Small-Scale Pig Raising [Paperback]

Dirk Van Loon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 1978

Features information on penning and handling, health and nutrition, commercial feeds, breeding, physiology, and butchering. 116,000 copies in print.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The other day a friend considering raising an animal for meat asked me whether he would be better off getting a calf or a piglet. Without hesitation I said pig.

From this beginning, author Dirk van Loon explains exactly why raising a feeder pig is the best bet for someone with little land who wants to produce the most meat for the smallest investment of time and money. Small-Scale Pig Raising covers everything from buying a pig to smoking your own bacon.

You'll learn about:

* Housing & equipment

* Penning & handling

* Health & nutrition

* Commercial feeds and feeding

* Alternative feeds

* Pig digestion & physiology

* Breeding & farrowing

* Management techniques

* Butchering

Small-Scale Pig Raising is extra good on home butchering, with step-by-step instructions and many photos covering the entire process from slaughtering to portioning meat for the freezer.

About the Author

Author Dirk van Loon has written two Storey books, The Family Cow and Small-Scale Pig Raising. He publishes a monthly newspaper for small-scale rural producers called Rural Delivery. Dirk is a graduate of the College of Agriculture at Cornell University and now lives in Nova Scotia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 11, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882661361
• ISBN-13: 978-0882661360
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for pig ownership., March 4, 2002

By 

k. powers - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small-Scale Pig Raising (Paperback)

Today most children and some adults believe pork comes from the grocery store. Van Loon starts with the history of swine to give the reader an understanding of the animal from the ground up. I wasn't sure if I could or wanted to raise pigs, so I bought the book. By the time I finished it I couldn't wait to go get some. Nutrition is so important to raising your own meat, and Van Loon spends a lot of time describing what the impact of certain foods are on the end-product. This helped me make the descisions on what our own pigs would eat. When we took our first pig to the processing plant, they were very impressed by the quality of the meat and we were impressed by the flavor. When we took the second one, it somehow,(150 lbs of pork),was 'mis-placed'- I never got it, hmmm....I think the book was mostly to blame.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful and informative book. Taught us some pointers., November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Small-Scale Pig Raising (Paperback)

This book has a lot of helpful information and illustrations. We had our first litter with the help of this book! I'm sure glad I had it to reference when I needed it. A great investment for anyone starting to raise pigs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book. Dated., December 4, 2010

By 

Steven Romero (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small-Scale Pig Raising (Paperback)

This is a good introduction to pigs and pig raising. There is some good information to glean, but overall the material is a bit dated for current homesteading practices that are focused on pastured pork.