Frequently Asked Questions
About how much meat will yield from my hog purchase?
We aim to graze and finish our hogs at roughly 300 pounds live weight. At a finished live weight of 300 lbs, the hog will clean and hang at the butcher around 200 lbs. Once further processed you can expect to receive between 120 - 150 pounds of packaged meat. If you purchase a half hog, you can estimate roughly half of that weight. At this finish weight, our customers enjoy a freezer full of flavorful, nutrient-dense meat.
How big of a freezer/freezer space should I have prepared at the time my hog is ready for pickup?
A whole hog will come close to filling a smaller standup freezer. For reference, our personal standup freezer in our home is 13.3 cubic feet, and the whole hog comes close to filling!
What is the process for purchasing a hog from your business, start to finish?
When you purchase a pastured hog from us, you can rest assured that the animal has grazed on open land and was never raised in confinement. All of our pigs are raised on pasture where they’re allowed to explore and forage for a variety of grasses and other forages. We supplement our pigs with a locally grown and milled non-gmo feed to ensure they get the proper nutrition required to grow delicious pork.
We require half of the price upfront to reserve your hog, and the other half is due one month out from the scheduled butcher date.
At roughly one month out from finish weight, Born & Grazed will work with each customer personally to confidently complete a cut sheet. On the cut sheet, customers are given options for how they would like their meat to be processed, certain cuts, weights/amounts of each cut, etc. Do not worry, first-timers! We will walk you through this process so you are 100% confident in your bulk meat purchase :)
When your hog reaches finish weight, roughly 300 lbs, we will deliver the pig(s) to the butcher facility. Once it is ready for pickup, customers will pick their packaged meat up from the facility or arrange a delivery of their packaged meat from Born & Grazed Farming Co. Please contact us if you would like for us to deliver your packaged meat to you. We’d love to!
How long does it take to graze my purchased hog?
The time to finish a hog varies due to different breeds, but the breeds we deal with will finish at approximately 6 to 8 months. Our goal weight is 300 pounds on the hoof; this could come before or after this 6 to 8 month timeframe. We continuously monitor our pigs’ growth to ensure they go to the butcher at the most appropriate time ensuring our customers get the most bang for their buck.
Do your prices include butchering fees?
Our prices do not include butcher fees at this time. The butcher fees are included on the cut sheet that will be provided to our customers when it is time for them to make their cut selections (about one month from butcher time). We gladly provide that sheet to customers who would like to review butcher fees before purchasing- just reach out and ask!
On average, you can expect the butcher to be $200 to $300 depending on the cuts you select. For example, sausage and smoked/cured meats are more expensive compared to basic cuts due to materials needed for processing, so if a customer selects several pounds of sausage, their butcher bill will be more. We typically suggest two to three sausage flavors per whole hog, and half that for a half hog.
What butcher does your business use, and is it possible to use a preferred butcher?
We have used Deer Trax processing in Screven County, GA in the past with good results. We are transitioning to Hunter Cattle Co. as their facility is USDA inspected which will allow us to begin packaging for resale to customers in the form of individual cuts of meat. This is a great option for customers who do not wish to purchase bulk options.
Should a customer desire to use a different butcher, this can absolutely be arranged. However, the customer would need to be prepared with arrangements on having the hog delivered to their butcher of choice.
We happily work with customers to ensure they are able to schedule their butcher date with their chosen facility to coincide with the finishing time of the hog. If the customer fails to set up a butcher date that coincides with the hogs finish dates, then the customer will have added fees for extended feeding costs to butcher time. Born & Grazed offers delivery to a butcher facility of the customer’s choice for a small delivery fee.
Can we keep the lard, leaf lard, bones, and offal?
The short answer is yes; you are completely entitled to all of this when you purchase a hog from us. However, depending on your cut options, some of these options may be limited. For example, if you have several “bone-in” cuts, then you probably won’t be able to get bones back. The same goes for the lard, while there will probably be some left, if you select several sausage options most of this would be incorporated into making the sausage.
The offal is all of the organ meats. Before curling your nose, you should read your options for what these extra tidbits have to offer! A lot of people will have the offal ground into their sausage. This adds a ton of flavor to your sausage, and you won’t be able to tell the difference- our promise! If this isn’t your style, then maybe you should think about your furry companions. Offal makes great additions to any dog or cat food and your furry pal will thank you for it. Considering keeping your offal is actually a win-win! However, if you want nothing to do with the offal that is completely fine, just don’t select them on your cut sheet and they will be disposed of by the butcher. If you wanted to thank your farmer, we have also received them as gifts from previous customers! No one likes the idea of wasting, so finding a purpose for your already paid for offal is definitely a beneficial idea.
Do you sell pigs for roasting hogs?
This is dependent on our availability at the time you need the pig. If we have pigs that are at your desired roasting size, then we will definitely arrange for you to get one for whatever shindig you are putting on. This is a great way to feed a large crowd for any occasion! Our butcher is also available to prepare the hog for you so all you have to do is pick it up and start cooking. If you would like to prepare the hog yourself, this could also be arranged.