It's a mistake to sell a registered Meishan sow, gilt or boar as a feeder pig.
Let me explain.
First, let's start with a definition of those terms. Pigs are categorized, by and large, with 4 terms.
Sow -female pig of breeding age or over 1 year old
Gilt - Female pig under 1 year of age, maybe at breeding age, maybe not
Feeder - a pig intended for meat, regardless of sex
Boar - an intact male
There are more terms to describe age and sex. But these terms will be what you see the most.
Now, you have your breeding operation, you've invested $ in registered breeding stock and someone asks you for a female for a feeder pig. Or a male they will cut themselves. They generally say they don't care about registrations and just want a pig for meat.
Then, that female has piglets. Possibly sired by the same boar they were going to cut/ neuter if you sold them a pair.
They changed their mind on breeding or an accidental breeding happened. Now, you have created competition for yourself with your own pigs in your own market. These 'feeder pig' offspring will undercut your sales and work against your efforts, potentially robbing sales from your registered stock.
You unsuspectedly put competition in your own back yard, per se.
Also, the registry has now lost track of that sow & boar as unregistered stock can't be part of the nationwide conservation effort.
Only selling cut males or barrows as feeders protects your market and our conservation effort.
Demand is high for the Meishan. Make sure you are marketing your pigs. Consider joining the breed association at the level that lists your work on their breeder locator and hold out for the high value customer that appreciates and respects your work. (www.meishanbreeders.com)
That's what we do here.
Doing this protects the market & best supports the conservation effort for all of us.
