One of the readers asked a two part question, of which the first part was " When is a market hog ready for market". I decided to try and answer this question. Due to the fact that hogs can be marketed at so many different weights, the readiness of a pig for market is actually determined by the owner's profit margin, and the need to maintain your "pig flows". This is highly influenced by the packer's pay grid, which will pay the most money for their desired carcass weight and composition. This will also be influenced by the pressure for pen spaced by incoming "pig flow".
Today's lean hogs can be taken to heavier weights, with many people marketing hogs around 280#'s ( 127.2 Kg. ). The total profit per head, and the cost of Feed/Gain in the later stages of finishing determine when a producer will want to market his hogs. There is a point of "Diminishing Returns" where you put in a dollars worth of feed and labor, but you do not earn that dollar back. You do not want to hold on to your market hogs so long as to get to this point!
From an Article by Steve Meyer and Len Steiner (1), I was able to calculate that the average live-weight for top barrows and gilts marketed in the U.S. in 2011 was 283.3#'s ( i.e. 128.8 Kg. ) ( I am assuming a dressing percent of 72% ). You will want to check both your country's averages, and your packer's desired live-weight, to determine your marketing plan.
References:
(1) Meyer, Steve and Len Steiner. " CME: Why Producers and Packers Benefit From Heavier Hogs". May 31, 2012
Cited on Oct. 07, 2013.
(2) Meyer, Steve. " Why Hog Slaughter Weight, Rates Are Climbing" National Hog Farmer Oct. 25, 2010
Cited on 10/15/2013.
