Took 3 KuneKune Pigs to the Butcher: What We Got, What It Cost & Was It Worth It??

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Last year we had some friends bring us some wild hog meat and that was very good too!! Both the kunekune and the wild hog have a lot more flavor than what we used to buy at the store.

[@iwanttobelieve5970]

If you boil your hams before baking them, they'll be more tender. We always boil them to get a lot of the salt out because of high blood pressure in my family. But it makes it tender and you then bake it for the holidays. I have a meat allergy so I can't eat any of it anymore but I still cooked the ham this way for Thanksgiving for the rest of my family. And it literally fell apart. Try it.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thank you!!

[@libraryofpangea7018]

Sous vide gets you the same result but instead of losing fat/flavour to the water, it concentrates it in the tissues. So you get tenderness with a very potent flavour profile. If you are not worried about salt/BP

[@britneybarlow9388]

We purchased a 4 year old Kunekune sow from a friend for $200 and had her processed for a little under $250 with curing. We ended up with around 140 pounds of meat. I read and heard that because she's older we should get mostly ground but we went ahead and got ham, bacon, ribs, roasts, organs and it all looks absolutely amazing! We just got her back before we left for Thanksgiving week, but now I can't wait to try some of the meat.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Enjoy!!!

[@LipivoreCarnivoreKimmyB]

How does that meat taste, if you've eaten it, yet?

[@britneybarlow9388]

@@LipivoreCarnivoreKimmyB It has been absolutely delicious! I'm so glad we decided to get a variety of cuts and not just ground meat. The hams might be my favorite out of everything.

[@LipivoreCarnivoreKimmyB]

​@britneybarlow9388 How does it compare to commercial pork taste? I'm interested in getting 2 myself, next year.

[@albrightfs]

We love raising Kune Kune.. My husband and I are in our 60s and do all the processing including butcher and cut and wrap on property so we switched from standard size butcher hogs we switched to Kune kune for ease of handling. Plus the lard is incredible!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I agree!! With everything!

[@mylittleruralhomestead]

Heather, you had me at bacon...lol. You actually came out ahead, even though you had your kune's for two years. Also, so much better than buying from the store, because you know what your kune's were fed, which makes it all worth it. I'm not sure if I want to have pigs, because I know what escape artists they can be. They sure are sneaky!! lol😁

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

The ONE time they got out, a GOAT let them out!! I didn't film it but it was sortof hysterical!

[@mylittleruralhomestead]

🤣They are in cahoots together. Those sneaky goats!!

[@YouCanFarm]

Boar taint only occurs in about 10-15% of hogs, and you are right it is affected by the hormone levels of the individual animal. I've processed many boars of various breeds and have never had one taste bad.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Yes! I read that even with a boar with boar taint only 30% of people taste it too. So we took the risk because we thought our odds were pretty good that it would work out and it did!

[@darcysimental5299]

Thanks for sharing the math! I’ve heard people talk about how delicious Kune Kune pigs can be, I’ll have to try it one day! Props to the butcher and his generosity!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

SO good! Very flavorful and the flavor has so much more depth to it too. SO hard to explain. A lot like the difference between store bought production chicken vs pasture raised on-farm.

[@doriskuhberger8559]

Great video. Thank you for sharing. Love and Blessings to you all.❤❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏 Doris, Penrith 🇦🇺🦘

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

You are so welcome!!Thanks for watching, Doris! Always good to "see" you! ♥

[@nolliesteers3083]

Good morning Heather and Levi. Everything looks great. ❤❤❤

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thank you! 🤗

[@HickorycroftFarm]

Thank you so much for doing this video. It is so timely for us as we are thinking of getting kunekune pigs again. (Longer story on why we got rid of them the first time). We never butchered any, so this makes us feel more confident getting back into it. Great video guys!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Glad it was helpful! We really enjoyed having them here and the meat is so good

[@rachel4483]

You have a beautiful local community that I'm so glad you're a part of. Good butcher too! Congrats on the pork and lard.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thanks so much! We really feel blessed ♥

[@merryanneadair4451]

Very informative!! I'm glad you came out so well on your meat! That dark red meat is beautiful & the bacon looks amazing!! So happy for you! Have you thought about canning some of your lard to make it shelf stable & free up some freezer space? Before you get your next hogs to feed out for meat, remember their temperament will be altogether different than your Kunekune pigs. Much more aggressive & far harder on the fences, buildings, etc. Also much less trustworthy around you & the children!! Growing up, we raised a large number of farrow to finish hogs. I remember helping my dad in the farrowing barn & seeing a sow turn on him & rip his leg open. A few years later my mom was badly injured when 2 sows fighting with each other pinned her against the barn. Not meaning to frighten you, but just want you all to be safe!! 🙏 Watching your family interacting with your pigs always amazed me how docile they were!! It was certainly different than my experience growing up or even the pigs I've raised for meat here. God bless & enjoy that wonderful pork!! 🙂

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

YES That's a huge thing to consider. we would like to put a hot wire in all around the bottom of the pen and I wouldn't mind raising 2 or 3 to the size of a kunekune and stopping there if that makes them easier to handle. I'll definitely be needing to research!

[@michellewilson7868]

We love our Idaho Pasture Pigs. They improve the pasture sooooo much, grow out in 10 months and eat no more than 4# of grain each day. They have the BEST temperaments. Our last feeder pig was 280# in 10 months. They follow our goats in pasture rotation.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thank you Michelle!! I have heard great things about IPP. Definitely a contender for spring 2025!

[@Wakeywhodat]

4 lbs per pig? My IPP are 6 months old and I’m curious if I’m feeding them enough. 😊

[@michellewilson7868]

@@Wakeywhodat you should check out some of the educational info put out by the IPP registry. It's very helpful. If they are growing, they need 4# per pig. Well, I should rephrase that, if you want maximum growth in the least amount of time, 4#

[@Wakeywhodat]

@@michellewilson7868 Thanks Michelle. If a full scoop is 4#, my 5 pigs get 8# 2x a day. So perhaps I’ll give them 2.5 scoops 2x a day. I finally get my boarling tomorrow so…. I’m reading up on sheep! 🤣

[@juliepoolie5494]

This was very interesting. I live in the suburbs and will never be able to raise any animals here but this was intriguing.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

You could maybe buy a haf or quarter Hog from a farmer and get great quality meat! Maybe one day!

[@mistycherie]

Wonderful video Heather and Levi! Really nice to see a breakdown of what you got in cuts/product, what it took to buy/raise them, and the opinion about the flavor and cuts you were able to obtain with the kunekunes. Was real interesting to see that even though these were intended to be breeders and you had them a bit longer, you still had a decent cost comparison against current market for pork. Feeder pigs would obviously be even better $ wise, but this outcome wasn't bad at all. 💚🐖💚

[@brendacox8699]

Morning Heather I love waking up to your Beautiful face

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

You're so sweet Brenda! Good morning!

[@brendacox8699]

@@SageandStoneHomestead made you smile. My job here is done. I try to make at least one person smile a day. 😁😁

[@stonesoupsubstitutions6946]

I assume there's no chemicals in the lard, which makes that an incredible price!

[@stonesoupsubstitutions6946]

And then you broke the lard price down 😂

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Right it's just heat rendered!

[@pyroparrish2783]

We got into pigs last fall. After we bought our first.. we had a 2nd within the next 3 days... 2 months later, we bought a breeding pair. 1500 we paid for the breeding pair.. she was pregnant with a different boar than we received. You guys look like a very efficient setup, thanks for the video. Eager to harvest one of ours.. but still around a year yet.

[@cindyboard7816]

Very interesting guys!! I'm going to guess you may be right that the boar was lacking in hormones. Typically, A boar of that age would have high chances of producing tainted meat, but that is due to the hormones. Since he never produced piglets and as I remember from your past videos he just didn't act overly interested in breeding. Whatever the reason, it's awesome that you now have a freezer full of pork. Thanks so much for sharing and stay safe!!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Yes he only nudged them and nosed them a few times when he was just under a year old but when they didn't give him the opportunity to try to do more he stopped trying and then just never seemed interested again after a few months. Sad but the end result did end up working out really well!

[@annmariemitchell2532]

I’m loving your channel and seeing how you feed your gorgeous family. I am 4 days into a hip replacement recovery and I am binging your older videos x

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I hope you feel better soon!! ♥♥

[@annmariemitchell2532]

@@SageandStoneHomestead thank you Heather, will you thank your husband for his service. I am an old army wife my hubby was in the Scots Guards (the ones outside Buckingham palace in the red tunics and bear skin hats). We are empty nesters our adults have left home but have filled it with 11 grandkids xx

[@79PoisonBreaker]

Very nice. Looking in my area kunekune costs are much higher. 1000 per registered 500 not registered. They are top quality but hard to justify start up costs on top of that. Still hopefull to try in future.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Oh wow! Yes our boar was registered (I forget the line he was from) but the gilts were not. Beautiful animals though!

[@thenodiggardener]

That's a great break down, and seriously, I don't think you ended up paying out a bad price for knowing where your meat came from, and how it's been raised. I just received my order of 'pasture for life certified' raised beef, with some organic raised pork in it that cost more than your your cuts. I know I'm in the UK, but considering your buy costs I still think you got a great deal. Also, with being in England, I'm totally amused at the Amish calling you English. My Son agrees with Levi on Bacon. He told me one Christmas that I should never doubt his love, since he'd proved it by giving me the bacon from his pigs in blankets lol

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I kept laughing because the numbers SOUND insane but the breakdown was really not bad at all! Pleasantly surprised. I know we chuckle at being called English too. LOL

[@debrabain5290]

Very interesting. A great video and great information. Thank you I think the idea that you don't have all the bad stuff in the meat it is even a better deal for your family.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I agree!

[@jenniferr2057]

I could be wrong about all of this, but in the interest of making you feel even better.... I don't think the USDA numbers include processing. So you can take the 764$ or $1.50/# off the price and land at $4.50/# and you did really well! And I could be totally wrong. 🤷

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Oh, maybe not!

[@jenniferr2057]

​@@SageandStoneHomesteadyay, you!

[@lottevandoorn7802]

Great video again. Nice to see you break things down. We are also Kune-kune lovers over here. Usually we buy a mix between Kunes and a classic meat pig like a Duroc or (better!) a Berkshire. They grow a bit faster, become bigger but usually have the same lovely temperament as a Kune. The taste of your own pigs is incomparable with pig meat from the supermarket. It is just sooo much better! And it has had a much better life. When you showed the official meat prices and I saw the 3 dollar, my first thoughts were: those poor pigs. Who wants pigs that can be marketed for such a low price. They must have had a pretty nasty life! You can’t really put that fact into your calculations maybe. But I think it’s one of the most important ones. They have had a happy and healthy life. No injected hormones, antibiotics or steroids. A better life for them, and a way healthier choice for you and your family. Well done! 💪👍 Greetings from the Netherlands 😊

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I agree, I wondered how pigs could have been raised that inexpensively AND turn a profit with that low cost. Cheaper is NOT always better! ♥

[@cdavid2486]

Very interesting. Nice to see you both and hear of your experience.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thank you!

[@bethpowers1916]

Omg !! I have kunekune pigs also and no babies either !! 3 years old I figured they didn’t like each other lol

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

We raised our boar with our gilts from babies and this may have been our problem. Even after separation for 6 months and reuniting them they didn't breed. They had a kinship mindset but were not related! Still though our boar may have had hormone problems.

[@kyliepierson8718]

Thanks for the breakdown very educational

[@jenniferr2057]

Levi. Smoked goat. There are no other words necessary.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

🤩 what cut is best?

[@jenniferr2057]

We did a shoulder. Haven't tried anything else. The day we butchered we threw all the things on the smoker and just added it. We had pork, beef, lamb, chicken thighs and the goat was the universal favorite!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Oh yeah I remember you talking about that! Yum!

[@ericcawith2cs11]

Excellent thurough video Heather and Levi! It is that time of year, when the air turns chilly. We just processed our heritage pigs (American Guinea Hogs) and looking forward to curing and smoking our hams and bacon now. Great job as always! YAY bacon!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

YUM! Enjoy!! ♥♥

[@ApiaryManager]

You probably didn't deduct the cost of waste disposal for the bits of other animals that your pigs ate, but, that is also a benefit that you'll miss while you don't have pigs on the farm. What else could you do with them? I suppose you could compost them, but, you run the risk of attracting vermin. So, I suppose, the pigs have other benefits that weren't included in your calculations.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Oh, the chickens get the extras now.

[@sandyhootman8151]

Since you had the Amish butcher, they probably did a better job of getting the most out of your hogs. Not all lockers/processors take the time to get everything that is usable. We figured that out when we had beef processed at two different lockers. The larger cow processed out less meat than the smaller one at a different locker.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

They were so great to work with! I've heard about people not getting what they expected and either thr butcher was taking their meat or not being thorough.

[@ingweking8748]

They are nice and dark colored

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Yes!! We noticed that too!

[@debbenelson1219]

Very interesting video, thank you. What did you feed your kunekune's? I realize some people have enough pasture year round for them, but for some of us who get winter, that's not feasible.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

In summer it was mostly garden scraps, eggs, grass, whey and milk. Some grain some days..over winter we did a commodity mix with alfalfa pellets and kitchen scraps!

[@JeanHudson2022]

I didn't know you could make butter out of goat milk. I was always told you couldn't. Now to figure out that LOL thanks. Did you separate the lard from the leaf lard, not sure I spelt that right LOL I was told the leaf lard is for like pie crusts and stuff like that. I am Learning before I get my goats and pigs, I am really watching the IPP's but I like those little ones too. Sorry for the ?'s

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

No all the lard went into the rendering pot together, so it is a tinge flavored but so far its been great for biscuits and tortillas! We cream separate the goats milk to make butter, I'll link you to a video we made on it. Just a sec

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Here is the butter video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH-rlp-ii9SKiq8

[@JeanHudson2022]

Thank you @@SageandStoneHomestead

[@GoneHunting-j2c]

Maybe I missed it, but how much finished product did you get in comparison to hanging weight? Great video. You had a problem with mating because you raised the boar with the gilts. We raised our boar separate from out gilts and they hooked up as soon as we put them together. The countdown to piglets has started.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I don't think I have an official weight. We paid based on hanging weight and that's the only number I have. Many of our cuts were bone-in and we had the lard rendered. So it likely isn't massively lighter than that 501 lbs.

[@GoneHunting-j2c]

@@SageandStoneHomestead We are about to send our 14 month old kune out for processing.

[@GWPHomestead]

That pork looks great!!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

It's DELISH

[@dwightwilson1764]

Very good video.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Thank you very much!

[@alexandrajeffries9273]

Jimmy Dean ❤

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Can't believe it slipped my mind! haha ♥

[@MarciPrice-cl6eq]

I miss pork! Due to Lupus & kidney disease i cant have!! 😢😢😢

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Oh I'm so sorry!

[@sampavlik8278]

Where online did you find the average cost report?

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

This one updates frequently porkcheckoff.org/markets/current-markets/

[@jellibelli929]

I had a butcher process one kune kune and he said we wont get bacon and ham. Why do you think that is?

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

He is lazy. They have all the parts other pigs do just smaller. We got bacon and hams!

[@charlotteboyett-napper4780]

Jimmy Dean from Plainview, TX 😊

[@noonespecial5517]

We put our male with our females when very young and about the same age and have had no issues of them not breeding. Kunekune mature later than typical so I don’t necessarily expect to see babies till around 2 yrs of age. And lots of things must be going well for the female to hold the pregnancy. Just our experience.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

These guys were 2 and a half years old when processed!

[@2HillHomestead]

And you can say it’s organic!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Not TECHNICALLY, they were fed conventional feed. But I know what they were fed and how they lived which is really important!

[@2HillHomestead]

@@SageandStoneHomestead that’s what I get for "listening” to your video while making broth with turkey parts. lol. I missed you saying that.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I do the same thing! haha ♥

[@vixxcottage]

Well here when get a hog butchered the butchers won't make bacon or hams. I previously lived in PA and that was standard.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I bet they don't have the curing/smoking equipment. Sad!!

[@vixxcottage]

@@SageandStoneHomestead I believe it has to do with the weather. Not cold enough long enough consistently. So if need 1 done need to take it out of state.

[@SundryTalesOfConstance79WESTY]

Nooice! 😎 STOC

[@BasicRootsHomesteadWFL]

My readers are just coming of age to bread.. so if I don't have piglets by October.. they will probably go to the butcher or I'll get a different boar

[@GreenthumbFL]

That a lot of meat 🥩 yumm ❤

[@MazichMusic]

You poor so much time into your homestead and videos. It's a shame you don't have many more $ub$ so that you could bring your costs down.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

The channel is doing pretty well and the revenue does pay for a lot. It will be wonderful when it's full time income, for sure! Thanks so much for your support!

[@tammykaltreider]

🤍🥰

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

♥♥

[@Nightowl5454]

You should be storing all canned foods out of the SUNLIGHT, it will reduce the quality and shelf life of anything exposed to sunlight.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Sunlight never touches that shelf.

[@buckreynolds7475]

It takes to long to get them big enough to eat

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Yes it does!

[@buckreynolds7475]

@@SageandStoneHomestead ain't worth it to me

[@amandaprewer2755]

Does your husband work? I'm new to your channel. I'm just wondering how you're affording everything. Yes it's kind Of nosy but you put your life on youtube so I just Wondering.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Yes! He remodels homes. We live in the cheapest state in the country as far as cost of living goes and spend very little on groceries from the store. It opens up a lot to go elsewhere. Nosey is fine! We are happy to answer questions!

[@amandaprewer2755]

That's a great skill to have to remodel homes. My husband is a trucker he delivers feed to the chicken houses. We should be starting our homestead on one acre next year. It's yes, I know how chicken is done now. Cause he has worked around chicken now. And I don't want to eat the store bought chicken.😅 So I will definitely be raising my own chickens.😊

[@strangessmoore3056]

Why didn't you just buy a new boar? If the boar was the issue Why not sell the boar and buy another. Lol sounds like you gave back the boar you should of kept. But I was just wondering why you didn't get a new boar?

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

We decided to not keep breeders and focus on breeding rabbits and goats and do feeders for our pigs because feeders are so readily available in our area.

[@Jane-c9k]

how old did they say the kune kunes were. if the boar and sows you had were kept in the same pen as babies they won't breed they will think are friends I don't know how that does it but also kune kunes don't breed until they are 2 years old at least my pair didn't breed until they were that old.

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

They were 2.5 when butchered

[@charlierose2104]

Gross

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

Actually, this is the best pork we have ever had! :)