These little piggies went to market... Advice please

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These little piggies went to market... Advice please
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Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 7:36 am Post subject: These little piggies went to market... Advice please

Prescott and Soames are off to, *cough* you know...tomorrow

Mochyn made a great suggestion about loading them into the trailer the night before so they're all snuggly and stress free in some straw, then the trailer can simply be hitched up and ready to go in the morning. That's what we're going to do - but could I ask some more questions? (Sorry if they seem a bit dim).

1. What time should we load them up tonight? They usually eat between 5 and 6pm, so should we feed them in the trailer and leave them there for the night? The trailer will be leaving at about 8am tomorrow.

2. Presumably we also need to put a water bucket in the trailer too?

3. Will they be okay in the trailer for pooing and weeing? I mean, it won't upset them will it?

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 7:40 am Post subject: Re: These little piggies went to market... Advice please

Mary-Jane wrote:

1. What time should we load them up tonight? They usually eat between 5 and 6pm, so should we feed them in the trailer and leave them there for the night? The trailer will be leaving at about 8am tomorrow.

2. Presumably we also need to put a water bucket in the trailer too?

3. Will they be okay in the trailer for pooing and weeing? I mean, it won't upset them will it?

1.: that's exactly what we do. Get them in with the lure of food and let them get their noses in when safely in the trailer.

2.: Yep.

3.: no probs: the shouldn't produce much overnight.

Good luck!

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 7:41 am Post subject:
Thanks Mochyn. I feel a bit better now.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 8:10 am Post subject:
Agree with all. I've spent far too many stressful mornings trying to load, the pigs not playing the game, and being late for the slaughterman. Night before, every time now. Bit of food to tempt them in, water, clean straw. No stress. Mind you, I still never sleep fully that night, so when you're online at 3am, MJ, we'll know why.

VSS

Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2845
Location: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 8:25 am Post subject:
Don't go overboard though with their last meal and the amount of straw you give them - the chaps at the slaughterhouse won't thank you if they have full bellies.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 8:28 am Post subject:

VSS wrote:

Don't go overboard though with their last meal and the amount of straw you give them - the chaps at the slaughterhouse won't thank you if they have full bellies.

Yes, I wondered that. Half rations then?

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 8:28 am Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Mind you, I still never sleep fully that night, so when you're online at 3am, MJ, we'll know why.

*Sniff*

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 9:20 am Post subject:
Good luck. Don't forget to tell the slaughterman if you want heads or specific wiggly bits. If you just put it on the cutting list, the chances are that you won't get them back.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 9:21 am Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

VSS wrote:

Don't go overboard though with their last meal and the amount of straw you give them - the chaps at the slaughterhouse won't thank you if they have full bellies.

Yes, I wondered that. Half rations then?

No final meal of whatever they want? And a last cigarette?

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 10:35 am Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Nick wrote:

Mind you, I still never sleep fully that night, so when you're online at 3am, MJ, we'll know why.

*Sniff*

You are one big softie really.....whatever you do never name your meat.....or before long you will be a veggie......

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 08 10:58 am Post subject:

Make sure there is a list of exactly what you want back. Mum's first pigs did go with a list, but it wasn't precise enough - I remember asking for the shoulder as a roasting joint and got it whole, so we had to joint it up. I made it into three joints, but it took flipping ages, and that was just one example. Now, they go with instructions like 'shoulder joints of approx 2 kg on the bone' or 'loin, boned and rolled for roasting' Also, you need to ask for the back to left in racks for bacon if you want it (else you will get all chops) and get them to bone it and chop it up into manageable chunks (ask for the bones to be included - they make lovely barbecue spare ribs)

Ask the butcher to do your mincing for you - it gets enormously tedious after the first few pounds. Make it clear you don't want anything added - our first lot came with some nasty synthetic sausage seasoning added to it.

If they have a lot of fat, the butcher may buy it back if you don't want it.

The more exact you are with your butchering requirements, the more fun you can have with your pork - on my first pig, we spend hours and hours just getting the butcher done the way we wanted, and didn't even start making sausages until 10pm, or something stupid. It stopped being any fun quite soon. Subsequently, having been very exact in what we wanted, the butcher has done more of the work (and much faster for him with the proper kit) and we could just get on with the fun stuff, creating 20 kinds of sausages and getting the hams on.

lassemista

Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 608
Location: suffolk

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 08 9:14 am Post subject:
Mine are going on Monday. A local farmer is taking them with some of his. I was told not to feed them because they can be travel sick! I still think it may take some food to get them in, cos I will not be able to load them the night before. Andrea.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 08 12:11 pm Post subject:
'Tis done...

lassemista

Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 608
Location: suffolk

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 08 12:16 pm Post subject:
Just think of the bacon and sausages and ham and ........

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 08 12:21 pm Post subject:
here's to this years excellent pigs, and here's to a full larder and next years even more excellent pigs

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