spread.

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Aco r n Nut r i e n t p r o f i le The values below are for the nutmeats only Nutrient

Percent

Water

8.7–44.6

Protein

2.3–8.6

Fat

1.1–31.3

Carbohydrates

32.7–89.7

Calories per pound

1,200–2,600

Chart adapted from “Use of Acorns for Food in California: Past, Present, Future” by David A. Bainbridge, a paper presented at the Symposium on Multiple-Use Management of California’s Hardwood resources, November 12–14, 1986, San Luis Obispo, California

Before feeding any of these items, remove any that are moldy or seriously spoiled. And be certain it’s legal to feed them where you live; zoning laws sometimes prohibit feeding bulk waste foods of any sort, even fruits and vegetables. Root crops. Root vegetables were once a staple ingredient in swine food, and they still could be today. The good part is that you can grow a lot of sugar beets, mangels (also known as fodder beets, stock beets, and mangelwurzels), rutabagas, turnips, or carrots on a small piece of land. Some, particularly fodder beets and rutabagas, store exceedingly well. The bad things are that you must chop them into manageable pieces before feeding and they don’t have huge feed values, so it takes 3 or 4 pounds of roots to replace 1 pound of commercial feed. Mast. Pannage is the practice of turning pigs out in a woods or forestland during autumn and early winter to fatten on mast: acorns and other nuts. Acorns are still used as a major finishing feed in many parts of the world, particularly Spain and Portugal. Some American niche pork producers not only turn their pigs into the woods to self-harvest mast, they gather and feed acorns to them through the snowy winter months. Like any other supplementary feed, acorns shouldn’t comprise more than a small percentage of a grower pig’s diet.

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Hay. Though mature pigs do well on a part-hay diet, grower pigs are not especially adept at digesting crude fiber of the type found in even the best hay. They also have higher nutritional requirements and smaller digestive tract capacity, so hay shouldn’t make up a significant part of a grower’s diet. Crop stubble. In days past, farmers turned out pigs on newly harvested fields to forage grain and fodder. The practice still works and gives pigs the opportunity to move around, build muscle, and root — pastimes that keep them happy and healthy.

Jam ó n Ib é r i co d e B e l lota Jamón Ibérico de bellota, or Iberian acorn-finished ham, is a product of Spain. It comes from the Black Iberian pig, the Cerdo Negra, raised in the southern and southwestern regions of Spain. A similar ham, presunto de porco preto, is produced in the southeastern parts of Portugal, where the Black Iberian pig is called the Porco de Raça Alentejana. Jamón Ibérico de bellota is an ultragourmet product and sells for upward of $100 per pound in the United States. Producers feed newly weaned Black Iberian pigs barley and corn for several weeks, then turn them out into savannahlike oak forests called the dehesa for 6 months, through the fall and mild winter months, where they consume 15 to 20 pounds of acorns per day. Jamón Ibérico de bellota is cured for 12 to 36 months. It’s rich tasting, deep red, and liberally marbled with fat. Served at room temperature as an appetizer, jamón Ibérico de bellota is unique in taste and fat content — the fat in these hams is mostly unsaturated and high in healthful omega-3 fatty acids and oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat known to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.

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S e e H ow T h e y G r ow These charts show typical gains and what they will cost you in feed, keeping in mind that pigs are individuals and some breeds grow faster than others.

T y p i c a l G r owth R ates f o r a S ta n da r d - S i z e P i g Age (weeks)

Weight (lbs./kg)

8

27/13

14

64/29

20

115/52

26

181/82

28

220/100

Av e r ag e Am o u n t o f F eed Co n sumed Values are for a typical pig of a full-size breed. Three pounds of food are eaten per pound of weight gain. Six hundred pounds of food are required from when the pig is 40 pounds to when it is 240 pounds.

Weight of Pig (lbs./kg)

Feed Consumed (lbs./kg) per day)

40/18

2.5/1.1

150/68

5/2.3

240/109

6/2.7

Charts adapted from the booklet Keeping Your Own Pigs by S. Crafter and R. ­Morton, Northern Territory Government (Australia), 2010, and the Penn State 4-H Market Swine Project Reference Guide, Penn State Cooperative Extension, 2005.

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W h at N ot to F eed Many sources caution not to feed citrus to pigs, but citrus pulp is a major component in fattening programs in parts of the world where citrus is grown. When good-quality, dried citrus pulp makes up no more than 40 percent of the ration and it’s properly supplemented with protein and phosphorus, it’s highly palatable and has a feeding value of 85 to 90 percent of shelled corn. It shouldn’t hurt to throw your pigs a few fresh citrus fruits or citrus peels from time to time, but don’t make citrus the major part of their diet. The same sources that stigmatize citrus fruits also warn against feeding anything from the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, and peppers). In times past, however, potatoes were a staple in pig-fattening diets, but they were cooked before being fed. Also, according to researchers at Mariano Marco State University in the Philippines, fresh or dried tomato pomace (the skin and pulp left after juice has been extracted) is a useful supplement to commercial pig feed, added at the rate of 6 percent of grower rations and 30 percent of finisher rations. Raw tomatoes shouldn’t hurt your pigs, but to be on the safe side, don’t feed fresh or spent nightshade vines or plants. Plants and vines are higher in the alkaloids that make these plants toxic. In addition to large amounts of citrus and fresh or spent nightshade vines or plants, don’t feed pigs: • Bones or raw meat of any kind

• Coffee grounds

• Anything moldy or spoiled

• Tea bags

• Rhubarb

• Roots and seeds of Brassica species (e.g., cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli)

• Tobacco (fresh or processed)

And don’t go overboard on junk food, such as waste from fast-food restaurants or candy stores. Outdated bread and not-too-sugary bakery products are essentially grain and are okay in moderation. Keep in mind that certain pasture and nuisance plants are toxic or poisonous to swine. I’ll talk about them in chapter 8.

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Pig Manure A major by-product of feeding your porkers is pig manure. A 150-pound grower pig produces 9.8 pounds of manure a day on average, whereas a 200-pounder produces 13.1 pounds. That amounts to 1.8 tons and 2.4 tons, respectively, per year. Even though you won’t keep your pigs that long, you’re still looking at a lot of manure. Though many sources caution against using pig manure in your compost because of the pathogens it can harbor, if you are an experienced composter and you hot-compost pig manure very carefully, you can. According to scientists at the University of Manitoba in Canada, composting manure at 77°F (25°C) for 90 days will render it free of dangerous pathogens, including E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter, yersinia, cryptosporidium, and giardia. To be on the safe side, however, apply compost containing pig manure in the fall so it can overwinter in the garden, then carefully wash and thoroughly cook produce grown in that space. If you’re not an experienced composter, it is very important that you spread your fresh manure on pasture that won’t be used to produce food for human consumption. Caution:

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8 Chapter

Health

I

The pig by a merciful providence was given to mankind solely for our benefit and in order to supplement our diet. — Olaus Magnus

t’s increasingly difficult to find large-animal vets who make farm calls,

so livestock owners often become their own vets. This is not without risk. The most workable solution is to find an experienced large-animal veterinarian who treats pigs and establish a working relationship, but also learn to address minor problems and routine veterinary procedures yourself. Fortunately, if you buy healthy pigs (refer back to the chart in chapter 5 before you choose them), then house and feed them well, you’re unlikely to encounter many problems in the 6 to 10 months it takes to raise them for pork.

F i n d i n g a G o o d P i g Vet It may be harder than you think to find a veterinarian to advise you and treat your pigs. To find a good pig vet, ask other pig owners for recommendations. Narrow it down to several veterinarians, then call their offices and ask a few questions. Are they familiar with pigs? At practices with more

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than one vet, may you stipulate which one you want to treat your animals? Do they make farm calls? If not, what are their policies about bringing in sick pigs for treatment? What are their hours? Do they respond to evening, weekend, and holiday emergencies? Once you decide on a vet, treat him right. If he makes farm calls, have your pigs penned up and ready for treatment when he arrives. Provide a weatherproof, well-lit place for your vet to work. If you don’t understand a treatment, ask questions. If follow-up care entails detailed instructions, write them down. Don’t disturb your vet during nonworking hours unless he asks you to do so. Don’t, however, wait until a minor problem escalates into an afterhours or weekend emergency. Know what you can and cannot do on your own, and involve a vet as soon as one is needed. And always settle your bill when payment is due. Call your vet anytime something isn’t quite right and you’re worried. It’s better to pay a vet than lose a pig. Wh en to Call a Ve t

• Your pig has an abnormal temperature higher or lower than 101.5 to 102.5°F (38.6–39.2°C) • Your pig hasn’t eaten for more than a day • A wound is bleeding profusely or you believe a wound has become infected • Your pig is convulsing, trembling, or staggering • Your pig is down and can’t get up • Your pig is choking or breathing harshly • Your pig is uncontrollably coughing or sneezing • There are significant lumps or bumps anywhere on your pig’s body

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G u i d e li n e s fo r K e e p i n g P i g s H e alt h y •• Check each of your pigs at least twice a day. Is any pig

sick, injured, or off color? Take care of problems right away; don’t wait to see if they get better by themselves. If you don’t know what’s wrong with a pig or you’re not positive you know how to treat what ails it, get help. •• House your pigs in clean, safe surroundings. Control flies;

they annoy pigs and spread disease. Check pens and fences on an ongoing basis, repairing them as needed. •• Provide a hospital area for sick pigs. Don’t leave them

with your other pigs or livestock of any kind. •• Feed wisely. Many health concerns are feed related. Make

changes gradually. Make certain that individuals are getting the amount of feed they need. •• Exclude animals that might foul feed. Keep mice, rats,

raccoons, cats, dogs, pigeons, and poultry out of feedstorage areas. •• If a pig dies unexpectedly, have it necropsied to deter-

mine cause of death. Ask your vet for details. Dispose of

the body by burning, burial, or composting; don’t let your dogs eat dead pigs. •• Discuss a vaccination program with your vet. Unless

you’re raising your pigs organically, you’ll probably want to vaccinate for diseases endemic to your region.

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G i v i n g S h ots Learn how to give your own shots. Unless you call your vet to do it, you need this skill to vaccinate your pigs and treat them if they’re sick. The most common routes of administration are intramuscular (IM; into muscle), subcutaneous (SQ; under the skin), intravenous (IV; into a vein), intranasal (IN; up the nose), and topical (on the surface of the skin). Generally, bacterins or killed products can be given subcutaneously. Modified live-virus products are usually given intramuscularly, because this allows the virus to reproduce and reach the lymphatic system more quickly.

Choosing the Syringe and Needle Choose the smallest syringe you can use to perform the task at hand. Large syringes are cumbersome, especially in women’s smaller hands. There are two types of disposable syringes: Luer slip and Luer lock; the needle slides onto the first and screws onto Bigger Is Smaller the second. Luer slips are best if, The larger the needle gauge, when giving intramuscular shots, the smaller its bore, so an you prefer to insert the needle into 18-gauge needle is skinnier muscle before attaching the syringe. than a 16-gauge needle. Luer-lock needles are better for giving injections when the needle is already attached to the syringe. Subcutaneous injections (SQ; under the skin) should be given using ¾- to 1-inch, 16- or 18-gauge needles. Give intramuscular injections (IM; into muscle) with 1- or 1½-inch, 16- or 18-gauge needles. Some antibiotics are viscous, and the carriers used in their production make these injections sting; for these, choose a larger-diameter, 14-gauge needle so you can inject the fluid quickly before the pig objects. Start with enough needles to do the job. You’ll need a new needle for each animal, plus a longer, thicker transfer needle to stick through the rub-

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ber cap on the product you’re using. Using a new, sharp needle each time is less painful for the pig, and it eliminates the possibility of transmitting disease via contaminated needles.

A B a s i c Fi r s t-Ai d K it It’s wise to keep a first-aid kit of items you’ll need if your pigs become ill or injured. Pack them in a 4- or 5-gallon foodservice bucket with a lid, and stow it where you can find it in a hurry. Things to pack include: •• Thermometer (digital is best) •• Assortment of disposable syringes •• Disposable 16- and 18-gauge needles in ¾-inch to

1½-inch lengths (make sure you buy the kind that fit your syringes) •• Gauze and self-adhesive, disposable bandaging material

such as Vet Wrap •• Wound dressing. Aerosol products such as Blue-Kote

work well, or try an alternative product such as emu oil or Schreiner’s Herbal Solution •• Disinfectant. Alcohol, or a product such as Betadine scrub •• Large bottle of saline solution •• Scissors •• Latex gloves •• Headlamp or flashlight. If using a flashlight, use a lantern

type you can set on the ground, leaving your hands free •• Phone numbers for your veterinarian and county Exten-

sion agent (write them on the lid with permanent marker)

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Disposable syringes and needles are inexpensive; discard them after use. Don’t try to sterilize and reuse disposable syringes, as boiling compromises their integrity. Keep a variety of sizes on hand.

Administering the Medicine Reread the label on each product each time you use it, and follow directions. The label on health products includes the dosage to be given, the timing of administration, and the route of administration. The label will also list warnings, indications for use, withdrawal times if any, proper methods Withdrawal Times of storage (some products can be The withdrawal time printed on stored at room temperature, others a pharmaceutical label is from must be refrigerated), and expiration the time when the last dose of date. product is administered to the Don’t combine vaccines or drugs. time when a pig may be safely Mixing sometimes destroys the effecslaughtered without drug resitiveness and value of the individual dues remaining in its carcass. products. How to Give a Shot

1. Restrain the pig by having an assistant help press him against a wall using hurdles, or use a snout snare (see pages 29–30). Properly restrained pigs are less likely to be hurt or to hurt you. 2. Bend over the pig to give the injection. If you’re right-handed, stand on the left side, and bend over its back to the right-side injection site. Your helper stands on your side. To give two injections, change sides. 3. If the injection site is dirty, wipe it clean with alcohol or another disinfectant, and allow it to dry before you give the shot. This will minimize the risk of infection and the incidence of injection-site abscesses. 4. Insert a new, sterile transfer needle through the rubber stopper cap of each product you’ll be injecting. Never poke a used needle through the cap to draw vaccine or drugs.

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5. Attach a syringe to the transfer needle, and draw the vaccine or drug into it. If you’re drawing 8 cc of fluid from the bottle, inject 9 cc of air (to avoid the hassle of drawing fluid from a vacuum), then pull a tiny bit more than 8 cc of fluid into the syringe. 6. Detach the syringe, and attach the needle you’ll use to inject the pharmaceutical into your pig. Gently press out the excess fluid to remove any bubbles created as you drew the vaccine or drug. 7. Select an injection site in the triangle just behind and below the ear but in front of the shoulder; if you choose a site too far back, you’ll inject into fat, and the pharmaceutical will be poorly absorbed. You want to inject the vaccine or drug where it will work well but without damaging better cuts of meat, so don’t Injections should be given in the shaded area on either side of the inject into the shoulder or ham pig’s neck. of grower pigs. 8. To give a subcutaneous injection, select the loose skin right behind a pig’s ear. Tent the skin to get the product just under it and not into muscle — this is subcutaneous important. Pull the skin away space from the pig’s body, and insert skin the needle sideways into the fold of skin. Check to make certain you haven’t poked the tip of the needle out the other side. subcutaneous Depress the plunger, withdraw muscle tissue the needle, and rub the injection Subcutaneous shots are given under site to help distribute the drug the skin instead of into muscle mass. or vaccine. Health 123

9. To give an intramuscular injection, inject straight in, not at an angle. To minimize leakage, pull the skin slightly forward before inserting the needle (that way, when the needle is withdrawn, the skin skin will spring back, covering the hole in the muscle and sealing subcutaneous tissue the injected pharmaceutical in place). Quickly but smoothly, muscle insert the needle to the hub, deep into muscle mass, then aspirate (pull back on) the plunger ½ inch to see if you hit a vein. If blood rushes into the syringe, pull the needle out, taking care not to inject any drug or vaccine as you do so. Move the needle about 2 inches from that location and try again. Another method is to remove the needle from your syringe and quickly jab the pig in the injection area, burying the needle up to its hub. Slowly count to 10, waiting to see if blood drips from the hub. If it does, the needle is in a vein; pull it out and try again. If not, connect the syringe and depress the plunger. This works best with Luer How Much Is . . . slip needles. 1 milliliter (1 ml) = 15 drops = Absorption rates vary for subcutaneous and intramuscular injections, and some substances behave differently when given by different routes. If your vet prescribes one route, consult with him before switching to a different one.

1 cubic centimeter (1 cc) 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) = 5 cubic centimeters (5 cc) 1 tablespoon (1 Tbsp) = 15 cubic centimeters (15 cc) 2 tablespoons (2 Tbsp) = 30 cubic centimeters (30 cc) 1 pint (1 pt) = 480 cubic centimeters (480 cc)

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For grower pigs, never inject more than 10 cc into one site. When making multiple injections, inject into sites at least 2 inches apart, being careful not to reuse injection sites; when injecting more than one product, don’t inject them in close proximity to one another.

Countering Anaphylactic Shock Epinephrine is a naturally occurring hormone and neurotransmitter manufactured by the adrenal glands. It’s used to counteract the effects of anaphylactic shock. Any time you give an injection, no matter which product or the amount injected, be prepared Signs of Anaphylaxis to immediately administer epine­ ••Glassy eyes phrine to counteract an unexpected ••Increased salivation anaphylactic reaction. If a pig goes into anaphylaxis (see signs in box at ••Sudden-onset labored right), you won’t have time to run to breathing the house to grab the epinephrine. ••Disorientation The standard dosage is 1 cc per ••Trembling 100 pounds; don’t overdose, as it ••Staggering or collapse causes the heart to race. Previously available over the counter, epinephrine is now a prescription drug; you have to get it through a vet.

T r e at i n g M i n o r P r o blems Some minor injuries are so common that you should learn to handle them yourself. It isn’t difficult, and you’ll save big money in vet bills.

Wounds Pigs have a knack for injuring themselves and each other, so you’ll need to learn how to treat minor wounds.

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Keep a supply of saline solution on hand for cleaning cuts, bites, and abrasions. If you’re out, you can flush the wound with lots of cool water from a hose. After cleaning, apply a mild disinfectant such as tame iodine solution to kill bacteria left on the wound. What should you put on this nicely cleaned wound? In many cases, nothing; clean, open wounds sometimes heal better (and faster) than injuries coated with oily products and thick ointments. If you use a wound dressing, use it sparingly. Don’t attempt to treat a serious wound yourself. Call your vet if an injury is extensive or bleeding profusely, if it’s contaminated by any sort of debris, if it’s on or near a tendon or joint, or if it’s already infected.

Sunburn Pigs sunburn as quickly and easily as you and I do. White pigs and pigs with white patches on their bodies are especially prone to sunburn. Provide adequate shade for these pigs, or turn them out in the evening and bring them back to shelter soon after dawn. If a pig does become sunburned, products designed to treat human sunburn work very well on pigs. Choking An animal chokes when it has an object (nearly always a bolus of poorly chewed food) stuck in its throat. Choking generally occurs when a famished or greedy pig hogs his food; pigs are particularly likely to choke on finely ground or pelleted feed and bulky items such as whole apples or large chunks of mangel or similar root crops. A choking pig usually coughs and gags and frees the object on its own. If your pig routinely chokes on pellets, switch to nonpelleted feed. Mix water or milk by-products such as whey into ground feed before feeding. Chop fruits and root vegetables into manageable chunks. Place obstructions such as fist-size rocks or clean bricks in feeders so pigs have to shove them out of their way or eat around them and thus stop gobbling their food.

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C hec k i n g V i ta l S i g n s It’s important to know how to take your pig’s temperature and assess his respiration rate.

Temperature You’ll need a rectal thermometer to take a pig’s temperature. Traditional veterinary thermometers are made of glass and have a ring on the end to which you can attach a string. Glass thermometers must be shaken down after every use: hold the thermometer firmly, and shake it in a slinging motion to force the mercury back down into the bulb. However, because a digital thermometer is faster, it beeps when done, and it needn’t be shaken down, it is better for working with pigs. If your pig isn’t especially tame, restrain him in the same manner as when giving shots. If he is tame, give him a pan of his favorite feed and take his temperature while he’s eating. Or give him a belly rub and take the temperature while he’s lying on his side. Insert the bulb end of a lubricated thermometer about 2 inches into his rectum. Use K-Y Jelly or a lubricant designed for veterinary purposes (in a pinch, plain old saliva also works). Hold a glass thermometer in place for at least 2 minutes and a digital model until it beeps. After noting the reading, shake down the mercury in glass models, clean the thermometer with an alcohol wipe, and return it to its case; always store thermometers at room temperature. Respiration Watch the pig’s rib cage as it moves, and count the number of breaths he takes in 15 seconds, then multiply that number by four. External conditions can affect readings. Body temperatures rise slightly as the day progresses and may be higher on hot, sultry days. Extreme heat and fear or anger elevate respiration. Slightly elevated readings are usually okay.

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Normal Temperature and Respiration Rectal temperature (grower age to adult pigs): 101.5– 102.5°F (38.6–39.2°C)

Respiration (grower age to adult pigs): 25–40 breaths per minute

Co mm o n Ill n esses It’s impossible to discuss every pig disease in this book, but these are a few to be aware of when raising grower pigs. There are vaccines available for diseases marked with an asterisk (*). You only need to vaccinate for diseases that your pigs have a high risk of receiving. These vary considerably, depending on where you bought your pigs and whether they were vaccinated before you got them, whether they’ll need booster shots, how you keep them, and what part of the country you live in. Ask your veterinarian or county Extension agent for advice. Abscesses. These are localized lumps of infection. They may be located near the surface of the body as pus-filled swellings or buried in tissues deep within the pig. Abscesses are often caused by faulty injection practices. Clean needles should be used every time. If the injection site is dirty or damp, it should be wiped clean using alcohol or another disinfectant and allowed to dry before injection. When the site is dirty, a hypodermic needle can carry contaminants and bacteria from the skin into the tissue, increasing the risk of abscess formation. External abscesses can be lanced by making an X-shaped incision using a very sharp knife or a disposable scalpel. Carefully drain the abscess into a disposable glove and irrigate with antiseptic. Dispose of the glove by burning. Atrophic rhinitis (AR).* A bacterial infection, atrophic rhinitis is characterized by sneezing, nasal discharge, and atrophy of the turbinate bones in a pig’s nose. This sometimes causes the upper jaw and snout to shorten or twist. Atrophic rhinitis is spread by nose-to-nose contact. It’s typically treated with antibiotics and sulfonamides. Early symptoms usually appear by 3 to 8 weeks of age, so don’t buy sneezing pigs or pigs with even mildly distorted upper jaws or snouts. Erysipelas.* An infectious disease, erysipelas is caused by the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. It’s mainly a disease of growing pigs and is characterized by sudden death, fever, arthritis, and skin lesions. E. rhusiopathiae is found on most pig farms and is so tough that it can survive for several

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months in frozen or chilled meat, cured and smoked ham, and dry blood. It can also survive in swine manure for up to 6 months at temperatures below 50°F (10°C). The modes of entry are ingestion and skin abrasions. Antibiotics: Symptoms include high fever and Yes or No? purplish discoloration of the ears, Antibiotic overuse is a real and snout, and abdomen, or diamondrapidly expanding concern. shaped skin lesions anywhere on However, in most cases strictly the body. Infected pigs walk stiffly avoiding antibiotics isn’t feasion their toes, lie about separately ble. If your vet says to use them rather than in groups, and are relucfor one reason or another, foltant to move. Erysipelas is treated low directions to the letter. Use with antibiotics. Mycoplasmal pneumonia.*

the recommended dosages,

don’t skimp, and complete the

Also called viral pneumonia and series as directed. enzootic pneumonia, mycoplasmal pneu­monia is a chronic and infectious pneumonia of pigs. Symptoms include a persistent dry cough, retarded growth rate, sporadic flare-ups of respiratory distress, and a high incidence of lung lesions in slaughter pigs. Stress and changing weather can trigger it in pigs exposed to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, the bacterium that causes this disease. The incidence of lung lesions is highest in 3- to 5-month-old pigs. Immunity develops slowly, and lung lesions heal. Older growing and mature pigs may recover completely. Pasteurellosis.* This is a respiratory disease of young pigs between 10 and 18 weeks of age, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. Symptoms of pasteurellosis include sudden, severe pneumonia with fast, labored breathing; high fever; and death. Milder pneumonia, nasal discharge, coughing, and weight loss are symptoms of milder cases. Pasteurellosis is treated with antibiotics. Pleuropneumonia.* A contagious respiratory disease, pleuropneumonia primarily affects pigs up to 6 months of age. Respiratory distress is severe, sometimes with open-mouth breathing and a blood-tinged, frothy nasal and

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oral discharge. A fever up to 107°F (41.7°C) and a reluctance to move are typical signs. Survivors show reduced growth rates and a persistent cough. Transmission is mainly by nose-to-nose contact. Porcine stress syndrome (PSS). Rarely a problem with most breeds, porcine stress syndrome is the name for a group of conditions associated with a recessive gene called the halothane gene, so named for the adverse

Swi n e Flu an d Yo u In April 2009, when H1N1 “swine flu” came to America, consumers began to obsess about whether to eat pork. While swine flu is passed from human to pig and pig to human, you cannot contract the disease by eating tainted meat. H1N1 was a new virus that spread easily from person to person, causing the first influenza pandemic in many years. A flu pandemic is an epidemic of a flu virus that occurs on a worldwide scale and affects many people. The best-known pandemic in recent history was the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, said to have killed more than 50 million people. Pigs, chickens, and ducks are thought to play an important role in the emergence of new human strains. People immune to older strains are not immune to new strains, so those new strains can spread extremely rapidly and infect large numbers of people. H1N1 emerged when an existing combination of bird, swine, and human flu viruses combined with a Eurasian swine flu virus; this is why the media called it swine flu. In October 2009 the first case of H1N1 infection in a pig in the United States was confirmed. Data

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effect halothane anesthetic has on pigs carrying it. When pigs carrying the gene are exposed to stressful conditions that trigger PSS, they exhibit symptoms that include muscle tremors, snout twitching, heavy breathing, extreme agitation, and red, splotchy skin. Pigs usually die within 15 to 20 minutes. Dead pigs commonly have rigor mortis (stiffening of the muscles after death) within 5 minutes.

from the USDA publication “What People Who Raise Pigs Need to Know about Influenza (Flu),” published in January 2012, indicates that H1N1 may now be widespread in the North American swine population. It further states that: “Human flu viruses can infect pigs and can introduce new flu viruses into the swine population [as occurred with H1N1]. “The flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs can infect people, but this is not common. In 2005 and 2006 three cases of infection with flu viruses that normally circulate in swine (‘variant viruses’) were reported in people. Beginning in 2007 about three to four of these cases were reported per year. . . . In 2011, 14 cases of infection with variant viruses were reported.” This happens so rarely that it isn’t something the average pig keeper needs to worry about. To be safe, avoid contact with pigs if you’re experiencing flulike symptoms, and avoid close contact with pigs that have swine influenza. If you can’t avoid contact, wear clothing that covers your skin, including gloves and a mask over your mouth and nose.

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PSS pigs yield pale, soft meat, or sometimes excessively dark, firm, dry meat. Heavily muscled pigs such as Pietrains are more likely to carry the gene than leaner pigs. If you suspect PSS, call your veterinarian, then spray the pig with cool water to quell his rising body temperature while you wait for the vet. It’s best, however, to avoid the problem by not purchasing extremely muscular feeders.

Swi n e Zo o n o s e s : P r ot ec ti n g Yo u r Fam i ly ’ s H e alt h All animals carry diseases and parasites that can affect humans; pigs are no exception. These diseases are called “zoonoses.” Zoonoses affecting both people and pigs include bacterial agents such as anthrax, brucellosis, campylobacter, erysipelas, salmonella, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and yersinia; influenza viruses; ringworm (which is actually caused by a fungus and not a worm); mange mites (called scabies in humans); and internal parasites such as ascarids (roundworms) and protozoan cryptosporidiosis. For a disease to spread from pigs to people, the causative agent must be ingested, inhaled, or picked up via contact with pig manure or urine. Most swine zoonoses are acquired by humans when they ingest the infectious organism, usually by handling pigs, then eating or smoking without first washing their hands with plenty of soap. And parents should be sure to wash their children’s hands after they’ve been around pigs. If you acquire a cut, scrape, or puncture wound while handling pigs or working where pigs are present, wash it with soap and running water, apply antiseptic, and cover the wound with waterproof dressings before resuming work.

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Pseudorabies.* This disease is frequently fatal, with a worldwide distribution. Symptoms are similar to those of rabies, including lack of appetite and weight loss, sneezing, and an intense itch that gives the disease its common name of “mad itch.” It’s especially dangerous because the virus can infect cattle, sheep, goats, cats, and dogs, as well as wildlife and barnyard rodents. It’s a reportable disease that has been successfully eradicated from most of North America. If you suspect pseudorabies, you’re required to contact your veterinarian without delay. Swine influenza (SI).* A highly contagious respiratory disease, swine influenza is caused by infection with type A influenza virus. The main signs are rapid onset depression, fever to 108°F (42.2°C), lack of appetite, coughing, bronchial spasms, weakness, a thick discharge from the eyes and nose, and possible collapse. The disease typically lasts 1 to 10 days in uncomplicated infections, and recovery is almost as sudden as the onset. Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE). A common viral disease of the small intestine, TGE causes vomiting and profuse diarrhea in pigs of all ages. Vomiting is often the initial sign, followed by watery diarrhea, dehydration, and excessive thirst. Mortality is nearly 100 percent in newborn piglets, whereas pigs 1 month old or older rarely die. There is no specific treatment. TGE virus is easily spread by persons and animals, so take care to prevent its spread to other herds.

H e at S t r ess Because their sweat glands are essentially nonfunctional, pigs are especially prone to heat stress. Like all other animals, they have a thermoneutral zone, or range of temperatures, in which they are most comfortable and neither shiver nor pant. Once internal and external temperatures combine to push a pig past this comfort zone, he becomes heat stressed and attempts to compensate by wallowing, panting, drinking extra water, and seeking shade. He’ll also eat less food and stop gaining weight. In worst-case scenarios, heat stress can lead to rectal temperatures of up to 107°F (41.7°C), trembling, staggering, terminal convulsions, and death. It’s important to cool down an overheated pig.

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The best way to cool a pig out on pasture is to create a wallow in a shaded place and fill it with cool water. If you’re near the home or barn, spray him with cool water and set up a fan to move air and cool him down by evaporation. He’ll lose more heat this way than if he’s in constant contact with water. You could also poke holes in a garden hose and mount it in the shade where pigs can congregate beneath it. It’s vitally important that pigs have access to a constant supply of clean, reasonably cool drinking water during the summer months. Water that is held in a metal or black plastic container out in the sun can easily become too hot for pigs to drink.

Fe r al P i g s P o s e S e r i o u s H e alt h R i s k s Unfortunately, feral pigs are carriers of serious diseases, notably swine brucellosis and pseudorabies in North America, and hog cholera and African swine fever in other parts of the world. To avoid introducing these diseases to your property, it’s important not to allow feral pigs to mingle with your growers and not to butcher feral pigs on your farm. The range of wild pigs is expanding in the United States, due in large part to their popularity as a game species. The presence of wild pigs in new areas is often attributed to illegal translocation: the practice of capturing wild pigs, transporting them to new locations, and releasing them into the wild. Today there are sounders of feral pigs in at least 45 states, including states as far north as Oregon, North Dakota, and Michigan. The largest populations are in California, Texas, Florida, and Hawaii.

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Poisoning Pigs are not selective eaters. If something tastes passably good, they will probably eat it. Symptoms of poisoning vary according to what the pig has ingested. Any time a pig is acting strangely but symptoms don’t resemble a specific disease and the pig’s temperature is normal, suspect poisoning, and call your veterinarian for advice.

Poisonous Plants If you raise your pigs outdoors, there are almost certainly poisonous plants growing in areas where they feed. This may or may not be a problem, depending on whether: • Your animals eat them. Many poisonous plants are quite unpalatable and aren’t necessarily attractive to pigs. • They eat enough volume to matter. Many “poisonous” plants are simply toxic. Unless they’re eaten in massive quantities or over a length of time, they do no harm. • They consume the poisonous part of the plant. In many cases, only a portion of a plant is poisonous — its roots or wilted leaves or seeds. Or the plant is only poisonous at certain stages of its growth, and pigs don’t eat it at that time of the year. • They’re immune to the compounds in a given plant. Some poisons are species specific.

Salt Poisoning Salt poisoning, also called water deprivation sodium ion toxicosis, usually occurs not when pigs eat too much salt (though that can happen, too) but when they don’t drink enough water. This is why it’s important to keep palatable drinking water — not too hot and certainly not frozen — in front of your pigs at all times, summer and winter alike. Pigs are more prone to salt toxicity than any other species. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, even grower pigs on feed containing only 0.25 percent salt can succumb to salt poisoning when their water intake is

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limited, yet grower pigs on feed that is up to 13 percent salt may not be poisoned if they consume adequate amounts of fresh water. Early signs of salt poisoning include increased thirst, constipation, and fierce itching. Pigs may appear to be blind, deaf, or oblivious to their sur-

P l an ts Tox i c to P i g s According to various sources, at least some parts of these plants are poisonous (or toxic) to pigs at some point in their growth cycle: •• Arrowgrass

•• Mountain laurel

•• Azalea

•• Oleander

•• Black locust

•• Pigweed

•• Black nightshade

•• Poison hemlock

•• Bladderpod

•• Pokeweed

•• Bracken fern

•• Rhododendron

•• Buckeye

•• Rhubarb

•• Castor bean

•• Showy crotalaria

•• Chinaberry

•• Tarweed (fiddleneck)

•• Cocklebur

•• Tobacco

•• Horse nettle

•• Water hemlock

•• Iris

•• White snakeroot

•• Jimsonweed

•• Wild cherries (all)

•• Laburnum

•• Wild mustard

•• Larkspur

•• Yellow jessamine

•• Lupine

•• Yew

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roundings. They neither eat nor drink. They may wander aimlessly, bump into objects, circle, or pivot around one leg. After 1 to 5 days of limited water intake, the pig can go into a seizure by sitting on his haunches, jerking his head backward and upward, and finally collapsing onto his side. Pigs may die within 3 to 48 hours. Pigs suffering from salt toxicity shouldn’t be given huge amounts of water to drink. Instead, begin giving them small amounts at frequent intervals. Severely affected animals should be given water via stomach tube, so call your veterinarian without delay.

Mycotoxin Poisoning Never give moldy feed of any kind to your pigs. Moldy feed, particularly corn, is capable of producing dangerous amounts of poisonous fungal mycotoxins called “aflatoxins.” Aflatoxin contamination is greater in corn that has been produced under stress conditions; drought, heat, insect, and fertilizer stress are all conducive to high levels of aflatoxins. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates aflatoxin levels at 20 parts per billion (ppb) in food and feed. Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, are known to cause serious health problems, such as porcine edema in swine. Reduced weight gain, capillary fragility, reduced fertility, suppressed disease resistance, and even rapid death have been attributed to mycotoxins. In general, older swine are more tolerant than younger pigs. Additional Poisons Pigs can be poisoned if they ingest stored rat, mouse, or insect baits, so keep them where pigs can’t reach them. Insecticide and pesticide poisoning can occur from incorrect application (too much of a product or a product not labeled for pigs) or when pigs eat contaminated feed. Lead poisoning usually occurs when pigs ingest used motor oil or residue from old batteries. Other sources of lead include flaking paint on buildings or in old paint cans, old linoleum, grease, lead weights, lead shot, and contaminated foliage growing near roadsides.

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Mak e D e wo r m i n g Co u n t Experts used to tell pig producers to deworm all of their pigs at the same time and to rotate dewormers to reduce drug resistance. Few weighed their pigs before deworming, so many underdosed their animals. In this manner, parasites were exposed to all of the available anthelmintics (chemical dewormers), often in doses too light to be fully effective. Weak parasites died, but the stronger ones survived. Now dewormer-resistant “super worms” have evolved to the point that some anthelmintics are no longer effective. So, it’s important to deworm correctly. To get the most from your deworming program, heed these tips. •• Don’t deworm your new pigs unless your vet tells you

they need to be dewormed. The fewer chemicals your

pigs ingest, the better. •• Ask for fecal tests and follow your vet’s advice. Fecal

exams are also a cost-effective follow-up to deworming to determine whether the dewormer worked, so it’s a good practice to have another fecal egg count run about 2 weeks after deworming. •• Read dewormer packaging. Follow instructions to the

letter. •• Weigh each pig and dose accordingly. Never underdose.

If you don’t have scales, tape-weigh your pigs (see page 108).

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Pa r a s i tes Internal parasites rob your pigs of valuable nutrients and sometimes make them sick; external parasites drive pigs so crazy that they forget to eat. Parasites must be controlled, even for the short time you grow your pigs.

Internal Parasites A number of nematodes (worms) are found in pigs, among them large roundworms (Ascaris suum), intestinal threadworms (Strongyloides ransomi), whipworms (Trichuris suis), nodular worms (Oesophagostomum), kidney worms (Stephanurus dentatus), lungworms (Metastrongylus apri), red stomach worms (Hyostrongylus rubidus), thorny-headed worms (Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus), and trichina (Trichinella spiralis). They are also prone to coccidiosis caused by tiny parasites that multiply in the intestinal tract; there are three types: Eimeria, Isospora, and Cryptosporidia. Your vet is your number-one source of information about internal parasites; contact him as soon as you buy your pigs. He’ll run eggs per gram (EPG) fecal tests on them to see how many parasites they’re carrying and which parasites are involved. To do this, he’ll need fresh fecal material from each pig. To get it, stand by with a labeled plastic sandwich bag turned inside out on your hand, and when the pig delivers, scoop up a sample, turn the bag right side out around the material, and seal it up. After processing the manure, your vet will view it under a microscope to identify what types of parasite eggs are present. Then he’ll count the number of eggs of each parasite species found in 1 gram of prepared sample. By identifying species and counting the numbers of eggs, he can recommend the perfect deworming agents for your pigs. The three most important parasites to owners of grower pigs are large roundworms, whipworms, and nodular worms. Large Roundworms

An adult Ascaris suum is more than 8 inches long. Adults live in the small intestine but sometimes migrate to the pig’s stomach, where they cause

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their host to vomit feed and worms. Roundworms compete for nutrients in the intestine, leading to reduced feed efficiency and weight gain. An adult female roundworm lays thousands of eggs a day, which pass out of the pig in his feces. A protective shell helps eggs remain viable in the environment for 5 years and more. When they’re eventually swallowed, larvae hatch in the intestinal tract and migrate through the intestinal wall,

W hat ab o u t T r i c h i n o s i s ? Trichinosis is a zoonotic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game infected with the larvae of a species of roundworm called Trichinella spiralis. There are two main phases of the infection: enteral (affecting the intestines) and parenteral (outside the intestines). Symptoms.

Mild cases of trichinosis in humans may cause no

recognizable symptoms. Symptoms develop with moderate or heavy infestation, sometimes progressing as the parasite migrates through the human body. Initial symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, sometimes progressing to high fever, chills, muscle pain, aching joints, itchy skin, swelling of the eyelids, weakness, headache, and sensitivity to light. If you notice gastrointestinal problems or muscle pain and swelling about a week after eating pork or game, talk to your doctor. Rate of infection.

Infection was once very common but is

now rare in the Western world. The incidence of trichinosis in the United States has decreased dramatically in the past century. The United States Centers for Disease Control began collecting data on trichinosis in 1947. It reported 393 cases between 1947 and 1951, but only 66 cases between 2002 and 2007. The number of

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traveling via the blood stream to the liver, then to the lungs, where they trigger coughing. If coughed up, they’re swallowed again and return to the intestines to complete their life cycle. During liver migration, white scar lesions called milk spots form. Lung migration makes the host animal more susceptible to respiratory problems such as mycoplasma and viral pneumonias.

cases has decreased because of several factors: legislation prohibiting the feeding of raw-meat garbage to hogs, increased commercial and home freezing of pork, and the public awareness of the danger of eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game. Pigs are at risk of being infected by trichinella if they consume trichinella-infected meat products, rats and other wildlife infected with trichinella, or a dead herd mate that has trichinella. Precautions.

The USDA recommends heating fresh whole cuts

of pork to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) and ground fresh pork to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). Although trichinella larvae can be killed at temperatures as low as 131°F (55°C), the higher recommended temperature allows for microwave cooking, which often results in unevenly distributed heat. Enough consecutive days of freezing temperatures kills some but not all trichinella species. The freeze-resistant species found in the United States have low infectivity rates in pigs, so larvae numbers aren’t high enough to cause human trichinosis.

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Nodular Worms

Oesophagostomum, or nodular worms, are about 1 inch long when they reach their adult stage in the large intestine. Their eggs, which are passed in feces, aren’t as hardy as those of most other nematodes and dry up unless deposited in bedding, manure, or some other form of protection. When conditions are right, the egg forms a larva that can then be swallowed by a pig. Once swallowed, larvae migrate to the large intestine and burrow into the walls, forming nodules. This dramatically decreases feed efficiency and weight gain. Whipworms

Whipworms can infect pigs at any age, but they’re usually associated with diarrhea in 50- to 100-pound grower pigs. This leads to decreased feed efficiency and reduced weight gain. Adult whipworms are about 2 inches long and live in the cecum, located at the beginning of the large intestine, where they burrow into the cecal and intestinal wall, disrupting nutrient absorption and causing diarrhea. Females lay eggs that are passed in feces. Whipworm eggs are very hardy and can last in the environment for many years. When a pig ingests a whipworm egg, it hatches into a larvae and travels to the cecum, where it matures and starts the cycle all over again.

External Parasites External parasites fall into two categories: flies and body parasites. Lice, mange mites, and ticks live on your pigs and make them itch like crazy; stable flies and ticks suck blood, so large concentrations lead to suppressed gains and anemia; and most external parasites are vectors for one or more pig diseases. You don’t want them bothering your pigs. Flies

Two types of flies frequent pig areas: houseflies and stable flies. Both spread disease. Swarms of flies can also cause problems with nearby neighbors. Many types of residual and knockdown insecticides are effective against flies.

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Z ap Wo r m s o n Yo u r Far m Where nematodes are concerned, prevention is often better than a cure. The following practices can help cut back on the numbers of internal parasites infecting your pigs. •• Feed hay and grain from feeders instead of directly off

the ground. •• Provide a clean water supply free of manure

contamination. •• Remove manure from pens and paddocks on a weekly

basis; don’t let it pile up. •• Use well-drained areas for lots and pastures. •• Deworm more often if your pigs use a natural wallow, or

substitute easily cleanable children’s wading pools for wallows in the ground. The use of mud wallows contributes to worm infestations unless pigs are properly dewormed before they start using them. •• Rotate pastures with one species following another (for

example, pigs following cattle following sheep) to interrupt the life cycles of species-specific parasites. •• Don’t feed raw meat or undercooked table scraps contain-

ing meat, to avoid trichinosis. •• Consider a number of factors when formulating a parasite

control program, such as local climate; the season; soil conditions; and the number, age, and type of animals using a facility. Consult your vet or county Extension agent for management tips particular to your region.

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Houseflies. These are approximately ¼ inch long and gray, with four dark longitudinal stripes on top of their bodies. Their mouthparts are adapted for sponging up liquids. They cannot bite. Female houseflies lay their eggs in garbage and animal excrement, and eggs hatch into maggots within a day or two. The maggots feed until they complete three larval molts; then they burrow into nearby drier areas, where they pupate. Adults mate in 1 or 2 days after emerging from their pupal cases. The life cycle from egg to adult can be completed in as little as 1 week but typically takes about 3 weeks. Houseflies live for about 3 weeks during the summer, but they can survive for up to 3 months at lower temperatures. They tend to stay within 1 or 2 miles of where they were hatched but have been known to travel as far as 20 miles. Since they congregate on pigs, feasting on discharges, they have a great potential for spreading disease. Houseflies can’t breed in large numbers when food sources are limited, so don’t allow manure or other decaying organic matter to accumulate. Stable flies. These flies resemble houseflies except that a stiletto-like proboscis used to pierce the skin and draw blood extends beyond the stable fly’s head. Both male and female stable flies feed on blood. They are persistent feeders that cause significant irritation to their hosts. Stable flies feed on the blood of practically any warm-blooded animal, including pigs and humans. Feeding activity peaks during the early morning and again in the late afternoon. They prefer to feed outdoors and rarely come indoors; they also prefer to feed on the lower parts, including the legs, of their hosts. Females deposit eggs in decaying animal and plant wastes but are rarely found in fresh manure. Their entire life cycle from egg to adult is completed in 3 to 6 weeks. In severe cases, stable flies can cause significant blood loss. Wounds from bites may become infected. Stable flies are proven vectors of serious swine diseases, such as leptospirosis. Lice

Lice spend their entire lives on their host. Both immature and adult forms suck blood and feed on skin. There are more than five hundred species of lice worldwide, infesting pigs, cattle, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, rabbits,

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and humans. Lice are species specific, so neither you nor your pets or other livestock can catch lice from your pigs. The pig louse (Haematopinus suis) has piercing and sucking mouthparts, which it uses to penetrate a pig’s skin and feed on the pig’s blood and lymph. If you suspect that your pig has lice, look for pig lice in the skin folds around his neck and jowls, at the base of his ears, on the inside of his legs, and on his flanks. You may also find nits (eggs) in the same areas, attached to the base of individual hairs. Mature lice are about ¼ inch long and are gray-brown in color; you can see them with your naked eye. The most common sign of lice is excessive scratching and rubbing. Pigs seek out posts or gates to rub against to relieve themselves of fierce itching caused by the dozens or even hundreds of lice that are piercing their skin. They may rub themselves raw trying to ease the itch. Lice are generally spread via direct contact, often when new pigs join an existing herd. Populations vary seasonally. Lice proliferate during autumn and reach peak numbers in late winter or early spring. Summer infestations are rare. Wintertime infestations are usually the most severe. Lice are irritating to pigs. The more time a pig spends rubbing and scratching, the less time he spends eating, resulting in reduced weight gain. And lice are stressful for a pig; this also leads to decreased gain as well as increased susceptibility to disease. Large infestations in young pigs may result in anemia, since the lice may be removing large amounts of blood. Finally, lice can transmit diseases such as swine pox and eperythrozoonosis. Pigs need treatment, generally with an over-the-counter residual pesticide designed for livestock, whenever they scratch and rub to excess. It’s difficult to control lice because pesticides kill lice but not their eggs. Since eggs hatch 8 to 12 days after pesticide is applied, pigs need to be re-treated 2 or 3 weeks following the first application. Mange Mites

Two types of mange mites torment pigs: itch mites and follicular mites. Itch mites. Also called sarcoptic mange, itch mites are the most common kind of mange mite. They burrow just beneath the skin, making slender,

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winding tunnels from 0.1 to 1 inch long. The fluid they discharge at the mouth of each tunnel dries and forms scabs. Itch mites also secrete a toxin that causes intense itching. Infected pigs have thickened and reddened skin around the ears, shoulders, stomach, and between their legs. They scratch so hard that they abrade their skin, and this can give secondary bacterial infections a foothold. Scratching becomes so intense that infected pigs sometimes damage their shelters and pens.

I n s ec ti c i d e an d P e s ti c i d e Ti p s Play it safe when using and storing insecticides and pesticides. Keep these things in mind. •• Read the label on insecticide and pesticide containers

before each use. Heed all warnings and precautions. Apply only as directed. •• Protect yourself. Don’t get these substances on your skin,

in your eyes, or in your lungs; wear gloves and longsleeved shirts, an air filter mask, and protective glasses. •• Store products in their original containers away from

human food and animal feed and out of the reach of children, livestock, and pets. •• Dispose of unused products promptly and safely. Check

with your local health department to find out if your community has a household hazardous-waste collection program or a similar program for getting rid of unwanted insecticides and pesticides. •• Don’t reuse an empty insecticide or pesticide container.

Place it in the trash unless the label specifies a different procedure.

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Follicular mites. Also called demodectic mange, follicular mites are far

less common. They are microscopic, cigar-shaped mites that live in hair follicles. This mite produces nodular lesions that sometimes break, leaving holes in the pig’s skin. It’s difficult to control these mites because they are located deep in the hide. Follicular mites also cause fierce itching, along with inflamed areas and pustules on the belly, the head, and the top of the neck. If one pig has mites, contact your vet for advice, and treat all your pigs at one shot. Ticks

There are two kinds of ticks: hard ticks (Ixodidae family) and soft ticks (Argasidae family); both are attracted to pigs. Hard ticks. These have hard plates on their backs, and their mouthpieces are visible from above. When they bite, hard ticks secrete cementlike saliva that glues the feeding tick in place. Hard ticks can go several months without feeding. They are attracted by heat, vibration, shadow, and carbon dioxide emissions. A hard tick locates a host through a process called questing, whereby it perches on vegetation and waits for something to pass by. When a host is in reach, it extends its front legs and snags the host as it brushes past. In its 6- to 8-day life as an adult, engorged female hard ticks are capable of expanding from two hundred to six hundred times their unfed weight. Typical hard ticks are the American dog tick, the brown dog tick, the Gulf Coast tick, the lone star tick, and the Rocky Mountain tick (all can bother pigs). The itch of tick bites causes pigs to rub, hard, often to the point of abrading skin. The Rocky Mountain tick can also cause tick paralysis in pigs. Soft ticks. These have leathery bodies. The mouthpieces of soft ticks aren’t visible from above. A few species seek hosts by questing, but most prefer established burrows and nests — including dog beds. Females engorge 5 to 10 times their unfed size in just a few hours. They look like inflated balloons.

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H ow to R e m ove Ti c k s It’s best to wear disposable gloves when removing ticks, but if you live where removing them is a frequent task, washing your hands with plenty of soap immediately after removing a tick will do. Grasp the tick as close to the pig’s body as you can and pull straight back. The object is to remove the head intact if you possibly can. If left embedded, the head can cause some irritation, though it isn’t absolutely essential to remove it.

A soft tick called the spinous ear tick (Otobius megnini) is a pest of livestock throughout the western United States. Heavy infestations result in intense irritation and rubbing, as well as weight and hair loss in pigs. If you find a tick attached to one of your pigs, take it off. The longer a tick is attached, the more likely it will transmit any disease it’s carrying. The best way to control ticks is to alter their habitat, so mow areas your pigs frequent and keep them litter-free. Also consider adopting a flock of free-roaming guinea fowl. Folks who keep guineas swear by their tickgobbling efficiency. Free-range chickens are tick eaters, too.

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3 Part

From Pig to Pork Health 149

9 Chapter

To the Slaughterhouse Poets and pigs are appreciated only after their death.

I

— Italian proverb

f you purchase a grower pig at 10 to 12 weeks of age, it will be ready to

process anywhere from 5 to 8 months later. Times differ depending on breed, feed, and the manner in which you raise them. Full-size breeds will be in the neighborhood of 200 to 260 pounds; smaller breeds such as Ossabaw Island Hogs and Kunekunes will weigh comparatively less. The best way to know when your pigs are ready for slaughter is to tapeweigh them (see page 108) at least once a month as the expected slaughter time approaches. The pigs should look ready to slaughter; their hams should be plump and their bodies well rounded. When weight and visuals agree, it’s time. Most people wait too long to have their first pigs processed, possibly because they dread their pigs’ upcoming demise or because they think that more time equals more meat. However, at a certain point (about 240 pounds

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S ay i n g G o o d by e Saying goodbye to your first pigs can be very difficult. Pigs are appealing creatures, and it’s easy to become fond of them. It’s important to remember your reasons for having them in the first place and that your pigs have had a short but very good life. If there are small children in your family who think of the pigs as pets, be straightforward with them, explaining that the pigs lived a happy life but now they are going to be food. If questions come up at mealtimes when pork is served, answer truthfully, but spare great detail. Most children accept simple explanations when things are handled in a matter-of-fact manner. Finally, if you or your children have gotten so attached to a pig that you think you might not be able to eat him, have him slaughtered and processed at a USDA facility so you can sell the meat, or simply sell the pig on the hoof. Otherwise, resign yourself to having a huge pet pig.

for pigs of full-size breeds), pigs stop efficiently gaining lean weight and begin laying down a lot more fat. Some fat is good; a huge amount is offputting and a waste of good feed.

S l a u g hte r Opt i o n s There are three basic options: do it yourself, on-farm custom slaughtering, and processing at a slaughterhouse. Book an appointment at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance with whoever will kill and process your pigs (timing varies by region); if you wait until the last minute, you might be put on a waiting list, and your pig will go past its prime. This is especially true in the months leading up to major holidays such as Christmas and Easter, when pork is traditionally served.

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Home Processing You may be thinking of killing and cutting up your pigs at home. If you’ve never done it before, think hard before choosing this alternative, especially if you can’t recruit experienced help for slaughtering day. It’s easy for an old hand to stun and stick a pig, but if it’s done wrong, it’s a bloody, What Does It Mean? traumatic mess for both you and Butcher. A person who the pig. divides carcasses into cuts To scald a pig, you need a vat of meat or 55-gallon drum of near-boiling water and apparatus that will Locker plant. A freezer let you repeatedly dip the pig in storage facility where and out. Skin the pig instead? It customers rent lockers in sounds easy, but unlike the skin which they store frozen food; many locker plants of most animals, pigskin adheres offer slaughter and butcher tightly to flesh, making skinning a services as well difficult, meticulous task. None of these problems are insurmountSlaughterhouse. Also called able, but you shouldn’t attempt an abattoir, a slaughterslaughtering on the basis of readhouse is a facility where ing a book. livestock are slaughtered and their carcasses cooled. If you’re still not convinced, Many slaughterhouses also log on to YouTube and type cut carcasses into primal slaughter pig in the search box. cuts. Some offer complete Could you do that with no assisbutcher services. tance and no prior experience? Hire help. Ask your county Extension agent if he knows people who slaughter their own pigs; contact them, and ask if they’d give you a hand. If you live near an Amish or Mennonite community, you can probably find someone to mentor your first killing. Assisted living centers and retirement homes are fertile picking in farm communities; an older, thoroughly

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experienced person directing from the sidelines can make all the difference in the world.

On-Farm Custom Slaughtering A better ploy than doing the job yourself is to find an experienced slaughterer and butcher who will come to your farm and do the job for you. Your pigs won’t be stressed by transport, and you can learn by watching a pro. On-farm pork processors range from a person who brings basic tools in the back of his truck to someone with a sleek, fully outfitted trailer set up with state-of-the-art cutting equipment. In some states, they must be registered with that state’s department of agriculture or food safety; in others, they’re uncertified. To be on the safe side, ask for references, and check them out before using a mobile processing service. To find an on-farm processor, again, ask around, especially if you live near an Amish or Mennonite community. If you can’t find any leads, talk to your county Extension agent; he may know someone in your area providing this service. Slaughterhouse Processing There are three types of slaughterhouses in the United States: USDA approved, state approved, and custom processing. USDA S l a u g h t e r h o u s e s

Large slaughterhouses are nearly always USDA certified. This means that a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspector is on-site during slaughter and that all animals are inspected prior to and after killing. The USDA inspection seal is stamped on meat processed at these plants. USDAinspected meat can be sold to the public and transported across state lines. Most USDA slaughterhouses are set up to process large lots of animals, rather than one or two pigs for home growers. But ask; there are exceptions. Expect to pay more for USDA-inspected processing, to cover the cost of USDA certification.

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S tat e - I n s p e c t e d Fa c i l i t i e s

State inspection programs are administered by each state’s department of agriculture, so the rules vary from state to state. A common thread is that a state inspector must be on-site during slaughter. Meat processed at a state-inspected facility is stamped “state inspected.” In some states, stateinspected pork can be sold within that state; in others, it can be used only by the owner of the animal, his family, and nonpaying guests. Custom Processing Plants

Meat processed at custom processing plants, also called cut-and-wrap processors, can only be used by the family and the nonpaying guests of the party who brought the animal in for slaughter. It’s stamped “not for sale,” and it cannot be sold, donated, bartered, or given away. Custom processing plants are generally small, hometown operations that also process deer and other large game. Some also offer freezer storage for a fee; these are called freezer or locker plants. Unlike assembly-line slaughterhouses, these facilities handle one animal at a time and usually in a more humane manner than larger facilities. In most states, they are licensed by the state and inspected several times a year. To find local custom processing plants, check the Yellow Pages, look for ads on feed store bulletin boards, ask neighbors who raise pigs, or talk to your county Extension agent.

Choosing a Facility Decide if you’ll use a full-service slaughterhouse or processing plant that will kill, cool, and cut up your pigs or if you’ll go the separate slaughtering facility and butcher shop route. Then pick one or two facilities you might want to use, and arrange for visits. Killing is usually done in the morning; personnel are busy then, so make appointments for midafternoon. Slaughtering facilities. Look around. Is the facility clean? Talk to the manager. Does he guarantee you’ll get your own meat back? Some slaughterprocessors don’t, so this is an important question. What days do they process pigs, and what time should your pigs be there? Most processing plants

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Processing Terms Familiarize yourself with these terms before discussing processing with a slaughterhouse manager or butcher; what he says will be easier to understand. Carcass cutting yield. The percentage of a carcass that ends up as meat (see page 156)

Cooler shrinkage. The amount of shrinkage that occurs while a carcass hangs in the cooler, generally 2 to 10 days for a pig

Cut sheet. A list of possible cuts a butcher offers his customers Dressing percentage. The percentage of a live animal that ends up as a carcass (see page 156)

Finished cut weight. The weight of meat in finished cuts produced by a single pig

Hanging weight (carcass weight). The weight of a carcass after initial slaughter and processing. Different processors may define this term differently; one might include the head and internal organs in hanging weight, while another may remove the head, hide, internal organs, offal, and trotters (feet) before calculating hanging weight. Ask the processor for his definition to be certain.

Head on, hide off carcass. Hanging weight, including the head and internal organs

Hot carcass weight. The weight of the pig immediately after slaughter

Offal. Internal organs apart from the heart, liver, and kidneys Organs hanging weight. The hanging weight of heart, liver, kidneys, and surrounding fat

Shrinkage. The weight an animal loses in shipping

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D r e s s i n g P e r c e n tag e an d C ar c a s s C u t ti n g Y i e l d To figure your pigs’ dressing percentage (the percentage of a live pig that ends up as carcass), use this formula from the pamphlet “The Butcher Kept Your Meat?” (Pennsylvania State University) by Dr. Christopher R. Raines: (Carcass weight ÷ live weight) × 100 = dressing percentage Keep in mind that dressing percentage is affected by muscling (heavily muscled pigs have a higher dressing percentage than lightly muscled pigs), fatness (fat pigs have a higher dressing percentage than lean ones), and even gut fill (if a pig is full of food when his live weight is taken, his dressing percentage can be 2 to 5 percent lower than if he was fasted 24 hours prior to weighing). To calculate carcass cutting yield (the percentage of a carcass that ends up as meat), use this formula from Dr. Duane M. Wulf’s “Did the Locker Plant Steal Some of My Meat?” (South Dakota State University): (Pounds of meat ÷ carcass weight) × 100 = carcass cutting yield In this case, remember that heavily muscled pigs have higher carcass cutting yields than lightly muscled pigs and leaner pigs have higher carcass yields than fat ones. Opting for boneless cuts instead of bone-in pork dramatically affects cutting yield, though the amount of edible meat won’t change. Fat also affects cutting yield. If your butcher leaves a lot of surface fat on cuts instead of trimming closely, the cutting yield will be somewhat higher than for lean pork.

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that cut meat charge by the pound — killed, cooled, cut, and frozen; fancy cuts and additional processing (bacon, hams, and sausage, for instance) are extra, so ask for a detailed price list. If you want your pigs’ heads, tails, trotters, leaf fat, or internal organs, say so. If you don’t, some slaughtering facilities throw them away or give them away, often as dog food. If you’d like to make blood pudding or blutwurst sausage, ask if they’ll save your pigs’ blood. Compare your notes, and if two slaughtering facilities seem equal, choose the one closest to your home. Stresswise, the less time the pigs are in transit the better. Butchering facilities. Before visiting prospective butchers, understand the terminology, and make sure the one you choose can provide the services you want, such as making sausage and curing and smoking bacon and hams. When you talk with potential butchers, ask to sample the ham, bacon, and sausage they prepare; most butchers keep samples on hand for this purpose. Each butcher’s cure is unique, so make certain you like the styles she prepares. Once you’ve chosen a butcher, talk to her about how you want your meat cut and packaged. Is freezer paper okay, or will you pay extra for vacuum packaging? Do you want mainly roasts, chops, or sausage? Should ham and bacon be cured and smoked, or fresh so you can do that yourself ? How big should roasts be? Should chops be thick cut or thin? Choose things you know your family likes to eat. If they don’t like fat, don’t bring pork belly or fatty side meat home; have it made into ground pork patties or sausage. Finally, save a copy of the cut sheet the butcher prepares, so you have verification if anything goes wrong.

Ta k i n g Yo u r P i g s f o r P r o cess i n g Your pigs should not be stressed while being transported to the slaughterhouse or locker plant. Short-term stress before slaughter can result in pale, soft pork, and extra adrenaline coursing through a stressed pig’s system can affect the taste of its meat.

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A few days before slaughtering. To make loading your pigs easier, first familiarize them with the trailer you’ll be using to transport them to the slaughterhouse. Place the trailer in their pen a week or so before shipping. Set it up on level ground, securely chuck the wheels with thick planks, bed it deeply, and start feeding your pigs inside. Soon they’ll start sleeping in the trailer. On slaughter day, get up early while the pigs are sleeping and shut the trailer’s back door, then hook up the trailer. No fuss, no stress. Everyone wins. The day before slaughtering. Fast your pigs for preferably 18 hours (and at least 12) prior to slaughter, but give them plenty of water to drink. Full stomachs and guts create problems for home kills, as well as in the slaughterhouse. One mistake with a knife can burst the stomach or gut, causing the contents to spill into the body cavity and contaminate a certain amount of the carcass. Early in the morning on slaughtering day. If you can’t use the trailer-inthe-pen trick to load your pigs, you’ll have to load them early in the morning on slaughtering day. Recruit help if you need it, stressing that helpers must stay low key: no shouting, no hitting, no matter what. Allow plenty of time; you may need it. Create an alleyway from the pigs’ quarters How Much Meat? to the trailer or truck if you possibly can, and use hurdles to quietly People are often disappointed guide the pigs to their destination. when they pick up packaged If all else fails and you’ve properly meat, thinking their pigs would yield more finished pork than fasted your pigs, you may be able they do. Expect to receive 75 to to lure them up the ramp with a 80 percent of a carcass when small amount of feed in a pan. ordering bone-in cuts of meat Once they’re loaded, proceed and 65 to 70 percent for bonecarefully to the slaughterhouse or less pork. locker plant with your precious load, following the transportation tips beginning on page 30.

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At the slaughtering facility. Once you’ve unloaded your pigs, they are briefly put in a holding stall where a USDA or state inspector checks them out. From there, each pig follows an alleyway to the killing floor where he’s stunned with a captive bolt firearm or an electrical current to render him unconscious. Once unconscious, the pig is shackled and lifted by one hind leg, and the throat is cut so the pig bleeds out. If the carcass is to be skinned, it’s skinned while hanging. If it’s to be processed with the skin on, it’s repeatedly dipped in near-boiling water to loosen bristles and debristled using a dehairing tool. Next, the carcass is split and gutted. At federal and some state plants, an inspector checks the carcass before it’s washed and chilled; then the halves are hung in a cold room to cool and set. If a butcher works on the premises, he’ll cut and package the meat a few days later. If not, you must make arrangements to transport the carcass to an independent butcher or bring it home to cut it up yourself. After the fact. When you pick up your pork from the butcher, ask about your carcasses. Were they too fat or otherwise not up to snuff? What were their dressing percentages and carcass cutting yields? By knowing this, you can better adjust feed levels and purchase-to-processing times for your next round of pigs.

P o r k C uts at a Gl a n ce It helps to know which pork cuts you want before having your pigs’ carcasses processed to order or cutting it yourself. The basic divisions are known as primal, or wholesale, cuts. Some sources separate these into as many as eight pieces (jowl, Boston butt, picnic, loin, spareribs, belly, bacon, and ham), but we’ll refer to these four basics: shoulder, loin, side or belly, and ham. You may also receive a few other products from your carcass — ground pork, blood, and “odd bits” being among them.

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shoulder

loin

ham

belly

M A J OR S E C T ION S O F T H E P ORK C AR C A S s

Shoulder Pork shoulder accounts for about 25 percent of carcass weight and consists of two sections: the upper part, known as Boston butt, and the bottom part, called the picnic. The shank is the lower portion of the leg comprising the shank bone and part of the femur. Boston butt

shank

shoulder hock

picnic

S h o ulde r cut S

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S H O U L D E R C U T S F R O M T H E B U TC H E R

Boston butt can be divided into shoulder steaks, also called blade steaks, which are tasty, marbled, bone-in cuts ideal for marinating and grilling or braising; and well-marbled bone-in or boneless roasts. Picnic roast, boneless or bonein, is also sometimes called a shoulder roast. The picnic part of the shoulder and upper leg can also be cured as a picnic ham. Shanks can be used f resh or cured and smoked to be simmered in soups, stews, and braised dishes.

Boston butt

picnic roast

shanks

Loin The loin takes up about 22 percent of carcass weight. It contains the rib, loin, and sirloin sections; they can be boned or prepared bone-in. To create a crown roast, tie a pork rib roast into a circle with the ribs exposed and pointing up. Loin roasts, tenderloin, and pork chops also come from this cut, but you have to choose — you can’t get them all from the same loin. Loin roasts aren’t just for the oven; they’re also delicious barbecued. Tenderloin and chops can be grilled, sautéed, broiled, or braised. blade end

rib end

Lo i n cut S

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center loin sirloin

LO I N C U T S F R O M T H E B U TC H E R

loin roast

crown roast

pork chops tenderloin

babyback ribs country-style ribs

Canadian bacon cured back bacon

Babyback ribs, also called riblets, are cut from the blade and center parts of the loin when deboning the loin or making boneless chops; country-style ribs are cut from the rib end of the loin. Other options include cured back bacon and Canadian bacon, or the loin and belly can be cured together to make a side of bacon. Fatback is the layer of subcutaneous fat under the skin of a pig’s back, with or without the skin (pork rind) attached. Fatback can be rendered into lard and is the primary source of cured salt pork. It’s also coarsely ground and used in making sausages.

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Cured skin-on fatback bacon is widely eaten throughout Europe. In Italy it’s called lardo; in Russian-speaking countries it’s salo; Hungarians call it szalonna; and in Poland it’s called boczek. Fatback is also a traditional ingredient in Southern cuisine, where it’s used to flavor greens, to prepare as cracklings (crisp-fried pork rinds), and to produce hoppin’ John — a mixture of cooked rice, black-eyed peas, onions, and fatback or bacon, traditionally served on New Year’s Day.

Side (Belly) The side, composed of both the spareribs and the belly, makes up about 23 percent of the carcass and typically weighs 12 to 14 pounds. The meat in this cut is streaked with fat and usually used to cure and smoke bacon. Spareribs are trimmed from the inside of the belly; they’re wonderful roasted, braised, or barbecued (or use them to make my Grandma’s potpie on page 205 — delicious!). Fresh, uncured pork belly, though too fatty for some people’s taste, is delicious when braised or roasted. Bacon

“Bacon” comes from bacoun, a Middle English term used to refer to pork in general. The word derives from the French bako, Germanic bakkon, and Old Teutonic backe, all of which refer to the back. That’s because in Britain and Europe, bacon is usually made from the side and loin, while in America it’s

bacon spareribs

B elly cut S

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S I D E B E L LY C U T S F R O M T H E B U TC H E R spareribs

streaky bacon

fresh pork belly

almost always prepared from pork belly. What we call bacon in the United States is called “streaky bacon” in Britain and abroad. Bacon is distinguished from salt pork and ham by differences in the curing method. Historically, ham and bacon referred to different cuts of meat that were brine cured identically, sometimes in the same barrel. What we call a “strip” or “slice” of bacon is called a “rasher” in BritBacon Grease ain, Australia, and New Zealand (the Bacon fat liquefies and cut of bacon varies in these countries becomes bacon drippings and often includes the loin). What when heated. As it cools, it Americans once called a “flitch” of firms, becoming rendered bacon (a side of uncut bacon) is now bacon fat if it’s from cured known as a “slab”; in England it’s meat and lard if from uncured called a “gammon.” meat. Bacon grease is traditionFavorite bacon dishes include ally used as a base for cooking bacon and eggs; bacon, lettuce, and and as an all-purpose flavoring. tomato sandwiches (BLTs); baconwrapped foods such as shrimp and

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B r i n g H o m e t h e B aco n The origin of the phrase “bring home the bacon” is said to originate with the Dunmow Flitch. The story is that in 1104 a local couple impressed the Prior of Little Dunmow with their marital devotion to the point that he awarded them a flitch of bacon. The tradition is still honored every 4 years in Great Dunmow in Essex, England. The ritual of couples showing their devotion and winning the prize is old and well authenticated. Geoffrey Chaucer mentions it in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” and its prologue, circa 1395: But never for us the flitch of bacon though That some may win in Essex at Dunmow.

scallops; and Cobb salad. Less commonly encountered are items such as bacon-flavored dental floss and lip balm, bacon ice cream, bacon beer, bacon toothpaste, bacon-infused vodka and bourbon, bacon doughnuts, chickenfried bacon, deep-fried bacon, and chocolate-covered bacon on a stick. Americans love bacon. F r e s h P o r k B e l ly

Fresh pork belly is very popular in Asian dishes. In Chinese cuisine it’s usually diced, skin on, and braised for dishes like Dongpo pork, a Hangzhou dish made by slicing pork belly into 2-inch squares, pan-frying them, then slow-braising the meat in a technique called red-cooking. Samgyeopsal (three-layered meat) is an immensely popular Korean dish consisting of thick, fatty slices of pork belly cooked on a grill at the diner’s table. It’s dipped in spicy dipping sauce or rolled into a lettuce or perilla leaf with cooked rice and such accompaniments as chili paste, raw garlic, green onions, and mushrooms.

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Ham The hind legs make up about 30 percent of carcass weight. Theyre usually cured and smoked as boneless or bone-in ham, though fresh hams make tasty, meaty roasts. Cured hams are further divided into a butt half and a shank half. Steaks and kebab cubes can be taken from either half. A whole or half ham is superb baked and served straight from the oven or in hot or cold sandwiches. Slices and chunks may be braised, sautéed, or prepared as a luscious boiled dinner with root vegetables. Cubes are a wonderful addition to kebabs, and trimmings liven up egg, rice, and potato dishes of every kind. Ham is a winner however it’s served. “Ham” is derived from the Old English word hamm, meaning the hollow behind the knee. Because properly cured and smoked meat lasts a long time, ham has been an important food wherever pigs are raised. It was (and is) an American staple. Ham is also a favorite food around the world. Dry-cured hams have been mentioned in Chinese texts for thousands of years. A favorite is Jinhua ham, so tasty that it was awarded a first-prize medallion at the 1915 Panama International Exposition. Ham is traditionally served at Christmas or Yule in Britain and Scandinavia. The tradition is believed to have originated among the followers of Freyr, the Norse god of boars, harvest, and fertility. ham

ham hock

L e g cut

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In Italy, where ham production dates back to the Republican Roman period (400–300 BCE), ham is called prosciutto. In the United States, prosciutto is dry-cured Italian ham sliced paper thin for serving. Prosciutto can be cooked (prosciutto cotto) or cured (prosciutto crudo). Germany produces an array of delicious, dry-cured hams called Schinken. These include Schwarzwälder Schinken from the Black Forest, where it’s dry-cured, then smoked

L E G C U T F R O M T H E B U TC H E R

ham

Par ma Ham Italy’s prosciutto di Parma, Parma ham, is as internationally famous as Spain’s jamón Ibérico de bellota (see page 113). By law, only hams produced and cured in the hills around Parma in north-central Italy are labeled Parma hams. The pigs used in making them must be large Landrace or Duroc pigs. Their diet includes whey, a by-product of cheese making in the region. Each pig is tattooed with the breeder’s code and the date of birth. Parma ham is made from only four ingredients: pork, salt, air, and time. It is aged for at least 14 months. The Parma Ham Consortium protects the product’s quality and purity and ensures that production is carried out according to traditional methods. Each Parma ham is identified by a famous logo, the Ducal Crown, which guarantees its authenticity.

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over fir brush and sawdust; Ammerländer Schinken from the Ammerland region of North Germany, where it’s cured with a mixture of brown sugar, spices, and sea salt; and Westfälischer Schinken from Westphalia, where it’s produced from acorn-fed pigs and smoked over juniper and beech wood. In France, ham is jambon. Jambon de Paris is a wet-cured, boneless ham served cold in thin slices; Jambon de Bayonne is an air-dried, salted ham from the port city of Bayonne. Hams are also popular in Eastern Europe, among them the dry-cured, long-aged Elenski but of Bulgaria; smoked, pressed, and dried pršut of Croatia; air-dried, baconlike Njeguška pršuta of Montenegro; and dry-cured, paprika-accented şuncă of Romania.

Ground Pork Ten pounds or so of meat and fat trimmed f rom the primal cuts of a typical carcass are generally processed as fresh ground pork, great for adding to meatloaf and meatball mixes or serving as porkburgers or mixed with seasonings and fashioned into sausage. The word “sausage” is derived from the Old French word saussiche, which in turn comes from the Latin word salsus, meaning “salted.” Pork sausage is made of ground pork and pork fat mixed with salt, herbs, and spices. It may be served as is or stuffed into an outer covering called a casing. Sausages can be cooked fresh or preserved by curing, smoking, or drying.

Bangers and Mash Bangers and mash is the quintessential British pub food and one of Britain’s traditional working-class dishes. It’s made by topping mashed potatoes with sausages and rich onion gravy and is sometimes served with fried onions on the side. The term “bangers” is attributed to the fact that British sausages, particularly the kind made during World War II under rationing, were made with water, so they sometimes exploded over high heat.

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Traditionally, sausage was made by grinding up bits left over f rom slaughtering and butchering  — such as scraps, fat, organ meats, and blood — and combining them with fillers such as ground grains, then stuffing them into the slaughtered animal’s cleaned intestines. Sausages were eaten by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Homer mentions blood sausage in his epic poem the Odyssey, and the Greek dramatist Epicharmus of Kos wrote a comedy called Orya (The Sausage), around 500 BCE. Types of Sausage

These must be refrigerated and cooked before eating. American breakfast patties, Finnish siskonmakkara, and South Af rican Boerewors (farmer sausage; made of pork typically blended with beef or game) are typical examples. Fresh sausages that have been smoked and cured. Most require neither refrigeration nor cooking, though they can be heated if desired. Think Fresh sausages made of uncured pork.

Sausage Meat This recipe from The Blue Grass Cook Book is as good today as it was a hundred years ago. 11 pounds of tender lean pork 7 pounds of leaf fat 5 tablespoonfuls of powdered sage 4 teaspoonfuls of salt 3 tablespoonfuls of ground black pepper 1 level teaspoonful of cayenne pepper

 Run all through the grinder twice, then mix well with the hands.

— Minnie C. Fox, The Blue Grass Cook Book (1904)

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German sausages such as teewurst — two-thirds raw pork and one-third bacon minced together, seasoned, packed into casing, and smoked over beech wood. Teewurst is 30 to 40 percent fat, which makes it easy to spread. Cooked sausages made with fresh pork, then fully cooked. These must be refrigerated but can be safely eaten without recooking. Examples include pork hot dogs and Braunschweiger. Cooked smoked sausage. Cooked smoked sausages can be eaten hot or cold, but they must be refrigerated. Polish kielbasa and Italian mortadella are prime examples. Dry sausage. Dry sausages are cured, then fermented and dried. They’re usually eaten cold and don’t require refrigeration, though if refrigerated they last a very long time. These include summer sausage, German Landjäger, and salami.

Blood Black pudding, blood pudding, and blood sausages are made by cooking blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. The dish exists in various cultures from Asia to Europe. In Asia, most congealed animal blood products are made without casings. In Hong Kong, “pig’s blood cake,” made of pork blood and sticky rice and served on a popsicle stick, is a popular snack. Vietnamese dô`i tiê´t (Northern) or dô`i huyê´t (Southern) is boiled or fried blood sausage, made

“

To Make Black Puddings

Here’s how our great-great-grandmothers made blood pudding: “Take your Indian meal [cornmeal] according to the amount you wish to make, and scald it with boiled milk or water, then stir in your blood, straining it first, mince the hog’s lard and put it in the pudding, then season it with treacle [molasses] and penny-royal [pennyroyal] to your taste, put it in a bag and let it boil six or seven hours.” — Susannah Carter in The Frugal Housewife, or Complete Woman Cook (1803)

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using pork blood, pork fat, and basil. In the Philippines, dinuguan (pork blood stew) consists of diced pork, including pig organs, simmered in spicy gravy made of pig blood, garlic, chiles, and vinegar; it’s often served with white rice or a Philippine rice cake called puto. In Britain, black pudding is prepared using pork blood and a relatively high proportion of oatmeal. It’s considered a delicacy, especially in Ramsbottom, Lancashire — the home of the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships. German blutwurst (blood sausage) is made from pork blood and regionally different fillers such as oatmeal or barley. Though already cooked and ready to eat, it’s sometimes served warm. Traditional German Himmel und Erde (heaven and earth) combines mashed potatoes, applesauce, and blutwurst served hot on one plate. In Berlin, hot blutwurst mixed with liverwurst and potatoes is called Tote Oma (Dead Grandma). In France there are many regional boudins noirs (black sausages); for example, Boudin du Béarn, made of blood and pork pieces and served cold. The French Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin (Brotherhood of the Knights of Blood Sausage Tasting) in Mortagne-au-Perche in Normandy holds an international blood sausage festival every year. Spanish morcilla has many variants. The most widespread is morcilla de Burgos containing pork blood, fat, rice, onions, and salt. Other varieties include bread crumbs, pine nuts, and almonds. Morcilla is also served throughout Latin America, sometimes made with a filler of rice and/or onions, and seasoned with paprika and other spices. In Finland, a dish called veriohukainen (blood pancake), similar to black pudding, is made by making batter out of pig’s blood and cooking it like pancakes. Traditionally, oatmeal and rye flour are used as fillers, and minced onion is added to the mix. In Estonia, verivorst (blood sausage) is eaten mostly in winter, as it is a traditional Christmas food. Verivorst is usually baked but sometimes panfried. Blood sausages are popular throughout Eastern Europe. Russia has its krovyanka; Ukraine, krov’yanka; while blood sausage is kiszka or kaszanka

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in Poland and krupniok in Silesia. In Hungary, véres hurka is made of rice, pig’s blood, and pork. In Bulgaria, karvavitsa is prepared with pig’s blood, fat, and mountain herbs and spices and is eaten warm during the winter. A similar blood sausage, called krvavica, is also eaten in Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, and Croatia.

Variety Meats The “odd bits” — tongue, heart, spleen, liver, neck bones, jowls, feet, kidney, ears, and tail — are often considered delicacies when properly prepared. Pigs feet, also known as pig trotters, can be pickled or cured and smoked. Pigs ears star in ethnic dishes like Thai chin som mok, Spanish oreja de cuerdo, and Lithuanian kiaules ausis. Pork jowl is cured and smoked, then used like fatty bacon, especially for seasoning black-eyed peas and greens. Neck bones make tasty eating when slow-cooked and served with rice or gravy. Heart and liver are good when sliced and fried. These pieces, along with complete pig heads and pig blood, were completely utilized in Great-Grandmother’s day and are still used in regional and ethnic cooking.

C utt i n g Yo u r Ow n P i g If you want to cut your own pig, you must find a way to chill the carcass before you begin. This is why home slaughter usually takes place in late fall, when you can hang the carcass outdoors, much like hanging a deer before cutting it up. Or perhaps you’ll opt to have your pig slaughtered elsewhere but cut it up yourself, in which case the carcass will hang in the slaughterhouse’s cooler for several days before you pick it up. In either case, be sure the carcass chills at roughly 34 to 38°F (1–3°C) for at least 24 hours before you begin cutting. You will need a large work surface, sharp knives, and a bone saw. A picnic table with a sheet of plywood over the top works reasonably well. Here’s what to do.

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How to Cut a Pig

1. Place the side of pork on the work surface with the inside of the carcass facing up. 2. Pull out the kidney fat and kidney. 3. Cut off the head at the first joint. Cut the jowls or cheeks off close to the jawbone, and trim the remaining meat from the head. Or if you plan to cook the head in one piece, place it in a washtub or similar large container for now. Steps 3 and 4

4. Saw off the shoulder across the third rib from the neck. Remove the neck bones or spareribs. Avoid cutting into the shoulder. The shoulder can be kept whole, cured, and smoked, or it can be divided into Boston butt and picnic and used fresh or cured. (continued on the next page)

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5. If dividing the shoulder into picnic ham and Boston butt, cut the shoulder in half by cutting about 1 inch below the shoulder blade and parallel with the breast (see illustration, 5A). Trim the excess fat and neck meat from the picnic. Cut the excess fat off the shoulder butt or Boston butt (see illustration, 5B). Square the picnic by sawing off the foreleg parallel to the cut made in dividing the shoulder (see illustration, 5C).

Step 5A

Step 5B

Step 5C

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Step 6

6. Separate the ham from the side by sawing across the backbone and through the pelvic bone. Make this cut about 2½ inches in front of the pelvic bone and at right angles to the leg. 7. Trim the ham, and remove the backbone, tail, and flank. The ham should be trimmed so there is a uniform layer of fat covering it from the butt end to the shank. Saw off the hind leg at the hock joint. You can remove the hock by cutting 1 inch below the thick part of the ham, or leave the hock on the ham and cure it with the ham.

Step 7

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8. Separate the loin from the side by making a straight cut from the lower edge of the backbone at the shoulder to a point just below the tenderloin muscle from which the ham was cut (see illustration, 8A). Separate the fatback from the loin. Leave an even covering of fat about ¼ inch thick on the loin (see illustration, 8B). Step 8A

Step 8B

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9. Trim the regular spareribs from the side or belly. Turn the blade of the knife toward the ribs so it won’t slice into the meat.

Step 9

10. Square the side by cutting a strip parallel to the loin and wide enough to remove the nipples. The flank end may also need to be squared. Step 10

I’ll talk about curing and smoking pork, canning it, and packaging it for the freezer in chapter 10.

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10 Chapter

Home Processing But I will place this carefully fed pig within the crackling oven; And, I pray, what nicer dish can e’er be given to man? — Aeschylus

P

ork is the world’s most-consumed meat. Figures from the United

States Census Bureau indicate that Americans alone consumed almost 56,325 tons (51,097 metric tons) of pork in 2010. Together with poultry, the pig sector is the fastest-growing livestock subsector: pig numbers will reach one billion by 2015, double the number in the 1970s. Pig production is global, except for regions with cultural and religious reservations regarding the consumption of pork. While pork is not a lean meat (a 3-ounce serving of pork loin chop provides 9 grams of fat, 3 of which is saturated fat), much of the fat in pork is monounsaturated fat — a “good fat” associated with lower rates of heart

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disease — or neutral fats that, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, have no significant association with heart disease. In a nutshell, pork is good food.

Curing Pork Curing is the process of preserving meat by salting, smoking, or drying it under controlled conditions. In home processing, curing generally means to preserve meat using salt and nitrite combinations such as homemade curing solutions or ready-made curing salts. The introduction of salt causes some

S alt p e t e r (P ota s s i u m N it r at e ) Most old recipes and many new ones call for adding saltpeter — also known as potassium nitrate, nitrate of potash, and Vesta powder — to curing salts and solutions. Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It can be purchased in small quantities from scientific chemical companies, some pharmacies, meat curing supply retailers, and such places as eBay and Amazon. In addition to its use as a food preservative, it’s used to manufacture fertilizers, rocket propellants, black powder for historic firearms, and fireworks. Potassium nitrate works best at 40 to 56°F (4–13°C), which is the norm in storage cellars and basements; however, if temperatures drop below 40°F (4°C), the bacteria needed to cause potassium nitrate to release sodium nitrite become lethargic, and curing stops. Adding sodium nitrite to meat eliminates the risk of having an insufficient number of bacteria available to the curing process, so meat cures faster and at lower temperatures. For this reason, it’s best to substitute sodium nitrite, also available from the same sources that sell potassium nitrate. Better yet, use a modern, commercial curing salt in place of old-fashioned saltpeter.

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of the water contained in muscle fibers to be expelled, creating a much less hospitable environment for bacteria. Meat color is determined largely by the amount of the protein myoglobin it contains. Cured meats develop their distinctive pink-reddish color because of a reaction that takes place between natural meat myoglobin and nitrite. The more myoglobin, the pinker the meat. Nitrites also improve flavor, tenderize meat, and prevent food poisoning. While it’s exciting to experiment with old recipes, ruining good meat isn’t nearly as fun. Unless you’re an old hand at curing meat or can find an expert to help you, stick to commercial curing salts and preparations for your first forays into curing. You might also want to try your hand at curing butcher-store meat before committing to processing your pork at home.

Curing Salts Nitrates are toxic in high doses, so you must be careful when adding them to your curing formulae. The FDA has established strict guidelines for the amount of nitrates that can be added to commercially cured meats, to ensure that they are safe to consume: Nitrites, nitrates, or combinations of them cannot result in more than 200 parts per million (ppm), calculated as sodium nitrite, in the finished product. These levels are factored into commercial curing salts such as Morton’s curing mixes (Morton Tender Quick, Morton Sugar Cure Plain, Morton Sugar Cure Smoke Flavored, and Windsor Tender Quick) and generic preparations such as Prague powder #1 (also called cure #1, Insta Cure #1, and pink cure #1) and Prague powder #2 (also sold as cure #2, Insta Cure #2, and pink cure #2). Prague powder #1 is a mixture of sodium nitrite (6.25 percent) and table salt (93.75 percent). It’s a basic cure used to cure meats that require cooking, smoking, or canning. Use 1 level teaspoon per 5 pounds of pork. Eight ounces will process approximately 240 pounds of meat. Prague powder #2 combines sodium nitrite (6.25 percent), sodium nitrate (4 percent), 89 percent table salt, and less than 1 percent sodium car­bonate to retain stability. It must be used when curing products that don’t require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration — especially items that will be air-cured for a long time, such as salami, pepperoni, and similar dried sausages.

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C u r i n g S a lt Am o u n ts

Type of Pork

Suitable Type of Curing Salt Mix

Ounces per 5 lbs. Meat

Ounces per 25 lbs. Meat

Teaspoons per 5 lbs. Meat

Teaspoons per 25 lbs. Meat

Dry cure (bacon, ham, pork chops)

Prague powder #1

0.28

4

4

20

Normal cure sausage

Prague powder #1

0.20

1

1

5

Slow/dry cure (hard salami and similar dry sausages)

Prague powder #2

0.20

1

1

5

Both Prague powders contain a trace of red coloring agent, hence their name “pink salts.” Thus they blend well with the color of meat and also prevent you from accidentally using them as a table salt. Carefully read and follow the directions printed on packaged curing salts. Products made by the same company are rarely interchangeable, so make certain you’re using the correct blend. Prague powder #1 and Prague powder #2 aren’t interchangeable either. Use curing salts only at the rate specified on the label or in the recipe. Using too much will yield inconsistent results, and the meat will be far too salty. European meat cures contain much less sodium nitrite than American blends — among them peklosól of Poland, German pökelsalz, France’s sel nitrité, and colorazo from Sweden — all of which contain 0.6 percent sodium nitrite. They aren’t interchangeable with American curing salts.

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H o m e mad e C u r i n g S alt s Try these with the home-cured bacon recipe on page 183. The amounts given are for use with 5 pounds of basic bacon. C ur e #1 5 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper C ur e #2 ½ cup sugar (white sugar, maple sugar, honey, brown sugar, or molasses) 5 tablespoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon Prague powder #1 4 tablespoons bourbon or apple cider C u r e #3 1 cup brown sugar 6 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons black pepper 2 teaspoons Prague powder #1 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon thyme 5 garlic cloves, crushed 2 bay leaves, crumbled

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Basic Curing Recipes These recipes are easy enough to try when you are still getting the hang of curing, though you may wish to begin with butcher-store meat before curing large amounts of your own pork.

Basic Bacon This easy recipe for dry-cured bacon is a good one. If wrapped in plastic wrap or foil and placed in a freezer bag, this bacon stays good for at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator and 6 to 8 weeks in the freezer. It must be cooked before serving. 5 pounds fresh, chilled pork belly Cure #1, Cure #2, or Cure #3 (see page 182)

1. Wash the pork belly, trim off any loose bits, and square it off. 2. Combine and thoroughly mix the curing ingredients in a medium bowl.

3. Place the meat on a clean, dry surface, and pour half of the curing salts over it. Rub the cure in firmly and thoroughly so that every part of the top and sides is covered. Flip the pork belly over, pour the rest of the curing mix over the meat, and work that in.

4. Place the pork belly in an airtight 2-gallon freezer bag, and

squeeze out the air so the bag adheres firmly to the meat. Place it in the refrigerator for 7 days, turning the bag over once a day. Fluid will form in the bag as the salt cure dries out the meat.

5. At the end of the week, remove the belly from the bag. Wash it

off under running water, pat dry with paper towels, and place on an uncovered platter in the refrigerator for 1 more day, allowing a pellicle (protein coating) to form. (recipe continued on the next page)

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Basic Bacon (continued)

6. Remove the belly from the refrigerator. If using an oven, pre-

heat to 225°F (107°C); if using a smoker, set the temperature between 180 and 190°F (82–88°C).

7. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the cured

slab of bacon and place it in the oven or smoker. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F (66°C).

8. Remove the bacon from the oven or smoker, and allow to cool before placing in the refrigerator. Chill overnight. Enjoy!

Another Easy Cure This cure is adapted from Linda McDonald-Brown’s Pigs for the Freezer: A Guide to Small-Scale Production. The differences are that we always cure meat in the refrigerator and we recommend adding Prague powder #1 to the curing mix. 2 pounds pork ⅓ cup plus 5 teaspoons salt (21 teaspoons), divided ⅓ cup plus 5 teaspoons sugar (21 teaspoons), divided ⅞ teaspoon Prague powder #1, divided

1. Cut the pork into thick slices, and place them on a tray or a large plate.

2. Combine 3 teaspoons of the salt, 3 teaspoons of the sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon of the Prague powder in a small bowl.

3. Rub the cure into all meat surfaces, making certain every bit is

well covered. Place the pork in the refrigerator, uncovered, and allow to sit overnight.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 every night for 7 days. 5. At the end of the week, rinse the cuts thoroughly, and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 24 hours until dry.

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Ti p s fo r S u cc e s s f u l C u r i n g Keep these points in mind when curing pork: •• Cured meat is still raw. Always cook cured meats. If giving cured

meat as gifts, remind the recipients to cook it. •• Cured meat should be pink throughout. •• Always cure meat in the refrigerator, no matter what the recipe

says. The refrigerator should be set at 36 to 40°F (2–4°C). Meat won’t cure properly at colder temperatures, and warmer temperatures encourage the growth of microorganisms. •• Create your own cure by experimenting with different spices

and flavorings, but don’t exceed recommended curing salt levels in your recipes. •• If cured meat turns out too salty, soak it in water to remove the

excess salt. Next time you use that recipe, either rinse the cut under running water before storing it, or slightly reduce the curing time. •• The cure rate is affected by the thickness of a cut of meat and

the bone and fat it contains; cure thicker, bonier, fattier cuts slightly longer than the recipe suggests.

Smoking Pork Humans probably began salting and smoking meat soon after they harnessed fire for use. The meat they smoked was cut in strips and smoked in the manner of jerky. The smoking we do today is a more recent development. Our forebears’ smoked meats weren’t as juicy as ours. In fact, oldfashioned cured and smoked hams and sides of bacon were so dry that they were rehydrated by soaking or parboiling prior to cooking.

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Smoking involves exposing meat to the smoke and heat of a slow-burning fire. Specific woods are selected to impart unique flavors and provide enough moisture to create adequate smoke. Heat and smoke dry meat to store for later use, kill bacteria, and impart delicious flavor to the finished product. A slow fire can safely cook meat if the meat is thin enough (think thin strips like jerky) for heat to penetrate the entire piece, or if a thicker piece of meat is cooked for a longer period of time. Slow smoking causes the natural oils and saps in wood to coat and lightly penetrate meat, both preserving and flavoring it. Smoking increases the meat’s shelf life, but smoked meats cannot be stored indefinitely. Still, properly cured and smoked meats such as hams and bacon can be stored in a cool, dry place for a year or more. There are two types of smoking: cold-smoking and hot-smoking. Coldsmoking cured pork at less than 100°F (38°C) basically flavors the meat; a good temperature range is 70 to 80°F (21–27°C). Cold-smoking lasts anywhere from 1 to 5 days and requires a steady supply of smoke. Coldsmoked meats still need to be cooked. Hot-smoking is done at temperatures of 150°F (66°C) or higher. Hotsmoking cooks and flavors meat. It’s usually done in three stages: • First stage: Meat is dried in a smoker heated to about 125°F (52°C), with dampers left open so moisture can escape. • Second stage: The temperature is raised to about 135°F (57°C), and the dampers are partially closed. • Third stage: The dampers are closed, and the smoker is heated to and held at about 180°F (82°C) until the internal temperature of all products being smoked reaches 150°F (66°C). Cuts shrink excessively, buckle, or even split if the smoker gets hotter and stays hotter than 185°F (85°C). Meats such as hams are theoretically fully cooked during hot-smoking, but to be on the safe side, cook them prior to serving.

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Smokers Actual smoking procedures vary widely, depending on the type of smoker and fuel used. There are several styles of commercial smokers on the market, though it’s also fairly easily to smoke meat in a hooded grill. Gas Grill

A covered grill used to smoke pork should have two or more individually controlled burners under the grate, positioned either side by side or front to back, and be able to maintain a constant temperature of 225°F (107°C). Test the grill before you use it. Light one burner, and set it on high until the temperature reaches 250°F (121°C), then turn the burner to low. After half an hour, check the temperature. If it’s less than 225°F (107°C), turn it up a bit. Keep adjusting the flame until the grill reaches and maintains 225°F. If it heats to over 250°F when it’s set on low, try propping the cover open a teeny bit. Make several packages of wood chips wrapped in aluminum foil, each about the size of a baseball. Poke holes in the packages to release smoke. Place the wood packages under one burner’s grate, directly on top of the lava rocks or metal shield. Turn the burner on. When the grill starts smoking, place your pork on the grate of the burner opposite the smoking wood and close the cover. Maintain the temperature at 225°F (107°C) (no more than 250°F [121°C]) until the food is done. Small Smokehouse

If you’re moderately handy with tools, you can build this dandy smokehouse adapted f rom the University of Florida publication “A One-Hog Smokehouse.” You will need: • Two 55-gallon, food-grade • One quarter-bend elbow steel drums (don’t reuse drums • Two ½" × 3' steel rods used to store oil, grease, or • One piece of approximately chemicals) 3' × 3' sheet metal or metal • Six pieces of 6-inch-diameter roofing clay tile • Six 1" × 6" boards, 3' long Home Processing 187

Cut a smoke box from one 55-gallon drum and a firebox from the other. Paint the inside of the smokehouse drum with an epoxy resin–based paint that is resistant to acids, alkalis, fats, moisture, and high temperatures. This makes it last longer and clean easier, and the first batches of meat smoked in it will taste better. Set up the smokehouse as shown in the diagram opposite, making sure the tile is covered with at least 2 inches of dirt. Pack dirt around the base of the smoke box drum. To use this simple smokehouse, build a fire in the firebox using seasoned wood. When the fire burns down to glowing coals, add a few pieces of green wood and cover the firebox with its metal lid. Next, place dry cuts of meat (wet meat doesn’t smoke properly) in the smoke box with cuts hanging 6 to 8 inches apart. Place the wooden cover over the smoke box, and weigh it down with a stone. Maintain a smoke box temperature between 140 and 150°F (60–66°C). Smoke the meat until its internal temperature is 150°F and its exterior is pleasingly brown.

Smoking Woods Wood that is used in a smokehouse or smoker should be harvested specifically for cooking. Never use lumber scraps or pieces of wooden pallets, new or used, even if you know what type of wood it is; it might have been chemically treated, and you can’t know for certain where it has been and how it was used. Don’t use wood that has been painted or stained; these sometimes impart a bitter flavor to meat, and old paint may contain lead. Also avoid wood dotted with mold or fungus; these impart bad tastes to meat. If you have nice wood but you don’t know what it is, don’t use it. The woods to use, listed opposite, impart great flavor and generate sufficient smoke to do a good job. The woods to avoid, listed on page 190, should not be used because they impart disagreeable flavors.

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brick or stone weight wood cover

½" steel rods

Smoking meat is easy using an inexpensive smokehouse like this one.

metal drum

cover tile with at least 2" of dirt metal cover 6"

metal drum 6" (90°) elbow

4" or 6" drain tile firebox

Woods to Use

• Alder (mild and slightly sweet)

• Crabapple (sweet and fruity; creates a lot of smoke)

• Apple (slightly sweet and fruity)

• Grapevine (tart, fruity, aromatic; creates a lot of smoke)

• Beech (mild flavor similar to oak)

• Hickory (varies from sweet to strong; some smokers suggest soaking hickory chips for 1 or 2 hours to prevent a bitter taste; great for bacon, hams, ribs)

• Birch (flavor similar to maple) • Butternut (bitter if used alone, so mix with another kind of wood)

• Maple (sweet, mellow)

• Cherry (mildly sweet and fruity; especially good with bacon and hams)

• Mesquite (strong and earthy) • Mulberry (sweet and tangy)

• Chestnut (slightly sweet, nutty)

• Oak (the quintessential smoking wood; smoky, mild) (list continued on the next page)

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Woods to Use (continued)

W o o d s to Avo i d

• Orange and other citrus woods (tangy, fruity; exceptionally good for bacon and hams)

• All conifers (e.g., pine, spruce, redwood, cedar, cypress)

• Peach and pear (mild, slightly sweet; much like apple)

• Eucalyptus

• Elm • Liquid amber

• Pecan (sweet and mild, like hickory but not as strong; pecan shells can be used for smoking, too)

• Sassafras • Sweet gum • Sycamore

• Walnut (an intense smoke that can taste bitter if used alone; best mixed with a sweeter, fruitier wood)

Canning Pork Canning is a logical choice for preserving pork. The exact how and why of canning is beyond the scope of this book, so if you’re not already an experienced canner, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website or consult a good, all-around food preservation book, such as Sherri Brooks Vinton’s Put ’em Up, for complete instructions. Since pork, like other meats, is a low-acid food, it must be processed in a pressure canner to zap dangerous organisms such as botulism. Here are some tips to help you prepare for pressure canning: • Review the instructions that came with your pressure canner. • Be sure your canner is in good working condition and that its gauge was tested for accuracy this year (your county Extension service will do this for free). • Check the gasket. If it’s nicked, replace it. • Buy new lids. Old screw bands are usable if they aren’t bent or rusted.

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• Use new or used pint or quart jars designed for canning; discard used jars that are cracked or nicked. Widemouth, straight-sided jars work best when canning meat.

Warning! Boil home-canned meat before you sample it, even if you canned it

• Sanitize all work surfaces with chlorine bleach at the rate of 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water. Allow the solution to set on the surface for at least a full minute to give the bleach time to work. Don’t rinse; it’s best to allow surfaces to air-dry rather than recontaminate them with a towel.

according to instruc-

• Be sure your knives are sharp.

omit this step!

tions. Botulism is invisible and deadly; even a taste can be fatal. Boil foods 10 minutes at altitudes below 1,000 feet and 11 minutes at 1,000 feet or greater. Don’t

• Remove bones and trim off bruised spots, gristle, and fat. Fat can rise to the top of the jar during processing and prevent the lid from sealing. Cut the meat into convenient sizes, such as strips, cubes, chunks, or slices. • Keep meat as cool as possible while preparing it for canning. Work quickly, and process it as soon as containers are packed.

Strips, Chunks, or Cubes of Meat To hot-pack meat, precook it until rare by roasting, stewing, or browning it in a small amount of fat. Fill jars with meat, and add boiling broth, meat drippings, or water, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart, if desired; this is for flavor only — it doesn’t contribute to the preservation process. To raw-pack meat, fill jars with raw pieces of meat, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Do not add liquid. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart for flavoring, if desired.

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Ground or Chopped Meat When canning ground or chopped meat or sausage, use fresh, chilled meat. Omit sage when preparing sausage for canning, as it causes a bitter flavor in the finished product. 1. Shape ground meat into patties or balls, or use as is. Cut cased sausage into 3- to 4-inch lengths. 2. Cook until lightly browned, and remove excess fat. 3. Fill jars with meat and add boiling broth or water, leaving a 1-inch head space. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart, if desired. 4. Remove any air bubbles that have formed, wipe the mouth of each jar with a clean cloth, adjust lids, and process. To cool, place hot jars, well separated, on a rack or on thick, folded towels. Place away from drafts. Air-cool at room temperature for 24 hours. When jars are cool, remove the screw bands and test the seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your thumb; if the lid springs up when you remove pressure, the lid didn’t seal. Double-check by holding the jar at eye level and looking across the lid. It should curve down; if it’s flat or bulging, don’t trust the seal. If a lid didn’t seal, you can do one of the following: • Use the meat the same day, or refrigerate and use it within 3 days. • Freeze it, making a note on the container to boil the pork in an uncovered container for 20 minutes before using it. • Reprocess the jar, first checking the jar seal surface for tiny nicks.

“

Boiled Pork Heart

Make a biscuit dough rather stiff, sprinkle a well-cleaned heart with a little pepper and salt, roll the heart securely in biscuit dough, wrap all in a clean white cloth and sew or baste together loosely, then put in a kettle of hot water and boil about four hours. Serve hot by removing cloth and slicing.” — Home Pork Making by A. W. Fulton (1900) F ro m P ig to P ork

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C a n n i n g P o r k i n a D i a l- G a u g e C a n n e r Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of:

Style of Pack

Jar Size

Process Time

0–2,000 feet

2,001– 4,000 feet

4,001– 6,000 feet

6,001– 8,000 feet

Strips, Cubes, Chunks of Pork

Hot and raw

Pints

75 minutes

11 lbs.

12 lbs.

13 lbs.

14 lbs.

Quarts

90 minutes

11 lbs.

12 lbs.

13 lbs.

14 lbs.

Ground or Chopped Pork

Hot

Pints

75 minutes

11 lbs.

12 lbs.

13 lbs.

14 lbs.

Quarts

90 minutes

11 lbs.

12 lbs.

13 lbs.

14 lbs.

Canning Pork i n a W e i g hted - G a u g e C a n n e r Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of:

Style of Pack

Jar Size

Process Time

0–1,000 feet

Above 1,000 feet

Strips, Cubes, Chunks of Pork

Hot and raw

Pint

75 minutes

10 lbs.

15 lbs.

Quart

90 minutes

10 lbs.

15 lbs.

Ground or Chopped Pork

Hot

Pint

75 minutes

10 lbs.

15 lbs.

Quart

90 minutes

10 lbs.

15 lbs.

Charts adapted from “Pressure Canning Meats,” South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service, 2009

F r ee z i n g P o r k Freezing is one of the easiest and least time-consuming modes of food preservation. It doesn’t destroy spoilage organisms, but it halts their growth and minimizes changes in the flavor, texture, and nutritive value of foods. Custom-processed pork is usually packaged and frozen before pickup. If it’s a lengthy drive to your processor, take along coolers when you pick

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it up. Bring it straight home, and pop it in a freezer set at 0°F (–18°C) or lower. Use a freezer thermometer to determine the actual temperature. You will need a stand-alone freezer if you store your meat at home. As a general rule, 50 pounds of meat will fit in about 2.25 cubic feet of freezer space. Cuts from one-half of a typical pig weigh 60 to 70 pounds, requiring 2.7 to 3.2 cubic feet of freezer space. The empty freezer compartment of a new home refrigerator has about 4.8 cubic feet of storage capacity. Standalone freezers also maintain temperatures of −5 to −10°F (–21 to –23°C) with ease, whereas refrigerator freezer temperatures usually bottom out at 0°F (–18°C), the minimum temperature for long-term meat storage. Cutting and proportioning. Fats in meat become rancid during freezer storage, especially if proper packaging methods and materials aren’t used; but even when meat is properly packaged, rancidity occurs over time. To help delay this, trim fat from pork before freezing. Divide cuts into meal-size portions, and freeze them as soon after the carcass is cooled as you possibly can. Set your freezer’s temperature at −10°F (–23°C) at least 24 hours before freezing freshly cut meat. Add only the amount that will freeze within 24 hours: roughly 2 to 3 pounds of meat per cubic foot of freezer space. Overloading results in a long, slow freeze and a poor-quality product. If you don’t have enough freezer space to freeze the amount of pork on hand, take it to a locker service for flash freezing. Containing and wrapping. Meat can be f rozen in rigid containers, freezer bags, or butcher paper. Rigid containers make it easier to stack packages in the freezer, but they aren’t suitable for large cuts of meat. Covers

Locker Storage If you don’t have sufficient freezer space and don’t want to buy another freezer, locker storage is a good solution. For a small monthly fee, these services store your meat at optimal temperatures. Find one online or in your Yellow Pages, or ask your county Extension service agent for recommendations.

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should fit tightly; if they don’t, reinforce the seal with freezer tape. When using freezer bags, pack the meat, then press all excess air from the bag before sealing. There are two standard ways of wrapping meat using butcher paper: the butcher wrap and the drugstore wrap (see illustrations below and next page for how to do it). The drugstore wrap is preferable, except when freezing irregular cuts of meat. Wrap meat tightly, and for best results wrap and seal it twice.

Frost-Free Freezers — No! Avoid storing meat in frostfree freezers. Fluctuating temperatures in freezers cause the ice in foods to thaw slightly, then refreeze. Each time this happens, ice crystals become larger, damaging cells and creating a mushier product.

B u tc h e r W rap

1. Place the meat at one corner of the paper and wrap the corner of the paper over it.

2. Fold the meat and paper over once, rolling in the direction of the opposite corner.

3. Fold the ends up, pushing air out as you fold. With ends tucked up, continue folding the meat and paper over.

4. Pull the ends

tight and seal with freezer tape.

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Dr u g S tor e W rap

1. Place the meat in the center of the paper. 2. Bring both ends of the paper together, centered over the meat.

3. Fold the edges of the paper down in a series of folds about 1 inch deep until the fold lies against the meat, pressing the fold down to squeeze out air.

4. Fold in each of the four corners.

5. Bring the ends up and fasten with freezer tape.

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Be sure to place two pieces of freezer paper between individual patties and cuts of meat to facilitate separation while frozen. Label each package with the name of the product, the number of servings, and the date packaged. Use permanent marker, and write directly on the package or use freezer tape or self-adhesive freezer labels. Later, you can remove permanent marker from plastic storage containers using rubbing alcohol. Positioning in the freezer. Place packages in the coldest part of the freezer, and make sure they are in contact with freezer surfaces (the compressor shelf on a chest freezer or the top shelf in an upright model). Leave a space between packages so that air can circulate freely. Once frozen, packages can be restacked closer together. Thawing. To prevent the rapid growth of bacteria, defrost frozen pork in the refrigerator — never on the counter or in the sink. Frozen meat can also be cooked without thawing, but plan on nearly doubling the cooking time.

Ref r i g e r ato r a n d F r ee z e r L i fe According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) publications “Fresh Pork from Farm to Table,” “Ham and Food Safety,” and the FSIS website, the following storage times apply to refrigerated and frozen pork. Pork Cut

Refrigerator

Freezer at 0°F (–18°C)

Bacon and sausage (cured), uncooked

5 to 7 days

1 to 2 months

Ham (fresh, uncured), uncooked

3 to 5 days

6 months

Ham (fresh, uncured), cooked

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 months

Ham (cured), uncooked

5 to 7 days

3 to 4 months

Ham (cured), cooked

3 to 5 days

1 to 2 months

Fresh pork roast, steaks, chops, and ribs

3 to 5 days

4 to 6 months

Fresh pork liver and variety meats

1 to 2 days

3 to 4 months

Home-cooked pork; soups, stews, and casseroles

3 to 4 days

2 to 3 months

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H o mem a de S a us ag e It’s easy to make great sausage at home. The only specialized equipment you’ll need to make bulk sausage or patties is a meat grinder with a ⅛-inch grinding plate; you’ll also need a stuffer for sausage in casings.

Casings Casings for stuffed sausage can be fashioned of natural or synthetic materials. Natural casings are made from the intestines of large animals such as pigs, sheep, goats, and cows. They are digestible and permeable to moisture and smoke. Synthetic casings are stronger than natural casings, uniform in size, and come in sizes designed to make specific kinds of sausage. They must be peeled off before you eat the sausage. To use store-bought frozen casings, rinse them, then soak in water for at least 30 minutes. Flush them under cold, running water before stuffing.

C har c u t e r i e Charcuterie is the art of making sausages and other cured, smoked, and preserved meats. In addition to sausages, classic charcuterie items include pâtés (meat pastes), terrines (meat or vegetable and meat mixtures cooked or prepared in advance and allowed to cool and set in a container), confit (food prepared using a technique for preserving meat that involves cooking it in its own fat, then storing the meat and fat in a covered container), and crèpinettes (a type of sausage patty wrapped in caul fat). The word “charcuterie” was originally used to refer only to products made from pork. Now the word is used to describe any product prepared using these traditional methods — even items made from poultry, fish, seafood, or other meats, though pork is still the favorite of charcutiers (cooks devoted to the art of charcuterie).

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To make your own casings, use your pig’s intestines or order frozen, salted intestines from a butcher and store them in the freezer. Then follow these easy steps: 1. Cut off lengths of intestine, keeping in mind that casings must be at least 2 inches longer than the actual sausage so they can be tied at both ends. 2. Squeeze out any material left in the intestine, then turn it inside out and rinse it under running water. 3. Scrape the intestine with a dull knife until all that’s left is the relatively tough outer wall. 4. Place the casing in an airtight container of warm water and a little salt. Let it soak overnight in the refrigerator. 5. The next day soak the casing in vinegar for 2 hours. Rinse the ­casing in cool water, and let it dry. It’s now ready to use.

Step-by-Step Sausage Making A good sausage mix is 80 percent pork and 20 percent fat. Work with small quantities of cold meat and fat; 5 pounds makes a good batch. The bigger the batch, the greater the danger of bacterial contamination, so refrigerate the rest of your pork and fat when you aren’t working with it. Slightly frozen meat and fat work best for grinding. 1. Before you begin, sanitize your hands, work surface, and tools with chlorine bleach solution at the rate of 1 tablespoon of bleach to each quart of water. 2. For ease of grinding, cut the meat into long strips. 3. Run the pork and fat through a ⅛-inch grinding plate into a large mixing container. If your recipe calls for onions or potatoes, grind them, too. When you’re finished grinding, run some ice cubes through the grinder and into the sausage mix to semiclean the blades and keep the meat mix colder.

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4. Mix your herbs and spices in ice water to soften the herbs and dissolve the spices; this allows for easier blending with the meat mix. Two cups of water is good for a 5-pound batch of sausage. 5. Add the herb and spice slurry to the meat, and thoroughly mix by hand. It’s hard work, but don’t stop until the sausage is a nice, even color, and the herb and spice mix is evenly distributed. 6. Fry a small patty to test the flavor. If it isn’t herby or spicy enough, add more herbs or spices and remix. If you like the flavor, you can grind the mixture a second time to make a better-textured sausage. 7. You can stuff the sausage as is, using your favorite casings and a sausage stuffer, form into patties, or leave it in bulk. Smoke, refrigerate, and/or freeze it. 8. Once again, sanitize your hands, work surface, and tools with chlorine bleach solution.

My Grandma’s Favorite Breakfast Sausage These are the ingredients for the sausage my Grandma O’Connor made from Great-Uncle Leonard’s Spotted Poland China pork. She refrigerated it and formed it into patties to serve for big family breakfasts, along with eggs and sliced potatoes fried in home-rendered lard. 5 pounds boneless shoulder pork ¼ cup dried sage ⅛ cup salt 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon ground black pepper ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper

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Re n de r i n g a n d U s i n g L a r d Nothing beats lard for fashioning flaky piecrusts or f rying chicken so scrumptious you want to weep. It’s a traditional cooking staple wherever pork is eaten around the globe. Lard is making a culinary comeback, and it’s easy to render it from your own pork fat. Simply use a Crock-Pot or slow cooker that reaches 260°F (127°C) on its highest setting (see recipe on page 202). Older, cheaper models sometimes don’t reach 260°F, so before you use a slow cooker on lard, it’s best to cook something else on the high setting and check the temperature with a food thermometer. Keep in mind that pigs yield several kinds of fat: • Leaf fat is a thick layer of fat on the inside of the carcass, often enveloping the kidneys. Properly rendered leaf fat becomes pure white lard, especially treasured for baking. It should be rendered separately from coarser grades of fat.

“

Scrappel

Scrappel is a most palatable dish. Take the head, heart, and any lean scraps of pork, and boil until the flesh slips easily from the bones. Remove the fat, gristle, and bones, then chop fine. Set the liquor in which the meat was boiled aside until cold, take the cake of fat from the surface and return [the pot] to the fire. When it boils, put in the chopped meat and season well with pepper and salt. Let it boil again, then thicken with corn-meal as you would in making ordinary corn-meal mush, by letting it slip through the fingers slowly to prevent lumps. Cook an hour, stirring constantly at first, afterwards putting it back on the range in a position to boil gently. When done, pour into a long, square pan, not too deep, and mold. Cut into slices when cold, and fried brown, as you do mush, is a cheap and delicious breakfast dish. — White House Cook Book: A Selection of Choice Recipes by Mrs. F. L. Gillette (1887)

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• Fatback lies in thick sheets along a pig’s back. Lard rendered from fatback is great for sautéing and frying. • Caul fat is the lacy membrane of fat surrounding the stomach and intestines and the soft fat in and around muscle tissue. It makes inferior lard.

Crock-Pot Lard Use a 5- or 6-quart Crock-Pot or slow cooker that reaches 260°F (127°C) on its highest setting. I n g r edie n t 4 pounds ground or finely chopped leaf fat from the kidney area Spec ia l to ols Fine-mesh cheesecloth Large glass or stainless steel bowl with a pouring spout Slotted spoon Straight-sided, large-mouth glass canning jars with lids (choose freezer-safe jars if you want to freeze your lard)

1. Set the Crock-Pot on low. Pour in ¼ cup of water, and add the leaf fat. Stir the fat occasionally to keep it from scorching, but open the lid as little as possible to avoid letting out too much heat. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble, 8 to 9 hours.

2. Stir and raise the temperature to high. When the mixture reaches 260°F (127°C), it’s ready for straining.

3. Line your colander or strainer with cheesecloth, and set this

over a large bowl with a pour spout. Using oven mitts, pour the fat and cracklings (small bits of crisped pork that you can drain, salt, and nibble as a snack) into the strainer and let it sit awhile.

4. Pour the hot fat into canning jars and screw on the lids. As the

fat cools, the lids will seal. The melted fat will be golden-brown in color, but when cooled, properly rendered leaf lard is creamy white. When the fat cools, refrigerate, or, if you’ve used freezersafe jars, freeze the lard.

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Cooking Pork Pork is one of the tastiest and most versatile of meats, and delicious pork recipes abound. To find them, consult your favorite cookbooks — both domestic and international — or visit pork-oriented websites such as Pork: Be Inspired, and Put Pork on Your Fork; they’re listed in the Resources at the back of this book.

Everyday Cooking There are two basic ways of cooking pork: dry heat and moist heat. The one to choose depends on cut, personal preference, and time. D r y- H e at C o o k i n g

There are several methods of dry-heat cooking. Oven broiling. Use this technique for small cuts such as pork patties, chops, and kebabs. To broil pork, set your oven dial on broil (or turn on separate broiler) and preheat. Place the pork on a preheated, greased broiling pan 3 to 5 inches from the broiler heat source. Broil until the cut is done on one side, then turn it over, and broil the other side until brown. Pan broiling. Use for chops, ham slices, bacon, sausage, and ground pork. Preheat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat; do not add oil. Place the pork in the hot skillet, uncovered. Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned on both sides and cooked all the way through the center. Sautéing. Use for small cuts such as chops, cubes, or strips of pork. Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy skillet, or liberally spray the pan with cooking spray. Place the pork in the pan, and cook, uncovered, turning occasionally until done. Stir-frying. Use for thin strips or slices of pork. Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy skillet, and cook over high heat, stirring constantly. Roasting. Use for large cuts such as ham or roasts. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Trim much of the exterior fat from the pork; if a roast has no exterior fat, rub it with 2 teaspoons of oil. Season to taste. Place the pork on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast to an internal temperature

Home Processing 203

of 160°F (71°C). Remove the pork, and set it aside for 15 minutes before slicing. Grilling. There are two ways to grill pork, depending on the size of the cut: direct heat and indirect heat. In the direct-heat method, food is grilled directly over the heat source. It works best for smaller cuts such as ham slices, kebabs, pork patties, and chops. To direct-grill pork, place cuts on the grill directly over glowing coals or directly over a gas grill’s heat source. Turn once while cooking. In the indirect-heat method, pork is placed on the grill but away from coals or a gas grill’s burners. It is good for grilling ribs, roasts, and fresh ham. To cook pork over indirect heat on a charcoal grill, bank hot coals on both sides of the fire grate, on one side of the grill, or around the perimeter. Place the pork on the grill so it’s not directly over the coals. If using a gas grill, place the meat so it isn’t directly over a burner. Close the hood, and cook until done. Since heat circulates inside a closed grill, you needn’t turn the meat. M o i s t- H e at C o o k i n g

There are two primary ways of cooking with moist heat: stewing and ­braising. Stewing. Use for small, less tender cuts, such as cubed shoulder pork. Brown meat on all sides in a heavy skillet with a lid; add desired liquid (water, tomato sauce, reconstituted cream soup) and additional ingredients (potato, carrot, onion) so the meat is covered, then cover the skillet, and simmer over low heat on the stove or cook in a 275 to 300°F (135–149°C) oven until tender. Braising. Use for less tender cuts, up to the size of a small roast. Dredge pork in seasoned flour, add a small amount of oil to a heavy pan with a lid, such as a Dutch oven, and brown meat on all sides. Add desired liquid (water, tomato sauce, reconstituted cream soup) so the pork is nearly but not fully covered, then cover the pan and simmer over low heat on the stove or cook in a 275 to 300°F (135–149°C) oven until tender. If adding vegetables, add them during the last 20 to 45 minutes of cooking time.

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Grandma O’Connor’s Potpie This recipe was adapted from Grandma’s handwritten recipe book. It calls for spareribs, but I’ve used country-style ribs and even pork steak. 1 medium onion, chopped 2 pounds pork spareribs 1 can or jar (about 28 ounces) sauerkraut 3 large eggs Flour Salt Freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the onions and pork in a large pot. Cover with water to a

level 2 inches above the pork, and simmer until the pork separates easily from the bone. (In her later years, Grandma cooked the pork in a pressure cooker.) Remove the bones.

2. Add the sauerkraut, and bring to a simmer. 3. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl, and add 2 heaping tablespoons

of flour. Mix with a fork, and keep adding flour until the mixture holds together. Knead in more flour by hand until the mixture forms a ball. Set aside, and make two more egg-and-flour balls.

4. Bring the sauerkraut and pork mixture to a rolling boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Pat a flour-and-egg ball as flat

as you can, then roll it out to be about ⅛" thick. Cut into roughly 2-inch squares. Drop them one by one into the boiling krautand-pork mixture. When all squares are boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Serve plain or over mashed potatoes.

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A B oar ’ s H e ad P r o c e s s i o nal Looking for a unique, historical approach to Christmas festivities this year? Stage a boar’s head processional using the head from your own pig. The processional has its roots in centuries of tradition, having been first presented at least as early as 1340 at Queen’s College, Oxford, and in time becoming part of Christmas celebrations in the great manor houses of England. The Queen’s College processional is typical. Three chefs carry the head, decorated with herbs and with an orange in its mouth, into the hall, accompanied by torch bearers, a solo singer who sings the first verse of the Boar’s Head Carol, and a choir. The procession walks during the chorus and stops during verses. The head is placed on the high table where the provost distributes the herbs to the choir and the orange to the solo singer.

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Classic Preparations Here are a few unusual and tasty ways to prepare pork. Pork is one versatile meat! B a k k wa ( Sw e e t a n d S a lt y A s i a n J e r k y )

Bakkwa or bagua, known in Mandarin Chinese as ròugān and Cantonese as long yok, is a type of salty-sweet pork jerky served in Malaysia and Singapore at Chinese New Year, at Chinese wedding banquets and religious ceremony dinners, and throughout Asia as a tasty snack. It’s easily made at home.

Easy Bakkwa This recipe calls for castor sugar, a superfine, quick-melting sugar midway between what North Americans call granulated and powdered sugar. Buy it at Asian supermarkets, substitute C&H Baker’s Sugar or Domino Superfine Sugar, or make your own by grinding regular granulated sugar in a very clean coffee grinder or food processor. ½ cup castor sugar ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 pound (roughly) finely ground pork

1. Mix the sugar, salt, five-spice powder, fish sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the pork, and marinate it in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 210°F (99°C). Grease two baking sheets.

(recipe continued on the next page)

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Easy Bakkwa (continued)

3. Using your fingers, press the marinated pork into a very thin

layer on the baking sheets, and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Dry the pork for 60 minutes with the oven door partly ajar. When finished, the pork will be semidry, and it will shrink slightly away from the edges of the baking sheets.

4. Carefully remove the sheets of bakkwa, and cut them into serving-size pieces.

5. Place the pieces under a medium broiler or in a toaster oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they sizzle and caramelize. Avoid charring the edges.

6. Allow to cool, and place in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 7. To serve, very briefly reheat the pieces in a broiler or toaster oven. Enjoy!

Crunchy Pork Rinds

Crispy pork rinds are featured in every cuisine where pork is eaten. Some varieties have fat and a trace of meat attached; some are pork skin alone. The British love their “pork scratchings”: crisp, deep-fried, salted pork rind with fat attached, eaten cold. The French (and Cajuns) have grattons. In Spain and many other Latin American countries, pork rinds are called cueritos when there’s no fat attached and chicharrónes when there is. In the Netherlands, they’re knabbelspek, which translates as “nibbling bacon.” Austrians call them Schweinekrusten (“pig crusts”). In Hungarian they are tepertő or töpörtyű; in Serbia and Croatia, čvarci; and in the Czech Republic they’re called škvarky. In Vietnamese crispy pork rinds are called tóp mõ (“dried piece of fat”); in Thai, khaep mu; and in the Philippines, tsitsaron. Pork rinds are a truly international treat.

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Baked American Pork Rinds 2-pound piece pork skin Kosher salt

1. Trim the visible fat from the pork skin, and place the skin on a cutting board. Score the skin with ¼-inch-deep cuts made in one direction at ¾-inch intervals. Using paper towels, pat the skin dry, then rub it all over with kosher salt. Cover it loosely, and place it in the refrigerator for 5 days.

2. Remove the skin from the refrigerator, and soak it in a large bowl of water for 6 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). 4. Dry the skin using paper towels. Cut through the scores to cut

it into strips. Spread them on a large greased baking sheet, so they don’t touch. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring twice, until they’re golden brown and starting to harden.

5. Line a plate with a paper towel. Using a slotted spoon, remove the baked pork rinds from the sheet, and place on the towellined plate. Serve warm.

“

Head Cheese

Boil the forehead, ears, and feet, and nice scraps trimmed from the hams of a fresh pig, until the meat will almost drop from the bone. Then separate the meat from the bones, put it in a large choppingbowl, and season with pepper, salt, sage, and summer savory. Chop it rather coarsely; put it back into the same kettle it was boiled in, with just enough of the liquor in which it was boiled to prevent its burning; warm it through thoroughly, mixing it well together. Now pour it into a strong muslin bag, press the bag between two flat surfaces with a weight on top; when cold and solid it can be cut into slices. Good cold, or warmed up in vinegar. — White House Cook Book: A Selection of Choice Recipes by Mrs. F. L. Gillette (1887)

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Cuban Chicharrónes (Fried Pork Rinds) 2-pound piece pork skin 1 teaspoon salt Lard or cooking oil for deep-fat frying

1. Trim the visible fat from the pork skin, and place the skin on a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares. Sprinkle with the salt.

2. Place the squares in a colander, and pour boiling water over them to open the skin. Dry, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 250°F (121°C). 4. Spread the squares on a large greased baking sheet so they don’t touch. Bake for 3 hours.

5. Remove from the oven. Cool, and refrigerate in a covered ­container until ready for use.

6. Place lard or pour oil into a large heavy pan so it’s about onethird full of cooking fat. Cook lard or oil on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Add pork rinds, and fry in batches until they puff up, 3 to 5 minutes.

7. Drain on paper towels, and serve warm.

“

Broiled Pig’s Feet

Thoroughly clean as many pig’s feet as required, and split lengthwise in halves, tying them with a broad tape so they will not open in cooking. Put in a saucepan with a seasoning of parsley, thyme, bayleaf, allspice, carrots, and onions, with sufficient water to cover. Boil slowly until tender, and let them cool in the liquor. Dip [the cooled feet] in the beaten yolks of eggs and warmed butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with bread crumbs seasoned with very finely chopped shallot and parsley. Put on a gridiron [a frame of parallel metal bars; good modern equivalents would be a broiler or a gas grill] over a clear fire and broil until well and evenly browned. — Good Things to Eat, As Suggested by Rufus by Rufus Estes (1911)

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Pig’s Ears

When you butcher your pigs, save their ears. You can boil, braise, or roast them, but frying is best. The outer layers of fried pig ears are deliciously crunchy, while the cartilage inside the ear melts into a chewy, gelatinous mass. They’re rich and sweet. Mmm-mm good!

Thai Sliced Pig Ears (Hu Mu Palo) Hu Mu Palo is usually eaten as a snack food with whiskey or beer. 8 ounces cleaned pork ears ⅓ cup sugar 1 tablespoon salt 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground coriander

1. Chop the ears into 1½-inch pieces. 2. Boil 1¾ cups water in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, salt,

and soy sauce. When the sugar and salt have dissolved, add the cinnamon, coriander, and pork pieces. Simmer for 90 minutes.

3. Drain the ears, and slice thinly to serve.

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Appendix

A p p end ix 1

Pig History Timeline The history of pigs is so diverse and colorful that it would take a book of its own to cover it in any detail. Therefore, here is a very brief history of pigs. 37 to 23 million years ago Beginning about 9000 bce

8000 bce 7000 to 5000 bce

4000 bce 1800 bce 1165 bce

1122 to 221 bce 77 ce

The Eurasian wild boar evolves from earlier, pig-like ancestors. Pigs are independently domesticated from the Asian type of Eurasian wild boar in isolated pockets of Southeast Asia, China, and Taiwan. Domestic pigs are kept at Hallan Çemi in southeastern Turkey. Dwellers at Jericho (Palestine), Jarmo (Iraq), Çatal Höyük (Turkey), and Argissa-Margula (Greece) have domestic pigs. Pigs are domesticated from the European type of Eurasian wild boar in the Paris Basin of France. Taboos against eating pork begin to appear in the Middle East. According to the Roman poet Virgil, Aeneas sees the prophesied Sacred White Sow at a spot along the Tiber River and founds Rome on that spot. During China’s Chou Dynasty clay pigs are buried in the hands of the dead. The Roman historian Pliny praises the flavor of pork, saying, “No other animal can offer substance more fruitful to the talent of a cook. All other flesh has its own particular flavor, that of the pig presents us with a diversity of flavors.”

214

251 ce About 1000 ce

Saint Anthony, the patron saint of pigs and swineherds, is born. Vladimir Sviatoslavich the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev and Prince of Novgorod, declares that eating pork and drinking vodka are acceptable ways to endure Russian winters.

1131 ce

King Philip of France is killed when his galloping horse is tripped by a black pig that darts out of a dung heap on the Paris quay.

1166 ce

William the Conqueror decrees that anyone poaching wild boar in England will have his eyes put out.

1493 ce

Queen Isabella of Spain insists that Christopher Columbus take pigs with him on his second voyage to the New World. He unloads eight pigs at Hispaniola, the island that now comprises the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

1539 ce

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto introduces pigs to North America when he lands 13 pigs at Tampa Bay, Florida. By the time of his death in 1542, they’ve multiplied to a herd of 700.

1540 ce

Another Spanish explorer, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, arrives in the American Southwest with the first pigs seen in that region.

1601 ce

Philip II of Spain, husband of Queen Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) and brother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth I, becomes ill after gorging himself on bacon during the Spanish Inquisition, when distaste for pork is considered heretical because both Jewish and Muslim faiths forbid its consumption.

1607 ce

Pigs are introduced to John Smith’s settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. continued

Appendix 1 215

Pig History Timeline continued 1623

ce

The first mention of pigs at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts is made when Emmanuel Altham, who is visiting the colony, notes in his journal that “here is belonging to the town six goats, about 50 hogs and pigs and diverse hens.”

1625 ce

Peter Evertsen of the Dutch East India Company imports pigs to New Amsterdam (New York City).

1653 ce

Free-ranging pigs have become such a nuisance in New Amsterdam that residents erect a palisade to keep them out of the main part of the city. The street that parallels the inside of this wall becomes known as Wall Street.

1683 ce

Wild boars are hunted to extinction in Great Britain.

1773 ce

Captain James Cook introduces pigs to New Zealand.

1774 ce

Smuggled salt pork becomes the staple diet of the Continental Army at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

1801 ce

Butchers in Königsberg, Germany, produce a pork sausage three-quarters of a mile long, weighing 2,000 pounds.

1859 ce

The Pig War erupts between the United States and Britain when an American farmer on San Juan Island between Oregon and Canada shoots a large black pig he finds rooting in his garden; the pig was owned by a Hudson’s Bay Company employee.

1875 ce

The American Berkshire Association is founded, becoming the first swine registry to be established in the world.

1906 ce

Another Pig War begins when the Austrian Hapsburg monarchy imposes a customs blockage on pigs originating in Serbia.

Appendix 1 216

1909 ce

Lord Brabazon, holder of the first pilot’s license in Britain, takes a piglet for a ride in a wicker basket strapped to the wing of his biplane, proving that, indeed, pigs fly. Also in 1909, Salomey, the last female Hammus alabammus, makes her appearance in Al Capp’s popular cartoon strip, Li’l Abner.

1926 ce

A. A. Milne publishes Winnie the Pooh, introducing Winnie the Pooh’s friend, Piglet.

1933 ce

Walt Disney releases his animated cartoon, The Three Little Pigs.

1935 ce

Warner Brothers’ Porky Pig debuts in the cartoon short, I Haven’t Got a Hat.

1952 ce

E. B. White publishes Charlotte’s Web, the tale of a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur that is destined to become a children’s classic.

1965 ce

CBS television introduces the wildly popular TV sitcom, Green Acres. One of its stars is a pig named Arnold Ziffel. In 1995, the two-part episode “A Star Named Arnold Is Born” is ranked #59 on TV Guide’s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

1973 ce

Miss Piggy debuts on Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show.

1985 ce

Jefferey Roemisch of Hermleigh, Texas, sells his show barrow, Bud, for a record-holding price of $56,000.

1995 ce

Babe, a Yorkshire piglet, stars in the movie Babe, based on Dick King-Smith’s book, The Sheep-Pig.

2000 ce

The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the world’s longest sausage, measuring 36.75 miles (59.14 km) long, made on behalf of Asda Stores at Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.

Appendix 1 217

A p p e nd ix 2

Build Your Own Pig Ark The best pig ark plans I’ve seen are these from Carol Ekarius’s How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More (Storey Publishing, 2004).

A- F r a me H ut This timeless A-frame hut is very much like an English pig ark. It’s the ideal pasture housing for a pair of pigs up to slaughter age, or add an exercise pen, and build it in your backyard. Place a door at one end in temperate climates, or at both ends for additional ventilation in hotter locales.

218

Side elevat ion metal ridge roll end rafter

board baffle 2" × 4"

3'0"

air inlet edge of roof board door 2" × 6" guardrail floor

1" × 12" boards ¼" apart metal battens

E xterior end elevation

3'8"

board baffle

2'6"

(continued on the next page) Appendix 2 219

A- F r a me H ut (co n t i n ued) Cross section with floor

8"

2" × 8" guardrail at each end

plank floor

raf ter detail

16⅝"

6' 9 ½"

metal ridge roll 2" × 4" ridge 1" × 6" cleat

2" × 4" rafters 1" × 12" boards 2" × 4" girt

16⅝"

rafter

4" × 4" runners

Cross sect ion without floor

steel square

11¾"

8'0"

2" × 8" guard rail at each end

5'6½"

11¾"

3'11" 8'0" Appendix 2 220

M o d i f i ed A- F r a me H ut

4' 7

Isome tric view of framing

"

This slightly bigger hut is more spacious and holds more pigs. It’s ideal for backyard pigs raised in a pen. The flip-open roof provides additional ventilation in warmer climates.

6' 8"

8 '0

"

(continued on the next page) Appendix 2 221

M o d i f i ed A- F r a me H ut (c o n t i n ued)

Front elevation 2" × 4" × 6'6" ridge 2" × 4" × 4'7" rafter

3"

3"

2" × 4" × 6'0" plate

2" × 4" × 2'8" studs

2" × 6" plate

2" × 4" tie

3'0"

3'0"

Appendix 2 222

Rear elevation

2" × 4" × 6'0" nailing girt mortised into rafter

2" × 6" plate

3"

3"

Side elevation aft er rafter cuts 2" × 4" collar beam "

11"

7"

4' 7

8"

6' 8

2" × 4"

"

7"

11"

11"

2" × 4"

11"

2" × 4" nailing girt

8" 4" × 4" runners 8'0"

Appendix 2 223

A p p e nd ix 3

How to Shoot a Pig It’s important to know exactly how and where to shoot a pig, whether you are killing it as part of slaughter or you have to put a pig down because of disease or injury. According to “On Farm Euthanasia of Swine — Options for the Producer” f rom the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the National Pork Board, a 12-, 16-, or 20-gauge shotgun loaded with a slug is the best firearm for the purpose. Another option is a rimfire rifle or handgun using round-nosed, solid bullets; common “wad cutter” target ammunition will not properly penetrate a pig’s thick skull. The shotgun, rifle, or handgun should be held 2 to 10 inches from the pig’s skull. Onlookers or assistants should stand behind the person delivering the shot. When using a .22-caliber firearm, it’s important to shoot from behind the ear toward the pig’s opposite eye to penetrate the pig’s skull. Otherwise, the ideal target is half an inch above eye level, on the midline of the forehead, aiming toward the pig’s tail. Shooting in the heart or neck is unacceptable.

224

Glossary abattoir. A slaughterhouse anthelmintic. A deworming substance used to rid pigs of internal

parasites back fat. The layer of fat between the skin and muscle along a pig’s

back back ribs or baby back ribs. Cuts of pork from the blade and center

section of the loin that are smaller than spareribs bacon. A cured and often smoked cut of pork from the pig’s sides and

belly consisting of fat interspersed with strands of meat (called “streaky bacon” in Britain) barbecue. A method of slowly cooking pork in an open pit or on a spit

using coals, hardwoods, gas, or electricity as a heat source and frequently basting with a tangy tomato- or vinegar-based sauce; also called barbeque, BarBQ, or BBQ barrow. A castrated male pig boar. An adult male pig with intact sexual organs boar taint. The strong taste and smell of pork from a boar over 4 or 5

months of age butcher hog or butcher pig. A pig weighing 220 to 260 pounds (mar-

ket weight) that is ready for slaughter Canadian bacon. A hamlike cut of pork from the eye of the loin, cut

into round or oblong slices casing. A membrane used to encase ground meat for sausages before

they are cooked or cured castration. Surgical removal of a boar’s testicles cc. Cubic centimeter; same as a milliliter (ml) charcuterie. Cooked cold pork, such as ham, sausages, cold cuts, and

pâtés chitterlings. The small intestines of pigs prepared as food

225

chop. A cut of pork from the rib section, shoulder, or loin; depending

on the section of loin from which it was cut, it is called a loin, rib, sirloin, top loin, or blade chop condition. The amount of fat and muscle tissue on an animal’s body country-style ribs. A cut of pork from the rib end of the loin crossbreeding. The mating of pigs of different breeds curing. The process of infusing meat with a solution of salt, sugar, and

potassium nitrate or sodium nitrite to enhance flavor, color, and shelf life; cured products may also be smoked cutlet. A thin, boneless piece of pork cut from the loin dam. A pig’s female parent deworm. The use of chemicals or herbs to rid an animal of internal

parasites dewormer. An anthelmintic; a substance used to rid an animal of inter-

nal parasites dished. Referring to an animal’s facial profile: concave dressing weight. The percentage of a butchered carcass that is usable,

compared to a pig’s live weight dry-heat cooking. Cooking methods using air or fat to transfer heat

through conduction or convection, such as roasting, broiling, panbroiling, and sautéing energy. A nutrient category of feeds usually expressed as TDN (total

digestible nutrients) Eurasian wild boar. Also called Russian wild boar or simply wild boar;

the ancestor of today’s domestic pigs farrow. To give birth to piglets feeder pig. A young pig between 8 and 12 weeks of age, weighing 40

to 60 pounds feeder pig operation. A business in which pig breeders sell feeder pigs

to individuals or other farmers who raise them to slaughtering age feral pig. A wild pig descended from domestic stock field shelter. A basic shelter with a roof and three sides forage. Grass and the edible parts of browse plants

Glossary 226

free-choice feeding. Keeping feed in front of pigs at all times, so that

they can eat as much and as often as they like fresh ham. A cut of pork from the hind leg that has been neither cured

nor smoked; also called pork leg or leg of pork fresh pork. Pork that has not been frozen, cured, smoked, precooked,

or otherwise processed gilt. A female pig that has not yet given birth grain. Seeds of cereal crops such as oats, corn, barley, milo, and wheat ground pork. Ground or finely chopped pork grower pig. A pig weighing between 40 and 220 pounds that is being

fed for slaughter ham. A cured and smoked cut of pork from the upper hind leg ham hock. The lower portion of the hog’s hind leg, corresponding to a

human’s ankle hanging weight. The weight of a pig carcass, usually taken with the

head removed and already gutted herd. A group of pigs heterosis or hybrid vigor. The increased performance of hybrids over

purebreds hog. An adult pig hog panel. A sturdy, large-gauge welded wire fence panel; sold in

various lengths and heights hurdle. A handheld barrier used when handling or moving pigs immunity. Resistance to a specific disease intramuscular (IM). Into muscle intravenously (IV). Into a vein lard. Rendered pig fat larvae. Immature stages of adult parasites; the term applies to insects,

ticks, and worms legume. Plants such as alfalfa, clover, and lespedeza litter. A group of sibling piglets produced during a single farrowing The Livestock Conservancy. A group dedicated to preserving and pro-

moting rare and endangered breeds of livestock and poultry marbling. Flecks of fat in lean meat

Glossary 227

market hog or market pig. A pig weighing 220 to 260 pounds (market

weight) market weight. Roughly 220 to 260 pounds measured feeding. Feeding pigs a set amount of feed at certain times

of the day, versus free-choice unlimited feeding mids. Also called middlings; the product remaining after flour or sem-

olina is extracted from wheat minerals. Inorganic nutrients, usually refers to those required for

health ml. Milliliter; the same as a cubic centimeter (cc) needle teeth. Two large teeth on each side of the upper jaw; these

may have been removed when your pig was a newborn nematode. A type of internal parasite; a worm off feed. Not eating as much as usual over the counter (OTC). Nonprescription drugs paddock. A small enclosed area used for grazing pharmaceutical. A substance used in the treatment of disease: a drug

or medication picnic ham. A cut of pork from the upper part of the foreleg, including

a portion of the shoulder; it isn’t a true ham, but it’s cured in the same manner as ham, giving it a hamlike flavor pig. A young member of the swine family, older than a piglet but

younger than a hog; colloquially, swine of all ages are called pigs piggery. A British term for a place pigs are kept, particularly a breed-

ing facility piglet. An infant pig, from birth to about 8 weeks of age pig’s feet. The feet of a pig, removed slightly below the knee or hock

joints; also called trotters or pettitoes pneumonia. Infection in the lungs porcine. Having to do with pigs pork. Pig meat pork belly. The boneless side portion of meat remaining after removal

of the loin, fatback, and spareribs pork producer. A farmer who sells pigs for pork production

Glossary 228

pork steak. A relatively tender piece of pork cut from the shoulder primal cuts. The major divisions when a carcass is separated; in this

book the shoulder, loin, belly, and ham proliferate. To vastly multiply in numbers, usually over a short span of

time prolific. Producing more than the usual number of offspring protein. A nutritional category of feed used for growth and repair of

body tissue puberty. When an animal becomes sexually mature purebred. An animal of a recognized breed descended from many

generations of ancestors of the same breed quarantine. To isolate or separate an individual from others of its kind ration. Total amount of feed given to an animal during a 24-hour

period registered pig. A pig that has a registration certificate and number

issued by a breed association ribs. A cut of pork from the loin or side; pork ribs come in three basic

cuts — back ribs, spareribs and country-style ribs — depending on the part of the pig where they originated ring. A metal ring that is clamped on the rim of a pig’s nose to keep it

from rooting roast. A large cut of pork from the loin, leg, or shoulder rotational grazing. Moving grazing or browsing animals from one pad-

dock to another before plant growth in the first is fully depleted roughage. Plant fiber roundworm. A parasitic worm with an elongated round body runt. The smallest and usually weakest piglet in a litter saltpeter or saltpetre. Potassium nitrate, a chemical salt sometimes

used in curing meat sausage. Seasoned ground pork typically stuffed into a casing, though

sometimes served as patties or used in stuffing mixes for fowl and other meats scouring. Having diarrhea scours. Diarrhea

Glossary 229

scrotum. The external pouch containing a boar’s testicles selection. Choosing superior animals as parents for future generations shank. A cut of pork from the foreleg shoat. A weaned, adolescent pig shoulder. A cut of pork from the front leg; either Boston butt from the

upper section or picnic from the lower half shrink. Weight loss sire. A pig’s paternal parent smoking. A process to preserve and flavor pork by exposing it to

smoke or by applying liquid smoke externally as a curing agent sound. Free of structural defects sounder. A group of Eurasian wild boars or feral pigs sow. An adult female pig stye. An old-fashioned word for a pigpen subcutaneous (SQ). Under the skin suckling pig. A 6- to 8-week-old roasting pig with light-colored, moist,

tender meat swill. Edible garbage; also called slop swine. Members of the

Sus scrofa species; better known as pigs or hogs

tapeworm. A segmented, ribbonlike intestinal parasite tenderloin. An elongated, tender cut of pork from the loin trace minerals. Minerals needed in only minute amounts trotters. Pigs’ feet; also called pettitoes vitamins. Compounds that help the body assimilate other nutrients wallow. A water-filled tank, children’s wading pool, or depression in

the ground where pigs cool off in warm weather weanling or weaner. A recently weaned pig withdrawal period. After many drugs have been administered to an

animal, the amount of time during which that animal must not be sent to market, to ensure no drug residues remain in its meat yield. Percentage of a pig’s carcass in the four major cuts: shoulder,

side or belly, loin, and ham zoonoses. Animal diseases that also infect humans

Glossary 230

Bibliography C h a pte r 1

Broom, D. M., H. Sena, and K. L. Moynihan. “Pigs learn what a mirror image represents and use it to obtain information,” Animal Behaviour. (2009) 78: 5, 1037–1041. Grandin, Temple. “Comfortable Quarters for Pigs in Research Institutions.” Available online at http://labanimals.awionline.org/pubs/cq02/Cq-pigs.html McGlone, John J. “Managing Heat Stress in the Outdoor Pig Breeding Herd.” Texas Tech University. McLaughlin, Carol L., Clifton A. Baile, Lawrence L. Buckholtz, and Stanley K. Freeman. “Preferred Flavors and Performance of Weanling Pigs,” Journal of Animal Science. 1983 June 56: 1287–1293. Miller, R.L. “Hogs and Hygiene,” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. (1990) 76: 125–140. O’Meara, Bridget. “Small Scale Pastured Hog Production.” Pages 51–55 in GrassWorks Grazing Guide, rev. ed. GrassWorks, 2010. Available online at http://grassworks. org/?110160 C h a pte r 2

Spear, N. C., G. Slack, and E. Troyer. “Economic factors associated with livestock transportation,” Journal of Animal Science. (2001) 79 (E supplement): E166–E170. C h a pte r 6

Anonymous. Fertilizing with Pig Waste: A Guidebook for Pacific Island Farmers. Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA. Originally published as “Easy Ways to Use and Store Pig Waste in the Pacific Islands,” Pohnpei Soil and Water Conservation Board. Caluya, R. R., R. R. Sair, G. M. R. Recta, B. B. Balneg. “Tomato Pomace as Feed for Livestock and Poultry.” Mariano Marco State University, 2003. Watanabe, Pedro Henrique, Maria Christina Thomaz, Urbano dos Santos Ruiz, Vivian Maia dos Santos, et al. “Effect of inclusion of citrus pulp in the diet of finishing swine,” Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. 2010 May/June 53:3, 709–718. C h a pte r 8

Carter, Susannah. The Frugal Housewife: or Complete Woman Cook. Philadelphia: Matthew Carey, 1802.

231

Fox, Minnie C. The Blue Grass Cook Book. New York: Fox, Duffield & Co., 1904. Raines, Christopher R. “The Butcher Kept Your Meat?” Pennsylvania State University. Wulf, Duane M. “Did the Locker Plant Steal Some of My Meat?” South Dakota State University, 1999. C h a pte r 9

Estes, Rufus. Good Things to Eat as Suggested by Rufus. Chicago: Rufus Estes, 1911. Food Safety and Inspection Service. “Fresh Pork from Farm to Table.” March 2013. ———. “Ham and Food Safety.” October 2012. Fulton, A. W. Home Pork Making. New York: Orange Judd Co., 1900. Gillette, Franny Lemira. White House Cook Book: A Selection of Choice Recipes. Chicago: R. S. Peale & Company, 1887. MacDonald-Brown, Linda. Pigs for the Freezer: A Guide to Small-Scale Production. Crowood Press, 2010. Mente, A., L. de Koning, H. S. Shannon, S. S. Anand. “A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease,” Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009 April 169:7, 659–669. South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service. “Pressure Canning Meats.” Adapted from “The Complete Guide to Home Canning,” Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 USDA (Revised 1994), Guide 5. YD4H213, revised April 2011. Vinton, Sherri Brooks. Put ’em Up! Storey, 2010. Appe n d i x 2

Ekarius, Carol. How to Build Animal Housing. Storey, 2004. Appe n d i x 3

American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the National Pork Board. “On Farm Euthanasia of Swine: Options for the Producer.” Available online at: www. aasv.org/aasv/euthanasia.pdf

Bibliography 232

Resources Associations Certified Pedigreed Swine Peoria, Illinois 309-691-0151 www.cpsswine.com

American Berkshire Association West Lafayette, Indiana 765-497-3618 www.americanberkshire.com

Registers Chester White, Poland China, and Spotted

American Guinea Hog Association, Inc. Jefferson, Iowa 515-370-1021 http://guineahogs.org

Large Black Hog Association Kenton, Ohio 800-687-1942 http://largeblackhogassociation.org

American Kunekune Breeders’ Association Jurupa Valley, California 951-505-5230 https://sites.google.com/site/ americankunekunebreeders

Mulefoot Pig Association Strawberry Point, Iowa 563-933-2252 [email protected]

American Mulefoot Hog Association Tekonsha, Michigan 517-518-7930 http://mulefootpigs.tripod.com

National Hereford Hog Association Aledo, Illinois 309-299-5122 www.nationalherefordhogassociation.com

Canadian Swine Breeders’ Association Canadian Livestock Records Corporation Ottawa, Ontario 519-421-2354 www.clrc.ca/swine.shtml

National Swine Registry West Lafayett, Indiana 765-463-3594 www.nationalswine.com

Registers Berkshire, British Saddleback, Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Lacombe, Landrace, Large Black, Pietrain, Poland China, Red Wattle, Spotted, Tamworth, Welsh, and Yorkshire

Registers Yorkshire, Hampshire, Duroc, and Landrace

National Tamworth Swine Association 621 North County Road 850 West Greencastle, IN 46135 765-653-4913 [email protected]

233

Associations (continued)

North American Large Black Pig Registry 740 Lower Myrick Road Laurel, MS 39443 601-426-2264 [email protected]

Rare Breeds Survival Trust Nr Kenilworth, United Kingdom [email protected] www.rbst.org.uk

Ossabaw Island Hog Registry American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Pittsboro, North Carolina 919-542-5704 www.albc-usa.org

Ge n e r a l I n fo r mati o n

Educational Websites Biological & Agricultural Engineering Louisiana State University Ag Center www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/ departments/Biological_Ag_Engineering The “Extension” section has a “Building Plans” page. Once there, click on “Swine,” which leads to dozens of detailed, downloadable, free plans for building pig housing and handling equipment, including a dandy backyard pigpen.

Red Wattle Hog Association Horse Cave, Kentucky 270-565-3815 www.redwattlehogassociation.com Tamworth Swine Association Greencastle, Indiana 765-653-4913 www.tamworthswine.org

Rare Breed Conservancies American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Pittsboro, North Carolina 919-542-5704 www.albc-usa.org Rare Breeds Canada Russell, Ontario 613-445-0754 www.rarebreedscanada.ca Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand [email protected] www.rarebreeds.co.nz

Breeder’s World www.breedersworld.com/pigs.html Online sales

Building and Equipment Plans Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering Extension, University of Kentucky www.bae.uky.edu/ext/Plans You’ll find scores of plans at this site, including several movable shelters for one or two pigs.

Cooperative Extension System Offices www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension Find your county Cooperative Extension office here.

Livestock & Pets: Pigs LSB www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/lifestyle-file/ livestock-a-pets/pigs.html You’ll find a wealth of small-scale pigraising articles at this New Zealand–based site.

Rare Breeds Trust of Australia Abbotsford, Australia [email protected] www.rbta.org

Resources 234

M e at P r o ce ss i n g a n d P r e s e rvati o n

The Pig Site www.thepigsite.com It’s everything pigs: hundreds of articles, directories, forums, and a free weekly newsletter.

“The Art and Practice of Sausage Making” www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn176.pdf

Pigs Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales government www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/ pigs

A North Dakota State Univeristy Extension Service publication by Martin Marchello and Julie Garden-Robinson, FN-176 (April 2012)

A vast number of downloadable resources

Pot Belly Pigs Wind Ridge Farm www.windridgefarm.us/potbellypigs.htm Pigs for meat R ec i p es

“Country Curing Hams” http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G2526 A University of Missouri Extension article by Maurice A. Alexander, G2526 (October 1993)

“Curing Pork Products at Home” http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/ p2648.pdf A Mississippi State University Extension Service publication by J. Byron Williams, 2648 (2010)

Pork: Be Inspired National Pork Board www.porkbeinspired.com

“Cutting the Pork Carcass” http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AN/ AN05200.pdf

An amazing amount of information, including downloadable recipe books

A University of Florida IFAS Extension publication by R.L. Reddish and F.W. Leak, CIR445 (revised 2003)

Pork Recipes http://pork-recipes.com You can even download a pork-recipe toolbar if you like.

“Home Curing Bacon for a Mild Flavor” http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G2528

Put Pork on Your Fork Pork Marketing Canada www.putporkonyourfork.com

An University of Missouri Extension article by Maurice A. Alexander, G2528 (September 2006)

Loads of downloadable recipe books; print versions free to residents of Canada

“Making Sausage at Home” http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/ p2692.pdf A Mississippi State University Extension Service publication by J. Byron Williams, 2692 (2011)

Resources 235

Meat Processing and Preservation (continued)

National Center for Home Food Preservation http://nchfp.uga.edu

Knives, seasonings, casings, sausage stuffers, and more

Learn all about home pork-preservation methods.

“A One-Hog Smokehouse” http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AN/ AN01100.pdf A University of Florida IFAS Extension publication by Fred Leak, AS14 (revised 2008)

“Pork: Slaughtering, Cutting, Preserving, and Cooking on the Farm” www.aces.edu/animalforage/swine/ documents/FB2265.pdf

Butcher and Packer Supply Company Madison Heights, Michigan 248-583-1250 www.butcher-packer.com Supplies for everything you need to process pork at home

LEM Products Direct West Chester, Ohio 877-336-5895 www.lemproducts.com Quality meat process supplies, sausage making equipment, and more

The Sausage Maker, Inc. Buffalo, New York 888-490-8525 www.sausagemaker.com

USDA publication by the Science and Education Administration, Farmers Bulletin Number 2265 (1978)

Small Meat Processors UMass Extension, Center for Agriculture www.extension.org/small_meat_processors Find a small-scale meat processor — stationary or mobile — near you.

Supplies

Sausage stuffers, smokehouses, food dehydrators, meat grinders, and more

Sausage Source Hillsborough, New Hampshire 800-978-5465 www.sausagesource.com Everything you need to make your own sausage, jerky, hams, and cured meats

Meat P r oc essi n g S u p p l i es

Walton’s, Inc. Wichita, Kansas 800-835-2832 www.waltonsinc.com

Allied Kenco Sales Houston, Texas 800-356-5189 www.alliedkenco.com

Tools, equipment, and seasonings for sausage making and grilling

Specializes in sausage and jerky making supplies and equipment

Ask The Meat Man Jackson Frozen Food Locker Jackson, Missouri 573-243-4107 www.askthemeatman.com

Resources 236

Co m m e rc i a l P i g F e e d

Pi g -K eep i n g S u p p l i es

Find a local dealer via these websites.

Jeffers, Inc. Dothan, Alabama 800-533-3377 www.jefferspet.com A general line of supplies for all types of livestock; free catalog

Blue Seal Kent Nutrition Group, Inc. www.blueseal.com Kent Feeds Kent Nutrition Group, Inc. www.kentfeeds.com

Nasco Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 800-558-9595 www.enasco.com A general line of supplies for all types of livestock; free Farm & Ranch catalog

Nutrena Cargill, Inc. www.nutrenaworld.com Producer’s Pride Tractor Supply Company www.tractorsupply.com

Port-a-Hut, Inc. Storm Lake, Iowa 800-882-4884 www.port-a-hut.com Quonset-style portable housing for pigs; we use these on our farm

Premier1 Supplies Washington, Iowa 800-282-6631 www.premier1supplies.com

Purina Mills Land O’ Lakes Purina Feed, LLC http://swine.purinamills.com Or g a n i c P i g F e e d

Anything you want to know about choosing and installing fence, you’ll find in Premier1’s free fencing catalog.

QC Supply Schuyler, Nebraska 800-433-6340 www.qcsupply.com Industrial, farm, and livestock supplies

Valley Vet Supply Marysville, Kansas 800-419-9524 www.valleyvet.com A general line of supplies for all types of livestock; free catalog

Countryside Organics 888-699-7088 Waynesboro, Virginia www.countrysideorganics.com Green Mountain Feeds Bethel, Vermont 802-234-6278 www.greenmountainfeeds.com Hiland Naturals Killbuck, Ohio 303-377-4016 http://hilandnaturals.com Modesto Milling Empire, California 209-523-9167 www.modestomilling.com

Resources 237

Organic Pig Feed

(continued)

Montana Flour & Grain Fort Benton, Montana 800-622-5790 www.montanaflour.com/store/organic-feed Makers of Big Sky Organic Feed

Nature’s Best Organic Feeds Kreamer Feeds, Inc. 800-767-4537 Kreamer, Pennsylvania www.organicfeeds.com Payback CHS, Inc. Sioux Falls, South Dakota 800-677-4482 www.paybacknutrition.com Poulin Grain, Inc. Newport, Vermont 800-334-6731 www.poulingrain.com Ranch-Way Feeds Fort Collins, Colorado 800-333-7929 www.ranch-way.com RCR Organic Feed Store Hamburg, Minnesota 952-467-3209 www.organicfeedstore.com Reedy Fork Farm Organic Feed Elon, North Carolina 336-449-4888 www.northcarolinaorganicfeed.com

Forums and YahooGroups Homestead-Hogs http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ homesteadhogs PasturedPork http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/ PasturedPork Pigs Homesteading Today www.homesteadingtoday.com/pigs ThePigSite Discussion Forum www.thepigsite.com/forums

Backyard Farming Periodicals Backwoods Home Magazine 800-835-2418 www.backwoodshome.com Countryside & Small Stock Journal 800-551-5691 www.countrysidemag.com

GRIT Magazine Ogden Publications, Inc. 866-803-7096 www.grit.com Mother Earth News Ogden Publications, Inc. 800-234-3368 www.motherearthnews.com Small Farmer’s Journal 800-876-2893 http://smallfarmersjournal.com Small Farm Today 800-633-2535 www.smallfarmtoday.com

Resources 238

Miscellaneous Websites Google Books http://books.google.com

Biodiversity Heritage Library www.biodiversitylibrary.org

Enter “pigs” or “swine” in the search box to find and download the complete text of scores of vintage pig-keeping books.

Enter “swine” in the subject search box to download any of hundreds of vintage pigraising books in free PDF format.

California — International Llama Association www.cal-ila.org/Resources/Resources.htm Under “U-Build-It” are the best hoop house building instructions we’ve found online

Mast Tree Network www.mast-producing-trees.org Acorns, beechnuts, and pigs

Merck Veterinary Manual www.merckvetmanual.com Free online access to the latest edition of The Merck Veterinary Manual in its entirety

Craigslist www.craigslist.org

Porkopolis www.porkopolis.org

Find lists in your locale.

The Freecycle Network www.freecycle.org The best place to get used fencing and building materials locally and for free!

Porkopolis is arguably the coolest pig website ever. Don’t miss the many pig quotes; they’re great!

Slow Food USA www.slowfoodusa.org Promotes the best in heritage food through the Slow Food Ark of Taste

Resources 239

Rec o mme n ded Re a d i n g Aidells, Bruce. Bruce Aidells’s Complete Book of Pork: A Guide to Buying, Storing, and Cooking the World’s Favorite Meat. HarperCollins, 2004. Aiello, Susan E., and Michael A. Moses. The Merck Veterinary Manual, 10th ed. Merck, 2010. Available online at www.merckmanuals.com/vet Biggle, Jacob. Biggle Swine Book: Much Old and More New Hog Knowledge, Arranged in Alternating Streaks of Fat and Lean. Philadelphia; Wilmer Atkinson Co., 1898. (Download free at Google Books.) Cooper, Carlotta. The Complete Guide to Raising Pigs. Atlantic Publishing, 2011. Edwards, Sandra. Feeding Organic Pigs: A Handbook of Raw Materials and Recommendations for Feeding Practice. University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2002. Available online at www.britishpigs.org.uk/Newcastle_handbook_of_raw_ materials.pdf Fulton, A. W. Home Pork Making. New York: Orange Judd Company, 1900. (Download free at Google Books.) Grandin, Temple. Humane Livestock Handling. Storey, 2008. Kates, A.H., D.E. Davis, John McCormack, James F. Miller. Poisonous Plants of the Southern United States. University of Tennessee Extension Service, 1980. Available online at: www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/library/bulletins/poisonous%20plants.pdf Klober, Kelly. Dirt Hog: A Hands-On Guide to Raising Pigs Outdoors . . . Naturally. Acres U.S.A., 2007. ———. Storey’s Guide to Raising Pigs. 3rd ed. Storey, 2009. Leak, Fred. A One-Hog Smokehouse. University of Florida Extension, revised 2008. Available online at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AN/AN01100.pdf MacDonald-Brown, Linda. Pigs for the Freezer: A Guide to Small-Scale Production. Crowood Press, 2010. McFarlan, Arie B. Pigs: Keeping a Small-Scale Herd. BowTie Press, 2008. McLagan, Jennifer. Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal. Ten Speed Press, 2011. Nissenson, Marilyn, and Susan Jonas. The Ubiquitous Pig. Abrams, 1996. Pukite, John. A Field Guide to Pigs. Penguin, 2002. Rath, Sara. The Complete Pig: An Entertaining History of Pigs. Voyageur Press, 2004. Summers, Libbie. The Whole Hog Cookbook: Chops, Loin, Shoulder, Bacon, and All that Good Stuff. Rizzoli International, 2011. van Loon, Dirk. Small-Scale Pig Raising. Storey Communications, 1978.

Resources 240

Index Page numbers in italic indicate photos or illustrations; those in bold indicate charts.

A abscesses, 129 acorn nutrient profile, 112 A-frame hut, modified, 221, 221–23 pig arks, 86, 87, 218, 218–220 American Landrace, 49, 49 anaphylactic shock, 125 ancient cultures, pigs in, 6 Another Easy Cure, 184 antibiotics, 129 Asian Heritage Hogs, 73 atrophic rhinitis (AR), 128 auction barns, 77–78

B babyback ribs, 162, 162 bacon, 162, 163–65, 163 Basic Bacon, 183–84 bring home the, 165 grease, 164 side of, 162 streaky, 164, 164 bacon pigs, 38, 39 Baked American Pork Rinds, 209 Bakkwa, Easy, 207–8 bangers and mash, 168 barrow, 8, 11, 81 Basic Bacon, 183–84 bedding, 91 behavior(s), 17–21 basic, 17, 21 chewing, 19 clean habits, 20 fighting, 20–21, 21 hierarchies, 16–17

humans and, 18 intelligence and, 12–13 nesting, 18–19 rooting, 17–18 rubbing, 19 wallowing, 19–20 belly. See side (belly) Berkshire, 45, 51, 51 Berkshire Black, 43 biosecurity issues, 80 black puddings, 170 blade end, 161 blood, 170–72 boar, 8, 11, 81 Boar’s Head Carol, 206, 206 Boston butt, 36, 37, 160, 161, 161 Breeders’ websites, 79 breed(s). See also common breeds; rare breeds; types of pigs; unusual pigs availability and, 38 basics, 34 crossbred vs. purebred, 35 hybrids, 34, 40 landrace vs. “Landrace,” 40 meat and, 35–37 raising, 37–38 Brentnall, John, 51 “bring home the bacon,” 165 building tips, 89–90 bulletin boards, 78 butcher, 152. See also processing; slaughtering butchering facilities, 157 butcher wrap, 195, 195 buying pigs, 76–84 basics, 76

241

checklist for, 77 evaluating pigs, 81–83 farms, visiting, 79–83 quarantining pigs, 78 where to buy, 77–79

C cages, 27–28, 32. See also crates Canadian bacon, 162, 162 canning pork, 190–93, 193 ground or chopped, 192 strips, chunks, or cubes, 191 cannon bone, 11 carcass, withdrawal times and, 122 carcass cutting yield, 156 carcass weight, 109, 155 casings, sausage, 198–99 cattle panels, 92 caul fat, 202 center loin, 161 charcuterie, 198 Chester White, 52 chewing behavior, 19 children and pigs safety and, 28 saying goodbye, 151 Choctaw, 62, 62 choking, 126 Coburn, F.D., 68 commercial rations, 106–10 common breeds. See also types of pigs American Landrace, 49, 49 Berkshire, 45, 51, 51 Berkshire Black, 43

common breeds (continued) Chester White, 52, 52 Duroc, 43, 53, 53 Hampshire, 54, 54 Poland China, 55, 55 Spotted, 57, 57 Yorkshire, 44, 45, 58, 58 confinement operations, 7–8, 17 cooking pork. See also recipes classic preparations, 207–8 dry-heat cooking, 203–4 moist-heat cooking, 204 cooperative extensions, 79 country-style ribs, 162, 162 crates, 84. See also transport cages Crock-Pot Lard, 202 crossbreds, 34, 35 crown roast, 162 Cuban Chicharrónes (Fried Pork Rinds), 210 cured back bacon, 162, 162 curing pork, 179–185 curing recipes, 182–84 curing salts, 180–82, 181 tips on, 185 curing salts, 180–82 amounts, 181 Homemade Curing Salts, 182 custom processing plants, 154 cutting your own pig, 172–77

D death of pig, 119 defrosting frozen pork, 197 dew claw, 11 deworming sellers’ philosophies and, 80 tips on, 138 dial-gauge canner, 193 digestive system, 104–6, 105 diseases. See illnesses dominance, 16–17

dressing percentage, 155, 156 dressing weight, 8 driving pigs, 26 drugstore wrap, 196, 196 dry-heat cooking, 203–4 Duroc, 43, 53, 53

E Easy Bakkwa, 207–8 Ekarius, Carol, 39, 218 electric fences chargers, 97 extenders for, 95, 95 permanent vs. temporary, 96–97 rotational grazing and, 96 tips on, 97–98 environmental enrichment, 19, 91 epinephrine, 125 erysipelas, 128–29 Eurasian wild boar, 9, 9 examination papers, 80 external parasites flies, 142, 144 lice, 144–45 mange mites, 145–47 ticks, 147–48

F farms, visiting, 79–83 pigs, evaluating, 81–83 sellers, evaluation of, 80–81 fat favoring, 50 kinds of, 201–2 monounsaturated, 178–79 fatback, 162–63, 202 feeder pigs buying, 76 defined, 8 prices, 83 Index 242

suckling pig, 80 feeders, 102, 103, 103 feeding, 104–15. See also supplementary feeds amount consumed, 114 choking and, 126 commercial rations, 106–10 digestive system, 104–6, 105 how much, 107, 109, 110 new pigs, 84 what not to feed, 115 fence posts, 99 fences. See also electric fences basics, 94 woven wire, 95–96 feral pigs. See wild pigs field shelters, 88 fighting, 20–21, 21 first-aid kit, 121 flies, 142, 144 follicular mites, 147 foot-and-mouth disease, 111 forerib area, 11 freezer life, 197 freezing pork, 193–97 containing and wrapping, 194–97, 195, 196 cutting and proportioning, 194 freezer type and, 195 positioning in freezer, 197 thawing pork and, 197 fresh pork belly, 163, 164, 165 frost-free freezers, 195

G gilt, 8, 11, 81 Gloucestershire Old Spots, 47, 63, 63 Grandin, Temple, 17, 19 Grandma O’Connor’s Potpie, 205 grazing, rotational, 96

grease, bacon, 164 ground pork canning, 192 sausage and, 168–170 grower pigs defined, 8 injections and, 125 processing, 150 sex of pig and, 81 growth rates. See weight(s) grunting sounds, 15 guarantees, 80 Guinea Hog, 64, 64

H H1N1, 130–31 ham, 36, 166, 167 hot smoking, 186 Iberian acorn-finished, 113 international styles of, 166–68 Parma, 167 weight of, 36 ham hock, 36, 166 Hampshire, 54, 54 handling pigs. See also moving pigs harness and lead, 24, 24 lifting, 24 restraining, 29–30 safety and, 23 taming, 22–23 hanging weight, 155 hauling pigs, 30–32, 31, 83–84 Head Cheese, 209 health of pigs. See also shots, giving; veterinarian(s) first-aid kit, 121 guidelines for, 119 healthy vs. sick, 82 injuries, treating minor, 125–26 vital signs, 127

hearing, sense of, 14 Heart, Boiled Pork, 192 heat cycle/duration, 11 heat stress, 133–34 herd behavior. See social order Hereford, 41, 48, 65, 65 heritage breeds. See rare breeds heterosis, 35 hierarchies dominance, 16–17 teat order, 16 history, 3–9 ancient cultures, 6 market pigs, 5, 7–8 taming pigs, 4 terminology, 4, 8 wild boars/feral pigs, 9 hock, 11 hog panels, 92 Homemade Curing Salts, 182 homemade sausage, casings for, 198–99 hoop houses, 88–89, 88 houseflies, 142, 144 hurdles, using, 25–26, 25, 29 hybrids, 34, 40 hybrid vigor, 35

I Iberian acorn-finished ham, 113 illnesses. See also poisoning abscesses, 128 antibiotics and, 129 atrophic rhinitis (AR), 128 erysipelas, 128–29 food waste and, 110 foot-and-mouth disease, 111 mycoplasmal pneumonia, 129 pasteurellosis, 129 pleuropneumonia, 129–130 porcine stress syndrome (PSS), 130–32 Index 243

pseudorabies, 133 swine influenza (SI), 130–31 swine zoonoses, 132 transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), 133 injuries, treating minor, 125–26. See also first-aid kit insecticide tips, 146 intelligence, 12–13 internal parasites, 139–142 avoidance of, 142 deworming and, 138 large roundworms, 139–141 nodular worms, 142 whipworms, 142 intramuscular (IM) injections how to give shot, 124 needles for, 120 intranasal (IN) injection, 120 intravenous (IV) injection, 120 Iron Age pigs, 71, 71 itch mites, 145–46

J jambon, 168 jamón Ibérico de bellota, 113 jerky, sweet and salty Asian, 207

K King Neptune, 66 Kunekune, 44, 74, 74 kurobuta (black hog meat), 51

L Landrace × Large White × Duroc, 42 landrace vs. “Landrace,” 40 lard Crock-Pot Lard, 202 rendering and using, 201–2

lard pigs, 38, 38, 39 large roundworms, 139–141 large-scale pig farms, 7 lead poisoning, 137 leaf fat, 201 leg cut, 166–68, 166, 167 lice, 144–45 life span, 11 lifting pigs, 24 litter size, average, 11 The Livestock Conservancy, 60–61, 79 livestock panels, 92–93 loading pigs, 31 locker plant, 152 locker storage, 194 loin cuts, 36, 161–63 selection of, 162 weight of, 36

M “mad itch.” See pseudorabies Mangalitsa, 42, 47, 75, 75 mange mites, 145–47 manure, 90, 116 market pig(s) carcass/cuts, 36–37, 36 defined, 8 rise of, 5, 7–8 meat(s). See also pork cuts breeds and, 35–37 finished pork, 158 most-consumed, 178 stress on pigs and, 157 variety, 172 minerals, 107–8 mites, 145–47 modern meat pigs, 38, 38 moist-heat cooking, 204 moving pigs, 25–28. See also hauling pigs driving pigs, 26 hurdles, using, 25–26, 25

maneuvering tricks, 27 transport cages, 27–28 Mulefoot, 68, 68 mycoplasmal pneumonia, 129 mycotoxin poisoning, 137 My Grandma’s Favorite Breakfast Sausage, 200

N nesting behavior, 18–19 nodular worms, 142

O Old Spots. See Gloucestershire Old Spots Ossabaw Island Hog, 45, 69, 69 ovulation, 11

P panels, livestock, 92–93 pannage, 112 parasites, 139–148 external, 142, 144–48 internal, 139–142 Parma ham, 167 parts of a pig. See physiology pastern, 11 pasteurellosis, 129 pen(s), 87 building basic, 93 livestock panels and, 92–93 pesticide tips, 146 physiology basics, 10 five senses, 13–15 humans and, 18 parts of a pig, 11, 11 purchasing tips, 50 picnic, 160 roast, 161, 161 Index 244

shoulder, 36, 36 Pietrain, 56, 56 pig arks, A-frame, 86, 87, 218, 218–220 pig harness and lead, 24, 24 “pigheaded” term, 22 pig hierarchies dominance, 16–17 teat order, 16 pig history timeline, 214–17 “pig in a poke,” 35 piglet, 8 pig rings, 17 pig’s ear, 211 pig’s feet, broiled, 210 pig types. See breed(s); common breeds; rare breeds; types of pigs; unusual pigs “pink salts,” 181 plants, poisonous, 115, 135, 136 pleuropneumonia, 129–130 poisoning mycotoxin, 137 poisonous plants, 115, 135, 136 poisons, additional, 137 salt, 135–37 Poland China, 55, 55 porcine stress syndrome (PSS), 10, 21, 130–32 pork. See also cooking pork; curing pork canning, 190–93 finished, 158 ground, 168–170 smoking, 185–190 pork belly, fresh, 163, 164, 165 pork cuts basics, 159, 160 ham, 166–68, 166, 167 loin, 161–63, 161, 162 market pig, 36–37, 36 pork chops, 162

refrigerator and freezer life, 197 shoulder, 160–61, 160 side (belly), 163–65 Pork Heart, Boiled, 192 “Porkopolis,” 7 pork rinds Baked American Pork Rinds, 209 crunchy, 208 Cuban Chicharrónes (Fried Pork Rinds), 210 Port-a-Huts, 86–87, 87 potassium nitrate, 179 pot-bellied pigs, 73, 73 Potpie, Grandma O’Connor’s, 205 Prague powders, 180–81 prices, 83 processing canning pork, 190–93 curing pork, 179–185 cutting your own pig, 172–77 freezing, 193–97 slaughterhouse, 153–54 smoking pork, 185–190 taking pigs for, 157–59 terms, 155 processing plants, custom, 154 prosciutto, 167 protein, 107 pseudorabies, 133 puddings, black, 170 purchasing tips, 50 purebreds, 34, 35

Q quarantining pigs, 78

R raising pigs, breeds and, 37–38. See also specific breed

rare breeds basics, 60–61 Choctaw, 62, 62 Gloucestershire Old Spots, 47, 63, 63 Guinea Hog, 64, 64 Hereford, 41, 48, 65, 65 Iron Age pigs, 71, 71 Large Black, 67, 67 Mulefoot, 68, 68 Ossabaw Island Hog, 45, 69, 69 Red Wattle, 48, 70, 70 Tamworth, 46, 47, 72, 72 rations. See feeding recipes Another Easy Cure, 184 Baked American Pork Rinds, 209 Basic Bacon, 183–84 Boiled Pork Heart, 192 Broiled Pig’s Feet, 210 Crock-Pot Lard, 202 Cuban Chicharrónes (Fried Pork Rinds), 210 Easy Bakkwa, 207–8 Grandma O’Connor’s Potpie, 205 Head Cheese, 209 Homemade Curing Salts, 182 My Grandma’s Favorite Breakfast Sausage, 200 Sausage Meat, 169 Scrappel, 201 Thai Sliced Pig Ears (Hu Mu Palo), 211 Red Wattle, 48, 70, 70 refrigerator life, 197 registration papers, 80 respiration, 11, 127 restraining pigs, 29–30 rib end, 161 rib(s) Index 245

babyback, 162, 162 country-style, 162, 162 forerib area, 11 rib end, 161 spareribs, 163, 163, 164 rooting behavior, 17–18 rostral bone, 10, 14 rotational grazing, 96 roundworms, large, 139–141 rubbing behavior, 19 run-of-the-mill pigs, 34, 35 runt, 8

S safety children and pigs, 28 electric fences and, 98–99 handling pigs, 23 insecticides/pesticides, 146 manure and, 116 saltpeter, 179 salt poisoning, 135–37 sausage bangers and mash, 168 blood, 170, 171–72 charcuterie, 198 homemade, 198–200 My Grandma’s Favorite Breakfast Sausage, 200 processing of, 168–69 Sausage Meat, 169 types of, 169–170 Schinken, 167–68 Scrappel, 201 sellers, evaluation of, 80–81 senses, five, 13–15 sex of pig, 81 shade building tips, 89 providing, 90–91 sunburn and, 38, 126 shank, 160, 161, 161

shelters, 86–91 adapting existing, 89 bedding and, 91 building tips, 89–90 field, 88 A-frame hut, modified, 221, 221–23 A-frame pig arks, 86, 87, 218, 218–220 hoop houses, 88–89, 88 Port-a-Huts, 86–87, 87 shade and, 90–91 space requirements, 86 shoat, 8 shooting a pig, 224 shots, giving, 120–25. See also vaccination(s) administering medicine, 122–25, 123 anaphylactic shock and, 125 metric to standard conversions, 124 syringes and needles, 120–22 shoulder, 160–61, 160, 161 shoulder hock, 160 sick pigs, 82. See also illnesses side (belly), 36, 163–65 bacon, 163–65 cuts from butcher, 164 fresh pork belly, 163, 164, 165 weight of, 36 side of bacon, 162 sight, sense of, 13, 13 sirloin, 161 slaughterhouse, defined, 152 slaughtering. See also processing appointments for, 151 drug residues and, 122 facility choice, 154, 157 on-farm custom, 153 home processing, 152–53 saying goodbye, 151

shooting a pig, 224 terminology, 152 weight and, 150–51 Slow Food USA Ark of Taste, 59 smell, sense of, 14 smokehouse, 187–88, 189 smokers, 187–88 gas grill, 187 smokehouse, 187–88 smoking pork, 185–190 hot/cold smoking, 186 smokers, 187–88 smoking woods, 188–190 stages in, 186 snout snares, 29–30, 29 social order dominance, 16–17 teat order, 16 sow defined, 8 teat order and, 16 space requirements, 86 spareribs, 163, 163, 164 Spotted, 57, 57 squealing sounds, 15 stable flies, 142, 144 state-inspected facilities, 154 stereotypies, 17 subcutaneous (SQ) injections how to give shot, 123, 123 needles for, 120 suckling pig, 80 sunburn, 38, 126 supplementary feeds acorn nutrient profile, 112 crop stubble, 113 dairy products, 111 food-waste products, 110 garden refuse, 102, 102, 111 hay, 113 kitchen scraps, 110 mast, 112

Index 246

root crops, 112 supplies, miscellaneous, 103, 103 sweet and salty Asian jerky, 207 Swine in America, 68 swine influenza (SI), 130–31, 133 swine shows, 78–79 swine zoonoses, 132 syringes and needles, 120–22

T taming pigs, 22–23 Tamworth, 46, 47, 72, 72 tape weighing, 108–9, 109 taste, sense of, 14 teat order, 16 temperature. See also thermoregulation hauling pigs and, 32 heat stress and, 133–34 pig’s normal, 11 taking a pig’s, 127 wallows and, 100 tenderloin, 162 terminology basics, 8 “pig,” 4 processing, 152, 155 Thai Sliced Pig Ears (Hu Mu Palo), 211 thawing pork, 197 thermoregulation, 99. See also wallows ticks, 147–48 timeline, pig history, 214–17 touch, sense of, 15 toxic plants, 115 toys chewing and, 19 environmental enrichment, 19, 91 wading pools/wallows, 100, 100

training pigs, 12–13, 98 transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), 133 transport cages, 27–28, 32. See also crates trichinosis, 140–41 trotters, 8 types of pigs adult size and, 39 bacon pigs, 38, 39 lard pigs, 38, 38, 39 modern meat pigs, 38, 38, 39

U unusual pigs, 73–75. See also rare breeds Kunekune, 44, 74, 74 Mangalitsa, 42, 47, 75, 75 pot-bellied pigs, 73 USDA inspector, 159 USDA slaughterhouses, 153 utility panels, 92–93

V vaccination(s). See also shots, giving programs, 119 sellers’ philosophies and, 80

variety meats, 172 veterinarian(s) bulletin boards and, 78 deworming and, 138 finding, 117–19 when to call, 118 Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pigs, 73 vision, 13, 13 vital signs, 127 vocalizations, 15

W wallowing behavior, 19–20 wallows, 8, 99–100, 99, 100 waterers, 101–2, 101 weanling, 8 weight(s) adult, 11, 39 birth, average, 11 dressing, 8 gains, typical, 114 hanging, 155 market pig, cuts and, 36–37, 36 protein and, 107 slaughtering and, 150–51 weighing pigs, 108–9, 109 weighted-gauge canner, 193

Index 247

Wessex Saddleback, 46 whipworms, 142 wild pigs defined, 8 health risks and, 134 history and, 4, 5, 9 withdrawal times, 122 woods, smoking, 188–190 worms. See internal parasites wounds, treating minor, 125–26. See also first-aid kit wrapping meat butcher wrap, 195, 195 drugstore wrap, 196, 196

Y Yorkshire, 44, 45, 58, 58

Z zoning laws, 89 zoonoses, 132

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