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How much does it cost to raise a hog?

5.6K views 33 replies 27 participants last post by  DEXTER  
#1 ·
A coworker of mine and I are tossing around the idea of raising a couple hogs for slaughter. I'm trying to get an idea of how much it costs to raise a hog from piglet to slaughter weight? And how long?

Nick
 
#7 ·
buying a pig in the 100-125lb range will take a few months. We buy in late sept early oct and they are ready for sausage in jan. You would have to check the price on pig feed and corn but we feed one 5gal bucket of feed plus one of ground corn everyday but thats for 5 or more pigs.
 
#8 ·
If you have a place to keepem it will cost about 150$ per pig per mnth for the first to about the third mnth, if you feed it Purina feed it can be costly.The feed bill goes up with size. Alot depends on how young you get the pig.It took about 5mnths for my sons pigs in FFA to get to close to 300 lbs.
 
#9 ·
As stated above, if you have a place to keep it that is readily accessable it helps. I have an Aunt/Uncle that would raise one every year for them and their 3 kids. While it did get 1 coffee can of feed mixed with water each morning and evening, it also got supplemental table scraps. There was a reason we called it "sloppin' the hog". It's pen was a concrete slab that prolly 6' by 10'.
 
#13 ·
X3 on the county fair. Generally they sell for $300 to $500 at the freezer sale and most of the piglets cost that much when they first get them. I know a guy who feeds an extra one with the show pigs and he says it almost isn't worth the time. By the time you pay for processing you can buy it fresh when on sale cheaper.
 
#18 ·
I second finding an ag program to buy from. The program I graduated from and that my mom now teaches for has commitment forms to give folks who are interested in buying pigs that didn't make the sale. $350 for a market ready gilt or barrow. The brazoria county fair is fixing to start up, there will be plenty of hogs available then...pearlands very first school show is in the next week or two also..

sent while "working"
 
#26 ·
I agree with feeding them out another few weeks after show also, most of those hogs are fed paylean and that will give an off taste to the meat, doreks in Santa Fe feeds the show hogs thst are sent to them after the fair if I am not mistaken. And that's where the commitments from our school gets sent.

sent while "working"
 
#32 ·
Pig raising costs

I too would suggest buying a pig from 4h or FFA program.

A weanling barrow or gilt will run 300 -500 dollars and weigh roughly 50 - 60 pounds. Show weights are typically 240 - 280. The cost to feed out a pig with quality feed is expensive. We feed Purina products and they are expensive , especially the supplements.

The supplements do not spoil the flavor of the meat , they simply add to the shape of your animal as show dates approach. Paylean has never been proven by the FDA or any other respected administration to effect taste. It is simply used near the end of the feeding period to loosen up tight muscled pigs and aids in appetite.

Other supplements , depth charge , heavy weight or fitter are used to shape and enhance pigs frame and build. For instance , if the pig is broad in the shoulders and rump , but has no middle , depth charge will help him expand in the belt and ribs. Heavy weight is simply a weight gaining supplement and fitter is used to hold a pig if it is in danger of exceeding show weight limit. It also , helps to tone a loose pig.

All being said , an animal raised for market show is better that a wild hog fed out. Corn has no real nutritional value other than fattening up a hog , much like a deer.

Pearland High School is having an Ag Expo on the 27th and 28th of this month. I believe there will be close to 100 pigs showing. I invite you to come out and see some awesome pigs and other animals as well. There will be an auction on the 29th. One could purchase a pig ready for slaughter , fed out with the best products available for 300- 500 dollars.

To answer your original question as to price , depends on how and what you feed. I have spent around 1500.00 this feeding period on my daughters barrow. I cannot put a price on the time we have spent together or the discipline she has developed during her participation in FFA.

Priceless in my opinion , she will graduate this year.
 
#33 ·
If you like to eat pork, avoid any fair projects. My kids raise them and they are good for sausage and thats about it. Pigs go from 35 pounds to 270 pounds in 6 months due to extreeme levels of protein fed to them. The best eating pigs are fed slowly using a mix of table scraps and corn. They dont grow as fast and they make a smell but the end product is some high quality pork.