I Am Exhasuted: Watch This Before Raising Mangalitsa Pigs

[@Alanrayc1957]

My dad taught me this; this can be true with any animal, even in cows, when you get a rogue animal you butcher it at your earliest convenience

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Yessir indeed!

[@FAD4LIFE94]

This is how you end up with more docile and domesticated animals over time too

[@jameslooker4791]

Farmer: That should be enough sow for you. Mangalista Boar: There is never enough sow!

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Yep!

[@attilaosztopanyi9468]

Mangalica require wood fance. Also if you make them a pond they wouldn't stink. They love water. Its mostly a half free hold. We usually heard them to fields and forests like sheeps. They love acorn.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Yes mangalitsas love acorns and hickory nuts! Are you from Hungary? I ask because you call them mangalica! How long have you raised them?

[@attilaosztopanyi9468]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms yes I'm from Hungary. We had Mangalicas since i was a little kid, but unfortunately we had to get rid off all of our animals and lands for reasons but someday I will get back to it.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I hope you do. good luck with that.

[@MatlockRose-pb4cp]

They stay within mesh field wire fencing too. Not the animals fault. Electric fencing is not 100 % dependable.

[@Crazy_Andy]

Funny. Our Mangalitsa pigs (Swallow Belly) stay on the property and are smarter then the average human. They even come to us when we call them.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

It’s interesting. We have one sow who’s great though she loses a lot of weight farrowing and when she’s in milk. The others were nightmares. I really think it’s something genetic that we had. I know of a couple others who said they keep their mangas in with one strand of poly wire. Ours came when we called most of the time, but they were stubborn.

[@karlbogrand1239]

What a great heads up for someone on the verge of getting pigs!

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I hope I can save them some of the problems that we have had!

[@MatlockRose-pb4cp]

The Mangalitsa pigs are what their environment is and what contains. Healthy environment space to roam, variety of food. There is a difference. Growers have to ask questions and learn.

[@Marialla.]

Thank you for the stories! I'm very interested in how different breeds behave. Or how some thrive in a given context vs. ones that don't. And I'm excited to hear more about breeding a line of pigs with the genetics you want for both flavor and obedience.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I'm glad that you enjoy the videos. Lots of factors go into pig genetics that are desirable. Its all about your context I guess.

[@plainandsimple1]

This is odd, my mangas absolutely respect their electric fence. 2 poly wires only. They never ever get through the fence. They wont even cross the fence line when its down. We also run a hot charger 9 stored 6 effective joule charger. Also, weve had a 12-15 month grow out on ours. Just got 2 back from the butcher today. But i do 100% agree, rouge pigs need to go to freezer camp asap lol

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Interesting. 8kv with42 stored joules and 30 output joules on our charger. I think there were some issues with the manga genetics I had.

[@plainandsimple1]

@DowdleFamilyFarms 8kv is pretty hot. I'm surprised that didn't work. My charger puts out 12kv due to the short run I have it on. And genetics could definitely be the part. Sometimes you just get rogue animals I guess. My boar just turned on me the moment I let him out with the ladies. Needed to buy a 13kv cattle prod for when I get in their paddock.

[@tentamalaska]

Are your fences at eye level when their heads are down? And at eye level when they are standing with head up? And do you use high tensile wire?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Yes to all three questions. With 9-10 kv. We don’t keep mangas anymore. Better breeds. I know some people who have had mangas in single strand poly and it worked well.

[@jameslooker4791]

I thought about getting some Mangalista piglets for meat. My system was going to be to find a local restaurant that would agree to buy the entire hog when they were mature, but I had trouble finding a business that would perform the slaughtering as a service. The two years didn't bother me. I was going to market the specialty feed as part of why a restaurant should buy them.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

It could work but the carcass is really different than a standard meat pig.

[@jameslooker4791]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms I was going to let the restaurant deal with the butchering. Farm to Table is big in California. The other concern I had is that I wanted to find someone that would slaughter and dress them on my property, so they wouldn't die in a high anxiety state. I hear it helps the flavor of the meat. Common service in a lot of states, but not California...

[@opcn18]

How hot are your fences? Generally the smaller and harrier an animal is the more voltage you need for the fence to be effective.

[@justanotherhomestead3710]

we’ve had issues with our mangalista pigs escaping the electric fence. it’s primarily been due to fence failure, i guess they are always testing the wire and if they find the fence off, they take advantage of it. These are our first pigs though, so i’m sure we’ve done a lot wrong…

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

It’s funny how that works. It doesn’t matter whether our fence is at 4,000 volts or 10,000 volts they tried to dart through it. Because the fence pulses sometimes they would not get popped. How long have you had mangalitsas? I really like them other that the fencing issue and the long grow out time.

[@justanotherhomestead3710]

​@@DowdleFamilyFarms These are our first pigs ever. We bought 4 last year, butchered one, and just had our first piglets. We are rotating them around our forest and pasture. I'm thinking that we won't expand our pig operation till our 300 hazelnuts we planted this year start to bare nuts.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

@@justanotherhomestead3710 nice! How did you like the meat? The hazelnuts will help reduce feed costs some. Unless you have high protein pasture during the spring and summer it’s worth planting good forages to offset feed costs. Do you have oaks or other hardwood mast trees in your area?

[@justanotherhomestead3710]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms we have a mixture of oaks, hickory, and walnut (maybe 5 dozen or so total trees) but they are scattered throughout so its not practical to have pigs clean up all the nuts from all the trees - that would be too hard to move around at the right times. In addition to the hazelnuts, we are planting a bunch of honey locust, persimmon, and mulberry, but that is a much longer term project than the hazelnuts. I'm super interested in putting in the up front work, then having food fall from the sky for decades to come.

[@justanotherhomestead3710]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms As for the meat, it was good, but the majority of their feed was just corn and soy, so I'm holding final judgement till we can get them foraging more - wether thats through tree mast or cover crops.

[@tenmilechicks]

I like your responsible approach to your solution. A totally agree, if we own a critter, it doesn't matter which kind, it belongs on our own property and is our responsibility, nobody else's, so thumbs up for you 👍

[@speedbuggy7240]

Where you located? I'd be interested in a 1/2 or maybe a 1/4 female mangalicta piglet if you're not too far away. I'm getting a pure breed IPP bore piglet this weekend. I'd like to breed him with a part Mang if I can get one. I'm in western NY. Thanks.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I’m in Mississippi.

[@dujestancic7758]

Some 50 yrs ago in my fathers village pigs were free roaming the village. Once they were known to eat a childs arms in a crib

[@balazsvarga1823]

This breed is very much not for industrial farming, but raising outdoors. This made sense, this was an european breed meant for a semi wild foraging style of farming, where there were no laws about pigs being hit by not-yet invented vehicles, and their thick coat meant they could get by in the harsh winter. They would have been more suited to the 19th century wild west. Other Hungarian breeds also have this trait, the are more suited for a medieval farming technique.

[@okgearheads3551]

We've got 3 Manga pigs on pasture. 2 gilts and a barrow. They are 7mos old and stay with 3 York gilts of the same age. They are not nearly as friendly but do respect the hotwire and have stayed in their 2 acre paddock completely. Looking forward to their meat and fat!

[@joeforest8215]

It’s like it’s in there nature, Hungarians are determined not to be restricted to travel or escape Hungary 1956 , Iron Curtain

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

👍

[@BriaroniAndCheese]

Enough with the unrelated gibberish

[@Alpha1Farms]

Been raising pigs my whole life never have had mangalistas mainly because the few times the breed has come up in conversation the topic was always about how awful of a breed they are… mean, slow to grow with poor conversion rates, don’t respect fences, health issues and, other than decent flavor and marbling comparable to a good meat breed, couldn’t find one good reason to put up with them. Couple years ago, I started seeing KZbinrs making videos about them, singing praises, and it seemed to make them awful popular amongst homesteaders real quick. Now there as many videos about all the struggles that come with them. Bresse chickens are this year’s new hot topic. Anyway, I figure if a breed is rare… it’s for a reason. It’s not always because they were forgotten about. Kune Kune and American Guinea Hogs are other breeds I just don’t get it… why raise and feed an animal for 2 years to get comparable amount and quality of meat from 6 months with a Hereford? The longer you raise them the more likely they have health issues and property destruction… I just can’t find the appeal other than popularity.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I love manga pork, its better than the Hereford meat we have raised, but I suspect that is a combination of the Hereford genetic line we raised and my ignorance on finishing them out very well. For me, the thing going for mangas is their ability to forage well and grow on less nutritious feedstocks like acorns, pumpkins, and higher quality pasture. We fed very very little grain from September through January this year (less than one pound per pig per day) and they performed well on the acorns, beech nuts, wild grapes, and hickory nuts. While all our other pigs would forage on pasture, only the mangas could thrive with very little supplemental feed. I suspect that because they grow slower anyway, they don’t need protein and amino acids that meat pigs do. The three reasons we are moving away from them from least important to most important are 1) slow grow out to finish weight 2) meat profile with lots of fat is different from what people expect when buying pork and 3) most importantly the fencing issues. Do you rise Herefords? The guy we got the mangas from raised old line Herefords. I’m interested in both the old line duroc and old line Herefords. Years ago I heard about the Bresse chickens and how people sang their praises. I did not want to mess with them and stuck with australorps before getting out of chickens.

[@darthvader5300]

The best things with mangalica pigs and kune kune pigs is that they are natural GRAZING PIGS and if you plant a food fodder forest in the middle of their area such as acorn trees, persimmon trees, red and white and red - white mulberry trees, chestnut trees, walnut trees, Siberian peashrub trees, Sea buckthorn trees, and perennial nitrogen fixing grasses and clovers and alfalfa and others... you can have all the free fodder you will ever need.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

You can do similar things with other breeds as well. Our new Berkshires forage for the majority of their diet if they enough nutritious feed to eat. It’s a matter of having it available year round.

[@joanmjames2495]

Mangalistas are better to have as pets, but only 1 for a pet at a time.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

My mangas would not make good pets at all. They’re too stubborn and not as personable. Honestly our Berkshire boar is huge and he is the best pig we have had.

[@radamson1]

Your fence charger may be weak. The same thing happened to me with my Mangalitista/ Mesahan crosse. I have two remedies, a hotter charge and, second straight 110-volt setup until they each have been shocked.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

We had 7-9kv on the fence and it was well grounded. These mangas did not care. Glad it works for you though.

[@radamson1]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms Mine is a 30,000-volt charger. It was a more expensive charger but well worth it. Believe me, they will care!!!!

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

@@radamson1 what is the actual voltage on the fence as measured by multimeter? What brand and model of charger?

[@radamson1]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms I don't remember, it has been a long time since I bought it. I went to look but all of the information had faded off, the only thing I could find was 20 Joules. If I remember right it was supposed to power a 20-mile fence. I bought the charger when I converted my outer perimeter to a 5-strand high tensile strength fence. My former hog pen fencing was powered by a small TSC 7000-volt charger. They got out of it regularly, so I dug out the old high-powered charger. I may be misremembering the voltage, but I know it is 20 joules.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

@@radamson1thanks for checking for me. I appreciate it more than you know. We have a 30 joule charger but it’s energizing much more fence than it sounds like yours is which would make charge weaker.

[@jeremystone36]

I have a 1 acre homestead and I really had my heart set on mangalitsa pigs until I watched your video. What’s the best pig for someone with no experience and no grazing opportunities

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I’d try a standard meat pig like duroc Berkshire Chester white, etc.

[@janossztanyi1072]

Pigs are smart,mangalitsa are smarter...yeah,they seem to be too much for you. :D

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Something’s aren’t worth the trouble! Interesting enough, we have some manga genetics that do really well on the farm.

[@wolfofmacedon5527]

Mangalicas are like 50% european wild boar genetics so it's expected to be bit naughty haha we had only one male mix so far and he was jumping over metal fences like a deer.. but he was big around 230kgs in 15 months and a lot of fat

[@deefernandez5845]

MANGALITSA OR NOT THEY ARE LIKE HUMANS.. SOME LAW ABIDING.. SOME REBELLIOUS AND GETS INTO MISCHIEFS AND OTHERS GET HURT I LOVE PIGS.. ALL KINDS.. I GOT RAMMED WHILE CARRYING A BUCKET AND TUMBLED PRETTY BAD.. BUT... I STILL LOVE TO SIT FOR HOURS WATCHING THEIR ANTICS.... THEY ARE SO INTELLIGENT AND COMICAL WATCH TV OR PIGS? PIGS FOR ME..

[@rspranchinmontana]

We raise Mangalitsa as well as MANY other breeds. I will make this simple for anyone wishing to raise the Mangalitsa. These pigs are FAR more connected to their original genetics. They can be wild, aggressive, escape artists etc. The demand required of anyone wanting to raise Mangalitsa is that you aggressively cull any and all that have aggressive temperaments. Electric fences do not stop Mangas. The thick hair on them blocks the charge and they are incredibly strong. They simply barge through the electric barrier. All our Mangalitsa that we kept as breeding stock are more gentle and yet still HIGHLY keen on being "guard dogs." Yes, they WILL charge any outsider that visits that they decide they dont like. Mangalitsas are NOT for the faint of heart. I would highly recommend that most all people avoid raising this breed.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Very well stated. I agree whole heartedly.

[@rspranchinmontana]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms I’m very pleased to have found you on KZbin! Connecting with fellow pig farmers is always a good thing 🥰👍🏻💯 I’m sorry for the nightmares that the Mangas caused for you. We truly are concerned about the Mangas breed becoming the new “fad” and they are bred like crazy with no thought to the genetics. We have gotten phone calls from all over the place begging us to please come get the Mangas out of their farm. These calls are from a desperate person that can’t handle them. This is NOT the breed to mess with. They can be so aggressive that even the meat processing guys we deal with weekly tell us that WE have to unload & move them to stalls. They follow us around like big dogs. But that behavior demands hours & hours of time being with them. THEY decide who they trust & who they don’t. Sometimes, no matter how much work you put in? They are just wild. I’m happy to meet you & share the love we have for these amazing creatures. 🥰👍🏻🤠

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

WHen I purchased the mangas, I was looking for a couple sows and a boar. Breed wasn't important because I was new to farrowing. I didn't even know what the mangas were! The first set came form a guy who spent a lot of time with them and they were great. This other guy gave me his and they were ill tempered, malnourished, and infested with parasites. The manga that I have left is a sow from the first group. She's not a best friend, but she tolerates me and is always wary of me around her piglets. She doesn't charge, but she leads her piglets away from me even at feeding time. Of course, when she is ready for them to be weaned, she almost brings them to me. My biggest problem with them is the growth rate and the market for them is non existent in my area. Getting people to purchase pastured pork is difficult, much less the different carcass quality.

[@rspranchinmontana]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms Yes. They are completely different than commercial breed pigs. The fat literally melts in your hand! (That’s why it’s so healthy for you!) BUT, that does change how it cooks when trying to smoke it, use it for sausage etc. Mangas take a LONG time to grow out. Truly, if you don’t have an outlet to sell it to specialty restaurants, meat curing outlets, etc. ??? You CANNOT get the price per pound that makes up for the time you put in. I hear ya on all levels my friend. We are blessed to have the outlet for some of it but not enough to make a profit.

[@rspranchinmontana]

Yes. They are completely different than commercial breed pigs. The fat literally melts in your hand! (That’s why it’s so healthy for you!) BUT, that does change how it cooks when trying to smoke it, use it for sausage etc. Mangas take a LONG time to grow out. Truly, if you don’t have an outlet to sell it to specialty restaurants, meat curing outlets, etc. ??? You CANNOT get the price per pound that makes up for the time you put in. I hear ya on all levels my friend. We are blessed to have the outlet for some of it but not enough to make a profit.

[@jhutto3814]

I wonder if the extra hair they carry helps them to keep from feeling the shock.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

In high tensile electric no, but with poly wire yes.

[@paulbragg7618]

My mangas are fenced by one strand of electric. The boars are neutered but no problems whatsoever

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I know of only one other person who has said that they keep them with one strand of electric. Do you have perimeter fencing outside the single strand? If so, what is it? Just curious!

[@paulbragg7618]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms no, just the wire. They were raised inside electric fencing so have always known it

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

That’s interesting. Ours were raised in electric and did not stay with it.

[@toddmcclure9848]

The fence needs to be hot and poly wire is not sufficient use aluminum hot wire with electric fence. I have had them go back to previous paddock but only occasionally one or two outside of the area designated for pigs. 18-24 months is ridiculous I just processed my first 10 that we’re 11 to 12 months old 280-300 Lbs

[@RawMilkLover]

Did you slaughter and bbq the Boar? Did you experience any "boar taint"?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I didn’t have any boar taint issues.

[@cheapstake]

The WAGYU of PIG?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

That’s what people say.

[@mentallyraw7077]

Mangalica pigs have a really thick layer of hair and electric fence does not work with them. unless its a higher voltage. OMG I know this was miserable for you but this was HILLARIOUS to me.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

It's hilarious looking back on, but was miserable at the time. We have one sow from the two different genetic lines who stays in with electric fencing. We run our fences hot, really hot.

[@ryanbarbour3174]

We have 13 we have no electricity through the fence and they never escape

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I wish that I had had some of those genetics!

[@MatlockRose-pb4cp]

I run 6 sows with boar on 7 acres with field fencing and barb-wire layered. They stay in and will rest your mind. 6.5 ft post and wire in good at each post. They run with goats and turkeys companion animals. I hope this knowledge helps someone who wants to learn.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

I think that’s what it would take to keep them in.

[@nicholasszabo1535]

It’s not very often a pig out smarts a farmer :-)

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

lol.

[@CarlosAlbertoMarques-tk1jh]

Tive umaVaca Frizea Grande e alta com cerca de 600Kg , salva a cerca electrica sempre que queria . Abraço dos Açores. Portugal

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Aposto que foi frustrante! o que você fez? Eu não falo bem português.

[@CarlosAlbertoMarques-tk1jh]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms com tradotor dá para entender Ok.

[@CarlosAlbertoMarques-tk1jh]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms Enviei ao Matadoro, ehehehe! Nem era boa de leite ( Milkk no Good)

[@HellsKitchenMichelle]

Don't they get shocked?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

If they jump through at the right time, they may or may not get shocked. But even if they did, they didn't care.

[@AgnesMariaL]

We only use hotwires for our pigs. Our AGH/Berkshire sow was the worst for getting out, whereas the Mangalitsa crosses were more inclined to stay in, lol. Ours also only ever attempt to escape when their forage is getting slim/depleted. When they do escape, they come down to our house, so it's not too bad - we're nowhere near a public road.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Interesting.

[@henrymiller3654]

It's all in your fencing, if your fence charges working properly, you won't have trouble keeping your Mangalitsa in.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

That was not the case with about half of ours. 30 joule output charger on 12.5 gauge hi tensile wire running 10kv and they would take the shock running right through. We culled those very quickly.

[@henrymiller3654]

@@DowdleFamilyFarms were they trained in side hogs panels with strings of wire first? Before you put them on High tensile fence?

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

@@henrymiller3654 oh yes. 8-11kv. Trained inside out electric fences.

[@Dovietail]

Can't complain if your pigs are smart and your fences are not gonna get her done. Teach 'em to play chess! 😂😂😂

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Lol. That’s why I got rid of those pigs!

[@huckstirred7112]

use hog panels

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Not practical.

[@markpiersall9815]

Good video. Also constructive Comments. Consider installing a Screech Owl nest box on your property. Owls eat rodents which host ticks, feed pit vipers, Coyotes and Bobcats.

[@DowdleFamilyFarms]

Interestingly we have lots of owls including great horned owls! I’d like to add more homes for lots Of Wildlife including bats.