Would you rear a pig for food?

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TracyG

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Apr 26, 2009
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I mentioned to a few people the other day that if I had the land and the time, I would like to rear a pig for food. They thought I was crazy, and that I would get attached to the pig, view it as a pet and not be able to go through with the kill. They have a point, but I find it very appealing to be that self sufficient and to know that my meat has not been treated with any chemicals and the animal has had a good, healthy life. I don't know how much piglets are to buy or to keep, but I've heard that you can get them collected, slaughtered and cut in to steaks etc for about £40. I do think it would be a very cost effective venture anyway.

What do others think? Is this a distasteful post, or do you find the thought of rearing your own food appealing? Do you think you would get too attached to the animals? There's also the mucking out to think about, which would no doubt be a stomach churning experience.
 
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Rachelle

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Apr 25, 2009
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I listened to Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall the other day. It was fascinating to listen to him and how he lives his very organic life. I think that I would like to have a pig, chickens, ducks, a cow, etc if I could. Could I kill them? Erm, probably not. I got very upset today when I saw a duckling drowned by another duck so not sure I could cope with a pig that I had had for a few years. Ridiculous isn't it that we are all so far-removed now from our lovely packaged food actually comes from. But I could, seriously, get into growing all of my own vegetables, making soups, jams, chutneys, etc. It's just time and space at the moment that gets in the way.
 
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happywriter

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Apr 25, 2009
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For many years we lived next to a family in the country that had chickens, rabbits etc. They were a farming family of many generations who had sold off parcels of their land, but still had the same traditions and feelings.
One day I noticed the old grandmother in the road outside her house; she wore an apron which was covered in blood. Rushing over to help her in her, we were quite surprised when she just said that she had been "killing the chickens" as a normal household task. For many, in the country, it is.
 
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TracyG

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Apr 26, 2009
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I'd also like chickens, and maybe other small animals. I'd like to grow my own veg and cook all my meals from scratch. Unfortunately, life is too busy and hectic for me to take it any further than a thought, and I'm sure it is the same situation for most people.
 
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happywriter

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Apr 25, 2009
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Another thought for animal lovers is that there are more pigs around in better conditions because they are being reared for food, than there would be otherwise. So, if a person likes pigs and wants more of them around - they should eat pork !
 
Chutzpah

Chutzpah

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Jan 9, 2009
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I know for a fact I would get too close to it. We visited a horse rescue centre with my son a few months ago and I spent literally ages just chatting to the pig. Sounds silly I know.
 
Tony

Tony

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Apr 7, 2008
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TracyG said:
Do you think you would get too attached to the animals? There's also the mucking out to think about, which would no doubt be a stomach churning experience.
Click to expand...
You could have a toilet pig, no need to worry about mucking out it lives on yours! Sorry that probably is distasteful.

Seriously, this is a delicacy in Korea - Ddong Daeji

Tony
 
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MagnersPear

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Jul 7, 2009
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Personally I am a vegetarian so would never do this; i do however feel that meateaters should be able to answer yes to the question, else there is an element of hypocrisy in their choice to eat it. If you can do it yourself and ensure the animal has a high standard of welfare I think it would be a great thing, putting an end to the battery style of farming (very unethical in my books)
 
Chutzpah

Chutzpah

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Jan 9, 2009
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Do you grow your own vegetables MagnersPear?

We've used our present system of someone else doing the slaughtering for years, and it works very well. Hell, my great-great-great-great-grandfather was a butcher in a small village Dorset, saving all the locals from doing the meat carving thing.

I'm very much against battery farming and try not to (I say try as for some products you can never be too sure) have anything to do with it, but to say you shouldn't eat meat unless you kill it yourself is nonsensical.
 
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Rachelle

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Apr 25, 2009
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So many more people are growing their own veg these days. I think it's so brilliant. I have just tucked in to an organic carrot fresh from the field. It was wonderful - a funny shape and totally differerent in taste to the packaged supermarket ones so many of us go for. I think we should all do our best not to shop in supermarkets and just to buy local if we can't grow our own.
 
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