Pig keepers

[sophy]

am thinking of keeping a couple of pigs. To eat, not as pets.

What do I need to know?

have a small paddock where they could go.

Dh would like us to get a couple as he used to work with pigs when he left school - I'm not covinced I could be as dispassionate about pigs as I am about our chickens.

River Cottage have a pig forum, an online pig course and they also sell a dvd 'A Pig in a Day with Hugh and Ray'

We've had several pairs of pigs now and they are great! You'll never want to eat shop pork again! We were worried about becoming too fond of them but it was fine. The thing is to know that you are going to eat them from the begining - it's not like suddenly deciding to eat a pet! You won't have them for that long!

You will need - very good fencing (pigs are strong), water, shelter, food. Pig nuts are quite expensive now but kitchen waste is great (no meat or dairy though). You will need to choose a breed and know where you will have them slaughtered - you need to book them in in advance. Also pigs need lots of freezer space! You also need to get a 'holding number' from DEFRA - there is a bit of paperwork to do when you collect them.

Good luck - it's great fun!

A friend has a litter of Kune kunes, am thinking that might be a good breed to start with as they are smaller and supposed to be easy to look after, any views?

Kune kunes are not good for eating apparently - more of a 'pet' breed. If you have a local farm park / petting farm type place they may sell weaners. That's where we get ours.