Storey’s Guide to Raising Pigs, 4th Edition

Raise hogs in a healthy, profitable manner with expert guidance and practical advice from long-time hog farmer Kelly Klober. Whether you're a small farmer or an artisanal breeder, this comprehensive guide gives you everything you need to know to be successful. Learn how to choose the right breed for your farm; oversee breeding, birthing, and nursing; manage safe, humane housing and fencing options; butcher your hogs and process the pork; and effectively market your hogs and pork.

Preface  1 An Introduction to Raising Hogs Hog-Farming Trends * Modern Pork Production * Hog Myths * Talkin' Hog * Thinking Hogs * Identify Your Markets          2 Breeds Tried and True        Choosing Breeding Stock for Small Farms * Modern Swine Breeds * Why Purebred Hogs Instead of Hybrids? * Choose a Breed Type to Match Your Farm * Pigs as Pets  3 Raising Hogs for the Family Table  The Facilities * Essential Equipment * Buying a Pig or Two * Feeding Hogs * Bringing Your Pigs Home * Swine Finishing  4 Home Butchering and Pork Processing     Slaughtering the Hog * Breaking Down the Carcass * Butchering * Putting Away the Pork * Preserving Pork * There’s Pork in This? — Pork Recipes  5 Fitting and Showing Hogs               Showing Market Hogs * Showing Breeding Stock  6 The Hog Business                Running a Manageable Operation * How Many Hogs for Success? * Know Your Market * A Shift in Feeder-Pig Production * Show Pigs * Farrow-to-Finish Production * Finishing Hogs * Breeding-Stock Production * Direct Marketing Your Own Pork * What about Organic? * Contented Hogs * Lean and Green  7 Preparing for Your Herd     The Drylot * The Pasture * Fencing Choices * The Range House * Farrowing Structures * Housing for Sows with Nursing Pigs  8 Selecting Breeding Stock                Shopping for Livestock * Performance Data * Gilt Selection * Boar Selection * Bidding Decisions  9 Managing Your Breeding Herd                  Bringing in the Boar * Bringing in Gilts * Breeding Gilts * What's Best for the Boar * Gestation * Farrowing * The Pig at Birth * Caring for the Newborn Pig * Postfarrowing Sow Care * Care for Nursing Pigs * Weaning * Growout  10 Hog Health Care                A New Vulnerability * Breed Your Way Back to Vigor * A Health-Care Philosophy * Just the Basics * Veterinary Care * Injections * Parasite Control * Swine Ailments and Illnesses  11 Managing Your Hog Operation                Record Keeping * Marketing Hogs * The Hog Industry: Today and Tomorrow  12 Day-to-Day Life with Hogs                        Movin’ Hogs the Easy Way * Managing Information * Do It Right the First Time * Take Time to Scratch Their Ears * Goals * Every Pig Is Precious * Buying at Auction * Hog-Farm Fashion * Hog People   Epilogue         Appendixes    Hog Anatomy    Reproductive Information    Record-Keeping Templates                     Sample Calendar Year for the Diversified Small Producer Resources                      Glossary                      Metric Conversion Charts Index