Farming swine....?

Question

Any swine farmers around here? How many swine do you have and when you send them off to slaughter...how much do you earn (money) for your work?

Answer 1

I don't personally have any pigs, but we have a couple of larger pig farmers (relatively speaking) in our area, with each having a few thousand pigs, including piglets & adults.  Below is a link to a USDA page for recent pig prices.  Prices vary week to week according to market demand, and each week prices will vary by weight and body fat.  A good average right now might be $85/hundred lbs body weight.  Pigs are sold at varying weights according to where they're headed -- lower weights (quicker sale, less time feeding) go to feedlots, and heavier weights may be ready to "finish" and slaughter (greater cost due to keeping the pig longer, but pig brings more $$ at sale).  

Hope you find the answer you're looking for.

Answer 2

We used to raise hogs, but not anymore. We kept around twenty sows which would average 8 to 10 pigs each twice a year. Except for farrowing our pigs ran on pasture. We would sell the pigs at around 230 lbs which they would reach in about six months, just at the time the sows were having another litter. The money you made varied a great deal from year to year, but you were lucky if you could clear $10 to $20 per pig, but often you might make nothing.