Half and Whole Pigs

Ordering A Whole Pig

OUR NEXT AVAILABILITY FOR HALF/WHOLE PIGS WILL BE DECEMBER 2025

Want a lot of pork? We can do half and whole hogs! We have two ways to do it -- either by selecting a bundle of pre-selected cuts with a guaranteed minimum quantity of pork, or by having a whole pig custom cut. Regardless of which route you take, you will usually need to place a deposit several months in advance.

Pork Bundles

The easiest way to get a lot of pork is to choose one of our bundles -- we choose our most popular cuts for you, assembled from pigs we have taken to our USDA-inspected processor. We are usually able to provide a bundle of cuts sooner, and can guarantee the price and the minimum weight. Some substitutions are possible, but may result in a different price. Sausage can be substituted for most parts (since sausage can be made from any part of the animal); link sausage can be substituted for bulk sausage for a $2/pack fee. Other substitutions can be made if they come from the same part of the pig (e.g., boneless loin chops instead of bone-in), but substitutions of one region for another are not possible (for example, we can't do extra chops instead of shoulder).

Custom Cut Hogs (Whole Pigs only)

Having a pig custom cut to your specifications will cost $4.25/lb (whole) or $4.50/lb (half) hanging weight plus the cost of processing. We usually send pigs to butcher when they are 250-300 pounds live weight. At that size, a heritage breed pig will have a dressed weight (a.k.a. “hanging weight,” which means the weight of the pig on the rail once slaughtered and gutted) of 165-200 lbs and produce 100-125 pounds of meaty cuts; the rest is skin, bones, and organs (some of which can also be requested from the processor if you so desire). Depending on the size of the pig and the amount of smoking and sausage options you choose, a whole will generally cost about $1050.

How To Get A Half or Whole Pig

Deposits and Pricing: You contact us to reserve, and put down a deposit ($75 for a quarter, $150 for a half, $300 for a whole) to hold your reservation. We will provide you with an estimate of delivery date and cost when you put down your deposit. In some years, we have experienced rapid increases in feed and processing costs, and may have to adjust our pricing. In the event that the price increases more than 5% over your quote, you will have the option to cancel your order and have your deposit refunded.

Lead Time: We recommend that you contact us at least 3 months in advance. We try to time our production so that most pigs are going to butcher between August and December, so that they can get plenty of pasture-foraged food while they grow.

Cut Selection: You may be able to have some substitutions (e.g., shoulder steaks instead of Boston Butt roast) for half and whole pig bundles; please inquire before purchase if interested. For custom cut pigs, we will guide you through the process of selecting cuts before your pig goes to the butcher.

Transport and Pick Up: We transport your pig to the butcher, along with other pigs from our herd that are at market weight. Processing generally takes about 10 days, which allows time for bacon and ham to cure. (Uncured cuts will be shrink wrapped and flash frozen while bacon and ham are cured and smoked.) In most cases, we pick your cuts up for you at a time that is compatible with our schedule. If you need your cuts sooner, if you want your meat unfrozen, or if yours is the only pig we are transporting to the butcher then you will pick the cuts up yourself directly from the processor yourself.

Our Processors: For Fall 2025, we will be working with Countryside Quality Meats in Union CityYale, MI; they provide USDA Inspected processing and provide skin-on processing. If you are having a whole pig custom processed, it can also go to our and be processed by same butchers, or it can go to one of several Custom Exempt butchers (i.e., butchers that are not inspected by the government, and that process pigs only for their owners' non retail use). There are many options in to SE Michigan -- the choice will depend on your needs, appointment availability, and transportation. We strongly recommend working with Damian's Craft Meats, especially if you want skin-on processing or unusual cuts. Damian is able to dispatch the pig on our farm, then transport it to his facility for cutting, curing, and wrapping.

Custom Butchery Whole Pig Pricing Example

Whole pig cost breakdown (based on anticipated hanging weight of 180 lbs, which should yield 130 lbs of retail cuts)

$4.25 x 180 lbs to us: $765 fee paid to Flight Path Farm
Processor fees assuming a “typical” processing with mostly fresh cuts, all belly and one ham smoked, and trim plus one ham for sausage: roughly $175-300 paid to processor, depending on options selected (as low as $175 if no smoke and cure and no link sausage; add $55 for 50 lbs of cured and smoked bacon/ham/hocks; add $65 for 25 lbs of link sausage or over $115 for 25 lbs of specialty link sausage)
Pricing based on Countryside Quality Meats Fee Schedule for 2025
- Kill & Waste Disposal Fees: $80
- Cut and Wrap Fee: $0.85/lb hanging weight (about $150)
- Cure and Smoke Fee: $1.10/lb, standard cure (about $55 assuming 50 lbs of bacon and ham)
- Sausage Fee: Bulk breakfast no fee, $0.80/lb patties, $2.60/lb links $4.65/lb specialty brats, 25lb minimum
Total Cost: About $950-1050
Each processor has their own method for butchering and their own pricing for slaughter, cut and wrap, sausage making, smoking, and return of bones/fat/organs; thus the same pig will have a different cost depending on the processor it goes to
Processors differ in whether or not they skin or scald and scrape pigs, whether offer all-natural cure for smoked meats, flavors of sausage offered, and the minimum quantity needed to make a flavored sausage