Isnt It A Sad Refection On Today Economy That I Can Buy Pork Cheaper In Tesco Than Rearing My Own Pig And Killing And Butchering It Myself.

[RATTER15]

I have been doing some research on the cost of rearing our own meat for our own consumption, I will kill and joint the pig myself but I can still buy it cheaper at Tesco.
Clearly the meat will be tastier and better quality and we will know its history but we should still be able to save some money on it!

I will lose even more money providing my own lamb as if I slaughter it, I am the only person permitted to eat it, so I will need to get the lamb slaughtered and butchered at the slaughter house for my family to be able to eat it.

This country is bloody mad!!!

[FredPuli43]

Hope you manage to comply with all regulations concerned with the raising of pigs, especially that EU one about giving them something to keep them amused (wrongly portrayed in the press as pigs must be given toys) !

[RATTER15]

OG, I am permitted to slaughter pigs, lamb and poultry, this must be carried out in a humane manner, if the animal suffers I will be breaking the law, I have been shooting for many years in a professional capacity, I can kill most animals humanely, in fact more humanely than abattoirs. If I cant kill humanely I don't attempt it.

[RATTER15]

lol Fred, the pigs will certainly be given items to amuse them, they apparently love bowling balls to roll around, I kid you not!

[vakayu]

Fredpuli that made me laugh I have a vision now of ratter having to provide a play park for his pigs to keep them happy.

[EDDIE51]

Do you include buying in feed or will you feed the pig on waste food ?
People used to keep them and just feed leftovers.

[FredPuli43]

Bowling balls are no surprise Ratter; it fits in with their love of rootling. Love pigs; most intelligent, and clean, animals that we ever had on the farm. And that fits in with your OP. We don't keep them, and haven't for years, because we would need a far bigger unit, and far more pigs, to compete. Mind, they can be dangerous yet they have such dainty little teeth ; just big enough to go right through a boot and the flesh inside!

[RATTER15]

Eddie, we cant feed pigs on leftovers, illegal!! has to be bought in food.

[hc4361]

Sorry to go on, but when you home slaughter what do you do with the blood, stomach contents etc?

[RATTER15]

lol Fred, I was warned that one of the expenses to consider would be the frequent purchase of new wellies, bang goes the hunters then lol

[FredPuli43]

Ah, Eddie,under current reguations, we can't feed food scraps and waste to chickens, so I suspect that we can't feed them to pigs, either. Goodness knows how "pig clubs" and chicken rearing saw us through the War without all these helpful rules !

[ToraToraTora]

Economies of scale, I'd be surprised if it was ever cheaper to rear your own meat. It's not cheaper to grow your own spuds is it?

[FredPuli43]

Crossed post. So it's true that they can't be fed scraps. Ratter, the amount of reading you have to do for this, it's surprising you have time for the pigs!

[RATTER15]

ToraToraTora, that is my point, the county has gone to pot!!!

[DTCwordfan]

You can use the snout or the oink, ratter:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/12/nasty-bits-pig-snout.html

[DTCwordfan]

blood to black pudding, hc.

stomach, once clean, haggis or sausage lining, failing that your own home-made condoms.

[ToraToraTora]

how has it gone to pot? when was it ever cheaper? why should it be cheaper? I don't understand your point.

[hc4361]

I was wondering if Ratter makes black pudding, DT. My fave foodstuff :)

And I was asking about the stomach contents, not the stomach.

There must be rules aplenty about disposing of such stuff.

[RATTER15]

hc4361, any waste I don't use will be buried.

[DTCwordfan]

had hogs pudding, hc, ( A Cornish and Devon speciality)?

[ToraToraTora]

I Have just calculated that I can by a tin of beans from tesco far cheaper than I can grow, harvest and can them myself, madness! I don't know what this country's comming to!