Kicking around the idea of catching a young sow and feeding her out to make bacon. Has anyone tried it? Can they get enough fat on them to make it worth the trouble?

I think it would work fine but I’ve never killed one with enough belly to try.

They’ll definitely get fat enough if you’re feeding. Wouldn’t be any different than a domestic pig in that scenario

Yes, just pump the feed to her.

Had a friend that had a friend that had a busy restaurant that saved the scraps, and he fed 3 of them from 50 lb range to 200 lbs then corn fed them for 2-3 months.Turned out great.

I knew a guy in college that caught a baby, raised it and when it got too big slaughtered it.

He fed it table scraps, some feed store feed and a beer/grape koolaid mixture.

It was some pretty good meat.

All I know is that they don't grow out on feed like a domestic pig does.

As long as you trim off the nips, should be good.

That will work. A pig ration or anything with some protein will produce better, firmer fat than straight corn, which can yield softer fat that won't cure/slice as nicely.

thats pretty funny

When I trap some small ones I will give them to my Brother in law to feed out. We tried it a couple of times just didnt get much bacon out of them like we thought we would.

For sure

I would get a good quality domestic oinker if going to the trouble to feed one out.

Well my experience with hogs, be they wild, spanish mule foots, old spots, or Tamworths, you're looking for length of belly as much as your looking for fat to get volume of bacon. Tamworth are kings of this arena, they are the bacon pig. Old spots come in second, they're commercially raised for bacon. I've raised a few Spanish mule foots and while we got some bacon it was sparse and seemed very much in line with size of belly I've experienced on feral hogs. We slaughtered those mulefoots at about 300 lbs and they yielded about 15 lbs of bacon.

I've only done bacon out of one feral pig, a piggy sow north of of 150lbs. Only got 8 lbs of very fatty bacon out of her. Never fed one out but again it's gonna depend on belly length. Due to their feral/ mutt nature and genetics I would say it's a crap shoot on whether it would be worthwhile but there is a possibility you may wind up with something amazing.