If your a breeding farm shouldn't you base decisions on stock improvements not sentimentality. Especially with such close bloodlines. 🤷 Just saying. You're just going to sell her to another owner and not processor should make the decision easier.
Absolutely, the difficulty comes down to a few things tied into that. My sentimentality is probably a bit different than most folks because I’m such a practical, and logical person. To clarify the rest of this I’m assuming you mean the decision on Donut, because the decision on Dos is, sell her as a breeder or cull her and that’s just because I’m trying to weigh if she has enough positives to merit allowing her genetics to continue to contribute to the breed over all, because she herself is a generational project on my farm, that choice really comes down to the right person asking for her that is willing to be strict with culling, and having a great boar match, otherwise I won’t bat an eye this summer about processing her. The debate in my head is risking finding the right person lol. With Donut, my sentimentality isn’t because she is a sweet gal towards us or anything(that’s the only kind of pig that gets to stay on my farm in the first place, just ask Cero 🤣). My sentimentality (and my wife’s) is because she is the best sow on the farm hands down. She has consistently above average litters, consistently great weaning percentages, consistently better built piglets, and even took when 3 other gals didn’t with toast. Which from my wife’s standpoint is, “that pig does the best job of paying for herself, so you can’t get rid of her in favor of any of the other gals” 🤣. I’m very much a replace and cull kind of breeder, I’ve culled about as many registered breeders as I have purchased without much of a second thought so that’s not an issue, and I’ve re”farmed”(instead of Re”homed” ) almost as many with the same mentality that they can continue their contribution to the breed on another farm, hence my being ok with selling Biscuit off to another farm (cause if I did have an emotional attachment to a pig it would definitely be her, but even then it’s still mostly her utilitarianism). The issue just comes down to this little boar replacement is my 3rd generation attempt at an improvement project, and I think I managed to improve again over his father whom I already thought was pretty dang great, and this sow being my best sow. So the choice is do I get rid of what I think could be the best boar I’ve owned, or get rid of the best sow I’ve owned(thereby decreasing the genetic and monetary value of my personal herd either way) with the third option of continuing to work this line breeding experiment a little farther than I planned(which has the down side of me going from 25-33% of a litter breeder sales to 5-10% of a litter*5% meaning most litters I wouldn’t sell a breeder piglet from her*, but the upside of me most likely having the best batches of feeders I’ve ever produced, which means better carcass quality for our meat products). So yea, I hope that clarifies at least some what makes my decision rough with donut, it’s not emotional sentimentality it’s because of my selfish desire to still ensure I have the best possible herd I can on my place after this downsize. I have worked hard to get my entire herd to all be exemplars of the breed and I feel I’ve finally achieved it(except for the Dos experiment that still needs work), so in paring down I want my farm to retain the cream of the crop, it’s just that that cream causes some extra considerations 😂.
1st comment again 🤪
Thank you from both me and the algorithm 🤣, It’s super appreciated! Really looking forward to seeing y’all again at the Show in June 💚
@@greenthicketfarm lol
@@toddcaskey9984 y’all are coming to the show right?
@@greenthicketfarm yep Dani , Adam and I
If your a breeding farm shouldn't you base decisions on stock improvements not sentimentality. Especially with such close bloodlines. 🤷 Just saying. You're just going to sell her to another owner and not processor should make the decision easier.
Absolutely, the difficulty comes down to a few things tied into that. My sentimentality is probably a bit different than most folks because I’m such a practical, and logical person. To clarify the rest of this I’m assuming you mean the decision on Donut, because the decision on Dos is, sell her as a breeder or cull her and that’s just because I’m trying to weigh if she has enough positives to merit allowing her genetics to continue to contribute to the breed over all, because she herself is a generational project on my farm, that choice really comes down to the right person asking for her that is willing to be strict with culling, and having a great boar match, otherwise I won’t bat an eye this summer about processing her. The debate in my head is risking finding the right person lol.
With Donut, my sentimentality isn’t because she is a sweet gal towards us or anything(that’s the only kind of pig that gets to stay on my farm in the first place, just ask Cero 🤣). My sentimentality (and my wife’s) is because she is the best sow on the farm hands down. She has consistently above average litters, consistently great weaning percentages, consistently better built piglets, and even took when 3 other gals didn’t with toast. Which from my wife’s standpoint is, “that pig does the best job of paying for herself, so you can’t get rid of her in favor of any of the other gals” 🤣. I’m very much a replace and cull kind of breeder, I’ve culled about as many registered breeders as I have purchased without much of a second thought so that’s not an issue, and I’ve re”farmed”(instead of Re”homed” ) almost as many with the same mentality that they can continue their contribution to the breed on another farm, hence my being ok with selling Biscuit off to another farm (cause if I did have an emotional attachment to a pig it would definitely be her, but even then it’s still mostly her utilitarianism). The issue just comes down to this little boar replacement is my 3rd generation attempt at an improvement project, and I think I managed to improve again over his father whom I already thought was pretty dang great, and this sow being my best sow. So the choice is do I get rid of what I think could be the best boar I’ve owned, or get rid of the best sow I’ve owned(thereby decreasing the genetic and monetary value of my personal herd either way) with the third option of continuing to work this line breeding experiment a little farther than I planned(which has the down side of me going from 25-33% of a litter breeder sales to 5-10% of a litter*5% meaning most litters I wouldn’t sell a breeder piglet from her*, but the upside of me most likely having the best batches of feeders I’ve ever produced, which means better carcass quality for our meat products).
So yea, I hope that clarifies at least some what makes my decision rough with donut, it’s not emotional sentimentality it’s because of my selfish desire to still ensure I have the best possible herd I can on my place after this downsize. I have worked hard to get my entire herd to all be exemplars of the breed and I feel I’ve finally achieved it(except for the Dos experiment that still needs work), so in paring down I want my farm to retain the cream of the crop, it’s just that that cream causes some extra considerations 😂.