The Wooly Pig: The perfect Paleo breeding animal, for times to come?
- Thread starter Cosmos
- Start date
sitting said:
For about 25 years I lived in a partial underground home in the foothills outside Denver. Over that time I made many modifications to the house and its systems, and came to an understanding of how it could be done much better from the start. The major motivation to do this is to use the earth as a heat sink as much as possible giving it the thermal characteristics of a cave. Over the years, I studied all the known designs and implementations (within practical reason) and developed my own design/approach. I finally got the chance to implement it - so I did.
voyageur said:Great information/observation LQB. Also:
Pigs, chickens, and tobacco sounds like an excellent combo to me!!
Ditto too Mr. Premise!
Yes indeed! I'm also planning to start a farm and this are my main objectives... ;)
I also want to have some sheep... :D
I was wondering if this woolly pig can resist hot temperatures? Because it seems like a good choice but where I live is rather hot, so I don't know if it would be appropriate... I'll research a bit about it.
Thanks for the info!
sitting said:
To the bolded above - Absolutely! Collectively we have become so "assuming" wrt electrical power that we tend to forget what things might be like if that power were severely constrained or absent. The extremes of winter/summer temps are heavily blunted by underground design - not to mention the environmental protection of being underground. External maintenance goes to zero.
The only thing I would do different is based on a faulty assumption I made - I assumed that 5" of gravel under the floor concrete would be sufficient insulation/isolation from the ground for heating the floor slab via hot water tubing. As it turns out, I burn a little more wood in the outside boiler than necessary. But this is probably a wash when you consider that, by insulating the floor slab, you lose the heat sink to the ground below the floor, and this will impact you in the summer when you want help cooling. So, it may turn out that what I did is the best compromise when considered over an entire year.
Other than that, there is nothing else of consequence that I might change given the same budget.
LQB said:
lol!
I was searching a bit and found that they can resist the heat. I'll research some more.
I don't think it will be easy to find this pigs here so I'll have to see if I can ship them... :/ I don't like the idea so much... but I'll see the possibilities. Maybe I can find someone who breeds them in Argentina, Uruguay or Brazil... I'll keep researching! ;D
clerck de bonk
Dagobah Resident
LQB said:
Ahem! Being a planner myself I would be very interested in learning more about Your designs. Perhaps another thread, with pictures?clerck de bonk said:
Sure! I know I have pics of the construction progress somewhere. But feel free to ask whatever questions come to mind. A new thread would be good since we are in danger of hijacking this one.
Mr. Premise
The Living Force
I'm leaning towards Large Blacks rather than Mangalitsas. The people running the breeding registry seem much more open and accommodating. They want to increase the numbers of that endangered breed as quickly as possible instead of trying to keep prices high.
Prices for breeding pairs are much more reasonable.
Looking at their forum it looks like you can increase the fat content by letting them grow more before butchering. 250 lbs if you want lean, up to 350 if you want lots of fat.
LQB, about the rough boarding of horses, around here you can charge about $200 a month and the owner of the horse does all the work - feeding, care, exercise, cleaning stalls. The landowner provides stalls and paddocks. But we may not find a place where we can do that so who knows?
Prices for breeding pairs are much more reasonable.
Looking at their forum it looks like you can increase the fat content by letting them grow more before butchering. 250 lbs if you want lean, up to 350 if you want lots of fat.
LQB, about the rough boarding of horses, around here you can charge about $200 a month and the owner of the horse does all the work - feeding, care, exercise, cleaning stalls. The landowner provides stalls and paddocks. But we may not find a place where we can do that so who knows?
Mr. Premise said:
That's why we went that way too. Richard (LBHA President) and Felicia (LBHA Registrar) are great folks to work with - you can call them anytime for questions. They'll help however they can. With LBs, we're all in this together.
LBs do get big if you let them go and the fat is wonderful - and cracklings, yummmm ...
Good deal on the horses if you get the land. There isn't much of a market for that around here but there probably is closer to Nashville. Make sure to leave some pasture for the pigs - especially the little ones.
Don Diego
Jedi Master
Hello all pig lovers!
Last year or the year before I heard about Mangalitza here for the first time, don't remember exactly who in the life without thread, maybe Pashalis but not sure, whoever he was just Thanks to him because I've had a click in my mind, it was NOW the time to raise pigs as we are all in the house either paleo or kd and prices of pastured porks are awful.
Couldn't find mangalitzas close enough from where I live (pyrénées) so I came to one of my neighbours who raised black pigs since years (porc noir de bigorre). Funnily when I first met him years ago he was already a survivalist and told me straight that there's no chance of survival without pigs, he had read a lot on the topic and claimed he was very "aware" upon that. At the time I was thinking he was a bit extremist in a sense but anyway I was very impressed by the strong link he had with his livestock.
Of course I've fortunately changed my mind Thanks to this NetWork again! So last year at the beginning of March I came back to him and asked for a piglet to buy. He was so happy to see I was ready to "jump" and let me choose the one I wanted among a dozen and refused any money. Of course later in the season I swamped him with potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, cabbages etc.
It was a lovely female, two months old, just weaned, 10 Kg. We called her Zu. We had lot of fun with this name perfectly suited for so many jokes! and so proud to have started the "Zu Project". The first week she gained 3 Kgs and never stopped to increase, she's now almost 200 at 14 months exactly today. We just raised her like a puppy and has been immediately tamed. She now comes at the call of her name always eager of caresses, cuddles and hugs...
But when we were out she was so sad that we decided to take another one from the next litter, a male this time and the guy, now a great friend, castrated him just before me with a knife and some bleach on the cut. Almost no blood. No stitches! Perfectly healed 2 weeks later. He refused any money again..
We've had already "sacrified" some pieces of land formerly devoted to our 3 sheeps, half meadow and half wood (chesnut trees and oaks) and began to run out of place so I phoned the owner of a neglected piece of land right against our, an ancient chesnut orchard with some huge oaks. The man left the area long time ago and was now living by the seashore. He directly said to me that if I was interested by his piece of sloping land, only old trees and big erratic granite rocks on it he said, no value at all, he gave it to me for free! Almost one acre for free! In this so much greedy world I couldn't believe my ears. I felt the Universe was sending us a great support! Of course we have almost one thousand euros of notary fees to pay next week and still haven't got that money but we keep confident...
Now the problem is to find a male to impregnate Zu. We've asked to many black pigs farmers since november when she became fertile, none of them accepted because of disease prevention, prophylaxis they said, but I would call this fear.
Last thing I would like to share is that my friend who wanted to get rid of his boar, Zu's father, 4 years old, 300kgs, offered me for 150€! A gift again! As it was in last June, too late and hot for curing, we took it to the slaughter house where some pig farmers and the slaughterer were making fun of me, asking me what I intended to do with it, saying that it will certainly be inedible because of its age or flavour. Moreover they were saying that, having being exclusively raised outdoor with no vaccines nor medicine, it will be full of parasites or dangerous bugs! I began to feel anxious. Not for the bugs but for the taste. But let me tell you it is the BEST meat we've ever eaten in our lives, a bit strong for sure and not so tender but so delicious! With 2 inch of fat or lard all around. Anyway we tried curing 2 pieces of belly and it has worked.
So, as some of you have already planned, we'll convert our vegetable garden for tobacco and food for pigs, we already have a lot of comfrey, they love it, leaves or roots. We started 5 varieties of tobacco, thanks Mr premise and Pashalis for your very inspiring posts of the last year
but that's another thread!
Sorry for the long post, it's been a long time I would have liked to share about our pigs because it's Thanks to you all! :)
Last year or the year before I heard about Mangalitza here for the first time, don't remember exactly who in the life without thread, maybe Pashalis but not sure, whoever he was just Thanks to him because I've had a click in my mind, it was NOW the time to raise pigs as we are all in the house either paleo or kd and prices of pastured porks are awful.
Couldn't find mangalitzas close enough from where I live (pyrénées) so I came to one of my neighbours who raised black pigs since years (porc noir de bigorre). Funnily when I first met him years ago he was already a survivalist and told me straight that there's no chance of survival without pigs, he had read a lot on the topic and claimed he was very "aware" upon that. At the time I was thinking he was a bit extremist in a sense but anyway I was very impressed by the strong link he had with his livestock.
Of course I've fortunately changed my mind Thanks to this NetWork again! So last year at the beginning of March I came back to him and asked for a piglet to buy. He was so happy to see I was ready to "jump" and let me choose the one I wanted among a dozen and refused any money. Of course later in the season I swamped him with potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, cabbages etc.
It was a lovely female, two months old, just weaned, 10 Kg. We called her Zu. We had lot of fun with this name perfectly suited for so many jokes! and so proud to have started the "Zu Project". The first week she gained 3 Kgs and never stopped to increase, she's now almost 200 at 14 months exactly today. We just raised her like a puppy and has been immediately tamed. She now comes at the call of her name always eager of caresses, cuddles and hugs...
But when we were out she was so sad that we decided to take another one from the next litter, a male this time and the guy, now a great friend, castrated him just before me with a knife and some bleach on the cut. Almost no blood. No stitches! Perfectly healed 2 weeks later. He refused any money again..
We've had already "sacrified" some pieces of land formerly devoted to our 3 sheeps, half meadow and half wood (chesnut trees and oaks) and began to run out of place so I phoned the owner of a neglected piece of land right against our, an ancient chesnut orchard with some huge oaks. The man left the area long time ago and was now living by the seashore. He directly said to me that if I was interested by his piece of sloping land, only old trees and big erratic granite rocks on it he said, no value at all, he gave it to me for free! Almost one acre for free! In this so much greedy world I couldn't believe my ears. I felt the Universe was sending us a great support! Of course we have almost one thousand euros of notary fees to pay next week and still haven't got that money but we keep confident...
Now the problem is to find a male to impregnate Zu. We've asked to many black pigs farmers since november when she became fertile, none of them accepted because of disease prevention, prophylaxis they said, but I would call this fear.
Last thing I would like to share is that my friend who wanted to get rid of his boar, Zu's father, 4 years old, 300kgs, offered me for 150€! A gift again! As it was in last June, too late and hot for curing, we took it to the slaughter house where some pig farmers and the slaughterer were making fun of me, asking me what I intended to do with it, saying that it will certainly be inedible because of its age or flavour. Moreover they were saying that, having being exclusively raised outdoor with no vaccines nor medicine, it will be full of parasites or dangerous bugs! I began to feel anxious. Not for the bugs but for the taste. But let me tell you it is the BEST meat we've ever eaten in our lives, a bit strong for sure and not so tender but so delicious! With 2 inch of fat or lard all around. Anyway we tried curing 2 pieces of belly and it has worked.
So, as some of you have already planned, we'll convert our vegetable garden for tobacco and food for pigs, we already have a lot of comfrey, they love it, leaves or roots. We started 5 varieties of tobacco, thanks Mr premise and Pashalis for your very inspiring posts of the last year
but that's another thread!Sorry for the long post, it's been a long time I would have liked to share about our pigs because it's Thanks to you all! :)
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