Slaughtering Pigs

Today we took a couple pigs down to be slaughtered. Our first experience with any large animal slaughtering. Let me just say, it was NOT what I had in mind!

First, we began our day at 5:30am. We wanted to get them down to the UofA early. This is how I thought it was going to go down.....

Because we did not feed them all day yesterday, I figured all they'd need as an incentive to follow us is a little food. So, they would follow the sound all the way to the trailer. Then, they would climb right in and we'd close the door behind them. Bid farewell, blow kisses and off we'd go...... Ahhhhh NO!

We began with the female, the smaller of the two. Let's just say I now understand the whole "chute" thing, chasing them through a huge yard was tough! We ended up having to use a rope. Chutes I always thought were inhumane keepings for our animals. Too restrictive. But after having to pull and almost drag her to the trailer made me realize just how unprepared we were! First off horse trailers with no ramps are a bad idea. When we finally got her to the truck Hubby lifted her front legs while me and a friend pulled the rope.

She took us a very long hour to put her in. Second, we were on to Big Willy. This time we knew how we were going to do things. We walked him close to where we needed him and then put on the ropes. The minute he felt those ropes he fled back the other way. Dragging both men and me with him. Hubby's finger got ripped open. And let me say WOW can they squeal! I never heard such a sound! We probably woke everyone up in a 20 miles radius! After much petting of Big Willy and talking to him we got him to start walking again in the direction we wanted him to go. Put the ropes back on and boom! Off he went again! Only this time the rope slipped downwards towards his back area. A very sensitive area for any male animal. It was all so quick we didn't realize this until later. We spanked his butt and he hopped right in.... We closed the door in a hurry.

Towards the end, hearing him squeal made me cry. I looked at Hubby and said we are never doing this again. My heart broke seeing him like that. Hearing his cries. We know we made the mistake of becoming close with them, and not keeping a distance. But how can you really. Over a year with them. They become part of you.

After all that, we decided not to take the goats. We were exhausted!

I cried a little more on the ride. The kids were fine amazingly. They were real excited to see what was up next. We did prepare them for our whole reasoning for doing this. Food. Providing for ourselves. They say you should never name them, but I don't think naming them does it. We could of called them all hogs, it's an attachment.

We arrived at the UofA and unloaded them, which was easy, they just spanked them and down they went into the pen. What pros they use like a plastic oar. Not hard though. So now they are to be weighed. She was 327lbs, and Big Willy was a whopping 457lbs!! We were pleased! Especially after learning you get a 70% return on the meat from that! After filling out a form of what cuts we wanted, I asked......."So we should get back almost 600lbs right!" Ahhhh NO! Apparently, since we waited a year to slaughter we're looking at about 50- 60%, like 400lbs. Boooo! He said 6-8months old is perfect for the 70% return.... You live you learn.

On the way out we got to see two trailers dropping off very different cows. One had a huge, very angry cow. It rocked that trailer big time!! Like he knew what was coming. The other was a smaller sweet curious cow. Made me rethink the whole cow raising thing....

So, we were on the way home and I finally smiled. I looked at Hubby and he was smiling. We both agreed to continue our journey of raising our own animals. We will love them, they'll live good and will be treated well. Just next time we slaughter at 6mths. Easier to handle, less traumatic for them and of course a better return.

Another Set Back

It took a lot to come to the decision of slaughtering Big Willy with the others. We made an appointment with the Ag Dept here at the University. But found a "guy" who would do it a little cheaper. Haul them for us and get it back to us a little faster. So dumb us agreed.

It wasn't until 2 days before we were to have them picked up that this "guy" decided he wanted to remodel his place. WTF?? We have a month long wait with the UofA, then a month waiting for him and now were have another month waiting back with the UofA.

I'm furious! I can't believe how he can run a business like that? Lessons learned yet again with this. I'm glad to have Big Willy for a little while longer. But, the others I'm ready to say C-YA! One of our bucks is in destruction mode. Hitting anything and everything with his horns. One sow may be preggers. We're shelling out 100+/wkly more on feed for these animals.

Not even the slaughtering part is going smoothly! We were looking forward to having our meat back next week.....Now it's looking like August since the UofA keeps them for 6weeks. So our appointment is now set for middle June and oh boy are we going to be ready!

On a high note our chickens are just so cute! I have an almost naked hen. She's the boss. Here lately for some reason I guess the less feathers you have the more important you are. This hen has absolutely no feathers from her head down her neck and back.. Just the wings and feet. At first I thought they must be picking on her so I watched a little...... Shes runs that coop! That's gotta be the best part is just sitting with my animals and watching how they have their own lives going on. Early spring we brought in some chicks and since their the newbies they have to prove themselves... I'll be taking some video of this is just so fascinating to me!

Who's Up For A BBQ... In About A Month!

Well we did it. We made up our minds. We're slaughtering Big Willy. I'm not sad anymore about it though. I come to realization that this was what we intended him to be, and it must be done. Raising animals is hard work, but letting them go is harder. I must say we love him very much and will miss him. But, for us, this was the only choice we had. So wipe away my tears and be happy he was one of the lucky ones. He led a great fun life and will always be remembered.

Now on to my topic... Hubby and I decided to find a butcher but, that ended up being no easy task. I called every meat place listed in the phone book. There is no such thing as butcher in our yellow pages. Our only option was to have a guy, that lives down the road a ways, come and shoot him and teach us to cut it up for like $100. But it being Big Willy we didn't really want to. So my mission was to find someone to do it for us.

I got a hold of this carniceria, which is meat market in Spanish, and they only spoke well Spanish. But, the guy did say to call him the next morning and he would set it up. I called, he wasn't there. I called another and the woman said to try the University of AZ Ag Dept. I thought that's weird, but maybe they knew of a place. So I left a message.

Today I got a call back!! Turns out they butcher there. Who knew! Obviously not me! She explained to me the prices, I think are fair. Those that are more familiar let me know!

$.69/lb table weight
$45. kill fee (puts them to sleep, LOVE that, painless)
$10 curing
breakfast sausages incl.
Specialty sausage extra

$100 flat for my goat

Plus, she vacuum seals it, not just freezer paper like at the butchers!
So our appointment is on the 8th, and it takes 6wks to get everything back. We're taking in Big Willy, another pig and a goat.
I was sold, so was Hubby! I love that Big Willy will be put down humanly, not possibly tortured with a bullet not hitting the right area. I'll leave that up to the skilled professionals! I'm not hunter.

Some people may find this horrible, that I could think of such things when dealing with a family "friend". But keep in mind this was no easy choice, I'm learning as I go. I wasn't raised around animals besides dogs. So I just thought of them as "food". No feelings. Now that I've raised them from babyhood to butcher time, I give a lot of props to those who do this for a living. You almost have to distance your heart from them a little. I give them the best home I can, we all give them TONS of attention, and when it does come time for them, believe me I don't think it will get easier, but what must be done will be.

To Butcher Or Not To Butcher This is My Problem..

When we started this journey to a healthier more free us, we thought we'd raise these animals for the sole purpose of food. When doing research on caring for the animals, I found tons of information on handling, cleaning and 'the just in case of emergencies' what to do's. Few had warned me of the attachment we'd have with them. Of course, we thought we never let them become just large pets. Little did we know how incredible these animals are!

It's no secret Big Willy has stolen our hearts with his personality. I've referenced him in many of my posts. We love him!! He's like a enormous dog. He comes when he's called, he snuggles us with his nose, let's us know he loves us too. But, he's really huge! He's about a year and a half now and he never uses his weight as a threat or to control a situation.

But, with this beautiful beast comes a even bigger food issue. We feed him only the best. Since we live in the desert, there isn't a whole lot to find readily available. So, we buy 70 lbs bags from the feed store. He gets COB (which is corn oats and barley) and of course swine finisher. We buy one of each every three to four days. Also, he's privileged to our much wasted scraps. Now that's between both our pigs.

Since Hubby coming off the road we taken a huge financial loss. Well worth it, since he's always with me. However, we can no longer afford to feed like this. So, we tried downsizing portions. Poor Willy is so used to eating like he was, he's starting to act like he's super hungry. Trying to eat everything in sight. Even trash that's blown in!

Here's my dilemma. He'd be an expensive pet, that's for sure. Times are tough. I can't imagine selling him and knowing he'd stay alive! Should we or shouldn't we? It was our intention to raise him to be butchered. We have a new litter coming at any moment. These are the issues I'm weighing. What do other people do in this situation?

So confused and heart broken! Please help.