Homegrown Pork: Humane, Healthful Techniques for Raising a Pig for Food

by Sue Weaver

Overview

Raising a pig for meat is easy to do, even in a small space like a suburban backyard. In just five months, a 30-pound shoat will become a 250-pound hog and provide you with more than 100 pounds of pork, including tenderloin, ham, ribs, bacon, sausage, and more. Homegrown Pork covers everything you need to know to raise your own pig, from selecting a breed to feeding, housing, fencing, health care, and humane processing. Invite all your friends over for a healthy and succulent pork dinner!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612121260
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	11/05/2013
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,091,360
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Sue Weaver has written hundreds of magazine articles and many books about livestock, horses, and chickens, including The Backyard Cow, The Backyard Goat, The Backyard Sheep, Storey and The Donkey Companion. Weaver and her husband share their ridgetop farmette in the southern Ozarks with an array of animal friends.

Table of Contents

Preface

 

Part 1: Meet the Pig

 

Chapter 1: History

Man Tames the Pig - The Rise of Market Pigs

 

Chapter 2: Physiology and Behavior

Pig Intelligence - The Five Senses - Pig Hierarchies - Basic Behaviors

 

Chapter 3: Handling

Taming Wary Pigs - Lifting - Moving - Restraining - Hauling

 

Part 2: Purchasing and Raising

 

Chapter 4: Breeds

Choosing a Breed - Types of Pigs - Common Breeds - Rare Breeds - Unusual Pigs

 

Chapter 5: Buying

Where to Buy - Visiting Farms - Bringing Pigs Home

 

Chapter 6: Housing, Fences, and Equipment

Shelters - Pens - Fences - Wallows - Furnishing the Shelter or Pen

 

Chapter 7: Feeding

The Pig's Digestive System - Commercial Rations - Supplementary Feeds - What Not to Feed - Pig Manure

 

Chapter 8: Health

Finding a Good Pig Vet - Giving Shots - Treating Minor Problems - Checking Vital Signs - Common Illnesses - Heat Stress - Poisoning - Parasites

 

Part 3: From Pig to Pork

 

Chapter 9: To the Slaughterhouse

Slaughter Options - Taking Your Pigs for Processing - Pork Cuts at a Glance - Cutting Your Own Pig

 

Chapter 10: Home Processing

Curing Pork - Smoking Pork - Canning Pork - Freezing Pork - Homemade Sausage - Rendering and Using Lard - Cooking Pork

 

Appendices

 

Appendix 1: Pig History Timeline

Appendix 2: Build Your Own Pig Ark

Appendix 3: How to Shoot a Pig

 

Glossary

Resources

Index