Is Raising Your Own Pigs Worth It? Full Cost Breakdown

[@ODriscolls]

If you know: How much did you pay per lb for your pigs and where are you from?

[@preacherbeeman3437]

Good video. Thanks for sharing. FYI, You can save a significant amount of money and be more self-sufficient in feed. Get a chinese-built mill online for less than $250. Purchase bulk feed corn/deer corn. Where i live, a 50# bag of corn goes for between $8 and $10. Purchase 50# bags of 40% pig feed mix. It has the protein and mineral content the pigs need. Grind your corn and mix. My pigs have loved this mix, and packed on weight perfectly. I learned this method from the channel, "homesteading the hard way." It's a lot less expensive after the initial buy in for the grinder. Even including that purchase, I'm paying around half the price of buying bag feed. Just waiting for cooler weather to slaughter.

[@Shane-xc1tr]

Another bonus video! We're in the process of purchasing 40 acres with about 10 acres of pasture. Can't wait to get started with some animals next year. Has some nice hard woods too Dominic haha

[@ODriscolls]

Ooohh you are so lucky with the hardwoods. I think Dominic's true calling is trees 😆. That sounds like a great purchase! 10 acres of pasture already plus the wood to boot!

[@glengillis7775]

Well done great Canadian content with Canadian prices. Perfect info layed out good. Congrats your becoming a you tube video wizard

[@ODriscolls]

Jenny puts a lot of work into her videos -Dom

[@kevinrowbotham545]

Hi guys! Thanks for doing this breakdown for us. I am sure that difference you've noted, between factory meat and homestead meat is all about quality of life.

[@ODriscolls]

My pleasure! I think it makes a big difference. I keep telling Dominic that the quality of meat has replaced my need for vegetables but he isn't buying it 🤣

[@Rudy-up3ss]

Learning lots ….enjoying your videos from Dave in Florence Cape Breton.

[@ODriscolls]

Thanks Dave!

[@FullonFamilywithoutlimits]

We love watching your piggy videos. They definitely add character to your homestead 👍 🐖 Super useful for us to see your costings. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@ODriscolls]

You're welcome! Are you thinking about getting pigs this year?

[@FullonFamilywithoutlimits]

Just Meat Chicks and Rabbits this year I think. We don’t have as much land as you guys, so we’ll need to have a designated areas set up. Garden, woodshed, chicken & rabbit tractors this year 🤞👍

[@ODriscolls]

@@FullonFamilywithoutlimits that's plenty to keep you busy!!

[@lostmarblesfarm]

Great video! We’ve raise pigs several times before and LOVE it!!!

[@ODriscolls]

Thanks! It's a lot of fun!

[@zedmeinhardt3404]

More expensive than I expected. Thanks for the honest cost analysis

[@motivatedbydesigns]

Thanks for the breakdown great video

[@ODriscolls]

Thank you!

[@marknichols7861]

Great info - The one thing not really taken into consideration is the incredible education and life experience you are providing for your children. They will take away far more than just the economics of farm life - they will be better people for it. You are doing such a great job making a wholesome family - on top of working your outside jobs. I've tried to buy locally raised lamb here in Southern Arizona, but it isn't something that is common at all. Store prices are ridiculous and most of the lamb is imported from Australia. Apparently, there is no longer any value in the wool due to the synthetic materials used in the textile industry, so shearing becomes an expense, rather than a commodity to make any profit from. The meat is wonderful in stews, chops and roasts. Keep up the wonderful videos - They remind me of the early days of the "Mother Earth News" magazine that I read as a boy on the farm in the Annapolis Valley in the late 1970's.

[@ODriscolls]

I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! The kids are picking up a few lessons here and there I hope. Lamb is my favourite meat. It certainly is hard to come by here too. Looking into sheep, the cost and bother of shearing is definitely more than the wool itself! I think a breed of sheep that doesn't require shearing would be best these days. Nothing keeps you warm in damp weather like wool all the same!

[@monikastep5711]

Terrific video and great work summarizing it for us newbies here:) What a wealth of information! And maybe even more importantly.... that after all that learning you two are still smiling ;-)

[@ODriscolls]

It is because our bellies are full 😅 I'm glad it was informative for you!

[@cjduey]

So so helpful, thank you

[@ODriscolls]

Our pleasure!!

[@WeGotstaGrow]

Thanks so much for the breakdown it is so helpful we are considering pigs in Cape Breton aswell.

[@ODriscolls]

That's awesome! We loved having ours. So nice to hear from people in Cape Breton 😍

[@nicholasmacinnis1486]

I raised three pigs last winter. I went through 60 bags total ($1200), $100 worth of wood shavings for bedding, $100 to purchase each piglet. Average whole carcass weight (hanging weight) was 135lbs.... SO basically the costs worked out to be $4/lb for me as well.

[@ODriscolls]

Which seems like a decent price for top quality pork. Not to mention the great work they did tilling for.me

[@fabiancanada8876]

Interesting! We have about the same costs (are using hay instead of shavings). We butcher and process (sausages, ground meat,..) our own so its around 4$/lb as well. If you process your own meat you are definitely saving money. And you get excellent quality meat! But if you factor in your time and e.g. compare that to a 100$/h electrician then no, it is not worth it. So it depends on your situation (job, health, land,..).

[@nicholasmacinnis1486]

@@fabiancanada8876 good point there, and that's basically what it comes down to for me...I don't have the time to process them myself. This year I've purchased a bulk shipment of organic, soy-free feed for my two pigs... If you're concerned about what goes into your meat, then controlling their feed is another reason to raise your own pigs... even if it doesnt save much money.

[@fabiancanada8876]

@@nicholasmacinnis1486 Yes good point about the feed. But we have farmers here that do organic-soy free feed and if you make 100$/h it is just easier and cheaper to buy it from them. I am not an electrician so for me it makes sense and I enjoy the pigs.

[@libbsjumbi4277]

Planning to raise pigs for farming thanks for sharing

[@mr.skeptical3071]

I can feed for $17.25/50# bag. I'm also getting my piglets at 8 wks old and growing out to only 5.5 months. So that will save me around 4 weeks of not having to feed them. Plus I'll be feeding a decent amount of scraps/produce.

[@ODriscolls]

Sounds like a plan! Hope you get some high quality pork in your future

[@donnamacleod2947]

Thanks for the summary! Betcha it taste so much better than store bought pork!

[@ODriscolls]

No comparison whatsoever! Pork chops especially. I wish the whole pig was chops (and bacon).

[@Lonewolf_1776]

Good job keep up the good work

[@ODriscolls]

Thanks, will do!

[@KrisAndLarry]

Great video!!

[@ODriscolls]

Thanks for watching!

[@kendrapringle316]

Hi! It looks like you ferment your pig feed? I do that with chicken feed and it helps so much with cost. Would love to hear of that’s possible for pigs

[@ODriscolls]

We did ferment it! Still gave them the same amount though. So I don't think it would change the cost.

[@theadventuresofzoomandbettie]

The hardest part for us taking this on, is that Bettie will get too attached and then not let us eat them! I have to find a farmer around that I can purchase a pig at the start of their life and collect the meat at the end, or something similar. If this was your first time raising animals for your own meat, how did you go with that?

[@ODriscolls]

It was our first time! I also had that thought at the beginning. They were very cute. I guess I just kept reminding myself about what we were doing. It is a weird feeling for sure, it is hard to describe. I think starting with meat chickens was a good introduction to the prcocess. Knowing that the animals you are eating had a good life is a good feeling. It isn't joyful but it is good in a different way. If that makes sense! But having a farmer raise your meat or buying local is also a very good option!

[@theadventuresofzoomandbettie]

@@ODriscolls Yep! I'd like to be responsible for ensuring the animals we eat lived a good life, and would prefer for us to raise them, I was around it a bit as a kid, but I'm not desensitized anymore, but Bettie has never been around that sort of thing and is more wary of giving it a go. We will see how we go transitioning over time I think!

[@cdjhyoung]

I hope you took the plunge and raised your own pig. If it worked for you this year, may I suggest that in the future raise two at a time. They are friendly critters ad do better in many ways if the have a companion. One way to avoid attachment to the hogs is to name them Pork Chop and Ham. It keeps it present in your mind why you are putting in the work to raise them.

[@cjduey]

Can I ask a chipper ❓ With the tractor now, would you all have gotten a more powerful PTO chipper or still buy the 3" champion? I just feel I'm going to be disappointed- even with it on sale. We have all Hardwood and need the mulch yearly around the property. I feel the PTO chipper is 2k more but maybe more useful and less frustrating.

[@ODriscolls]

So if my chipper disappeared tomorrow and I had to buy another and money was no object, I'd go pto for sure and maybe get a 5". If money was an object I'd save up for the PTO before getting a small one again. That's for me I could use yards and yards of chips. If I didn't need too much champion would be grand. That's my 2 cents. -Dom

[@cjduey]

@@ODriscolls we have a 3 story hardwood tree coming down and a neglected forest full of fallen limbs and want the chips for pathways cause the tractor has found all the muddy spots on the property ;) But also looking at a log splitter for the tree... So the costs are adding up but I guess saving $ by doing firewood and chips here... But the sticker shock omg

[@woodlandacres]

I've been doing more research on raising pigs, types, costs, etc. so this was perfect timing for me! LOL. My biggest concern at this point is how to keep them fed if we have to be gone for several days. I looked into automatic feeders, but have heard mixed opinions on leaving food out for them 24/7 like we do for our dogs and chickens. From your experience, would the pigs just eat everything up if you always left food out for them?

[@ODriscolls]

Now I'm no expert, but loads of people use gravity fed automatic feeders. There's only so much they can fit in them at a time so I think you could do it. If I was leaving for a few days I'd make sure to have it secure like Fort Knox and have them well trained on the electric. If they get out the won't bolt or anything but could do a lot of ground damage in places you might not want it

[@cdjhyoung]

In my area (Michigan) the 4H and FFA have available two hole automatic gravity feeders for growing fair pigs. They are galvanized steel construction and hold about 100 lbs of feed. If you use these feeders, they need to be adjusted so the pig only gets about a mouth full of feed at a time. It makes the pigs work for their meal and helps to control how much they get so waste is controlled. A two hole feeder is good for supporting up to 10 pigs in a pen. I don't know the actual cost for these. I saw them displayed at our local feed mill as a starter set for FFA kids that included the water nipple, a cutting panel and a few other items for under $200.

[@lostlove3392]

How to store the meat without them getting spoiled?

[@ODriscolls]

We had big freezers that could fit it all.

[@ODriscolls]

We waited for cold enough days forcasted a few days in a row. This is a little risky in November but it worked out!

[@AgroPriesttv]

Great work

[@ODriscolls]

Thank you!

[@vttsantana]

Thank you

[@rosemaryhoulihan5048]

Awesome video! I loved meeting the pigs and watching the pigs...but I didn't particularly like feeding the pigs! It was a mission for the strong and brave! lol

[@ODriscolls]

It was like crowd surfing there at the end!

[@ODriscolls]

Like Jeannette?

[@marilynfdavis891]

Will you be getting pigs for this year soon?

[@ODriscolls]

I think around the same time as last year. So far we plan to get them again!

[@steviesuperstar]

What would it have cost if you had bought the meat from the supermarket? I didn't catch wether you said that it was worth it financially. Was it?

[@ODriscolls]

Pigs were worth it for sure

[@RealVedicAstrology]

I mean you can reduce the costs by making sure you get fast growing crossbreeds of pigs and also by doing the slaughtering and butchering yourself which I’m assuming you did.

[@ODriscolls]

Yep.

[@Reddylion]

Interesting

[@homesteadhaven2010]

The best thing anyone can do for their Homestead is learn to butcher. It saves lots of money plus you don't get ripped off. You can find pigs for cheaper. We buy our 6-week-old pigs for 15 to 30 dollars each.

[@ODriscolls]

Would I be right to assume you are in the states if you are getting pigs for 15-30? I didnt find anywhere around here for less than 100 even. I think there is also a little premium put on them if you are buying in the spring like most people do

[@corithefrugalflower]

Knowing my luck I would get them and then want to keep them as pets! Lol! 😜

[@ODriscolls]

Very big pets! 😅