Raising fighting roosters on the Big Island (Pahoa: roofing, living in)

[terracore]

"We might consider getting more land for more of a buffer."

This is really the best thing you can do. Sound travels very far when there is very little soil. You would think the foliage would do a good job of suppressing it, however it does not. If you are buying a spaghetti lot (100-150 feet wide) you really need to buy three lots with your residence in the middle lot. If you are lucky enough to get a 3 acre or larger square lot, it's amazing that even in the center of it you will still feel close to your neighbors. Don't be fooled if all the lots around you are undeveloped. The bulldozer could show up tomorrow.

When we first got here we thought of getting one of the lots up next to the forest preserve. Looked like a good idea using google earth. The lots were all ripped up by pigs and the potential neighbors looked more feral than the pigs did.

[sk290]

Originally Posted by terracore

When we first got here we thought of getting one of the lots up next to the forest preserve. Looked like a good idea using google earth. The lots were all ripped up by pigs and the potential neighbors looked more feral than the pigs did.

That's exactly what I was thinking, a piece of land next to the forest reserve, less neighbors, less noise. I guess an electric fence within the immediate living area would be a must to keep the wild boars out, about a couple of acres around the house. Are the wild boars worst in certain areas or is this a problem everywhere on the island?

[leilaniguy]

Where ever it is wet there is more food, so more pigs. I kept them off my place in Leilani with a 4' hogwire fence and two dogs.

[terracore]

There are greater concentrations of pigs wherever there is undeveloped lots to support them. The ones around our place seem to like the mac nut farm several lots down from us but lately have been coming to our yard to eat the guavas and to try and steal livestock food. It's been dry lately and they might be coming to our place for the wet guavas and livestock water. We don't see them as a bad thing. Wild pig is leaner and tougher than the supermarket variety, but cooked low and slow is oh so ono!

[sk290]

Show off! You always have the best post with the best picture hotzcatz! That's a good looking pig and I LOVE sausage! Tell us the story on this one.

When we lived in Texas we would hang white tail deer off a tree, skin and quarter it then take it to a meat processor for steaks, ground meat and pan sausage. Guess we could it ourselves in Hawaii.

Has anybody done a whole Kailua pork? How is that done? I would love to cook one the traditional way but that would be a whole lot of meat! Have a big party or freeze it?

[hotzcatz]

That particular pig was eating up my friend's garden. We have a big pig trap, so now the pig isn't eating up her garden anymore. Usually, I'll dig a hole under where it's hanging. Drop the innards, head, feet and hide into the hole and then take the rest home as quarters to be either sliced into chops and roasts and usually frozen or made into sausage. Sometimes we'll save the casings for sausage, sometimes not. Depends on what the pig had been eating and how big it is. Trapping pigs makes for a good carcass since it's not all tired from being chased all over.

For smaller pigs, sometimes I'll leave them whole and scrape the hair off so we can make roast suckling pig, but those have to be pretty small for that. For the really big pigs, those get mostly made into roasts and sausage. If they are old boars, they can occasionally have a bit of a musky flavor, but the dogs don't mind. This isn't hunting, though, this is vermin eradication. Fortunately, it's pretty tasty vermin.

Kalua pig can be made by taking a pork roast, steam cooking it in the oven with smoke flavor and salt. When it's done, shred the meat and you've got Kalua pig. Otherwise, if you're gonna cook a pig in an imu (underground oven) that's an entirely different matter.

To do a proper imu, first off, dig a hole big enough to drop a small Toyota into. Line it with dry rocks, fill it with dry wood, nothing with preservatives on it. Either pre-invite the fire department or invite them when they show up. Light the imu, open a keg. By the time the keg is about done the fire pit should be down to coals and you should have enough folks around to help you get the pig into the pit. Your pig should be cleaned and ready to cook. Put some of the hot rocks inside, wrap with banana leaves, ti leaves and then chicken wire and usually the chicken wire is formed into handles. Smooth out the pit of coals, toss in a layer of banana tree trunk chunks, put in the pig, a bunch of prepared laulau, maybe a couple of turkeys, maybe a hundred pounds of sweet potatoes, whatever you like, mostly. Then cover with more banana leaves, more ti leaves, a canvas tarp and a layer of dirt. Open the next keg of beer. By the time that one is about done, the imu should be done, too. Open, pull out the pig and slice or shred, depending on your preferences. Should serve about two hundred - depending on the size of the pig, of course. This is usually best done during a two or three day party or you'll have too many leftovers even if everyone takes a plate home.

[Mikala43]

I had heard, and agree with:

You can judge a society by how they treat the weak. Their old, young, disabled and animals.



(FYI: I have no trouble with hunting for consumption)

[HonaunauLove]

People always ask me about food being expensive in Hawaii when we chat about my move in 2 years. I tell them there's plenty of free food walking around the Big Island.

[sk290]

Wow! This is like the Twilight zone!!!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by sk290

Wow! This is like the Twilight zone!!!

Not sure what you mean. Twilight Zone was about paranormal or "fifth dimension" kinds of things. Hawaii is just more like living in a third world country. Nothing paranormal about being close to nature.